Where has my TDI's Power gone?

[Danbag]

I have a 2000 (W) Golf 4 TDI, and during a long distance journey, my power just went! The only way I can explain the sensation would be if I ran into an 100mph headwind! The car now no longer wants to go above 65mph, cant go above 75mph without help from going down a hill, and hates going up them, where the speed will keep dropping off! I have to balance the throatal (at about 75%), to get anything out of the car, and when I put my foot down there is no engine note change, no higher pitch from the turbo, or air intake, nothing! Please, anyone got any ideas??

[veedub76]

Any fault codes on the dash?Have you taken it to a garage and had the VAG COM plugged in and the codes read?Any of the air intake pipes come loose from the turbo or intercooler?Check everything!:D

[Danbag]

Any fault codes on the dash?Have you taken it to a garage and had the VAG COM plugged in and the codes read?Any of the air intake pipes come loose from the turbo or intercooler?Check everything!:D
Nothing flagged up on the dash board! Not had chance to put it in garage yet, is it worthy of that on face value, you think??

Took the air filter off this afternoon and run cleaner/oil through it, as instructed. Vacuum hose was as its always been. Am goin spray the diesel bob carbon blaster cleaner directly through the air intake before refitting, to see if its something clogging the turbo operation. Good/Bad idea?

Is it a problem that may sound familar to you/anyone? It is mighty annoying!!

Thanks in advance

[helen]

keep on reading other power loss threads,thats a common vw problem

[veedub76]

Nothing flagged up on the dash board! Not had chance to put it in garage yet, is it worthy of that on face value, you think??

Took the air filter off this afternoon and run cleaner/oil through it, as instructed. Vacuum hose was as its always been. Am goin spray the diesel bob carbon blaster cleaner directly through the air intake before refitting, to see if its something clogging the turbo operation. Good/Bad idea?

Is it a problem that may sound familar to you/anyone? It is mighty annoying!!

Thanks in advance


Take it to a garage as it sounds like your Turbo may not be working.My turbo is audible at most speeds and,if you have experienced power loss like you say then get it looked at.How many miles has your Golf covered and has it Full service history?

[Danbag]

It has done about 140,000 (she's getting on a bit!). The turbo is audible but there is no note change, it is a constant. Only dealership stamps, doesnt tell you what work its had done though.

So, an update! The cleaning of the air filter and carbon blaster/cleaner didnt fix the problem.

I have noticed that the power loss does not manifest itself until you hit about 3000rpm. I read in other power loss posts (thanks, helen), that you can 'reset', the problem by switching the engine off then back on...so I did, the power was restored, but then cut out at around 2600rpm, where the car continues to accelerate without ANY urgency in the slightest

Surely if switching the ignition off effects the problem, and it is not from when the engine is first turned on, it cant be something mechanical failing?? - can it??

for eg. Is there anything that acuates at around these engine speeds that would cause a powerloss if faulty?

[besian]

respect you gt tdi:zx11:

try when you loose the power to switch off the engine and switch on. if the power comes back than your turbo boost valve is gone

[veedub76]

Well it could be your actuator or EGR valve sooted up or the MAF.My GT TDI hits boost around 2000 rpm then tails off around 3000rpm it has urgency but once peak power has been reached it does tail off as diesel's just don't rev out like petrol's.Maybe you ned to get it hooked up to a VAG COM and see if the ECU has any faults logged.:beerchug:

[Golf_TDI-150]

hi

my mate had this problem on his tdi, the turbo was working but not winding up. it turrned out to be the air flow sensor on the the air intake pipe

hope this helps;)

[Danbag]

Forgive me now as I am going to reply to everyone at once;

If the turbo boost valve/actuator has failed, would it log a fault within the ECU?

I think I have ruled out the MAF as surely the problem would be permanent? - I have had a problem with it in the past, and have had problem with it in the past and had no problem with acceleration (I think), just top speed.

Coincidently, what is typically the shelf life of a MAF? - How many miles does it last for example?

