Golf Plus 1.6 TDI injector warning code.

[bobmo11]

I have a Golf Plus 1.6 TDI 2010, 35K miles, fully serviced by main dealer.
My last trip was about 80 miles no problems, but after stopping to unload shopping and starting the car after a few minutes two engine warning lights stayed on which my manual identified as follows :-

1. (Engine icon lit steady) Fault in catalytic converter.
2. (Glow coil symbol flashing) Fault in engine management system.

Using a diagnostic indicator I obtained the DTC code P0201, which a search on the internet defined as INJECTOR CIRCUIT/ OPEN CYINDER 1.
The engine feels 'lumpy' and more difficult to start than usual. I can only assume it is running on 3 cylinders, so have not attempted to drive it.
Is it save to drive 2 miles to a garage?
What is the most likely problem?
Any help will be much appreciated.

[vag_tech]

If an injector fault is confirmed with decent diagnostic kit then the fault will likely lie with the injector/wiring. A good specialist will be able to check both for you, but will first verify the ECM's complaint with a diagnostic check.

[Keithuk]

VAG Error Code: 16585/000513


EOBD II Error Code: P0201

Fault Location:
Injector 1 (N30) - Circuit Malfunction/Open Circuit

Possible Cause:
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)(K83) active.
Lack/Loss of Power.
The engine may be harder to start.
Engine hesitation.

Wiring/Connector(s).
Injector 1 (N30).
Engine Control Module (ECM).

Possible Solutions:
Check/Replace all faulty Wiring/Connector(s).
Read Measuring Value Blocks (MVB).
Low side signal current < 2.1 A.

When is the code detected?:
The P0201 is set if the Engine Control Module (ECM) is detects a low or high voltage drop or resistance at the injector 1.

Description:
Engine Control Module (ECM) checks the injectors circuit resistance and monitors the voltage drop during normal operation. The Engine Control Module (ECM) will trigger the P0201 code when the resistance or voltage drop at the injector 1 is out of specifications.


As taken from my new EOBD II Error Codes

[bobmo11]

If an injector fault is confirmed with decent diagnostic kit then the fault will likely lie with the injector/wiring. A good specialist will be able to check both for you, but will first verify the ECM's complaint with a diagnostic check.

Hi, Thanks for your response.

Having started the car several times over the two days following first appearance of the fault there was no change so I made an appointment at a local Bosch service centre to take it in for diagnostic. On the third day I started it ready to take it to the garage and to my great surprise it started normally without the flashing coil indicator, just the static EMC light.

Drove two miles to garage without any problem and all they found after test drives and diagnostic was the fault code P0201 which I had already found. Their recommendation was to change injector 1 as a precaution because if it failed 'open' it could damage the engine? No mention of possible wiring fault? I therefore agreed to this action and have been driving the car for the last two weeks without any sign of a problem, just a lighter wallet!

Having done a lot of research over the last two weeks I now feel better equipped to question the situation if anything similar
should happen in the future. My past experience is limited to working on petrol engines in the 1960/70's, the workings of modern diesel engines and their computer control has been something of a mystery until now.

I now have a ELM327 Wifi adaptor and am trying some of the many Apple IPad apps for engine diagnostics. Any comments or recommendations would be appreciated.

[vag_tech]

Their recommendation was to change injector 1 as a precaution because if it failed 'open' it could damage the engine? No mention of possible wiring fault?

The injector will only damage piston/engine if its type is piezo crystal (they are required to be "energised" and "de-energised" to open/close -> switching failure in the energised state would happily pop a hole in your piston). A faulty injector is certainly a possibility, but wiring integrity would need to be confirmed before this. Two weeks of fault-free driving sounds promising.
Let us know if the fault persists in the future!

[Keithuk]

I now have a ELM327 Wifi adaptor and am trying some of the many Apple IPad apps for engine diagnostics. Any comments or recommendations would be appreciated.

There is only one true DIY diagnostic kit for VAG vehicle VCDS I know they are cheap and I don't mean buying the cheap Chinese cloned cables off fleabay.

Then you can join the Ross-Tech forum and post questions/problems after you have been How to get Verified

[bobmo11]

An update following my injector failure in June.
Following replacement of injector 1 the car ran fine until Dec 9th when injector no.2 failed.
That was replaced, and after driving 15 miles the third injector failed.
I therefore had to replace both 3 & 4.


I have now done over 400 miles without any further problem.


I feel there must have been some 'external' cause for all these injector fails and can only think of some sort of fuel contamination? After the first failure someone suggested I tried a fill up with BP Ultimate diesel to 'clean' the injectors ? Any further comments or advice would be appreciated.


I have had the car from new (2010), regularly serviced by main dealer, and it has only done 35K miles.
Reg and Vin sent by PM.
Regards
Bobmo11

[Crasher]

They do just fail like that, we try and get people to have all four done but most don't and a good proportion come back one injector at a time.

[turbomeister]

i have a 2009 1.6 SDI CAYC engine

it went into limp mode and was showing P0203 fault code

local garage changed the injector with a 'good 2nd hand' injector

it never ran properly, i could feel something was wrong because it seemed to be lacking power when accelerating.

my wife changed jobs and only drove 3 or 4 miles a day for her commute, it gradually got worse, so i blamed a blocked DPF, she stopped using it and i started using fuel treatment to help it out, only used the car for journeys in excess of 20 miles and drove it hard to help clear the DPF. Things got better with the DPF so i started using the car for my commute from East Leeds to Barnsley, slowly but surely the economy started getting better until on day 9 during my journey home on the M1, i lost power and the coil light started flashing, I was a junction before the M62 and managed to limp home, i upset quite a few truck drivers with my foul language as they bitched about me driving at 50mph.

Anyhow after researching for the best part of 2 days, i honestly think that the replacement injector wasn't programmed, nor had new seals because there's a dampness around both 3 and 4, i also suspect that it's the wiring at fault and not the injector.

I've looked to find the injector wiring so that i can buy a new one but can't find anything.

What annoys me more is that i worked for a turbo company for almost 10 years and had good relationships with injection customers that i used to visit regularly around the UK, but i left that job 15 years ago and cannot contact any of them.

Anyhow i'd really appreciate some advice as to where i go from here, maybe this should have been posted as a new post rather than a reply?

[Crasher]

The CAYC is a TDI.

000513 - Injector: Cylinder 1 (N30) P0201 - 004 - Circuit Malfunction

If there is oil/fuel around 3 and 4 it is not down to injectors 1 and 2 being removed... it just happens. The coding can be checked with suitable diagnostic equipment. There is a known fault for the wiring rubbing on the head. I have kone working injectors on these fail due to being removed, say if number 1 was replaced it would not surprise me to see number 2 fail, we always warn customers about this but we refuse point blank to fit used or even recon injectors, only new VDO or genuine new.