A3 2.0TDI Power Loss

[winiman]

Hi
Our A3 2.0TDI sline DSG (2006) has started going into limp mode for no apperent reason usually when you are at high speed, going uphill and the dsg downshifts. Once it does this if you stop turn the engine off and restart its fine! Then few miles down the road it will do it again. Had it to Audi dealer today and they put it on diagnostics and test drive but couldnt find anything wrong? Anyone had the same problem?:confused:

[ed'sA3-1.8THK]

your problem may be fuel delivery

the recent common rail diesels require continuous fuel delivery from fuel tank - check elec fuel pump relay / fuse and condition of electric fuel pump (low pressure) also you may want to change primary fuel filter (cannister) as it may have collected sludge or water...

pls check these things first, before going into dsg trans

[egon7]

ive got an audi a3 2.0tdi manual and had exactly the same as you decribed it just lost all power as i was going down the motorway, as soon as i stopped the car and started again it was fine untill i was going quite fast again. . .
anyone got any ideas????

[csducks]

ive had the same problem, alarm bells rang, oh no.. ££££
i was given so many diff reasons which could cause it, engine management system cuts power to stop engine causing damage i was told by many different people.


but if there is no engine management system light on your dash it may be the same prob as what i had..

The remidy i found at that time was to buy.. one sec ill get a link..


http://www.holtsauto.com/products/print_view/additives/diesel/redex-diesel-advanced-fuel-system-cleaner


and read a thread about it
http://www.daewooclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?tid=761

some people beileve it works, some dont, science proves it works, ive used it since i orig had the prob, and its done the job for me, but its personal preference

basically cleans and lubricates engine and destroys all carbon deposits, and ive tested this by putting some.. well im in forces and i put my gas plug from my rifle in some for two hours, hey presto all the carbon had gone, it actually disolved in fron tof me.. now if you had any idea how great a fact that is, as beileve me its quite a challenge to get carbon of the plugs you would really use this without question, as i have since then.

but everyone to there own, would really check which one tu use though, brand wise i mean, but i find this one the best.

Im not sure if its linked directly, but i do know if there is just a little bit of something causing a problem with the engine management system the engine it seems goes into limp mode, so i guess a build up of carbon could be the reason. i am no mechanic though, i only can tell you the experience i have had.

good luck.

regards

[csducks]

Also in regards to taking it to AUdi dealer.. first post

i took mine to one this morning, and he asked me for £115
i walked out,(different problem,long story) so with that in mind, and with the advice ive been given on this board, over the weekend just gone, and great advice too it was

im off out to buy my own code checker for my model of car.

http://www.ross-tech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=VCHUC&Category_Code=IC

or the mini version which is cheaper

http://www.ross-tech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=VCuCAN&Category_Code=IC

its pretty expensive, but not really made for people like you and me, more for grages to use, but just pluging it in to your car and through the software for your laptop you can find any problems you may have and do these checks for yourself. so you would never get ripped off, oh i find it enthralling, im a new Audi geek, so happy to learn and spend the money tbh on something so worthwhile.. you can do all sorts of other things with it too, from resetting fault codes, to doing own tests and then simply export the findings to exel.

ther are many copied versions on ebay and such other sites, but ive looke dinto this many hours over the weekend,and from what i can see they are a waste of money, and dont worked correctly.

and Audi charge £115 for exactly the same thing, a one hour diagnostic check. lol

hope this helps, or opens you up to learning about your motor a little at the least, oh no i dont work for either redex, Audi, or ross-tech(ie all products mentioned above) but am learning fast, and allot of guys really helped me on here recently, so just trying to share the audi love.


my car is a Audi A3 2.0 TDi on a 53 plate so its chasis is a 8P number. no this is very important if you are interested in buying this product, must make sure you buy the correct one.

regards

[96 A4]

Hi Bud,

did you buy this cable ross tech device & is it any good?

We have a light on our 54 reg a3 2.0 tdi says DEF & the old beep, beep , beep power steering light on, any ideas

258 k on my old p reg a4 & no lights at all apart from the old limp mode if you drive it hard, but i can live with that so what's the story with newer versions?

[csducks]

Yeah i bought one, and yeah it lets me know whats wrong with my motor.
TBH they are bloody expensive, id say unless you are a real enthuisiast use the money to repair it rather than buy one of these.

I think its the turbo, i havnt actually had it repaired yet, cos all i do is turn the key off then back on while imn driving if it happens, you dont actually have to stop to reset it.

So the limp mode could be maybe a switch which resets when engine is turned on or off... but i say its turbo, or prob is cos on my last service i reset all computer readings to get a fresh reading from the garage and it came back with a problem with the turbo unit. so in my mind that pretty much confirms it

only thing is, the garage wanted to charge me over 200 to look into it.

yeah they got a big bugger off, i can live with it, although now months later i think i should pay for it to be repaired. saying that i dont want to get ripped off paying hundreds of pounds for something which isnt the problem.

so from my point of view until i know for sure 100% i aint spending that ammount of cash on fixing something that doesnt seem to make much diff unless i try and drive over 90mph

im no mechanic though so my guess is as good as yours.