If there is a problem with the EGR, wouldn’t there be other signs to?

I think one thing is universal, VAG COM may hold the answer, ill get it plugged in a soon as possible.

If anyone thinks of owt else in the meantime would be grateful

[veedub76]

Could be the inlet manifold and the EGR clogged up as the egr recirculates the exhaust gases causing soot and gunk to build up in the inlet manifold which can mean you'll lose power over time.My car having 131k on the clock is not overly quick but like i say boost is in at around 2000 rpm and tails off around 3000 rpm,am thinking of checking ,my EGR and seeing if it's clogged.Driving like a woman can clog it quicker,so a good right foot to the floor now and then through the gears to keep things clean,also shell diesel and millers diesel treatment is worth trying.
let us know how you get on with the VAG COM:D

[Danbag]

Spoke to my garage earlier (its going in wednesday, for all who's waiting), and they said the likelyhood a fault being recorded in the ECU would be improbable because if a fault is recognised by the car, it would flag it up using the engine management light on the dash...is that the be all and end all?? - Or is the engine management light discretionary?

[veedub76]

Not too sure on that one mate,not had my golf long so haven't had a fault on the dash yet.......I still think maybe your inatke manifold and EGR valve are gunked up.But try the VAG COM too and see if it throws up any faults stored in the ECU.
I'm starting to get paranoid now after looking on the TDI CLUB website and looking at the gunked up EGR'S and inlet manifolds,apparantly cleaning these can make a hell of a difference to the performace afterwards!


Do you give your car loads of right foot or do you poodle through the gears??

[paul_TDI]

I had a similar problem with my W Reg TDI PD (115) on holidays in France. I just had no power for a couple of days. However, on my return to the UK it just returned to life.

I asked a mechnaic where I get the car serviced and he said he had seen this several times before where the air flow sensor on the the air intake does not give the correct response to the ECU. He had replaced a couple of sensors. He believes that mine was able to reset itseft after a long delay waiting for out Ferry!

[ian.i]

i had same problem on a tdi seat ibiza and it turned out to be the valve for the turbo that is located on the bulkhead. good luck

[Kris214]

Got very similar problem myself which has just started recently. Driving along dual carridgeway at 70mph and just go to pull out to overtake a lorry and speed up to 75 and then suddenly you can feel the turbo dying off and then the car struggles to hold 70 even at full throttle. I had to pull into a petrol station and I revved the engine and I couldnt hear the turbo whistle. I switched the engine off and back on again and it was back to normal.

Ian.i good to see a boy from my part of the country. Live down the road here in Antrim. I know nothing about engines, where is the bulkhead and could you tell me where the valve for the turbo is located on this part. Also how much is a replacement valve?

[datsun40146]

Have you thought that mabye you filter is clogged? We had a smiliar problem with yout turbo dodge. It ended up being a sensor controlling the watse gate holding it open. I would check that.

[Danbag]

Ok, I have the faults....

017664 - Coolant Transducer G62
017965 - Over Boost Pressure Adj
017552 - Air Mass Meter

Anyone have any clarifications on the above?

This is confusing as a failure of MAF or Coolant Temperature sensor would cause the boost valve to work incorrectly...right???

The faults were cleared and she was running fine, so I booted the heart and soul out of her to blow some smoke out the back then I hit 55mph and BAM goes the power again....DOH

Where I can pick up a nice new cheap MAF sensor? - Think Ill replace that first (as its the easiest), and clean the EGR valve and inlet manifold (anyone know, what I can clean it with?)

[veedub76]

Glad you got it looked at.Had a feeling the VAG would throw up a fault or 2!
Try the MAF first,do you have a German,swedish and French car parts near you at all?
If so you should be able to get the MAF and temperature sensor from there.These being faulty may be casuing overboost,or it sounds like it's going into limp mode due to MAF and EGR and blocked intake manifold.
I hope to be doing my EGR and inlet manifold soon.Have a look on this site for info on MAF and temperature sender replacement.:beerchug:

[Cal_Bora_HLine]

Hi, my mate had this problem on hos golf 130 tdi.

