3.2 V6 stretched timing chain and lumpy idle

lincoln_dj

lincoln_dj

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Hi peeps,

thought i'd add my own 3.2 timing chain story....

basically, had stretched timing chain diagnosed by audi a few weeks ago, due to check light caused by P17755 code. nothing new to the forum so far....
but last night driving home from work the ESP light came on, and shortly after I noticed the revs were low (about 600, normally 680) at idle. and by time i'd pulled on the drive the car was shaking at idle! got out and could hear metalic type sounds. restarted engine and ESP light gone, but the lumpy idle appears as soon as the engine is up to temp again.

now, just wondering if this could be the chain or a tensioner about to fail completely? or could it be an unrelated issue such as maf sensor etc??

not got access to VAG-COM til tuesday, and i'll try the old disconnect MAF and see if it behaves trick tonight, but otherwise i'm just picking people's brains on here for any other reason why the idle has gone lumpy. dont dare drive the car now til chain has been sorted! (hopefully on warranty but moving slowly :( )

cheers, Adam.
 
Not really sure why a garage would say yeah the chains are stretched then let you drive away with it!!

I would also question wether it is stretched chains or wether they have just guessed at it....
 
If it was my car i wouldn't drive it any further. If that chain stretches further or fails completely its goodbye engine :bye:
 
Have you checked the coil packs????? Sounds like mine did the other week and one had failed, so changed them all, ran sweet as a nut once done. But I also got the engine manamgement light on too!

The chains shouldnt snap but best not take the chance eh! (there are 2 chains!)
 
yeah i'm no longer driving it, it was Lincoln audi who have said stretched chain, i'd previously done a block 208/209 check and had a zero and a -8, so figured it was close to being classed as stretched beforehand.
the finance company are now dealing with it under the sale of goods act so should hear something back next week.
 
If you read up there are alot of people that say the VAG-COM reading is useless as the cams are meant to adjust to can be in different positions.......


That said mine for some reason on 3 different occasions reads 0,0 for positions......
 
Also my car has had the MAF code come up on it since I bought it 4 yrs ago and i,ve put another 45k miles on it since........ Mine has also done the ESP thing at randon times in its life.... (this does make it drive like crap with revs dropping and feeling jerky in mid rev range).

Another thing to mention as well that it has done this once since I had the new ECU put on and software upgrade and it felt even worse when this happened!! Like revs drop massivley and drove even rougher!


What i'm trying to say that is mine had done it once say every 6 months and has never got any worse.... (MAF was replaced twice under warrenty!) but the fault came back.
 
Hehehe another thought also!!!

When this happens the manual cars dont seem to stall (as they are not loaded as much I guess) and the DSG's seem to keep stalling (Hellz car as an example). Also that metalic noise...... it's bound to sound abit rough if it's ticking over so low hey!!!
 
well ev*ns h*lshaw who i bought it from have now said it's too expensive to fix so want the car back and will either offer a different car or a refund. so looks like my love affair with the 3.2 may be short n sweet. :crying:
hopefully i'll get another but aint many about at the same price i paid for mine. it's looking like getting the refund and going shopping for a Leon Cupra R instead... :unsure:
 
That's a shame mate, maybe it's for the best as long as you get a full refund.
I got mine from Stratsone which is part of the Evans Halshaw group and they did end up paying for my timing chain.......... with a contribution from Audi, total bill £3300.
As for the Cupra R, best car I ever owned bar the A3, would have one again in a blink of an eye!
 
Your ownerships been a lot like mine then. Owned my 3.2 about 3 weeks and I think its been off the road almost as long as its been on.
Saying that. I've loved it when working, Currently suffering hesitation, cutting out, ESP/Immobiliser lights going on and off etc.
I hate to say it but was between the A3 and Cupra R and am almost regretting my purchase.
Just hoping that once this issue/s is sorted, it will be all good and I can start to enjoy it a bit more.

Nez
 
It's definitely worth it, took me 10 months to get mine right what with the chains then the hesitation issue , at one time it was in the garage for 6 weeks. All good now though so there is light at the end of the tunnel!
 
I certainly hope mine starts working soon.
Im fed up of looking at coilovers and wheels now.
I just want to get the damn things on!! :eyebrows:
 
cheers for the comments guys, put a deposit down on a nice Cupra R 225 in red, low miles the lot. Still gettin messed around by halshaw with regards to getting money back, going down there in person later today! garage is about 40 miles away, buying the cupra local this time. in fact from the same garage i bought an alfa 156 jts from a few years ago so i know they're kosher, if a little dearer than a lot of dealers...

3.2Ju, any advice on cupra ownership? only plan i have is for a stage 1 amd chip... sounds like you got lucky with stratstone, my dealer (chillwell) said it was uneconomical (car was £6600) to repair, but basically i reckon they wanna chance it in the auctions n let someone else deal with the problem!

i did love the a3 when it was working though, so maybe in a couple of years i'll have the dolla for a new S3 :)
 
Yeah, I had to badger Stratstone to get it done and it was touch and go as to whether they took the car back........ but then I did pay twice what you did!
As for the LCR, no real problems that I can think of apart from the usual vag 2 speed fan problem that requires new fans to fix. Look after the alloys as they are a one off paint colour and tricky to match. Front splitters are only £20 ish from the dealers and are a doddle to fit. The middles usually pop down from time to time as well.
I retrofitted cruise to mine and had the APR stage 1 map with the anti theft option. You can switch programs and disable the ECU with the cruise switch!!
Blueflame exhausts are a popular option, remember there being a group buy on SeatCupra with the turbo back exhaust coming in around £500.
I had coilovers on mine but the Koni FSD shocks come well recommended.

lastly expect plenty of wheelspin in the wet...especially if remapped!
LCRCoilovers009.jpg

May06069.jpg
 
looks good mate.

actually spun up a little in 2nd gear when i test drove it in the rain, but i drive like a propper granny when it's wet so shouldn't be a problem!

can't remember if the one i tested had cruise or not, but i've never used it in my works cars so seems an expensive extra just to be able to control the ecu chip. i do like the idea of switching programs when taking car in for servicing etc tho!!

will check out the fan prob when i get it :icon_thumright:
 
Won't have cruise mate as it's not an option, easy'ish retrofit though for under £100. You can go revo though and get the select switch which can do the same.

Post some pics when you get it:icon_thumright:
 
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