Limp mode

[KILLERDOG]

Hi Everyone, got a small problem with my car, well I hope its small. Ive done a lot of reading up the past month and now ive finally got around to posting my problem. Basically at around 80 mph in 6th gear the car goes into chimp, I mean limp mode. I pull over, turn ignition off ,pull key out, start car again and hey presto the beast is alive again. Now ive bought another egr valve and cleaned and checked what I can but now I'm stuck. Pulled the vac box off, cleaned it and checked what pipes I can for air leaks. I'm guessing its the turbo vanes sticking, but this is just a guess due to what ive read up on the net. Can some lovely person help me or give me advise. Really hoping its an easy/cheap fix dude to my financial status at the moment ( no heating, combi blown up ), so having to save to get that sorted too. Thanks for reading this, Paul :)

[Trevor]

I would imagine you are correct in your diagnosis. Have seen it several times where the vanes are gummed up and then goes into Limp Home mode because of it.

There are a few cheap ways around it

1. Terraclean treatment which will totally sort it

2. Run a turbo cleaner solution through it  (see link)  

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Diesel-Engine-Turbo-Cleaner-Cures-Limp-Home-Mode-Variable-Vane-Turbos-/152003334878?hash=item23641ad2de:g:lQ4AAOSwZ8ZW2O4l

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-Wynns-Diesel-Turbo-Turbocharger-Vane-Turbine-Wheel-EGR-Cleaner-Power-Restorer-/401118227157?hash=item5d64826ad5:g:pUcAAOSwYmZXMIJT

3. Replace the cartridge part of the turbo assembly (see link)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xaudi+turbo+cartridge.TRS0&_nkw=audi+turbo+cartridge&_sacat=0

[KILLERDOG]

Ok, just read your reply, very informative, many thanks. Problem I have is I cant easily get to the turbo on my tdi 2.0 bkd. I'm thinking hopefully someone out there lives near me and will help me. Basically have all ripped tendons in both hands, so even though I can drive ok, I cant hold spanners for long. I think I f I book the car into audi they will just rip me off and tell me its the turbo. I can book it into an Indy Audi garage but they want £55 for a diagnostics test and then they will just probably tell me its the turbo. Any ideas Trevor, thanks in advance, I'm sure these questions have been asked an awful lot on here. Paul

[KILLERDOG]

Ok, rang the local garage that do Terraclean, they quoted me £250 to £300 for a Terraclean and told me that it still probably will not fix the issue. So then I got quoted £650 for supply and fit turbo. Just need someone to fill the turbo with Mr Muscle oven cleaner for me, as this is my cheapest option at this point.... Any ideas or suggestions at this point would be greatly received....

[Magnet]

Hello Paul,

Sorry to hear about your plight, but keeping this simple and respecting your shortage of funds, and your incapacity at the moment, is it worth just driving this car within its current no-issue capabilities? i.e. Driving it below 80mph. Hopefully driving it sedately might not do it much harm, and allow your situation to improve.

Now I certainly don't want to cast doubt on your or Trevor's diagnosis of turbo issues, but if it were mine, I think I would be inclined to buy £55 worth of diagnostic assessment from your independent and take their advice and experience. It could well be turbo issues, but you are not going to be very pleased to have spent your hard earned on turbo work, only to find it was something else. Think about the worth of £55 spent at the specialists, since it is very difficult to self diagnose even when you have the car to hand, and even more difficult for anyone trying to do it at a distance from described symptoms. 

Appreciating this is just another opinion, but it might just concentrate the mind on the alternatives. If it turns out to be the turbo, then I'm sure your independent will have good contacts, possibly saving you the £55 off your final bill.

Good luck with whatever you decide Paul,

Kind regards,

Gareth.

 

[KILLERDOG]

Hi Magnet, yes, I have thought something similar. I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get the audi guy to do a diagnostic test and then take things from there. The car runs , starts and performs great, until boost is needed. I know I can drive ti the safely around town but sometimes I go on the motorway and I feel the car is unsafe on the motorway because sometimes you need a little boost to pull away from traffic, lane changing etc. I will put the car in next week and report back to everyone. If anyone has any more thoughts though, please chip in. Thanks again guys , I really do appreciate your time, help and advice, Paul... 

[Brad-B5]

I had mine go into Limp mode at 60mph and it was the turbo but also what didnt help was the EGR was faulty and there was a slight split in the hose pipe :s 

Hope you get the Issue fixed soon, let us know what happens :)

Regards

Bradley

[Trevor]

Here's another treatment worth trying and can be applied quite easily so any independent garage should be able to run it through the turbo

http://www.reviveturbocleaner.com/

[NinjaDaz]

EGR's are a pain.  I went into limp mode with coil light flashing about 6 months ago and did a scan.  EGR fault due to condensation into the electrical part.  Changed for a 'tested' reconditioned item and was OK for a week then limp mode again.  This time DPF fault.  Would have been ££££££'s to get repaired .  Worked out the EGR that I installed was also faulty and tranferred a fault code to the DPF.  Replaced EGR and everything fine since.  Did consider blanking off at one point.

