sharan 130 tdi pre heater fault - lots of smoke

[paulwebsterthompson]

hi

i have a sharan 130 tdi with a pre heater fault = lots of unburnt deisel smoke a low temp running

anyone have experience of this remedies etc short of flog it!

thanks

paul t

[adamss24]

hi

i have a sharan 130 tdi with a pre heater fault = lots of unburnt deisel smoke a low temp running

anyone have experience of this remedies etc short of flog it!

thanks

paul t
Are you talking of the auxiliar heater ? If its smoking white, the glow plug will need replacing as there is too much fuel that cannot burn in the cold cylinder. Vw should keep them in stock as this its a common fault with these heaters. Hope this helps.

[paulwebsterthompson]

thanks that certainly is the exact description of the fault cheers

paul t :Blush:

[Matt B]

I have a 2.0TDI (136bhp) Touran and have the same problem, but only when the outside tempreture is low (near 0 deg.C) I get white smoke comming from under the car around the underside of the engine/ exhaust. It looks like the car is on fire when it is really cold (i.e. the cold snap last winter) It has been into VW and had parts on the aux. heater replaced but have been told it is a 'fault with the touran' and it doesn't cause any problem, and only happens for a short while after start up when the car and outside temp is cold.

This is fine except for when I reverse out of my drive and can smell the fumes inside the car, on the odd occasion it is cold enough to happen. I just live with it now, you get to the point where you get bored of taking it to the dealer who can't really fix it. (my local VW dealer is rubbish, local but rubbish. When I pick the car up they have always washed it and valeted it, but often don't always rectify faults!) Rant over!!

[paulwebsterthompson]

funny how they wash and vacuum it smile nicley and cant fix it

cheers matt

[sharandriver]

I have the same problem on my 02 TDI Sharan. I was scared the first time - this is my first winter with the car. My dads a mechanic so he looked over it and saw it was the heater. I have heared the glow plug thing wont always work. I've put up with it but not sure how much damage it could cause

[paulwebsterthompson]

hi

its begining to sound like there is quite a community of us with this problem - not just sharans but the alhambra and galaxy too.

i think what is more important is that VW must know about this problem - its common so why no recall and why the blank looks and apparent lack of knowledge from approved service centers

i am still wait for info from my service center :(

thanks for the reply

paul

[barnstormer]

my tdi 115 2002 seat alhambra is in at the main dealers today with the same problem ,smoke from the auxcillary heater!!! put a new heater on february 2006. told them i don,t want car back until problem is sorted, i have no faith in them at all ,might as well get my 7& 4 year old daughters to do job!!

[paulwebsterthompson]

its amazing how common this seems to be - hope you are sorted soon

have your lot said anything about disconection - thats what i am pushing for with mine

anyone got experiece of disconecting this unit?

paul

[barnstormer]

no have not heard anything yet!! they have,nt mentioned disconnection either, i think to sum problem up vw/ ford /seat should be forced into a corner to re-design this ageing problem,after all it was fitted as standard and should be working!!:zx11:

[hatty]

Clearly a common problem. I have a 51 plate 115TDI and have just shelled out over £600 to have a new Auxiliary heater fitted - I can't give you the exact price because the rules of the forum say "no obscene material"! There is at least one other thread on the forum about this - JAY1 posted VW Sharan 1.9tdi Smoke from under the car in 07/02/06.

VW in Taunton knew what the problem was straigh away. I considered dissconnection but apparently the pre-heater raises coolant temperature quickly and so reduces engine wear. As this vehicle has had plenty go wrong with it already I didn't want to encourage any more expensive problems.

A bit of recognition and even some help from VW would be appreciated. That's probably asking too much for a 5 year old car but makes me think that the new Galaxy looks nice.

[paulwebsterthompson]

hi all

i don't want to tempt fate but i had my smokey sharan in to my garage - they had liaised with VW and apparently the software control for the auxillary heater system can be turned off via engine management system - this was done for cost of i hours labour

so - 2 weeks lots of miles no smoke - so far;)

[kimsue]

Help, I seem to have the same problem now. Loads of smoke from under my car. The auxilary heater fires up and lots of smoke. You then here the heater powering up that sounds like a jet aircraft. It then cuts out, trys again and then stops. There is diesel dripping from the auxillary heater exhaust pipe. I notice there is a plug in socket to power this unit just by the unit itself. Anyone know why it is doing this and if I simply unplug the socket surely it will simply not come on and the engine will take a bit longer to heat up or will the fuel still be sent to the unit when unplugged? What is the fault and am I correct with regards to disconnection ?