His T.I.P (turbo intake pipe) had come of!!! so... this was causing the turbo to over boost and therefore the 'safe mode' was activited and the turbo is shut off to stop potential damage. his power was restored wen retsarted engine but lost again once turbo was on boost.

Look at your TIP , it should be near the back of the engine. Its a black pipe.

Hope this helps. ... on the bright side it was NOT expensive to repair and his car has been fine since. (touch wood)

:)

[ian.i]

Got very similar problem myself which has just started recently. Driving along dual carridgeway at 70mph and just go to pull out to overtake a lorry and speed up to 75 and then suddenly you can feel the turbo dying off and then the car struggles to hold 70 even at full throttle. I had to pull into a petrol station and I revved the engine and I couldnt hear the turbo whistle. I switched the engine off and back on again and it was back to normal.

Ian.i good to see a boy from my part of the country. Live down the road here in Antrim. I know nothing about engines, where is the bulkhead and could you tell me where the valve for the turbo is located on this part. Also how much is a replacement valve?

its located on panel at back of engine under the wipers. cant remember how much it cost but it wasn't a bank breaker. what do you drive ive got rid of my vw wasnt impressed with the golf at all

[Kris214]

its located on panel at back of engine under the wipers. cant remember how much it cost but it wasn't a bank breaker. what do you drive ive got rid of my vw wasnt impressed with the golf at all

Ive got a golf gt tdi and im in 2 minds as to whether I should keep it or not. Part of me likes it but the other part cant ignore the faults. Ill have to service it and then see how this power problem goes. If the service doesnt help her then I will likely sell it on. What you driving now then?

[Danbag]

Ok, further to what VAG COM reported I know have a few further symptoms that may help diagnose the problem.

If anyone had the pleasure of the M1 yesterday (10/04), I was sitting in traffic for 3hours still. I was turning my engine off when not rolling along, but when it was running I noticed that the water temp dial was below 90C (usually, ((and I hope its the same for everyone else)), it sits at 90C without quivver!), when I the engine speed went up to move off the dial went back up to 90C then went down again when I slowed down and stopped? - noticed for a couple of days before the problem started that the temp dial wasnt sitting quite straight?

Also, when I did switch the ignition off, the engine continued to run at about 5rpm for a good 20secs or so!!!!

Based on the afore mentioned fault codes and the above, is it any clearer to anyone what on earth my car is playing at??

The common census is that its a sticky EGR valve, but doesnt it actuate through all gears? Ive been ragging her since this has started and the problem does not start until I get abovee 55mph-ish!!!

[RXTurbo]

Could be Air Mass meter, costs around £80.00

[Danbag]

Could I have caused the fault codes?

When I sprayed the carbon cleaner through my air intake I had to run the engine with the MAF unplugged. Would that have caused a code to be stored?

Also, using this methodology;

If I ran the car with the MAF unplugged, what would happen? If I tried to recreate the problem and it was still there could I rule it out of being the sensor causing it?

[Galaxytdi90]

Have you tried running the car with the maf disconnected? This will use a 'stored' fuel map in the ecu. If the car pulls better (wont be as pokey as with a working maf) then I'd say the maf's faulty. But getting the ecu scanned with Vagcom or similar is a must.

[Danbag]

Have you tried running the car with the maf disconnected? This will use a 'stored' fuel map in the ecu. If the car pulls better (wont be as pokey as with a working maf) then I'd say the maf's faulty. But getting the ecu scanned with Vagcom or similar is a must.

Still not convinced it is the MAF though, surely if it was faulty, it would be faulty all the time, not only at high speed?? - Wouldn't it?

