Turbo Dip

[mkpp786]

Hi,

I have a GT TDI 115 (2001) vw golf, and i am experiencing a dip in power after 2500rpm! Looking at various sites and forums, im guessing it is the MAF... just a couple of questions..please help if you can!

1) Ive heard that the MAF warranty has been extended (to 7yrs/70,000miles) does this apply to me too? i did not buy from the VW dealership, and i brought it second hand, but i do not have the original documentation.

2) Replacing the MAF - does this mean that the Meter as well as the sensors will be replaced, or just one? If so, how much will i be looking to pay VW to get this sorted..and is it worth going to VW for, or can it be done by other mechanics? also, is it better to get it replaced with a VAG part, or would it be ok to put in another make.. e.g K&N air filter...not sure as ive heard mixed reviews.

Please help, as it really is ruining my feel for driving!

:biglaugh: Thanks alot & Merry Christmas every1, hope u have a good1! :beerchug:

[Eshrules]

first off, let me try and clear up your confusion. not sure about the warranty to start with, you should check this with a main VW dealer, most are pretty helpful, i have found! 2nd, the MAF is the Mass Air Flow sensor, it is an integral, sealed unit, it bolts on and bolts off. i am not aware of any other brand than the genuine VAG spare. i had a new MAF put on mine and it apparently cost less than £50, the price of the part has been reduced in reflection of the common fault. lastly, you have not described the symptoms that well, could you offer a bit more description, as it may not necessarily be the MAf, dependant on mileage and the symptoms your car demonstrates, it could well be the turbo and the 'EGR' mechanism at fault.

also, about the K&N, this is a 'induction' kit or performance air filter, not to be confused with a Mass Air Flow meter/sensor. if you fit an induction kit or a performance filter, ihave been told the ecu needs to be remapped to allow for the change in air flow. fittting a 'K&N' will not fix the problem.

[mkpp786]

Thanks for the reply! as you have gathered im confused and dont have a lot of knowledge.

Thanks for clearing up the K&N part, i was going on based on advice given to me from some1 (wont be listening to them again..)

Anyway, i have a GT TDI 115, 3 Door vw Golf, 2001.

i brought the car when the mileage was at 30,000 miles.. it is now at 40,000.
When i first brought the car, it didnt seem to do what it is doing now, i will try and explain it the best i can:

basically after 2000 rpm, the turbo kicks in... but very soon after it dies out.. near 2500/3000. Over the last few months it has slowly reached this stage. Also the drive doesnt feel the same in terms of power, a little sluggish.. what i meant by the "turbo Dip" was that when the turbo dies out its like a sudden Drop in power and you can feel it!

Had the service recently done, and felt a lot better, smoother better pick up - but the power still lacks.

would appreciate some advice, so i know the possibilities before ringing VW up. i have been told its most prob the MAF by a mechanic. could it really be this or something else?

appreciate the help!

[Eshrules]

no problem :D everyone has their own views and 'advice' to give, which is where forums like this come in handy, youll often find conflicting advice, which throws up a couple of suggestions that you can then look into.

as far as the actual fault is concerned, once the turbo has 'dipped' does it still function? or does the car then drive without turbo assistance....allow me to explain,

my gt tdi 115 was 'dying' at certain rev counts, towards 2.5/3.5k on the revs, as a result of the 'egr' mechanism i believe, sticking. the turbo then went into 'limp home' mode, as it is designed to do to avoid any further damage. you would certainly notice if this happened though,as ther is no turbo assistance whatsoever until you turn the engine off and on again.

my first suggestion would be get hold of someone with a vag com or fault reader, see what fault codes are being thrown up and post them on here. i am not %100 sure, but i think that the MAF has a fault code specific to itself, so if it is that at fault, i would imagine the fault codes would more or less say so.

[mkpp786]

Your problem sounds similar to mine.

1st gear - turbo kicks in...dies out..
2nd - same thing
3rd - better, kicks in, but dies out a lil later
4/5/6 - fine, works ok,but not perfect

the 1st and the 2nd gear is the worse, and most noticable. after the turbo has dipped, the turbo no longer functions.

btw,what is the "EGR"? i will try and find a mechanic who could read my fault codes, and hopefully i will get this problem sorted asap.

Appreciate the help!!

[Eshrules]

the EGR is known as the exhaust gas regulation system and is apparently renowned for blocking up, apparently the 'vines' or 'fins' of the turbo tend to stick also. the first thing you need to do, is get those fault codes read and then we can have a look and take it from there, its pretty hard to diagnose properly without them :( the reason it will die quicker in 1st and 2nd is due to the ratio of the gears etc, you will notice, your revs tend to climb higher in first and second gear as they are the 'starting' gears. when your turbo then 'dies' it has gone into limp home mode, to stop damage occurring to the turbo etc. it could well be the MAF sensor, which is a fairly simple fix and as long as you've got someone handy with a spanner, shouldnt cost you much more than this side of £100

[mkpp786]

thanks for that, ive spoken to somebody, and im going to get the fault codes read next week hopefully, and hopefully thatll show the problem and ill get it sorted.

