VW TDI question (don't punch me)

[Luhoer]

As I didn't find an answer on google I thought I'll ask here before registering to a TDI forum.

My VW Bora (ASV engine; VP37) made some problems today.

It started perfect this morning, I went to mcd's for lunch and then again it started perfect. I drove away and when I wanted to shift in 3rd it just stalled.
So I rolled to the side of the road and tried starting it but it sounded like it only ran on 3 cylinders and there was lots of white smoke out the exhaust and it didn't want to rev.

So I shut it off and checked oil level and checked the coolant. As it all seemed normal I tried to start it again and it ran perfect. Let it sit on idle for a minute and drove back as it should, no problems.

There was no check engine light and I don't have a chance to read the codes until the weekend.

Does anyone have an idea what the problem is/was?

[Mal]

Hows your camshaft....

[Oil-burner]

Hows your camshaft....

How's your electics, rear beam, headgasket etc etc?

[kentiiboii]

Hows your camshaft....

How's your electics, rear beam, headgasket etc etc?

How tinys your cock haha love you simey

[Toms306]

Hows your camshaft....

This! Same symptoms as my cam/lifters failing. Happened once then was fine like yours. Next time was f*cked completely...


But you don't often see issues with the 110bhp ones. Is it on longlife servicing? Is it modified? Is it high milage?


Alternatively, it could be an injector stuck open flooding that cylinder, would make it run shit, white smoke and reluctant to rev...

[Luhoer]

Hows your camshaft....

This! Same symptoms as my cam/lifters failing. Happened once then was fine like yours. Next time was f*cked completely...


But you don't often see issues with the 110bhp ones. Is it on longlife servicing? Is it modified? Is it high milage?


Alternatively, it could be an injector stuck open flooding that cylinder, would make it run shit, white smoke and reluctant to rev...

Last week I read about all the camshaft issues and decided to check mine this weekend. I guess I'll have a look when i'm home tomorrow.
(Providing it makes the 100km home tomorrow)

It's not modified, serviced every 15000km (nearly 10000 miles?) and has done just over 200000 km (130000 miles?)

[Cav306]

I'd have though headgasket to be honest, might be worth taking it for a compression check. I had a 90BHP Passatt TDi, probably the most unreliable car in the universe and I own Peugeots!

[Luhoer]

I'd have though headgasket to be honest, might be worth taking it for a compression check. I had a 90BHP Passatt TDi, probably the most unreliable car in the universe and I own Peugeots!

I also thought about that but wouldn't there be bubbles in the coolant when it's running or atleast it would smell strange?
Also it ran perfect later..

EDIT: +1 for unreliable ;D

[Cav306]

I'd imagine so but if it's at the earliest stage it may be harder to see any bubbling just yet.

I'll never have a VAG product again to be honest. I don't know where they get their 'reliable' reputation from, everyone I've had has been absolute rubbish. The Passat drove me mental, at times it seemed every flipping day something else would break or stop working. Terrible, terrible cars.

[Luhoer]

I'd imagine so but if it's at the earliest stage it may be harder to see any bubbling just yet.

I'll never have a VAG product again to be honest. I don't know where they get their 'reliable' reputation from, everyone I've had has been absolute rubbish. The Passat drove me mental, at times it seemed every flipping day something else would break or stop working. Terrible, terrible cars.

I can only agree, mine started to do funky things with the esp a few weeks ago... just brakes one wheel randomly from time to time

[kentiiboii]

I'd have though headgasket to be honest, might be worth taking it for a compression check. I had a 90BHP Passatt TDi, probably the most unreliable car in the universe and I own Peugeots!

My neibour and his mate keep going on about vag reliability theyll never let me down far nore superior to peugeot. Yet his passat is worked on every weekend with something new. And his mates mk2 golf gti. Never runs right hes got head gasket failure atm which hes avoiding fixing. Where as my old hdi never let me down till I decided to break it. And my new one im not saying anything as I dont wanna jynx but. But atm bearing in aircon pump are nackerd but thats it

[Dave]

As I didn't find an answer on google I thought I'll ask here before registering to a TDI forum.

blah blah blah

I went to mcd's for lunch

blah blah blah

Does anyone have an idea what the problem is/was?