[kimsue]

I have rung VW main dealer today. They advise there hourly charge is £88. To change the aux heater is £900. I have tried the following today and will update everyone with my findings. I removed the aux heater exhaust pipe held in place by two nuts. I have then placed a small flat screwdriver on either side of the aux heaters power supply socket that is just behind the unit and pulled the socket out - disconnecting the unit. I assume now that when the engine is cold it will send signal to the unit to fire up until it is warm enough but as it is unplugged nothing will happen. I assume the engine will just warm up as all conventional ones do (checked my dads VW Bora TDi and cant find an aux heater on it) and all will be well. I will let you know. This appears a common problem. If the units only use is to help warm the engines water up so engine gets warmer a bit quicker in the UKs mild climate I cannot see justifying paying £900, potentially every two - three years to replace this unit.

[kimsue]

UPDATE I have disconnected my auxillary heater. Everything works fine. No warning lights. Engine warms ups upto 90 as normal within 5 mins or so as before. I spoke with the main dealer mechanic just to re-assure myself and he agreed, will make no difference, may take 2-3 minutes longer for the engine to warm up in very cold conditions that we do not suffer in the uk, so unless you intend driving in Siberia save yourself £900 and unplug the unit. :Blush:

[kimsue]

FURTHER UPDATE I decided to re-connect my auxillary heater to see if having it disconnected for a while would clear the problem. Since I reconnected it it just wont come on regardless how cold it is. This does not bother me and it is not causing me any problems with the vehicle.

[christoff1604]

:confused: I have just bought a 52 plate 1.9 TDI Sharan carat and when I satrted it this morning there were plumes of blue smoke from a small exhaust pipe under the front passenger side, before this happened I was advised by a Halfords technician to add Redex to the diesel to clean the injectors and fuel system, has anyone else had this problem with Redex additive..

[Matt B]

I wouldn't trust anyone in Halfords on technical advise!! Did it smoke on start up before you added redex, if not why bother adding the redex? The smoking under the car only happens when the weather is cold, which is when the aux heater (the cause of the problems) kicks in. My car (touran 2004 2.0TDI has 95K on the clock and has had the warranty work carried out on the aux heater but it still smokes when very cold, I wouldn't put anything else in the tank other than decent diesel and in the engine only decent oil (mine is the longlife stuff) I reckon all that Redex stuff is a big gimmick. Does Redex go intot eh fuel tank? if so the aux heater uses diesel fuel to heat up the aux heater, it could be the redex that is burning in the aux heater and causeing the exccessive smoke.

[aadavidson]

I just had my 2004 Sharan Carat serviced and asked the VW garage to look at the smell of exhaust fumes in the cabin. They told me it was the Auxilary Heater and it will cost £500 to replace plus £350 to fit it!
I was told that it only comes on if the outside temp is 5 deg or below and that the jet engine whine down noise when I stopped was the heater shutting down.
They disconnected the heater and the fumes have gone so it must have been the heater. The down side is the car takes ages to heat up and the rear of the car does not heat up at all, it just blows cold air. I am livid about this.
I think this is a disgrace and I certainly do not have £1,000 to get a 3 and a half year old car that has just gone out of warranty fixed.
I am going to go to VW direct.
This could have been fatal with carbon momoxide being pumped into the cabin.
Wish my first posting was a bit more positive but I am sure you can see my point!

[hd1]

Wish I had of found this forum yesterday, would have saved me 25 notes which I just paid my local garage to tell me just what everyone on here as said
I have a 2004 VW touran 2.0 tdi with the exact same problem, apparently they phoned VW and were informed this is a known fault and a recall was issued for these vehicles, it involves redirecting the outlet from the aux heater to the exhaust system, at a cost of £120 parts plus labour, mind you if its a recall issue I'm at a loss as to why we should pay, so I phoned my local VW and they checked my vin number and stated there is no outstanding recalls on my car, so whos right and does anyone know anything about this supposed recall, on the brighter side it will soon be warm enough again so has not to worry about it, oh that brings up another point, does anyone get a check emissions warning light come up on really hot days

HD1

[aadavidson]

I am still waiting for a reply from VW on this. My garage told me the same thing that there was no outstanding recalls on my sharan. Then told me that the windscreen wiper motor and arms had been replaced due to a recall. I had not received any notification of this and as I already stated they told me there was no outstanding recalls. So where did this one come from!
£120 is better than £1000 but I agree why should we pay for their known problem.
I am going to take this all the way. What have I got to loose . There is no heating in the back of the car anyway?:aargh4:

[hd1]

http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_71596.html

article posted on 6th Jan 2006 is interesting, might try the tip they suggest

and good luck with your battle with VW

[cliffdi]

I had exactly this problem with my 5 yr old Seat Alhambra TDI. Diesel fumes in the car, white smoke coming from the auxiliary heater motor exhaust under the car. My Seat dealer said it needed a new heater motor at a cost of £600　+　labour　+　VAT　(around　£900　total!)

