K9K 1.5 dCi
The most-produced small diesel in Europe, shared across Renault, Nissan and Dacia. It's absurdly economical and cheap to fix, and injector wear is the fault that defines it, with a leaking injector able to wash a bore.
| Configuration | I4, turbocharged | Displacement | 1461 cc |
| Fuel | diesel | Injection | common rail |
| Shared components | DPF · EGR cooler | ||
Cars using this engine
Engine and component issues
Warning light, limp mode, oil level rising above the maximum mark from fuel dilution. The filter needs sustained hot running to regenerate. A car used for short urban trips never completes a regeneration cycle.
Check: Read the DPF soot load and the distance since the last regeneration on a scan tool, and check the engine oil level and smell it for diesel. Ask what the car was used for. A short-trip city diesel is the wrong car regardless of mileage.
A rough idle, smoke on start-up, uneven running and in the worst case low compression on one cylinder. The injectors wear and can leak, letting combustion gases and fuel past the seat. Left alone, fuel washes the oil film off the bore and damages it, which turns an injector job into an engine one.
Check: Read the injector correction values on a diagnostic and look for one cylinder out of line with the rest. Ask what injector work has been done, because most high-mileage examples have had some.
Coolant loss with no visible external leak, white smoke, sweet smell. The EGR cooler cracks internally and leaks coolant into the intake. BMW recalled affected diesels over a fire risk from glycol deposits igniting.
Check: Check coolant level and look for unexplained top-ups in the service history. Verify the recall was carried out. It's free and searchable by VIN.
Chassis, gearbox and body issues aren't listed here. They depend on which car the engine is fitted to. Open a variant page for the merged list.