a3 tdi multiple problems!! (doing my head in now please help)

hollow said:
dont look at the pulley on the alterator , check the tensioner block just below and to the back of it .

oil in the fuel means that either the tandem pump is knackered or injector seals are
Click to expand...

yeah checked that now and it still looked fine, no movement what so ever :(
 
not sure if this is any help but this is a video of the car idling. as you can see and hear, the engine is rocking quite violently

 
and heres one of it starting, as i said not sure if they help but i thought id post them up. this is with the new starter fitted too

 
audi upgrades
just reading other peoples threads on the juddering, could it be glow plugs? oh and thought id mention that the car has done 103,000 miles....
 
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does look like the alternator pulley is culprit ,is it possible some one could lift it off the pulley tomorrow . so you can turn the pulley by hand to check for tight spots in it

no spark plugs on a tdi
 
it will have to be tomorrow evening after work if not thursday morning but either way ill give it a more detailed inspection :)
 
You mean glow plugs and i suppose they could need changing at that milege along with the fuel filter. But you should really think about getting the car scanned by someone if you haven't yet as it will help you pinpoint problems if it finds any.
 
sorry yeah i mean glow plugs, (i drive a petrol, this is the gf's car so im used to spark plugs lol)
 
Glowplugs are purely to heat the cylinder on cold days on derv's, so I doubt very much this is the issue given weather we've had & mornings are good atm too.

Have you changed the MAF yet?
 
audi upgrades
no never thought about maf, if i unplugged the maf while its running and it was faulty would it stop the juddering? (i know this works on my ST to test if its faulty)
 
whilst your there remove top of fuel filter housing and see if fuel is black again ,if it is tandem pump or injector seals are leaking
 
Just seems its struggling a bit to start, how old is the battery btw?
 
ok thanks ill look at that...

to be honest i don't know, it was on the car when it was first bought, is it worth getting it tested? how much is a new one roughly?

thanks
 
Can buy the better one for £80-£90 from audi afaik, I recall paying less than that a year or so ago, but other retailers want £130-£150, was shocked audi was that much cheaper lol
 
Just to give the OP a tip, my cousin has a transporter van and he started having running issues with it and his dad being an old school mechanic started a process of elimination. the van ended up off the rd for a year and cost him a fortune in parts to find its better but still not right.

to cut a long story short, I bought vagcom to force regen my A3 which was cheaper than getting audi to do it,I didn't have a clue what I was doing but managed it with a bit of research. I plugged in my cousins van the other might the scan came back that it needs a maf, £70 the van is fixed and could have saved his van sitting for a year!

do it!
 
TBH maf would of been one of my 1st ports of call with this issue, not to say its the magic fix, but those buggers are so hit and miss sometimes, its always good to change for new on a used car as such.
 
Ok thanks, A mate of mine has vcds n said he'll put it on his comp and will help me out so I'll see what comes up when we do that.

With the maf, if it was faulty n causing the juddering/starting would it work if I unplugged it and tried it to see if it was that?
 
Ok thanks, A mate of mine has vcds n said he'll put it on his comp and will help me out so I'll see what comes up when we do that.

With the maf, if it was faulty n causing the juddering/starting would it work if I unplugged it and tried it to see if it was that?
 
According to my ETKA information Audi do an exchange price of £126.

The non-exchange price is given as £255.

It might be worth having a look on ebay - I'm sure I have seen adverts for them new at cheaper prices
 
audi upgrades
Wow i have been looking for ages for others that have the same issue as me... posted up a while ago about rough Idle issues but never really got anywhere with it.


I have the same juddering issue while idle, nothing changes if i hold the clutch down so I dont think its the Flywheel. I have had it for a year now and it feels like it is getting worse. It usually comes up when the car is hot... but I can always feel it really badly when I'm on a hill. It feels like someone is shaking the whole car through and it feels like a really bad massage!
My engine rumbles like the video that Gizmo has put up but not as much noise as that. When stopped at a traffic light and i feel the judders I have checked to see if the rev needle jumps or dips but it sits as normal around 900 revs. Again like others the judders calm down when the AC is turned on (It used to go away totally before but where it is getting worse the AC just calms it). If i let the car roll in neutral (approaching traffic lights) i can feel the judders straight away when the engine is hot. Sometimes if i am parked up with the engine on the judders start up and slowly get more violent so i just give the engine a shot of acceleration which calms it down a little.

I do have VCDS so i can do checks but i am still not great with it so i would need to be directed which menu i would need to go to get information.
Car is going in for a full service (not audi dealers :ninja:)and brake change tomorrow so will have it checked out then... is there anything i can ask them to check on while its in??

Also dont know if this is related but i sometimes notice a slight 'dip' in my interior lights or headlights where the power seems to be lacking...

thanks
Ash
 
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Would it be possible to Post what/ if your garage funds anything please?

Thanks
 
Would it be possible to Post what/ if your garage funds anything please?

Thanks
 
itwasntme187 said:
Wow i have been looking for ages for others that have the same issue as me... posted up a while ago about rough Idle issues but never really got anywhere with it.