Eberspacher make the heater motor and they list all their dealers on their website. My local one is in Leighton Buzzard and they decoked and serviced it (including removal and refitting and all parts) for £223 inc VAT. No problems since.

[Funky Ferret]

My 2004 Sharan had this very problem - until the service foreman told me I can either have it disconnected (free) by him, or de-programmed from the car computer. I chose the free option. Plenty of heat is still supplied by the car - but no more smoke - happy days :-) I was told it burns the fuel 'raw' (ie. not under any pressure, hence all the smoke). How would that affect my CO2 emissions at MOT time?

[andy e]

My 2004 Sharan had this very problem - until the service foreman told me I can either have it disconnected (free) by him, or de-programmed from the car computer. I chose the free option. Plenty of heat is still supplied by the car - but no more smoke - happy days :-) I was told it burns the fuel 'raw' (ie. not under any pressure, hence all the smoke). How would that affect my CO2 emissions at MOT time? wouldn't affect mot as the heater has a seperate exhaust and only works at a temp of 5 degrees or below (if it works at all!!!!!:D)

[Arty]

All diesel Sharans suffer from this problem sooner or later. You can expect to replace the heater every 3-4 years, (Warranty lasts 2 years). The problem if you don’t get it fixed is that with the metal heater pipes running practically the length of the vehicle, and exposed to the airflow, it is very difficult to build up or retain heat in the cooling system during cold weather.

The fix would be to somehow bypass the rear heater by looping the in and out pipes, at the engine end, and take the rear heater pipes out of the system.

Disconnecting the Auxiliary heater electrics by unplugging the connector alongside the heater will not do any harm, and will solve the smoke problem, but not the cooling one.

[kimandsally]

Does VAG COM or the software that the VW franchises use show this fault or do we need a real mechanic? ie one that can actually diagnose a problem not expect a computer to give them a fault code?
I ask because mines in tomorrow for a gearbox problem and I'm not over sure my heater is right, for some reason it comes on at anything up to 12c indicated on the dashbaord and although there's not billowing white smoke the smell when I get out of the car is of unburnt diesel nothing at all like the exhaust gases that's for sure.

[JGggg]

It is GREAT to see that there are others with this problem.

Doesn't happen often, but when it does, clouds of white smoke billow out from under the mid point of the car where the aux heater is. It actually looks as if the car is on fire. Bit worrying the first time. Our local garage (not dealer!) suggested disconnecting the heater, but the weather warmed up so I decided to wait and see. Will look into the plug suggestion next time it happens.

[drodders]

.

[drodders]

iv got 2003 115 sharan now aux heater dissconected as this is a common fault i dissconected it as the the last car i had was a fraud galaxy same problem in & out of dealers changed glow plugs the lot still come back out cant be fixed but good wash a vallet got sharan now got problem wasnt going to be told cant fix it so been dissconected...as long as you have decent blowers in front and floor vent use this wont know the difference does my family or just get a thick coat if it bothers you that much why try & fix something that cant be fixed permantly the only person to benifit from this common fault is your dealer...dissconnect it...

[JGggg]

iv got 2003 115 sharan now aux heater dissconected as this is a common fault i dissconected it as the the last car i had was a fraud galaxy same problem in & out of dealers changed glow plugs the lot still come back out cant be fixed but good wash a vallet got sharan now got problem wasnt going to be told cant fix it so been dissconected...as long as you have decent blowers in front and floor vent use this wont know the difference does my family or just get a thick coat if it bothers you that much why try & fix something that cant be fixed permantly the only person to benifit from this common fault is your dealer...dissconnect it...
Hi! So, disconnecting it doesn't cause any problem then? Our Sharan only smokes occasionally (possibly when the temps dip too low). Good idea about the coats .... (family can use those..... front seats heated!!)
Thanks for the advice.