I Appreciate the advice given, as soon as i find out what it was, ill let you know what it was!

thanks again!!

[mkpp786]

Hey everyone,

just to let you know, i took my car to a mates uncles garage, where he was very helpfull!!! not even booked in, and he was quite busy (we just turned up at the garage) he checked my fault codes - and guess what - it did turn out to be the air mass unit!!!

well, a little while later, and at a cost of £80 he replaced it, and what a difference it has made!!!!!!

it feels like a new car, the power is back to normal, and now i wanna drive it more and more! Off the lights its so much better, and the pick up is perfect for a 115bhp car.

Thanks to every1 who helped me out, and the advice given, i appreciate it!

im now thinking to get it tuned (re-mapped), i have looked around and have seen a lot of people recommending angel tuning. wou;d appreciate it if any1 has had work done by them or if they could reccomend a place for remapping?!

appreciate it!

take it ez!!

[Eshrules]

Hey everyone,

just to let you know, i took my car to a mates uncles garage, where he was very helpfull!!! not even booked in, and he was quite busy (we just turned up at the garage) he checked my fault codes - and guess what - it did turn out to be the air mass unit!!!

well, a little while later, and at a cost of £80 he replaced it, and what a difference it has made!!!!!!

it feels like a new car, the power is back to normal, and now i wanna drive it more and more! Off the lights its so much better, and the pick up is perfect for a 115bhp car.

Thanks to every1 who helped me out, and the advice given, i appreciate it!

im now thinking to get it tuned (re-mapped), i have looked around and have seen a lot of people recommending angel tuning. wou;d appreciate it if any1 has had work done by them or if they could reccomend a place for remapping?!

appreciate it!

take it ez!!


awww, now thats what we like to see! a happy ending!! £80, not a bad price TBH, the part itself is around 30/50 quid, so well done!! :drive:

[mkpp786]

awww, now thats what we like to see! a happy ending!! £80, not a bad price TBH, the part itself is around 30/50 quid, so well done!! :drive:

Thanks, i see under your pic it says "soon to be 160" are you getting your car remappped or chipped? if so what bhp isit now, and where will you be getting your work done, and whats the price?

[Eshrules]

Thanks, i see under your pic it says "soon to be 160" are you getting your car remappped or chipped? if so what bhp isit now, and where will you be getting your work done, and whats the price?

its currently a 115bhp tdtdi. my friend of a friend has said he can do it for around 150/200, which is fairly reasonable, he chips american super trucks and big rigs for a living, has done several sports cars, your typical evos, scoobies, etc etc. brakes will need uprating as a result and may invest in a uprated flywheel. but IMO and according to this friend of mine, there isnt a lot that needs doing, 160bhp is a 'safe' increase to this engine. the 130/150 bhp versions can easily obtain the 200bhp mark.

[mkpp786]

its currently a 115bhp tdtdi. my friend of a friend has said he can do it for around 150/200, which is fairly reasonable, he chips american super trucks and big rigs for a living, has done several sports cars, your typical evos, scoobies, etc etc. brakes will need uprating as a result and may invest in a uprated flywheel. but IMO and according to this friend of mine, there isnt a lot that needs doing, 160bhp is a 'safe' increase to this engine. the 130/150 bhp versions can easily obtain the 200bhp mark.


Intresting point youve made with the brakes - ive been thinking that myself. if i was to increase the power of my car, i would think i would need upgrading my brakes - not just because of the remap, but also because ive ntoiced that my brakes are not really great, and it isnt the pads, because ive had them changed recently.

if i was to upgrade my brakes... any recommendations on what i should get?

[Eshrules]

Intresting point youve made with the brakes - ive been thinking that myself. if i was to increase the power of my car, i would think i would need upgrading my brakes - not just because of the remap, but also because ive ntoiced that my brakes are not really great, and it isnt the pads, because ive had them changed recently.

if i was to upgrade my brakes... any recommendations on what i should get?

just a quick note that ive noted, you had your pads done recently? how recently, dont forget brakes take a while to bed in and reach their full efficiency!

what car are you driving? IMO, my brakes are perfectly fine, in fact, when i moved from my fiat brava to this golf, i had to practice LOL they were TOO keen :P there is a chance though, that mine are differnt with it being a GT tdi, not sure if thers a difference in brakes fitted? might need to ask a techie on that one, as for brakes to upgrade to, id probably stay away from grooved ones, ive heard they were your discs quicker, not sure if thats true! id probably go for some audi tt vented discs tbh, my m8 whos got a remapped bora with 19" rs6's, he upgraded to the larger audi tt discs and he's thrilled to bits with them!

