Hi, ever since i have purchased my audi a4 b6 its very lazy, absolute breathless and sluggish below 2.5k and onwards and very hard to get up to speed without really working the car. If i plant my foot in pretty much any gear it takes an age before boost if I'm lucky as if the turbo is asleep. Some background knowledge, I changed the thermostat and temp sensor as it wouldnt reach 90 degrees, however this problem persisted much before, in the process of this the mechanic found substantial amount of oil in the breather pipe?will upload images can this be connected to the lag?, would really really be grateful if someone can please narrow this down as it feels dangerous at times driving the car with no desire to go, pretty pointless getting a turbo diesel if it goes like a 0.8 litre!!, ps it's a audi a4 1.9 tdi 130 saloon y reg 113k, thank you...
My car is extremely sluggish and lazy as if there is no turbo
- Thread starter Jd gul
- Start date
OK, first off:
1. Have you scanned it with Vcds?
2. Oil in the boost pipes is normal as the crank case breather pipe vents into the turbo system and it eventually fills up everything with an oil filled mist.
3. Lots of oil around the egr valve picture you have posted is like every one else's egr valve. They are usually filthy.
4. The sooty stuff around the boost pipe collar in the photo suggests the boost pipe rubber seal is worn.
1. I lost all boost once, no warning lights. Was a failed MAF.
2. Your intercooler could be full of oil. Install an oil catch can to stop the oil mist filling up the boost system.
3. Delete the EGR valve or clean the black crud out of it and the inlet manifold.
4. Fit new boost pipe seal. A few quid from Audi.
1. Have you scanned it with Vcds?
2. Oil in the boost pipes is normal as the crank case breather pipe vents into the turbo system and it eventually fills up everything with an oil filled mist.
3. Lots of oil around the egr valve picture you have posted is like every one else's egr valve. They are usually filthy.
4. The sooty stuff around the boost pipe collar in the photo suggests the boost pipe rubber seal is worn.
1. I lost all boost once, no warning lights. Was a failed MAF.
2. Your intercooler could be full of oil. Install an oil catch can to stop the oil mist filling up the boost system.
3. Delete the EGR valve or clean the black crud out of it and the inlet manifold.
4. Fit new boost pipe seal. A few quid from Audi.
Hi, thank you ever so much for the reply. I shall pass this information on to the mechanic hopefully he doesn't have my pants down with parts and labour . No only thing I have access to is a obd and it's never had a warning light, car drives like new, never puffed out any smoke, it's just really annoying people tend to get fed up behind me as they think someone is purposely driving slow but in fact car doesn't pick up very well!!. Do you have a rough idea what the cost could be for the total work?, hopefully it cures the issue, is there anyway to determine if it's the maf that is the culprit in regards to the limpy power delivery?, thanks again sir for your insight.
You can ask on here if there's someone near you that has vcds. Im sure for a bit of beer money they would be willing to scan for fault codes. If not, I'm sure your mechanic could scan for fault codes. At least you could rule out a few possibilities that way.
A new seal is a couple of pounds from audi. Don't expect that to solve it though. If you have no boost it'll be more than a worn pipe seal. But it'll help a little bit.
A new MAF is about £80-90
It could be a Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor (MAP). That measures boost in the turbo system. That's about £30.
Could be stuck vanes in the turbo. There's a way of using Mr Muscle oven cleaner to clean the inside of the turbo, but it's only a temporary fix and not guaranteed to work.
The best thing to start is scan it. That way you don't start throwing money at it.
A new seal is a couple of pounds from audi. Don't expect that to solve it though. If you have no boost it'll be more than a worn pipe seal. But it'll help a little bit.
A new MAF is about £80-90
It could be a Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor (MAP). That measures boost in the turbo system. That's about £30.
Could be stuck vanes in the turbo. There's a way of using Mr Muscle oven cleaner to clean the inside of the turbo, but it's only a temporary fix and not guaranteed to work.
The best thing to start is scan it. That way you don't start throwing money at it.
Thank you for the invaluable knowledge, right I'll get it properly scanned (vcds), and then report back. It's a shame car runs ever so well bar the turbo issue, never looses any oil, starts on the button, no smoke on statt up, previous owner 6 months previous was a elderly gentleman he only done 1k a year or so maybe the lack of turbo use disabled it?,
Sounds like the turbo needs a good clean. Along with the egr valve. As it's a Y reg it's quite an early B6 and I would imagine you could delete the egr valve (if your so inclined) without getting an emissions warning light on the dash. Someone on here might have a more definitive answer.
stevey83
Registered User
My money would be on the MAF sensor. A quick test for this is to disconnect it and see if it runs any different. You can also log it with VCDS and check the maf readings at WOT in 4th gear. Youll have to cross reference what you get with what you should be pulling in terms of airflow.
Dont bother trying to clean it, the hot wire is very sensetive, and only replace with an OEM part or Bosch.
Dont bother trying to clean it, the hot wire is very sensetive, and only replace with an OEM part or Bosch.
Right, I'll try and source a egr delete kit and see if the mechanic can install this, thanks for all your expertise on this matter appreciate it highly!.
Thank you ever so much for your input. I have heard this on various threads about MAF failing, that's excellent news if it can be eliminated by simply disconnecting, I shall see if the mechanic can do this tomorrow, will report back, hopefully it solves the mystery, thanks again.
Hey folks - I'll stick in my tuppence worth - I had a problem with my dads TDi 130 Passat (same engine as my B6) where if you pushed it too hard when it was cold, the turbo cut out completely & only switching the ignition off & on again would bring it back. The problem went away after it warmed up.
I looked at all the forums/google etc to try & get a definitive cure but never really tried to get to the bottom of it as it was a second car that didn't get used that much. However, it was smoking badly on acceleration & for the last MOT, I thought for sure it would fail the emission test. Decided to run a fuel cleaner through it (I used one called FuelTone) and, unbelievably, it cleaned up the emissions like magic (in fact the best reading the car has ever had!) with an unexpected bonus that it cured the Turbo dropout fault & it doesn't smoke much at all now!
It might be worth you trying a fuel cleaner before anything else - you never know, it might fix your problem!
I looked at all the forums/google etc to try & get a definitive cure but never really tried to get to the bottom of it as it was a second car that didn't get used that much. However, it was smoking badly on acceleration & for the last MOT, I thought for sure it would fail the emission test. Decided to run a fuel cleaner through it (I used one called FuelTone) and, unbelievably, it cleaned up the emissions like magic (in fact the best reading the car has ever had!) with an unexpected bonus that it cured the Turbo dropout fault & it doesn't smoke much at all now!
It might be worth you trying a fuel cleaner before anything else - you never know, it might fix your problem!
stevey83
Registered User
Hi Ralph, as it happened let my mechanic take my car today, he connected the vcds machine and found the pressure was OK, he said it's my turbo or actuator that's at fault and that when he tried put his foot down can hear a noise but no turbo kicking in maybe a shade in second but other than that completely flat. Not what I really wanted to hear but it is what it is.. He also saI'd get a pcv filter too whatever that is!. Moreover would any turbo from a audi b6 1.9 tdi as long as it's 130 bhp be compatible?, I raise this question as my one is a y reg 2001. Furthermore what seal pipes did you mention previously I should change?, hope to hear from you soon buddy