You went to mcdonalds :p

[Luhoer]

haha that could be the problem, i'll avoid it from now on

[daddyfixit]

as its now running ok, you will have to wait till its scanned at the weekend. my tdi galaxy has been faultless for about 3 years until I tried a new scanner out on it; dozens of faults recorded but not once has the management light been on !!!
tdi engines suffer the injector wiring loom breaking down---its inside the rocker cover and are very common to fail, maybe when you scan it there may be a fault code related to injectors ??

if it had have been the camshaft breaking through the followers, it would have stayed as a misfire
an injector stuck open would have caused diesel knock and excessive black smoke, not white smoke.
if it was head gasket failure and had been bad enough to cause misfire, then it would still be misfiring now and pressurising the system or losing its coolant ito the sump (which will lead to engine running away with itself= destruction.)

therefore don't panic till its been scanned.

[Toms306]

, mine started to do funky things with the esp a few weeks ago... just brakes one wheel randomly from time to time

My Nans neighbours Bora did this.....I sold him the ABS pump/ECU from the Golf I was breaking and it cured the fault.

---

Last week I read about all the camshaft issues and decided to check mine this weekend. I guess I'll have a look when i'm home tomorrow.
(Providing it makes the 100km home tomorrow)

It's not modified, serviced every 15000km (nearly 10000 miles?) and has done just over 200000 km (130000 miles?)

Ah, you're on time and distance servicing rather than longlife then so you should be ok!

Mine went at 136,000 miles, but that was modified and on longlife servicing (about 20,000 miles between services!)...I will be avoiding longlife PD's in the future!

[Eeyore]

i remember someone on here had a few golfs and ended up breaking them. I cant remember who it was though. If i remember Ill let you know!

[Luhoer]

Sooo. Update time.

Scanned the codes today and there were only the 2 codes I always get (don't know how they're really called in english):
Boost control maximum reached (because my vnt mechanism starts sticking from time to time) and the steering angle sensor (which is my ESP problem)

Also whipped the rocker cover off just to have a look:



I don't know how it should look but there's some visible wear on the cam lobes but you can't feel anything so I'm not too concerned about that.

Also the coolant doesn't bubble or smell like oil at all so I doubt the headgasket.

Don't know what the problem is but let's see if it happens again.

[Cav306]

That 'boost control maximum reached, because my vnt mechanism starts sticking from time to time' isn't anything to do with the N75 valve, is it?
It seems it's a common problem on the B5 Passat Tdi at least, the turbo suddenly stops working and will either work again if you turn the engine off and back on, or work again once the car has cooled down. It happened to mine and my mate at a local VW specialists diagnosed it immediately. I think it cost me £50 inc. fitting and it was fine after that. If you Google 'VAG TDi N75' (or something lie that) hopefully it will show you.

[Toms306]

Wait, you're getting overboost? That will chuck it into limp mode... And make it reluctant to rev, it happened to mine on the dyno.

The cams look ok from my phone but you want to check the cam edges aren't sharp at the point end (should be chamfered all way round), one cam can wear into an egg shape, the littered become dished, and eventuslly cut into the lifter...

---

If it looks anything like that, its f*cked.

Personally I think the VNT failed (over-boosted) when you changed gear, chucked more fuel in than air and flooded the engine. Then when you started it again it was trying to clear out that surplus fuel hence running lumpy and smoky.

I'm sure someone will be along soon to tell me I'm wrong though.

[Luhoer]

Wow, those cams and lifters look really bad

I don't think it went in limp mode there, because boost needs to stay over the limit for a few seconds to go to limp mode and I just revved it to 2500rpm real quick in 2nd and shifted so it couldn't even go in limp mode

[Toms306]

Meh, despite that little bit of wear it was still running fine....good old VW eh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3i_5A-qGCY


Hmm, maybe I'm confusing you (and myself!) now...I'll wait for someone with more knowledge than me.