[mkpp786]

just a quick note that ive noted, you had your pads done recently? how recently, dont forget brakes take a while to bed in and reach their full efficiency!

what car are you driving? IMO, my brakes are perfectly fine, in fact, when i moved from my fiat brava to this golf, i had to practice LOL they were TOO keen :P there is a chance though, that mine are differnt with it being a GT tdi, not sure if thers a difference in brakes fitted? might need to ask a techie on that one, as for brakes to upgrade to, id probably stay away from grooved ones, ive heard they were your discs quicker, not sure if thats true! id probably go for some audi tt vented discs tbh, my m8 whos got a remapped bora with 19" rs6's, he upgraded to the larger audi tt discs and he's thrilled to bits with them!

thnx for the advice. As for the brake pads, i had them done around a month and a half ago, but only the front ones. took the car to the garage where i had my Mass air changed, and they said that the rear pads were fine and i didnt need to change em.

I dont know if its me, but when i brake at fairly high speeds it feels like the brakes are scratching...or struggling in a way to cope.. might just be me, but i havent noticed it on other cars. I get a better responce if i pump the brakes... just thought it was not normal and thats why i asked. Its something which i forgot to ask the guys at the garage, but i will do next time.

thanks for the help though! lemme know when you have your car chipped!! wanna know what you think of it!

[Eshrules]

that 'struggling' or 'scratching' you are reffering to, i suspect is the ABS doing its job, dont pump your breaks! the idea behind ABS is to control the braking of the car using different braking forces on each disc. 'assisted breaking system' is exactly that, whereas older cars, such as old skool fiats and some mk3's i believe didnt have this fitted, would require the pumping action, you shouldnt have to do this with a mk4. i may be wrong in thinking this, but if you pump the brakes, you are not allowing the ABS to do its job... could prove more dangerous than if you simply stamp on the brake. best way to tell is to stop quickly from a reasonable speed, you should feel the brake pedal pumping slightly.

[mkpp786]

that 'struggling' or 'scratching' you are reffering to, i suspect is the ABS doing its job, dont pump your breaks! the idea behind ABS is to control the braking of the car using different braking forces on each disc. 'assisted breaking system' is exactly that, whereas older cars, such as old skool fiats and some mk3's i believe didnt have this fitted, would require the pumping action, you shouldnt have to do this with a mk4. i may be wrong in thinking this, but if you pump the brakes, you are not allowing the ABS to do its job... could prove more dangerous than if you simply stamp on the brake. best way to tell is to stop quickly from a reasonable speed, you should feel the brake pedal pumping slightly.


You are right, my pedal does pump slightyl.. so it is just me lol! thanx for that, i was getting a little worried!

[bighfishing]

hello everybody , i joined these forums last night on the sole intension of finding out why my golf mk4 115pd had a loss of power , i had exactly the same symptoms as mkpp786 had , so i purchase a new bosch maf tonight for £100 plus vat which i will get £25 plus vat back when i return the old unit , i fitted it in about 10 mins (didnt dis-connect battery) tonight and i cant believe the difference it has made , i thought i was only down on power above 2000rpm , but as soon as i pulled away i could feel the difference even at low revs and the put my foot down the thing just flew , i dont think my car has been this fast even when i bought it 2 years ago , the difference is amazing, its the best £75 plus vat i have ever spent , i think i will replace this item every 3 years just in case , becuase you dont realise how much down on power you are because it happens gradually over a long time.:D

THANK GOD FOR THESE FORUMS

[mkpp786]

hello everybody , i joined these forums last night on the sole intension of finding out why my golf mk4 115pd had a loss of power , i had exactly the same symptoms as mkpp786 had , so i purchase a new bosch maf tonight for £100 plus vat which i will get £25 plus vat back when i return the old unit , i fitted it in about 10 mins (didnt dis-connect battery) tonight and i cant believe the difference it has made , i thought i was only down on power above 2000rpm , but as soon as i pulled away i could feel the difference even at low revs and the put my foot down the thing just flew , i dont think my car has been this fast even when i bought it 2 years ago , the difference is amazing, its the best £75 plus vat i have ever spent , i think i will replace this item every 3 years just in case , becuase you dont realise how much down on power you are because it happens gradually over a long time.:D

THANK GOD FOR THESE FORUMS

Good to hear it mate!

You are right about 1 thing - the power does go over a period of time, so you dont realise it! but once u have it back.. feels great!

It just gets me wandering, what a 150 or even 200 BHP diesel must be like! :aargh4:

Anyway, drive safely... but most important of all.. enjoy it!!