[vagbits]

hello i have a vw passat ahu engine with the exact same problem it has been there for the last 110,000 miles at 60k the egr valve was replaced (very costly)did not fix prob. next bought a tuning chip a removable version made the problem bearable. next replaced the fuel breather valve on top of the diesel filter as advised still no fix air mass meter replaced improved performance but no fix i fact worse. replaced 3 hose valve boost pressure regulator three times (broke of the nipples messing with it when it didn't work. ran car on b80 (bio diesel 80% mix to standard diesel) power was down a little but no problem during this time. now switched back to standard diesel (bio not available at present)
problem still persists only thing i have not tried is map sensor going to give it a shot in the am

[Danbag]

hello i have a vw passat ahu engine with the exact same problem it has been there for the last 110,000 miles at 60k the egr valve was replaced (very costly)did not fix prob. next bought a tuning chip a removable version made the problem bearable. next replaced the fuel breather valve on top of the diesel filter as advised still no fix air mass meter replaced improved performance but no fix i fact worse. replaced 3 hose valve boost pressure regulator three times (broke of the nipples messing with it when it didn't work. ran car on b80 (bio diesel 80% mix to standard diesel) power was down a little but no problem during this time. now switched back to standard diesel (bio not available at present)
problem still persists only thing i have not tried is map sensor going to give it a shot in the am

Crikey! Thats allot of failed fixes! Sorry to hear that and thanks at the same time for propagating my anxiety about this fault! ha ha!! Have you had it read for fault codes?

[kow]

My vote is the MAF Sensor, had a Passat TDI and similar faults, Power loss, struggled to get to and hold anything above 70 mph, overtaking was suicidal.
Fitted new MAF and Bingo, all normal.
Did try pattern part at first but only partial fix, car wouldn't idle steady with A/C on, so went to VW and got the proper one and all was sorted.
Didn't have any fault codes up.
Think they can fail at anytime, mine went at 90000.

[Danbag]

Unplugged the MAF and took her out for a spin last night, the problem was there from the word 'go' - So is that it?

What does the MAF do at high speed that would make it go PING, and why would'nt it do it at low speed?

How much is an official VW MAF??

[kow]

MAF tells the ecu how much air flowing, and assume when it's faulty that ecu goes into default fueling, which is low.
Think the maf was about 60 to 70 quid, ask for 10% discount, they usually give you this, look poor and well hacked off with VW car.
Hope it's the maf, have known other people with this fault as well and it usually fixes it.

[Danbag]

Ahhhhhggg!!, its not the MAF!??!?! Got a nice new one from VW garage, and PING! - Problems back!

Still having an erratic reading on the water temperature dial though? What feeds the dial with information, could this be the cause of my problem??

Starting to get the feeling this is one of those 'bottomless money pit problems'.

[frost015]

Sounds like the MAF to me !

Feels like you hit a brick wall at 2500 or 3000 rpm, everything else fine, just NO POWER … If you have never changed it, its £55 or so well spent !

[frost015]

Sorry, i should have read further … Temperature sensor can also be a problem .. it feeds into the ECU too …

[Danbag]

Sorry, i should have read further … Temperature sensor can also be a problem .. it feeds into the ECU too …

hahaha I did wonder for a second!!

So where is the temp sender? Easy/cheap to DIY?? - cheers

[ini]

Do you have a lot more smoke from the exhaust than usual?

If so, what colour is it? (blue?)

If your car 'ran on' for 20 seconds, after removing the key, there is something not right.

Either something is wrong with the injecton system/antishudder valve, or your car was running on engine oil (maybe turbo seal failed?)

If your car is getting extra 'fuel' of one sort or another, this could explain the 'overboost'.

Other than that, it sounds like the usual bad N75 boost control valve, or VNT mechanism sticking.

[Danbag]

Do you have a lot more smoke from the exhaust than usual?

If so, what colour is it? (blue?)

If your car 'ran on' for 20 seconds, after removing the key, there is something not right.

Either something is wrong with the injecton system/antishudder valve, or your car was running on engine oil (maybe turbo seal failed?)

If your car is getting extra 'fuel' of one sort or another, this could explain the 'overboost'.

Other than that, it sounds like the usual bad N75 boost control valve, or VNT mechanism sticking.

