2008 Passat B6 3C5 - Intermittant shutdown while driving - Engine Failure Workshop - Fix

[spyderj]

This post is to inform others if they may be experiencing this issue of their car going to limp mode/shutting down while driving. Approximately 4 months ago, with about 175k miles, I was noticing that the car was shuddering/jerking intermittently. I had recently had my timing belt changed, so I thought maybe it was off a tooth. Then I began doing research online and thought it was my MAF sensor. I cleaned it and no change. After more research, I thought it was my DMF as it was knocking and needed to be changed. Changed the DMF, issue still present. I then heard it could be my EGR or DPF. I plugged in an OBDII and no codes were found.

I went to visit a friend and he did a quick search online and found a post that revealed the problem:

The main engine wire harness that goes between the engine block and oil filter - was melted against the engine block and was causing a short.

Here is the link to that post: Passat B6 CBAB engine cut off while driving - Page 2

Here is a picture of my wire harness: wire harness.jpg

The fix: Pulled it away from the block. There was no major compromise of the wiring, so I will likely be adding new heat tape. Since pulling it away from the block, I have not been able to replicate the fault.

Hope this helps!