I have the same juddering issue while idle, nothing changes if i hold the clutch down so I dont think its the Flywheel. I have had it for a year now and it feels like it is getting worse. It usually comes up when the car is hot... but I can always feel it really badly when I'm on a hill. It feels like someone is shaking the whole car through and it feels like a really bad massage!
My engine rumbles like the video that Gizmo has put up but not as much noise as that. When stopped at a traffic light and i feel the judders I have checked to see if the rev needle jumps or dips but it sits as normal around 900 revs. Again like others the judders calm down when the AC is turned on (It used to go away totally before but where it is getting worse the AC just calms it). If i let the car roll in neutral (approaching traffic lights) i can feel the judders straight away when the engine is hot. Sometimes if i am parked up with the engine on the judders start up and slowly get more violent so i just give the engine a shot of acceleration which calms it down a little.

I do have VCDS so i can do checks but i am still not great with it so i would need to be directed which menu i would need to go to get information.
Car is going in for a full service (not audi dealers :ninja:)and brake change tomorrow so will have it checked out then... is there anything i can ask them to check on while its in??

Also dont know if this is related but i sometimes notice a slight 'dip' in my interior lights or headlights where the power seems to be lacking...

thanks
Ash
Click to expand...


thats what makes me think its the pulley on the end of the alternator ,what most people dont know is the pulley has a clutch in it to adjust the speed of it when the aircon pump is switched on . thats why when on idle the alternator is running at the wrong speed and makes the idle rough. when the aircon is switched on the engine speed automatically increases to provide enough current for the battery ,basically hiding the fact that the pulley on the alternator is knackered . the rocking of the engine is the imbalance caused by the tensioner pulley .
 
Ok just had another look in the daylight also with a torch and definatly can't see any movement :(
 
hollow said:
thats what makes me think its the pulley on the end of the alternator ,what most people dont know is the pulley has a clutch in it to adjust the speed of it when the aircon pump is switched on . thats why when on idle the alternator is running at the wrong speed and makes the idle rough. when the aircon is switched on the engine speed automatically increases to provide enough current for the battery ,basically hiding the fact that the pulley on the alternator is knackered . the rocking of the engine is the imbalance caused by the tensioner pulley .
Click to expand...

the alternator provides a pwm signal for loading, this then feeds back to j533/j519 and engine ecu to adjust idle rpm for stability under load.The DF signal generated by loading determines the rpm

simply load and un load the alternator and check the df output to establish alternator condition

data logging i would advise you look at

1.
Read the memory.

2.
Read the measured value blocks (MVB) 001, 004, 007, 013, 018 and 023 of the engine control unit at idle speed and MVB 023 additionally at 2,000 rpm and at cut-off speed (engine operating temperature) and make the following assessment:
•
Check the injected fuel quantity in the MVB 001 display 2 (required: 3.0 mg/H ...9.0 mg/H, air conditioning switched off).




•
In MVB 004 display 4 the synchronisation angle is checked (required -3...+3 °), the value must not be fluctuate more than 0.5 (toothed belt tension).

•
Read the temperatures in the MVB 007 with cooled-down engine and at outside temperature for plausibility. During the warm-up phase the temperatures should rise plausibly.

•
Read MVB 013 idle speed rest control. The values are between -3.01 mg/H ...+3.01 mg/H. If the maximum values are almost reached in both directions (positive or negative), poor combustion can be assumed. This may be caused by the engine mechanics (compression) as well as the fuel supply and the pump injector elements. If the checks are not successful, replace the pump injector element with the high value (positive or negative) for the idle speed rest control. The idle speed rest control must always have some fluctuation. If the 4 displayed values in MVB 13 are static, the engine speed is too high or the injected fuel quantity in the MVB 1 display 2 is smaller than 3 mg/H.
Possible causes: Air mass values not all right or the pump injector elements are rich.
 
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what your basically saying then is if mvb 013 has one of the injectors reading out of spec then its probably a faulty injector unit ,problem is if the car is taken to audi they,ll charge you for an ijector even if they get the wrong one lol.

thats the benefit of my brothers garage ,they,ll keep going until the fault is found but only charge you for the actual part you need ,not all th other parts audi thought you might need
 
hollow said:
what your basically saying then is if mvb 013 has one of the injectors reading out of spec then its probably a faulty injector unit ,problem is if the car is taken to audi they,ll charge you for an ijector even if they get the wrong one lol.

thats the benefit of my brothers garage ,they,ll keep going until the fault is found but only charge you for the actual part you need ,not all th other parts audi thought you might need
Click to expand...

You presume the dealer will but do you actual no this and not all dealers are incompetent as well as not all Independents have any diagnostic skills required to determine a fault.
That's all well and good to keep going until fixed but it's far better to understand the fault and diagnose efficiently with experience being the key


Sent from my iPhone using
My fat fingers
 
Well the garage i use recons its the Injector... but says no guarantee that replacing it will fix the problem. I mentioned the possibility of it being the alternator pulley or MAF but he just said it won't be that. In my case the alternator had been replaced a few month back. I did also ask if it could be Engine mounts but he doesn't think it could be that either.
 
just spoke to where i got the starter motor from and mentioned that its now clunking when turning over and is actually worse and they have offered me a refund, not sure wether to fit the old one or to try another one from elsewhere but i wont be able to return it this time?


itwasntme: are you having the injector replaced?
 