Funny you should say that, I was looking more behind me then in front yesterday looking for smoke, and nothing! So no blue smoke at all, or any other colour at all!

Could the reason it was running a little after I switched off purely because I was sitting in traffic not moving?! I know your mot meant to run a turbo engine idle for any extended periods of time, that combined with lots of heat from other traffic could cause a temporary glitch!? It hasnt happened since, on long haul journeys?

Do think the car is getting extra.too much fuel - wouldnt that cause other problems (as well as smoke), difficulty starting, juddering etc? My car acts as normal as anything until about 55-65mph, then something opens/switches on/switches off/stops working (I dunno!), then its wrong

Did you see the fault codes I got from VAG COM? - Does that mean anything to you????

[ini]

What engine do you have?

The maf code is likely from disconnecting it.

I would definitely fit a new dual coolant temp sensor, and see if the problems persist.

You have no smoke, and 'overboost' limp mode, so it is probably not a vac control leak or EGR. In the UK it is unlikely to be a sooted up inlet manifold on such a young car.

If you have replaced your MAF, and the problem is still there with a new temp sensor, it can only be a few things, it does depend on your engine type.

Most likely sticky vnt mechanism/dodgy actuator, worn or fouled n75 or bad MAP sensor.

[Danbag]

What engine do you have?

The maf code is likely from disconnecting it.

I would definitely fit a new dual coolant temp sensor, and see if the problems persist.

You have no smoke, and 'overboost' limp mode, so it is probably not a vac control leak or EGR. In the UK it is unlikely to be a sooted up inlet manifold on such a young car.

If you have replaced your MAF, and the problem is still there with a new temp sensor, it can only be a few things, it does depend on your engine type.

Most likely sticky vnt mechanism/dodgy actuator, worn or fouled n75 or bad MAP sensor.

Engine code is AGR

What/where is the dual coolant temp sensor? (what would it be called in the haynes manual, for example?) Is it a DIY job?

[ini]

The Haynes manual probably describes it as a 'coolant temperature sensor'.

It has 4 pins and gives one signal to the instruments, and another to the ECU.

Before you order a new sensor, it is a good idea to check the shape and colour of your existing sensor.

Changing it is a very simple job, just make sure your engine is cool before removing the old sensor.

On a Mk4 Golf TDI 90 it will be on the right hand side of the engine, just under a pipe near the top of the engine.

Here is a 'how to' for an Audi 110 TDI engine, yours is essentially the same, except your engine is rotated 90 degree's clockwise.

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=13490

[splodge_tdi]

oh dear, i think my mk4 tdi is suffering a similar problem, but only looses power when when ive been driving a long distance at a fair rate of knotts. it can be months between loosing power and its fine again after ive switched it off and started it again. after reading all the advice given on here i think i will make a start at getting it sorted to prevent a major misshap occuring. im so glad i saw this thread. thanks people .

[Kris214]

Ok theres mentions here now of a temperature control switch. Would this be causing my problem? Recap on my problem is that my car suddenly looses power usually when accelerating. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesnt. Its fine doing town driving. Seems to be more on long runs. The turbo just suddenly stops working. I have to turn the engine off and restart it again to get the turbo to boost. But even after a restart theres no power until about 2000rpm but the car should be picking up at about 1500rpm and then really goes at about 1800rpm but it just isnt doing that all of the time. However sometimes its fine after a restart.

My temperature reading would fluctuate between 80 - 100 and have been told its the coolant temperature sensor. Went to VW garage and bought one costing £28.00 but not yet fitted it.

Is there a chance its just the sensor causing the problem or would it be another faulty sensor or something? I have been told that VW electrics are rubbish and so far this is prooving to be correct. Its getting hooked up to vag-com this week something. Another expense I could do without right now. Should have kept my rover. It gave me no bother at all.

[wobblybox]

Wheres the next installment??

Just picked up an 02 130 TDI Golf fvwsh 64k, trundling along 85mph up a hill and poof, no power! removed engine shroud and noticed the turbo intake pipe (I think thats what it is, sits just at bulkhead) was at a wierd angle.

