Fault code: 16395 Bank 1 camshaft A

[SteveSAS]

Hi guys,
This seems a pretty common fault on these engines so just would like to hear others experience of it, running wise & solutions.
First time having my fault codes read just after cam belt kit fitted & this shows up. Has been cleared & didn't return straight away so I'm hoping this is an old code that hadn't been cleared before I had the car. I'm going to give car a good run over wkend & then get checked again next week.
Have had no warning lights at all & after the TIP & downpipe has been fitted the car is just so responsive & pulls smooth, hard & early right up the rev range.
I've heard this fault code can be related to cam belt being slightly out but as the car feels so alive now I would be shocked if this was the case. Maybe the previous cam belt (4yrs & 14000 miles ago) was slightly out (fitted before I owned the car) & this code was relating to that & now its timed perfectly is the reason it feels like a different car.
Fingers crossed it doesn't return so I can get it mapped in two weeks

 

[<tuffty/>]

Its a faulty tensioner unit I'm afraid... the cambelt code is for incorrect correlation

<tuffty/>

 

[SteveSAS]

hi tuffty, when you say tensioner unit where abouts is it? Read somewhere that it can be the electric solonoid thing at front of engine. As I said have not had any warning lights come up & car is driving really well & smooth so with that in mind can it be an urgent job? As I said will get car scanned again next week to see if code has reappeared. If not is it possible to be one off glitch that threw it up once?

 

[<tuffty/>]

The tensioner is at the gearbox end of the head...

Entirely plausible that its a one off if its not come back but the tensioners do get a little tired over time and the VVT one from Audi is around £400 for the part alone... I have been using a GSF one which is nearly half that price and has been ok so far...

<tuffty/>

 

[SteveSAS]

****** hell & cross fingers it doesnt come back..Didnt realise engine was like this inside, same as my porsche 968 which can chip teeth off cams & those slipper pads can become brittal & break up.
Havent noticed any rattles (does sound like sewing machine from top engine on tickover though). I renewed my oil pick up last year as well (****** sump nuts lol)

 

[tomjol]

Had a similar situation. Cambelt had been changed before I owned the car, was fine for mileage but several years old. This code appeared so I had it all changed again (while crapping myself about the VVT tensioner).

That was at least six months and 5000 miles ago, and the code hasn't reappeared.

 

[SteveSAS]

Ok Tom, glad to hear the dreaded code has stayed away . Did you notice any difference the way the car went before new cam belt & after? Thought my car went reasonably well before but now with new cam belt kit & of course my downpipe & Badger TIP it feels like its already been remapped, so was wondering if previous belt was slightly out & through up this code & now its timed perfectly its gone.
Hope I have same good news next week as you & fault code stays away

 

[tomjol]

It did feel like it was running better, and I came to the same kind of conclusions you did re: the old belt struggling to keep everything in time.

However, how much of the difference existed only in my head, I'm not sure

Fingers crossed that it doesn't come back!

 

[SteveSAS]

Had my fault codes read again today after driving about 100 miles over weekend & they haven't come back yet so hoping they were old fault codes. Still running really well & took a video clip of mine on cold start up & can't really hear much of a rattle. I would say a very slight diesel sound just when turning key then just a quiet tappety sound after that.
Don't know how to put a video clip on here I would do lol