[drodders]

it works for me on both cars & the dissconnecting was done first by indy garage who used to work for fraud uk this was done after being in fraud more times than i had it but was a gleaming car every time i picked it up from them pay the bill new glow plugs hoses the lot still came back finally disconnected...my sharan as soon as i got that spoke to friend who works for vw he said if it does it on this dissconnet it as i can be cured for some time but will come back just that it will be at a cost..mine has been of now since december and bus still running sweet....also said of the record its a common fault just like the air con & limp mode which is more of a safety thing for heavy footed drivers...& no it wont damage your bus as its only aux heater you dont have to use it...

[JGggg]

What is limp mode?

Air con...... ours has cost us a couple of thousand over the last couple of years. Ind garage replaced just about everything they could think of over a year. Took it to another garage, fixed problem straight away...

[drodders]

its whats called overboost...say if your drivin on normal road then take motorway in the slip road you put your foot down hard between 50 mph & 70 if you can get there as your probably goin into 6th you find your car has no power....no turbo whistle....this is limp mode...i used to get it all the time on my galaxy tdi and almost every vw tdi iv owned has done this...to heavy on the right pedal...as i know of this and i know there is nothing wrong with my sharan i now just build up my speed on slip road instead of flooring it....you will be told or read its sensors or turbo on its way out wrong its nine out of 10 times overboost...what i do if i get it as i know what to expect is put in neutral coast and turn ignition of for a second this resets your ecu start car back in gear away you go...but beware if you pull on mway & get it & youve got hgv behind you do your rolling in the hard shoulder till you have turbo boost...or pay the penalty...

[JGggg]

!!!!!!!!!

I haven't experienced that yet!! Sounds v dangerous with that hgv bearing down....

What is the reason for building limp mode into the car?

[drodders]

cant answer that probably just another vw word for common fault...as i say as long as your not an f1 driver you should be ok also its probably to componsate for the low ratio gear box 6 speed so you cant hammer it...but dont take my word for....also about your rear heater the only down fall i forgot to mention was it takes a little longer to get to running temp ie before dissconnect 10 mins running temp now 15 mins to heat up that will do me better than £900 vw want to replace it every 4 years...see you later...

[davidmkwilliams]

£50 for a new one i disconected mine runs the same takes a little longer to heat in winter just pull male and female apart under the aux heater blower underneath the car

[jacarutu]

It is a simple fix which did not take more than an hour to do. I had this problem with my 2001 Galaxy. There is an excellent step by step with photos on the FGOC (Ford Galaxy Owners Club) website. Search the forums for aux heater to get the info.

I got the glow plug of a trader on ebay, but anyone dealing with erbesprecher aux heaters will probaqbly be able to provide one. They are also used in trucks, RV's and some 4x4's.

[geejayy]

its whats called overboost...say if your drivin on normal road then take motorway in the slip road you put your foot down hard between 50 mph & 70 if you can get there as your probably goin into 6th you find your car has no power....no turbo whistle....this is limp mode...i used to get it all the time on my galaxy tdi and almost every vw tdi iv owned has done this...to heavy on the right pedal...as i know of this and i know there is nothing wrong with my sharan i now just build up my speed on slip road instead of flooring it....you will be told or read its sensors or turbo on its way out wrong its nine out of 10 times overboost...what i do if i get it as i know what to expect is put in neutral coast and turn ignition of for a second this resets your ecu start car back in gear away you go...but beware if you pull on mway & get it & youve got hgv behind you do your rolling in the hard shoulder till you have turbo boost...or pay the penalty...

excuse my ignorance but i've got this power loss prob on my 03 sharan 1.9 tdi.
so what your saying in fact is that to prevent poss damage vw have programmed the ecu to cut power when a heavy boot is applied to the throttle when in too high a gear.? so the problem is my heavy right boot??
on mine its intermittent , somedays it does and others it don't,
it usually cuts in when climbing a hill or overtakeing:aargh4::1zhelp:
hence i don't overtake much these days , once in limp mode /overboost she's gutless and won't pull much over 3,000, under 3k accelleration is slugish/nonexistant but given time & a straight road will pull to 70-80mph.
if it doesn't cut in, she pulls hard & cleanly from tickover right through to 5k or so, occasionally a little turbo whine in 1st 2 gears can be heard.

maf has been replaced under warrenty, things have improved slightly.