Put it back on re-started car and away it went................ for a while. Same thing happened going up a hill stopped, did not stop engine shoved afore mentioned pipe back on and still no power. Stopped engine, re-started and away it went for another while. Going up hill again gave it a dose of the shoe and lost power again, hose loose re-fitted hose turn engine off then on and ok since.

Is the hose coming off the cause of the problem or a symptom??? Afraid to attach hose in a permanent manner ie hose clips and zip ties incase I do further damage.

Any idears???

[herby0001]

Since the hose should be on all the time, I don't see how clamping it on (so it doesn't drop off) will cause any problems.

I do vaguely remember someone posting a while back that their pipe kept doing the same, and a friendly RAC man clamped it back on with some appropriate clips. RAC man said it was fairly common.

Had a Ford Focus TDCi (2006) which went into limp mode (the difference between limp and normal mode wasn't that significant :D )anytime I went up a small incline. Again, was the turbo pipe.

I too am interested in the next chapter of Danbags saga!

[Danbag]

haha Im flattered! (and apologies, I have just moved house, and still dont have the basics such as internet...feel like the cavemen must have felt!)

Well Im sorry to say it is STILL not rectified! Cant remember if I wrote I change the MAF which did nowt, and after reading what you have all kindly wrote, I moved onto the temperture sender, and one very wet engine bay later I still have a problem.

One thing I have started to notice, is there is a lot of carbon build-up on a hose at the rear or the engine bay?! Dont know what its on, but its about a 3" black rubber tube on the left hand side (as you look into the engine bay), going into a unit, with a cylindrical metal top, there is a plastic mechanical linkage at the rear of it, that I flicked a couple of times thinking it would make a difference, and it DID!!!...only joking! I have to laugh now otherwise Ill cry!

Anyone got any other ideas?

[wobblybox]

haha Im flattered! (and apologies, I have just moved house, and still dont have the basics such as internet...feel like the cavemen must have felt!)

Well Im sorry to say it is STILL not rectified! Cant remember if I wrote I change the MAF which did nowt, and after reading what you have all kindly wrote, I moved onto the temperture sender, and one very wet engine bay later I still have a problem.

One thing I have started to notice, is there is a lot of carbon build-up on a hose at the rear or the engine bay?! Dont know what its on, but its about a 3" black rubber tube on the left hand side (as you look into the engine bay), going into a unit, with a cylindrical metal top, there is a plastic mechanical linkage at the rear of it, that I flicked a couple of times thinking it would make a difference, and it DID!!!...only joking! I have to laugh now otherwise Ill cry!

Anyone got any other ideas?

This better than LOST, the hose you refer to is the turbo intake pipe. The fella thats giving me the grief. I'm no mechanic, far from it i'm afraid but I have read that if that hose comes off the turbot goes into overboost then limp mode, a symptom of the hose being loose is soot deposits round bulkhead.

I have further read that not rectifying the problem can lead to turbo malfunction. i dont know why but apparently it does.

Gonna do it the Northern Irish way and stick her on in a permanent manner..................Blow torch, long nose pliers and a few 6" nails anyone???

[kow]

All of these hoses should be on, secure and leak free, any sooty deposits etc are indication of air leaks. Undo the hose clamps remove the hoses, clean and check for any splits etc, replace and make sure the clamps are on tight and you have a good neat fit around the pipe periphery.

[Danbag]

All of these hoses should be on, secure and leak free, any sooty deposits etc are indication of air leaks. Undo the hose clamps remove the hoses, clean and check for any splits etc, replace and make sure the clamps are on tight and you have a good neat fit around the pipe periphery.


Could the soot deposits be an indication that the "metal thing" ( I described in last post - which I am now guessing is a valve), sticks!? Therefore stopping gasses from going where they are meant to? - That sound plausible?

[kow]

Don't worry about the metal thing, any leaks at hoses on turbos are not good and could be your problem as a leak is lost boost/power.
Do the hoses first as this is simple and costs nothing appart from bruied nuckles etc.

