Technical Cable connection / identification

[Theoccupier]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum and would be grateful for some assistance on identifying a cable and a connection and if it should be plugged in. I have owed the vehicle for the last 7 years and it has always been smokey when changing gear and this last two years I have struggled in getting it through the emission test even though I use Shell or similar premium fuel and also fuel enhancers to keep the engine clean.
In the photo below there is a wiring loom that goes to the MAF sensor just after and below the air filter box. The loom has 3 cables one connects to the MAF the second disapears and the third is what the pencil is pointing at. After the MAF connection and the flexible piece of pipe there is a take off pipe with a connection without anything plugged in see the bic pen.

Now should the connector with the blanking plug be plugged into the bic pen connector?

There are no engine codes showing and there are no pipe leaks as I smoke test was carried out last year. I'm just wondering if a slight engine change was made around 2010/2011 and someone omitted to connect the cable as I know there can be a variety of engines in these Ducato vehicles.

Engine is on a 2010 Fiat Ducato 2.3 130 X250

Your assitance is much appriciated

Thanks

 

[Communicator]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum and would be grateful for some assistance on identifying a cable and a connection and if it should be plugged in. I have owed the vehicle for the last 7 years and it has always been smokey when changing gear and this last two years I have struggled in getting it through the emission test even though I use Shell or similar premium fuel and also fuel enhancers to keep the engine clean.
In the photo below there is a wiring loom that goes to the MAF sensor just after and below the air filter box. The loom has 3 cables one connects to the MAF the second disapears and the third is what the pencil is pointing at. After the MAF connection and the flexible piece of pipe there is a take off pipe with a connection without anything plugged in see the bic pen.

Now should the connector with the blanking plug be plugged into the bic pen connector?

There are no engine codes showing and there are no pipe leaks as I smoke test was carried out last year. I'm just wondering if a slight engine change was made around 2010/2011 and someone omitted to connect the cable as I know there can be a variety of engines in these Ducato vehicles.

Engine is on a 2010 Fiat Ducato 2.3 130 X250

Your assitance is much appriciated

Thanks

View attachment 473484

I could be wrong, but my first impession was oil vapour heater. I am not familiar with the details of your 2.3multjet, but if the tube that your biro is pointing at connects into the air inlet hose at the lower end, and into the black plastic oil vapour separator on top of the engine, then that is what I would expect. The purpose of the oil vapour heater is to prevent water molecules in the combustion products forming ice crystals at low ambient temperatures. The heater is generally considered not to be essential in most UK climates.

If the object is the oil vapour heater then I doubt that it will be the cause of your emissions problem.

A conundrum is that on x250 models I think that the heater is controlled and monitored by the engine ecu. The heaters can go short circuit and cause a fault code, with perhaps another code if heater is left disconnected. Yours does not, so perhaps I am wrong on this point. The heater is typically supplied from fuse F11, EI Secondary services, but where did the connector blanking cap come from, unless disconnected from new? I am sure that someone else, who owns, or is familiar with the 2.3 multijet, may be able to provide further input.
,

 

[Theoccupier]

I could be wrong, but my first impession was oil vapour heater. I am not familiar with the details of your 2.3multjet, but if the tube that your biro is pointing at connects into the air inlet hose at the lower end, and into the black plastic oil vapour separator on top of the engine, then that is what I would expect. The purpose of the oil vapour heater is to prevent water molecules in the combustion products forming ice crystals at low ambient temperatures. The heater is generally considered not to be essential in most UK climates.

If the object is the oil vapour heater then I doubt that it will be the cause of your emissions problem.

A conundrum is that on x250 models I think that the heater is controlled and monitored by the engine ecu. The heaters can go short circuit and cause a fault code, with perhaps another code if heater is left disconnected. Yours does not, so perhaps I am wrong on this point. The heater is typically supplied from fuse F11, EI Secondary services, but where did the connector blanking cap come from, unless disconnected from new? I am sure that someone else, who owns, or is familiar with the 2.3 multijet, may be able to provide further input.
,

Thanks for the comment, I can't say I have ever considered a vapour heater but certainly worth exploring the idea.

 

[Theoccupier]

I could be wrong, but my first impession was oil vapour heater. I am not familiar with the details of your 2.3multjet, but if the tube that your biro is pointing at connects into the air inlet hose at the lower end, and into the black plastic oil vapour separator on top of the engine, then that is what I would expect. The purpose of the oil vapour heater is to prevent water molecules in the combustion products forming ice crystals at low ambient temperatures. The heater is generally considered not to be essential in most UK climates.

If the object is the oil vapour heater then I doubt that it will be the cause of your emissions problem.

A conundrum is that on x250 models I think that the heater is controlled and monitored by the engine ecu. The heaters can go short circuit and cause a fault code, with perhaps another code if heater is left disconnected. Yours does not, so perhaps I am wrong on this point. The heater is typically supplied from fuse F11, EI Secondary services, but where did the connector blanking cap come from, unless disconnected from new? I am sure that someone else, who owns, or is familiar with the 2.3 multijet, may be able to provide further input.
,

Well after a bit of exploring you are correct, thanks very much. It is indeed the blowpass heater pipe that is connected to the top of the engine rocker case to allow pressure to be vented back through the air intake.
Now I just need to to see if the cable was removed possibly due to the heater failure which would show as a fault code and maybe the plug in the connector is to simulate the heater resistance?

Thanks again
Gary