2.5 TDi Camshaft Suppliers HELP!!!

[Legacy87]

Hi all,
Since buying my 2.5 TDi Quattro sport 180 I've noticed a distinct lack of power, when I got the car it felt great but slowly but surely I started feeling like it just wasn't a 180bhp, so I remapped it first to 208, then to 220bhp (generic, proven maps), the car has been idling abit rough in the mornings and feeling a little like its misfiring for 4-5 seconds a time.

today I but the bullet and removed the passenger camshaft cover and to my horror found this:

I got the car semi-cheap at £1995, since buying it I've given it a full service, fuel filters, brakes, suspension etc and spent around £500, now I feel like crying I love every single detail of this car, everything in there works perfectly bar a temperamental fuel gauge.

I've done some searching and found these replacement cams on eBay:
New VW Audi 2.5 TDI V6 Camshaft Kit - A4 A6 Allroad Skoda | eBay


sadly I don't have £540 to spend on cams, plus all the related expenses (belts, pumps etc). Does anybody know of a cheaper alternative to these cams? Or have some good used cams I can replace mine with? Or is there an alternative way to fix the problem temporarily until I've got the funds to cash out £1000 on a top end rebuild.

any help much appreciated truly gutted about this and don't want my audi experience cutting short so soon after buying.

i thought about just using it as it is, but its noticeably down on power, my old 1.9 tdi a4 literally leaves this thing standing in the dust.

 

[Audi Doodah]

S**T! Genuinely gutted for you!!!

I'm defo not an expert but that looks to be a bit more than "wear". Hopefully some of the more experienced guys on here will have some solutions for you.

Fingers and toes crossed!

 

[Legacy87]

That lobe is the worst of them, the rest are like the one to the left of it, with a nice smooth arch worn into them, that one looks like its had something wedged under it and scored it to hell, not sure what's caused it without stripping it down to be honest.

 

[Audi Doodah]

Worst case scenario it could be a doner of some beefier engine parts for the 1.9, maybe (turbo, clutch, etc) and then breaking the rest could just about make you your money back

Also reckon you should change your post title to HELP!!!!!

 

[Legacy87]

I couldn't bring myself to break it up, its in such good shape and all in £3500 for a MINT car i think will be worth it, its just getting ahold of the £1000 to get the work done, OR i find someone with used shafts for sale and do it on the cheap.

Dad suggested getting the welder out and building it up then ginding it back down for home-made reprofiled cams lol Thats abit too "On the cheap", He also said he has heard of "Shims" for such a thing, is that pub talk or an actual possibility? sounds like a load of bullcams to me!

 

[Audi Doodah]

Lol, how old is your Dad...defo of the "make do and mend" generation!?!?

From all I've read on this forum, fingers crossed adamss24 shows up soon in some nice shiny armour. The guys seems to know a lot about the a4 engines

 

[Legacy87]

Hopefully he shows up hes been a rock helping me out so far.

And yea, Mid 40's lol thinks everything can be fixed with the trusty welder, self tapping screws or nails, 6 inch long ones! the thought of a car having a computer just blows his mind into overdrive, he still cant work out how the car uses the keyboard and mouse lol.

 

[adamss24]

Stay away from cheap cams and the like, use only good quality kits and use ONLY genuine INA lifters and rocker arms. I do recommend Kolbenshmidt camshaft kits from automotorsport off ebay.de. Best value kits which includes everything is needed for a decent price.
COMPLETE CAMSHAFTS KIT 2.5 TDI V6 AUDI VW A4 A6 A8 PASSAT AFB AKN AKE AYM BFC | eBay

 

[Legacy87]

Agr thats what i was afraid of hearing Looks like this could well be the end for this one it's not worth me throwing another grand at it, knowing my luck the DMF or fuel pump will go kaput next, What kind of income can be had breaking one of these things up?

 

[AlexGSi2000]

This happened to me as-well - so I can feel your pain / realization.

I found mine needed doing when I drained a small part called a "thrust pad" out with the oil.

The cams were not as bad as yours were, however the rocker arms were quite badly worn along with a few dead hydraulic lifters.

I purchased the kit that Adamss24 recommended - but the extended one with the belts & tensioners.
(I do a lot of miles & the cambelt was almost due to be changed)

I was gutted when I saw the cost of replacement, but the rest of the car was in pretty good condition, so ended up purchasing all the bits on the credit card.

The fact the bits wore down was the fact that it was on the "long life" servicing with the first oil change at 32,000 miles and the 2nd at 64,000 miles!

As my cams were slightly worn I ended up selling them on ebay for just over £60.

It may be worthwhile hunting around for A4 2.5TDi's being broken for spares.etc

Not sure how much you would get for breaking, I would expect you to fetch around £400 for the engine with the worn cams! The fuel pumps can sell for a few hundred quid alone.

 

[Audi Doodah]

Couldn't possibly gives prices for breaking because on places like ebay it's the luck of the auction...demand for the part. It would be worth checking out existing buy it now listings from breakers and pricing your parts a few quid under. Could take a long time to sell stuff and recoup any worthwhile money though.

Interior parts suggestions

Seats & door trims, steering wheel, SCSM, cruise/dis stalks, instrument cluster, headlight switch, headunit, aircon unit, glove box, heater matrix, air vent motors, window regulators, CCM

Exterior parts suggestions

Wheels, doors, front wings, bumpers, grills, lights, springs, shocks, calipers

Engine parts suggestions

Everything bar the camshaft!

Basically, spend forever trying to claw some money back or fix it on the never never....

 

[spartacus 68]

Basically, spend forever trying to claw some money back or fix it on the never never....

Feel for you mate. Couple of choices in my eyes. If this is your daily car, then if you did scrap it what would you replace it with, likely costs to change, etc.

The labour will be the killer if you fix it, but once its done using right kit as Adams24 pointed out, hopefully without any other major faults, then its done. It will be more like £1500 if you replace cams, change belts and water pump, etc.

I think the stripping for parts idea is a non-starter unless you have space to disassemble and don't mind your drive looking like Steptoe and Son!

What about trading it in? A colleague at work literally pushed his goosed VW Polo onto a dealer's forecourt in part-exchange for new car. I know its all money, but you have to be practical as to what will work in the long run.

 

[Legacy87]

I really don't have the money to part exchange it at the moment, in the middle of paying for a wedding and other things, if I was to repair it I would be spending mega mega money that I don't have.

as for breaking it, I used to be an mg/rover breaker so could quite easily manage tearing it down and selling the parts but I'd cry removing every single nut and bolt as I absolutely adore the car and think it deserves to be fixed.

i am now looking into replacing the engine, from what I hear the b-prefix engines are stronger, but will open a new thread for that.