[Danbag]

Don't worry about the metal thing, any leaks at hoses on turbos are not good and could be your problem as a leak is lost boost/power.
Do the hoses first as this is simple and costs nothing appart from bruied nuckles etc.


I would say I'd bother with the hoses but the problem isnt consistant, it actuates under engine loading. If it was a split hose the soot build up wouldnt just be localised around the metal thing!? - Surely?

[kow]

The hoses internal pressure is variable depending on turbo/engine loading. You might be OK and the hose not leak under low pressure conditions, but give it some beans and the pressure could force the air/dust etc out of a duff joint or split.

[berrypieces]

Hi, read all the posts with great interest.My 2002 Golf GT TDi has 56K Miles on the clock, full VW service history. Had the Cam belt done at 55K and asked the VW garage to check for the loss of power fault, nothing showed on the computer.
At first I thought it might be Clutch,because when the fault occurs during driving, engine revs up when I engage the clutch. Fault disappears after cooling down, when I try the old handbrake test the clutch kills the engine.
Still puzzled.

[Danbag]

To all,

Problem is fixed.... (not sure on how it all works but uploaded an attachement with this post)..

Not to sure what it is, but it was coupled with...., a hole in one of the tubes! (cant believe it!!!). It is mounted on the bulkhead, roughly, behind the airfilter

She's back to her good old self. Part cost £40odd, and if anyone is having the same problems, then the easy fixes are well worth a fiddle with before you give it to the garages, that may charge through the nose for something as easy as this!

Thanks to all who showed interest, and hope it help some too!

CHEERS! :beerchug: Dan!

[helen]

So whats the name of this part and what does it do?

[jkmullen]

I have a 2000 (W) Golf 4 TDI, and during a long distance journey, my power just went! The only way I can explain the sensation would be if I ran into an 100mph headwind! The car now no longer wants to go above 65mph, cant go above 75mph without help from going down a hill, and hates going up them, where the speed will keep dropping off! I have to balance the throatal (at about 75%), to get anything out of the car, and when I put my foot down there is no engine note change, no higher pitch from the turbo, or air intake, nothing! Please, anyone got any ideas??


This just sums up my car to a tee...my"air bag"(failure) warning light has been on for a while and also the temperature gauge is erratic...sometimes on/off although water is checked regular and OK...It has about 73000 on the clock

I will check the hoses out before taking it in....but is it likely to be the "sensors" as a likely cause,,as it also has been making a noise and was thought that the engine cover had come loose?

Great site and thanks in advance

[helen]

BERRYPIECES did u manage to solve the problem,i am experiencing a similar problem on my golf

[jkmullen]

This just sums up my car to a tee...my"air bag"(failure) warning light has been on for a while and also the temperature gauge is erratic...sometimes on/off although water is checked regular and OK...It has about 73000 on the clock

I will check the hoses out before taking it in....but is it likely to be the "sensors" as a likely cause,,as it also has been making a noise and was thought that the engine cover had come loose?

Great site and thanks in advance


Problemo solved and it was MAF sensor.....cost £170 with a new air filter


Priceless................now no longer sounds as if it has a bag of nails under the bonnet & good for another 100000

[derrick2553]

Had a similar thing with my GT Tdi 150 PD. If the turbo had blown you would have got lots of white (oil) / grey (diesel) smoke out the back and the engine may have surged momentarily at the time of failure. This happened to me.

After a rebuild the performance of mine was as you describe - no power above about 3000 rpm. It was like the turbo boost, and hence power, was being deliberately limited. There was no warning light but the diagnostics revealed, 'Inlet boost preesure sensor open / short circuit' or words to that effect. It would not reset. This sensor is in the black plastic pipe from the intercooler to the inlet manifold, in fron of the engine (on a Golf Mk 4 at least). On inspection one of the 4 wires into that sensor was found to be broken. Difficult to fix (ask if you find it to be the case) but once reconnected normal operation was restored. The fault message is probably still logged in the ECU or whatever it's called.