[winiman]

just an update to my original thread post - i had the turbo replaced under warranty and it has cured the problem completely so that what is was - hope that helps

[csducks]

yep that helps, and confirms my problem even more so

thanks

[v11kal]

I have a 06 2.0 TDI Sline, experiencing the same problem.

Took it to Audi and they charged me £160 to take a lokk and replace a earth connector. Still having the same problem, goes into limp mode after a certain speed on the motorway.

Am i entitled for the £160 to be deducted from the cost of a replacement turbo???

[csducks]

Right firstly..

if it goes into limp mode while ya driving just turn ya key off and back on it resets the.. whatever the hell its called... you dont have to stop. its been a few months now and its not done mine no more damage.. however...

on the VCDS test it will come up as error overboost etc etc

after trying to sort this out as for one thing i dont wanna fawk out for a new turbo if its just something which is easily fixed. So i have narrowed it down to a number of things.. if its what i think it is based on 6 months off ground work..

what happens, is the turbo waste gate - sticks in one position. its not actually a wastegate as such. its the rod which controls variable turbo vane geometry. it allows a huge amount of boost upto a certain rpm or speed - and can give no more - as it is fixed in a specific position due to jamming. this then flags a code on your ecu, and sometimes u may have symptoms such as total lack of power due to the ecu shutting down turbo control completly.

the remedy is - a new turbo assembly afraid


thats worst case scenario..

or if you take it to a shop that re maps your motor im told they (mos of em) strip down turbo unit and clean off all the carbon which if none of the coild inside are damaged remedys the problems completely as this is what causes the problem in the first place, costs about 30-50 pounds and takes a qualified mechanic around 1 hour t trwo ohours. what i have found out is DO NOT take it to any garage even an Audi one as you will, as you have already found out to your cost be charged based them checking ya car with cable and not really knowing exactly what the prob is.. majority of the time i get you need a new turbo, but not one of em can tell me why, well thats not good enough for me, im not willing to pay that much when it could be something that with a little bit of knowledge time and effort put in could be something really small.. so this is what else it could be..


this following advice as come from other people who have had the same problems..


i'd also recommend removing the vacuum line from the actuator to the N75 and inspect it.
It gets very warm around that area and the rubber pipe can get damaged.
I remember mine was in a bad way so I replaced it with silicone tube from Forge



The vanes usually sticks causing over boost when your cruising at 70-80mph.
You will not get rid of the problem by spaying wd40 on the actuator the problems lies inside.
If you suspect you have a fault with your turbo use vag com go to engine and then into basic settings and select channel 11,
this will work the actuator and it should travel about 25-30 mm and return back to the bottom smoothly.
When there is a problem it will stick or not move the full distance.
You can see the actuator arm if you remove the engine cover.
I have actually got a turbo to work again by doing this and using forte fuel flush but this is rare.

N75 may need replacing

Over boost is normally caused by a clogged N75 valve or sticking vanes in the turbo.


This is what i have found out over the past few months, i could have just wrote the above in 4 or 5 lines but thought you would appreciate an full explanation as it seems thats something allot of garages fail to understand.

if you find out more about this, especially how to remedy please do post as it seems like a common problem and the more we know about what seems such a common problem with Audi motors the easier it will be for anyone else reading this. regards

[v11kal]

Update:

After taking my car back to Audi for the 2nd time they then decided to run diagnostics against the car, which all passed!!!

I took a visit to the flagship dealer and after a number of phone calls - Audi ave me a replacement car ad replaced the turbo unit and only charged me £150 as a contribution fee.

Drive to London from Birmingham last night "first long drive since replacement" everything seems fine, power distribution seems a lot better than it was when it was working!!

So without being any expert, i would say if anyone encounter this problem, its a new turbo job.

Thanks
KH :approve:

[leedspaul]

Hi Guys.

After reading all your threads and your problems, it seems you are all experiencing the common Audi over boost problem. (my problem as well). Together you have all come to the conclusion that it is the turbo. (£1200ish at dealers). :zx11:

To cut a long story story short guys, you don't have to spend anything like that kind on money. I got myne done at Turbo Clinic UK. for a couple of 100 quid, and its run perfect ever since. I hope this thread will be of some use to you guys. :biglaugh::arms:

[csducks]

oh right, what was wrong with it then, what did they replace, and how much did it cost you? what car do you drive?

cheers

[leedspaul]

They told me they replaced the stuck variable vain system and then reset it up.

[stu1267]

Hi All, I have an Audi A3 8v 2.0 tdi, I have power loss, it dips in power at different speeds, I have the engine light come on and the glow plug light flash, I turn the car of and then on and engine light is still on but glow plug light is off. would it be dirt in the Turbo or worth replacing the ECU? thanks in advance, do let me know