[rbdazza]

Ok, my two pence...

 

Firstly, why replace the EGR? all it is doing is sending !Removed! exhaust fumes through your inlet, cough cough. blank it and be done with it!

Secondly, why pay £55 for diagnostics. get a cable and Vag-com light off eBay for next to nowt and you'll have enough to find out at least what codes have been stored.

Thirdly, if it is the turbo vanes then i'm not sure about your engine, but.. on my Leon that had the pre PD ASV engine the turbo vanes were sticking. i bought a tin of mr muscle and some thin tube and worked it free. it took some doing as had been a problem for a while but it sorted it after a few hours. TIP, dont use your thumb, that soon becomes painful and boring. i managed to find a way to get a massive extension bar on to the actuator and pump it with that.

[rbdazza]

and i wouldnt go down the terrraclean route either, ever! 

a very similar route would be take remove your air inlet pipe, post turbo. get a wall paper stripper, get somoene to hold your car at around 2.5k revs and let it suck steam in to the inlet. give it half an hour or so like this. job done 

[NinjaDaz]

I think what put me off with blanking off the EGR was that I read somewhere that Euro legislation was going to come in even stricter stating that cars that were originally fitted with certain devices EGR, DPF had to have them installed for the vehicle to pass the MOT etc.  Could have been rubbish but made me think differently.

[rbdazza]

it certainly is the case for DPFs. even if it is the case for the EGR, you are not removing it, you are blanking it. when you consider what it is doing blanking it will improve your emissions. 

and don;t forget, the "emissions" test for diesels during the MOT is currently only a smoke test; rev it up, let it idle and look for black smoke. not sure if that is set to change?

[rbdazza]

sorry i got that wrong, they do probe it too i believe. but still, my point regarding the EGR not affecting it stands.

[rbdazza]

http://www.hyperchips.co.uk/blog/does-egr-valve-removal-cause-mot-failure

[NinjaDaz]

Thanks for the info.

[Magnet]

Appreciating Darren's sound advice and economics, but what Paul's £55 will buy him is advice as well as a good interpretation of the problem, and it might be worth considering the benefits of this "extra" expense of £55 minus the cost of the code reader.

I mention this, since as I understand it, Paul has very limited use of his hands, and it's pretty dam difficult to do anything without them, and he will depend upon assistance of some kind.

Kind regards,

Gareth.

[rbdazza]

to each their own. i'm more happy being able to plug in my laptop when a light comes on the dash and, if necessary, google the issue. then if it turns out to be  something i can;t fix myself i can take it to a local garage and get it fixed. 

[KILLERDOG]

Hi All, thankyou for all your ideas and taking the time to reply. I plugged my foxwell nt500 reader in and basically says the car is overboosting, hence the limp mode. Looks like its more than likely the turbo vanes. By any chance is any one local to myself in Wirral, willing to fill my ( wait for it ) turbo with Mr Muscle. I have no way of getting under the car to remove the engine tray and take the pipe off the turbo. Ive read up and a lot of people have done this trick and got away with it ( cheap option ) . Obviouslly happy to cover any costs, don't expect it done for nothing. Most garages around me basically want to supply and fit a turbo. Guessing if I cant find someone local to me then I will just have to save up and in the summer get the turbo replaced. Any ideas welcome as per usual. Thanks.

[rbdazza]

I would help but too far mate. Is it the same as the one I did where you can remove the pipe to the EGR and pump the mr muscle in from up top?

[rbdazza]

can you get someone to test it for you? Pump the actuator by hand. It should move pretty freely. If it doesn't then deffo mr muscle 

[KILLERDOG]

Morning, to be honest I can even see the turbo. The car has a engine protect tray under it and I don't have a good enough jack or ramps to get under it. I am told that if I can take the egr pipe off and pump Mt Muscle in the thing then it should be ok as the car runs amazing and doesn't smoke, not bad for 165k on the clock. Have a load of ripped tendons in my hands so cant really do the most simplist of jobs, its  very frustrating. Grrrr....

[rbdazza]

You can't just pump the mr muscle in and leave it. You have to pump it into the vanes. But yeah you should be able to do it through the EGR hole on the manifold 

[KILLERDOG]

Hey dude, sorry for late reply. Problem I have is I cant even see the turbo or the ego pipe from the top of the car. I'm guessing I have to jack the car up, remove the engine protect tray and then I will be able to see it all. Or can I do it all from above, inside the engine bay. My model is A3 tdi 2.0 BKD 2004. Thx

[rbdazza]

I'm genuinely not sure on that engine where the turbo is. First thing I would do is wip the engine cover off and look at the exhaust manifold side of the engine.