96 1.9TDI 110BHP Sudden loss of power

**Jonathan84** · 01-01-2009,11:10 PM

Hi,

New to this section of the forum (previously an Audi 80 owner). Just bought a A4 1.9tdi 110bhp SE with 187k on the clock two days ago. In general it is in good condition and has been running very well until today. I was accelerating in 4th, up a slight incline with heavy throttle and the power suddenly went. I was doing 65mph at the time and was unable to accelerate past that. It had the feeling of absolutely no turbo.

I got it home (just a mile away, thankfully) and left it idling. I popped the bonnet - no visible damage (very dark, so hard to see), no fluid leaks but a definate, audiable rattle coming from what I think is the turbo. There were no warning lights on the dash.

One of my neighbours is a mechanic, though has more experience in farm machinery and I'll ask him to have a look at it tomorrow.

I bought the car privately, so I am not sure how to approach the seller about it. He did seem very genuine though.

Any thoughts? Is this going to cost me a fortune?

It was such a cracking car until that point too.

Thanks in advance!

Jonathan

**spartacus 68** · 02-01-2009,10:56 AM

Any engine management lights come on?

Because the car is high mileage, it could be anything, however turbo may not necessarily be what's gone. You say there's a definate rattle - was it their before? Audi's oil burners, especially the 4-cylinder blocks aren't exactly the quietest.

Before you order a new turbo - I'd check the MAF sensor (they can be cleaned with carb cleaner). Quite sensitive bit of kit. Audi do an exchange policy on them - think they're in region of £65+. Also the EGR valve. It can get gunked up with carbon and needs a thorough decoke. Also the vacuum hoses. Not unusual to get splits, holes or loose connections.

Finally the turbo. One option may be to get a second-hand part. Try www.breakersyard.com

**Jonathan84** · 02-01-2009,12:33 PM

Thankyou for the reply. I really appreciate it.

It seems that indeed the problem is intermitent (which seems to be a common theme when reading the old topics on here). Last night I did try stopping and starting the engine and the rattle prevailed and there was no power. However, when I started it this morning and drove round to my neighbour the mechanic, all normal power had returned.

I realise that this has probably been covered before here, but what would be the best course of action to address an intermintent power loss problem?

Jonathan

**big dunc** · 02-01-2009,12:40 PM

i have just sold my vw pasatt tdi 1996 168k i had exactly the same prob and it only did it on hills.however i still did over 5k in it and the prob never got any worse.it would have cost more to get the turbo replaced than i paid 4 the car so it never really botherd me.u probaly wont notice it on the flat

**Jonathan84** · 02-01-2009,02:44 PM

Originally Posted by big dunc

i have just sold my vw pasatt tdi 1996 168k i had exactly the same prob and it only did it on hills.however i still did over 5k in it and the prob never got any worse.it would have cost more to get the turbo replaced than i paid 4 the car so it never really botherd me.u probaly wont notice it on the flat

The problem for us is that we specifically bought the car as a replacement for the slower Audi 80tdi as we do alot of driving in the Scottish Highlands. The 80 was just too slow for effective overtaking, so we need a good burst of speed, often up a hill as well.

I hope that this doesn't prove to be too expensive as I love the car. I will take it to the garage on the 5th and get them to have a look at it. After that I will approach the seller and try to get some money off him to help fund the repairs.

That said, any pointers that I can get from here will be invaluable

**spartacus 68** · 02-01-2009,05:02 PM

If it is the turbo - you could also get it reconditioned. Effectively it's a rebuild, but got to be cheaper than main dealer - as it will be horrendously expensive.

http://www.turbocharger-solutions.co.uk/

Get your garage to plug it in to vag.com to read any fault codes. This will point you in the right direction.

**discobarry** · 02-01-2009,07:13 PM

It can also be a leak on the air pipes, i've had this before on my passat and there was the tiniest split on a pipe....replaced it and the problem went.

**fantasiagreen** · 05-01-2009,12:21 AM

Hello - I have a 1999 1.9tdi se 110 that has suffered the exact same problem in the past. If you do a search you will find lots of information about this.

If it cures itself when you turn the ignition off and on again then it is likely to be a problem with the turbo boost pressure, causing the engine management to put the engine into safe mode (i.e no turbo boost). If you have the fault codes read I would say it is quite likely you'll get:

17958 P1550 - charge pressure deviation

From my reading this could be caused by:
Faulty MAF sensor or N75 valve
Split/leaking vacuum hose to/from the actuator
Sticking variable vanes in the turbo, caused by the turbo being coked up
Something else I haven't covered

I changed all my vacuum hoses which helped but didn't cure the problem. The best thing for it in my case was 400 miles at 80 plus mph in 30 degree heat on the French Autoroutes

which lead me to conclude that the turbo was coked up. It comes back every few months now and generally some spirited acceleration cures it.

Cheers

https://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/s...387#post227387

**jb1978** · 06-01-2009,05:18 PM

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**jb1978** · 06-01-2009,05:27 PM

I had the same problem with mine. I seemed to fix it with a bottle of redex into a full tank of diesel, spraying 10k cleaner into the engine, and taking it on a long, fast drive to burn off the carbon. I also made the EGR modification using VAG.com to hopefully lessen the chances of the carbon building up again.