Hi there,
The mating faces of the head are cut flat and washer compresses and deforms to make a gas tight seal, well that’s the idea anyway. You can get relatively cheap tools to recut the face, its rather like an end mill attached to an arbour to keep it parallel to the bore.
Good luck, all the best Steve

It seems the incorrect code is not being input. If the other alternatives I sent do not work I have no more suggestions sorry. After several times trying the wrong code the radio locks out and you will have to wait a couple of hours before having another 3 attempts. The radio must be left powered (switched on) for the allotted reset period, before having another go.
All the best Steve

Hi Again Mike,
Thanks for the accolade!
If you have a boost leak the tell tale sign will be black oil staining, this will usually be where the hoses connect to the intercooler as they are hard to get at and frequently under tightened. Inspect the matrix of the intercooler for black oil patches from a hole or fracture caused by either accident or stone damage.
The most common place for a split is in the big hose that finally joins the inlet manifold, this splits underneath where you cannot see it, so take off the hose and have a good look – sometimes the split only says hello when you flex the pipe or when its under a certain boost pressure, however I expect you should hear it wheezing.
The turbo actuator rod end is connected to a small linkage that disappears into the turbo body this moves the vanes on the inside, you can see how on the photos of the turbo re-core/rebuild post on the site. I have seen the shaft wear the casting through which it passes, so as it moves, it not so much rotates but pushes up. This has the internal effect of disengaging the lobe that shifts the vane ring inside, so in truth the vanes never reach a full boost angle as the mechanics have worn. With the correct code reader you should be able to see the boost pressure fluctuating and make an assumption from actual fact and not guess work.
You could pull the boost pressure sensor out and give it a good clean off with carb cleaner as these do get sooted/oiled up. Don’t scrub it, just spray and shake it dry as its quite fragile. You have possibly fixed the turbo boost to max with your mod, it should perform OK as a temporary fix – but boy, will it use some diesel!
If you take look at the back of the plastic composite intake manifold (4cyl models), by the bulkhead, it has a removable panel about the size of the palm of your hand with a rubber O ring seal, if the van has backfired at some point (through using easystart or some other issue) this silicone seal can ooze or squidge out of its seat and you get a very well hidden boost leak from that point. Worth a look.
A boost leak would normally cause the motor to smoke badly from the exhaust on acceleration as there is an air deficit, making for diesel rich combustion, Do you see this ? – if not we may be into a fuel delivery issue in preference to boost.
Let me know how you get on.
Steve

Hi Rob,
The T piece fuel sensor on the right side (when looking into the engine bay) of the block/cylinder head seam area is the supply fuel line low pressure sensor, the HP shut off sensor is the one on the HP body as you mentioned. You need to check the turbo actuator is moving freely and shifting the internal vanes of the turbo, rev the engine and watch the actuator rod, it should move – if not rectify this.
If you rev the engine you should normally feel the intake induction hose go hard under pressure, this indicates crudely you have some boost. It is possible for lightly driven or vehicles that have spent a period of standing to have a seized turbo actuator rod, you need to check this out first.
As you have some vacuum at the actuator feed pipe then its worth a shot to clarify the movement of the actuator and accordingly the small lever on the turbo body that moves the internal vanes for at least some movement before pointing the finger at anything else.
Let me know how you get on.
All the best
Steve

Hi Mike,
This could be a fuel supply problem. If the boost air intake pipework is all fine, and you can see the actuator moving on the turbo body and hear boost noise (hose work pressurising also) then there is a chance you could be looking in the wrong area. Fuel pressure is a common problem for throwing the ECU into limp home with EDC lamp. Start by changing the fuel filter, check the lines to and from the tank for poor connection (especially on the filter canister). Also check the clear plastic pipes to and from the HP / LP fuel pumps for air bubbles. If you see air bubbles travelling in these you have an issue with seals some where on the diesel supply circuit. There are a selection of pipework O rings that can be renewed to cure this if its an issue.
Let me know how you get on.
PS a read of the ECU would maybe tell you where the problem lies, get it read if you can it could save you a great deal of time.
All the best
Steve

Hi Les,
its worth checking the electrical connectors to the injectors and make sure they are seated correctly and fully home. Check the turbo vac connections and determine you have boost (you should hear it and it should pressurise the pipes) Check you are not losing boost through the induction pipe or manifold (you should hear this) also make sure you have not disturbed the boost pressure sensor on the plastic intermediate pipe between intercooler and inlet manifold during the operation. You really need a code read to see where to go next. Thanks for the write-up on the ball bearing tip.
All the best
Steve

53331 is what I get on the becker software decoder, try these 31331,71331 or 9331 if its a four digit unit. Failing these I am stumped!
All the best
Steve

Hi Nick,
I suppose when you changed the engine all the LP/HP fuel pumps were swapped over. This sounds as if there is a problem with air in the fuel, probably caused by one of the hard plastic clear pipes that connect the Low pressure pump to the HP pump feed. These have a black connector on the end that can benefit from a new O ring. Also the way the aux belt runs, really close to them slung under the HP pump it is possible if they are not retained properly that the belt could be slapping them occasionally and causing a small gulp. They should locate in some very poor plastic clips. It goes without saying that the obvious fuel filter leaks/pipework should be checked, the non return housing at the top and if you have a push in water in fuel detector in the base of the filter canister this is a known hot spot for drawing air if not fitted correctly. Another long shot would be to have a look above the tank and check the pipework especially on the fuel cooler (its a tightly wound coil of pipe say 3 inches diameter and about 8-9 long, I have had one of these leak and it did give the same issues you are getting.
A few pointers there, but your main man MB technician should already be on top of these I guess so I doubt they are much help. Let me know.
All the best
Steve

Many thanks for the note Steve,
All the best
Steve