For the time being I'm not having it changed... car is going in for a service and brake change... when the couriers decide to drop the brake pads off.
 
well ive just spoke to someone else who works on these and he thinks it may be a crank sensor so for £25 its worth a try :/
 
NHN said:
Can buy the better one for £80-£90 from audi afaik, I recall paying less than that a year or so ago, but other retailers want £130-£150, was shocked audi was that much cheaper lol
Click to expand...

ok so established today that we think the battery is causing the starting problem by using another battery, and it was alot better. whats the name of the better battery? i heard someone mention getting a 75ah one instead on 72ah which is currently on my car?

thanks in advance
 
a8 tech said:
You presume the dealer will but do you actual no this and not all dealers are incompetent as well as not all Independents have any diagnostic skills required to determine a fault.
That's all well and good to keep going until fixed but it's far better to understand the fault and diagnose efficiently with experience being the key


Sent from my iPhone using
My fat fingers
Click to expand...

hmm 22 years as a vw mechanic and over 12 years as master tech is enough experience plus vag diagnostics that are online with servers in germany . but like you know sometimes bad injectors dont throw any fault codes or even read out of spec . my brother wont charge you for a set of injectors to find the fault isnt cured .
and to be honest vw/audi guided fault finding isnt worth a w*** .
 
Its true the vw brand depend on svm for software and component change but to say gff is **** is a little silly.I'm sure he is a good lad and longs for days before elsa and vas 5051b when 1551 and ones ability were more important.I myself have been around quite a long time without swinging dicks here its my assessment that independents are not all that however individuals in both dealers and indies make the difference.

I hope he is doing well and he must find it frustrating to advertise as a specialist when every tom **** and harry have jumped on the vag scene without qualification as there is no legislation outside of dealers for workshop owners to prove qualification unless you seek approved workshop status

Over the years a few of my workmates have set up there own workshops with varying degrees of success and ability and its fair to say that pre 2008 vehicles there fine with but when they come across more demanding vehicles then they struggle with diagnosis and tooling to under take repairs.

Now with more and more networks being added vcds has limitations as there is little information in mvb logs/files

GFF is designed for warranty diagnosis so the bean counters can calculate warranty labour times for diagnosis and the use of self diag which vcds simulates isn't used as much because it has no time dependant calculation to determine how long the tech takes to check a component or wire etc

Independents do not answer to warranty or the factory so they can suit themselves how they wish to diagnose or charge for there time.

The dealer technician must account for all time units and this is the problem for misdiagnosis or over diagnosis to cover there **** if unsure, but same can be said for any technician without a full understanding of what they are doing because as the vas function is described as guided fault finding then that's exactly what is is.

A guide to diagnosis not a fully comprehensive test, these tests are taken mostly form mvb and cfd to help the user pin point the cause

Injectors are best tested using mvb, fuel pressure and fuel quality as well as basic compression

There's much to be said how vehicles are diagnosed but skills have been lost in the past 10 years or so because of accountability, I started with vag in 1991 standard of technician have declined but who's fault is it.

The days of servicing and banging hammers are well behind us and this is the problem, more advanced systems and multi network vehicle demand a higher standard but in the uk the powers that be still seek to attract school leavers with less than average qualifications and as everyone in this country wishes to seek a employment as a manger or desk jokey and treat trade jobs as lesser and more so the people who work in these sectors then it will remain so until we realise the Germanic ways and give a little more respect to the motor trade.

However after saying this I'm more than aware there are some complete ********* in the trade.

But also this is not unique to the motor trade and I find big retailers such as currys and pc world to be worthy of full on **** head status

Anyway back on track I have no issue with indi but no matter which you choose its sad to say there are only a handful of good lads in each type of workshop who have the ability and the judgement or even enjoy what they do
 
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Just thought I'd mention aswell that yesterday I had the under tray off and I found a LARGE amount of hay/straw wedged behind the drivers foglight. When I say large amount I mean enough to fill an asda sized carrier bag! I can't see how it's got there BUT so far the juddering when warm seems to have calmed down ALOT. not sure why though :s
 
Hi Gizmo,
So i had the service and my mechanic says that my car is mostly ok. :racer:

I had the brakes changed and he found that the driver side rear brake carrier had rusted to crap so he chucked that and told me to get a new one on it asap. He also checked around the engine and still reckons that the rough idle is down to the injectors but i asked him to test the battery and he found that its very low and should probably be replaced. So now i too am looking for a replacement battery.
I did a few searches online and found some old threads on batteries including an old thread by NHN! http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/new-a3-s3-sportback-8p-chassis/64129-good-car-batteries.html :tumble:

anyway the battery i am leaning towards is Varta Ultra Silver Dynamic as advised by NHN earlier... now need to shop for a decent priced one.

Cheers
Ash
 
Just spoke to Audi in Docklands who quoted me £125 for a direct replacement battery but he could not tell me what the make/model/output was...
search continues
 
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