The evening before flying home, our spanish Renault Scenic 3 diesel displayed a ‘Stop!’ warning on the instrument display, and the engine light, aka the ‘money light’ went on. With the engine running normally, albeit with reduced power, I decided this wasn’t gonna spoil my last evening, so we continued to the restaurant we were heading to.
After returning home, we decided not to risk the trip tp the airport the enext day, so we ordered a taxi and put our Renault in the parking. Before leaving, I did manage to get a full list of trouble codes.
But where’s the OBD port?
To get the DTC’s, you attach an OBD reader to the OBD port in the car. Usually, this port can be found in the fuse box or under the dash in the passenger compartment. No such luck on the Scenic. The glove box perhaps? Nope! As many times before, a quick look at YouTube helped me out. On the floor behind the center console, there’s a cup holder. Wen yanked backwards, it disconnects from the console and reveals the OBD contact. After that, navigating the OBD app will present the list of DTC’sif there are any. And there were!
Here is part of the DTC list:
———————————————————
Car Scanner ELM OBD2
Version: 2.1.50/42001050/GP
DTC report
Connection profile: Toyota OBD-II / EOBDDate: 10/22/2026 9:00:45 PM
VIN: VF1JZ2B0D41541588
============================
OBD-IIOBD-II
DTCs: 46
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P0380 [0x0380]
Glow plugs, circuit A – malfunction
Glow Plugs Circuit A Malfunction
Status: Confirmed
—————————-
P0299 [0x0299]
Turbocharger (TC)/supercharger (SC) – low boost
Turbocharger / Supercharger Low Boost Condition
Status: Confirmed
—————————-
P0100(16) [0x010016] Archive (inactive)
Mass air flow (MAF) sensor/volume air flow (VAF) sensor – circuit malfunction
Mass or Volume Air Flow Meter Circuit Malfunction
Status: Test failed since last DTC clear
—————————-
P0110(17) [0x011017] Archive (inactive)
Intake air temperature (IAT) sensor – circuit malfunction
Intake Air Temperature Sensor Circuit Malfunction
Status: Test failed since last DTC clear
—————————-
P2263(22) [0x226322]
Turbocharger (TC) boost pressure/supercharger (SC) boost pressure – performance problem
Status: Test failed, Pending, Confirmed, Test failed since last DTC clear, Test not completed during this operation cycle, Warning indicator requested
—————————-
P1525(F3) [0x1525F3]
Air Bypass Valve System
Resolver (Speed Sensor) Circuit Fault (HV ECU to Engine ECM); Resolver Circuit Malfunction
Status: Test failed, Test failed (current drive cycle), Confirmed, Test failed since last DTC clear
—————————-
P0380(96) [0x038096]
Glow plugs, circuit A – malfunction
Glow Plugs Circuit A Malfunction
Status: Test failed, Pending, Confirmed, Test failed since last DTC clear, Test not completed during this operation cycle
—————————-
P0226(F2) [0x0226F2]
Throttle position (TP) sensor C/accelerator pedal position (APP) sensor C – range/performance problem
Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor / Throttle Position Sensor C Range / Performance
Status: Test not completed during this operation cycle
—————————-
P0488(77) [0x048877]
Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system, throttle position control – range/performance problem
Exhaust Gas Recirculation System Throttle Position Control Range / Performance
Status: Test not completed during this operation cycle
—————————-
P0488(72) [0x048872]
Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system, throttle position control – range/performance problem
Exhaust Gas Recirculation System Throttle Position Control Range / Performance
Status: Test not completed since last DTC clear, Test not completed during this operation cycle
—————————-
P0380(13) [0x038013]
Glow plugs, circuit A – malfunction
Glow Plugs Circuit A Malfunction
Status: Test not completed during this operation cycle
—————————-
P0380(11) [0x038011]
Glow plugs, circuit A – malfunction
Glow Plugs Circuit A Malfunction
Status: Test not completed during this operation cycle
—————————-
P0380(12) [0x038012]
Glow plugs, circuit A – malfunction
Glow Plugs Circuit A Malfunction
Status: Test not completed during this operation cycle
—————————-
P2263(21) [0x226321]
Turbocharger (TC) boost pressure/supercharger (SC) boost pressure – performance problem
Status: Test not completed since last DTC clear, Test not completed during this operation cycle
—————————-
P0180(29) [0x018029]
Fuel temperature sensor A – circuit malfunction
Fuel Temperature Sensor A Circuit Malfunction
Status: Test not completed since last DTC clear, Test not completed during this operation cycle
—————————-
P0190(29) [0x019029]
Fuel rail pressure (FRP) sensor – circuit malfunction
Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor Circuit Malfunction
Status: Test not completed during this operation cycle
—————————-
P0190(24) [0x019024]
Fuel rail pressure (FRP) sensor – circuit malfunction
Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor Circuit Malfunction
Status: Test not completed during this operation cycle
—————————-
P0574(62) [0x057462]
Cruise co…
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The plan is to, next time out in about half a year, diagnose the error and fix it. How would that go about, you may wonder. I’m glad you asked! Study the list, gather facts, make a plan!
Facts:
- The car runs ‘fine’
- Everything seems to work
- There is a long list of error codes
- The money light is on
The error codes point to:
- Glow plugs – malfunction
- Turbo – low boost / performance problem
- Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor – circuit malfunction
- Intake air temperature (IAT) sensor – circuit malfunction
- Air Bypass Valve System – circuit malfunction
- Throttle position (TP) sensor – range/performance problem
- Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system – range/performance problem
Preliminary diagnosis:
While this may for the untrained eye seem hopeless and likely expensive to replace all these items, the fact that the engine still runs quite well tells us that not all the parts indicated can be broken – in that case the engine would not run at all.
Here’s where rule #1 comes in:
When confronted with DTC’s do not replace all parts mentioned by the DTC’s!
More likely than all of these parts failing at the same time, there’s an electrical connection shared by all indicated parts that has gone bad. Could be a common plus power supply or ground has a bad connection, or a network connecting them isn’t working well.
When checking with Renault experts, it was suggested that a large electrical connector beneath the driver-side floor might have been affected by water ingress. The Scenic has a double floor, and large portions of the electrical system and modules ‘live’ inside that space. As it is the lowest point in the car, any water leaking into the car will eventually end up there. As such, it seems to be a frequent point of failure and causes a plethora of DTC’s thrown by the engine computer ECM. (Thanks Ton & Johan)
A friendly neighbor who used to run a Renault dealership in the UK before retiring already pointed out the double floor and electrical issues caused by water leaking into it. He instructed me to check the drains that lead rainwater from the windshield away, as these are known to clog up and cause water ingress. (Thanks Russ!)
Strategy:
- Bring:
- scope
- multimeters
- Try to find a wiring diagram for the ECM
- Gather more info on the connector and other hardware under the floor and how to access it
Will be continued later, wish me luck!
Paul
2026-10
Spain
This page is part of a series. You can find the main page for the series here.
#diagnosis #cardiagnosis #car-diagnosis #obd2 #obd-II #faultcode #ecm #bcm #felkod #youtube #batteryreplacement #renault #renaultscenic3 #dtc