Do not throw lots of money at the problem - trust me.


Roger

[muaaz]

Hi there, my car is currently facing exactly the same problem. It has been happening for approx 5 months now. I tend to lose power at 2,600 revs. Just as you mentioned It feels like hitting a 100 mph headwind when you reach the slightest hill on the motorway. So far I have taken apart and cleaned the EGR although alot of muck was taken out of there, this has not done it. All intake and air pipes have been checked by a mechanic. And it is highly likely that if nothing is coming up on the dashboard the vag com will show a fault code. It seems to me that you may be able to find out by having a computer hooked up and checking injection/ temperature idle beahviour etc. I am no expert but this is what i gather from reading other threads.. Hope this helps i will keep you posted if I decide to pusue this issue any further and have any luck.. I plan to try the MAF sensor which can be picked up for £30. If it doesnt work i guess i will have to try and flog it??
Muaaz...:confused:

[herby0001]

Muaaz: This sounds like a classic MAF sensor issue. Do a search on this forum and sit down for a few hours to trawl through all the threads! There are many people who had these exact symptoms. The MAF sensor pretty much every time with no fault code registered either. Personally, I'd pay a bit extra for the real deal from VW Parts, as cheapo-fleaBay-made-in-god-knows-where sensors are hit and miss, in terms of quality and whether they work properly (if at all!)

[kow]

Agree, don't fit non VW as it may not do the trick, and cause other faults.

[badbarbie]

hey,
did you ever find out what was wrong? I have the same prob, took it in and apparently the vanes on my turbo are clogged up with crap so need a new one :( kinda expensive!

Cheers
Heather

[pon]

Do a search for Innotec turbo cleaner on the forum. Might save you some pennies

[nazrulamin]

hello mate

I get the same problem, randomly when im driving at speed or high revs for more than say 5 minutes my turbo seems to die on me. It seems to work fina again till the next day i drive it until.

If you find any cures please let me know

Thanks
Naz

[badbarbie]

cheers pon, sounds like a much cheaper option lol

[tempster]

i've got the same issue. was doing 70-80mph and bang no power anymore while coming down on the M1. admitted i thought it might be the tubo unit that went, but when i pulled in to the garage to fill up (as running empty) switched it back on and turbo works again. I have a feeling its the MAF so am ordering a new one to see if it helps.
Thanks all for the tips

[berrypieces]

I had a 2003 Golf GT Tdi with similar issues, what I would do is on a STRAIGHT road, engage the clutch, switch off the engine REMEMBER straight road !!!!
( carefull of the steering Lock) then switch on the ignition and jump start the car. For some reason still unknown to me the when the engine restarted it had all the power back again.
Had the car in the garage several times and they could not find or solve the problem, when I had the Cambelt changed at 45K the problem disappeared.:confused:

[badbarbie]

well when i took my car in they told me it was definately the turbo vanes jambing and that i needed a new turbo......luckily i was able to get hold of a practically brand new one for the price of a box of beer :D. after they replaced it i kept the old one to have a look at and turns out it was just he actuator that was stuck open.....was pretty easy to fix aswell!

[barryareef]

I have a 2000 (W) Golf 4 TDI, and during a long distance journey, my power just went! The only way I can explain the sensation would be if I ran into an 100mph headwind! The car now no longer wants to go above 65mph, cant go above 75mph without help from going down a hill, and hates going up them, where the speed will keep dropping off! I have to balance the throatal (at about 75%), to get anything out of the car, and when I put my foot down there is no engine note change, no higher pitch from the turbo, or air intake, nothing! Please, anyone got any ideas??

It may be the oil seals failing in the turbocharger. Oil from the turbocharger bearings can get in with the air mixture, over a long period the engine struggles to burn off the excess oil and it starts to gather in the combustion chambers and affects performance. When going fast you wouldn't notice the smoke so much (also as some of it isn't burning off). If this is the problem it will get worse quiet quickly and could drink your engine dry over a long run!

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