[drodders]

excuse my ignorance but i've got this power loss prob on my 03 sharan 1.9 tdi.
so what your saying in fact is that to prevent poss damage vw have programmed the ecu to cut power when a heavy boot is applied to the throttle when in too high a gear.? so the problem is my heavy right boot??
on mine its intermittent , somedays it does and others it don't,
it usually cuts in when climbing a hill or overtakeing:aargh4::1zhelp:
hence i don't overtake much these days , once in limp mode /overboost she's gutless and won't pull much over 3,000, under 3k accelleration is slugish/nonexistant but given time & a straight road will pull to 70-80mph.
if it doesn't cut in, she pulls hard & cleanly from tickover right through to 5k or so, occasionally a little turbo whine in 1st 2 gears can be heard.

maf has been replaced under warrenty, things have improved slightly.



iv got to be truthfull with you on this limp mode thing which there is loads on here & fgoc....this sharan iv got now i had it once on this then after some research went and had my bus remapped and that was about a year and a half ago i can honestly say i have never had it since...even uphill fully loaded drives lovelly loads of torqe,as i said "the built in safty thing i was told from vw mechanic was off the record"...next time you get it just put it in neutrel & turn engine on & of it will reset it & of you go till the next time...this is just my experience only which im happy about...:beerchug:

[jackboy1]

Hi new to site, ive just had the extact same problem. thanks for advice will try and change glow plugs and see if that works.:beerchug:

[viv carey]

hi, Big problem with these, VW don't want to know, don't even think they do know. I pulled the fuse on mine about two years ago, ive had no problems up to now, don't know how they've got the nerve to charge £600 and over for this unit, you could get a new marble fireplace for that with anew gas fire fitted. not in your bus of course lol

[Funky Ferret]

I had the same (recurring) problems with my 2003 130 SE Sharan. Replacing the glow plug did not correct it. Eventually, the dealer disconnected it (under warranty) & all has been fine since.
The heater burns 'uncompressed', raw diesel, hence all the smoke (& fumes etc.), not environmentally considerate at all.
Quite why VW thought to put such a crass unit into an otherwise great vehicle, I will never understand....:aargh4:

If I ever feel the need to put a cold weather heater in my car, Kenlowe do a great unit, which keeps the water jacket warm as well.:D

[D_MACD_1979]

Had the same fault replaced the glow plug no change so I disconected the multiplug now have no aux heater but dont have the smoke or noise any more it is quite easy to do :D

[kokeilut]

How do you disconnect? I have Touran with exactly same problem.

Would be pleased to hear what I need to do to disconnect (fuse or cable?, please advise).

[D_MACD_1979]

How do you disconnect? I have Touran with exactly same problem.

Would be pleased to hear what I need to do to disconnect (fuse or cable?, please advise).


You need to remove the unit as far as i can remember was in January I did mine not too difficult then remove the multi plug from the unit tape it up if you might want to reconect it then put the unit back problem solved:D

[hoffman]

Hello, New to the forum.

I have a 06 Alhambra 1.9 TDI, and my aux heater has now packed up, no longer get the jet sound and the loads of white smoke.

But it decided to vent grey heated but unburnt diesel vapor in to the cabin via passanger side front seat belt slot.

The reason I assume is the glow plug has failed and is not igniting the fuel, also as the blower is not coming on and sounding like a jet plane, this has caused fumes to enter the cabin through the near side bulk head as this is where the cold air in let for the system resides, and it is backing up thougth here.

For a moment I thought the car was on fire, any way it was not. able to get it up on the ramps at a friendly garage, although they were not sure of the cause. I pulled the multi pin plug out of the heater to disconect it, as I do not want a cabin full of unburnt diesel fumes.

You do not need to take the unit off to get at the plug on my alhambra, just unclip the plug from the holder and slide a screw driver in to undo the catch and the plugs will disconnect. I taped up the the plugs tucked up out the way. Easier to do on ramps I am sure.

I then went on the Web to read all the many horror stories and the tips about and joined this forum to learn some more info.

I was going to replace the glow plug my self and hunt down a VAG-COM to look at the diagnostics, but for now unpluging is the best bet for me.

Although pulling the fuse may have been easier to get too, I have since learned.

Great forum, I used to get limp mode before I started driving like I was driving miss Daisy, due to escallating fuel cost. My old garage said it was using supermarket diesel :| or a gremlin. Hence they are my old garage.

[viv carey]

Reach up above the heater unit, unplug the cable connector. Or pull the fuse from the fusebox, not sure if it's number 25 or not. we "ALL" have the same prob, Waste of time buying a new/second hand unit. £600+ from VW LOL. Mines been disconnected for 3+ years, no probs, cars warm enough. Total white elephant from VW.