HELP!! Problem with my S3.

[JCAVY11063]

Hi, I'm just after a few ideas as to what could be the problem with my S3.

It all started about 2 months ago when under acceleration, I would lose power for a second before it would then sort it's self out and the power would kick in again. This would cause quite a violent lurch. It would do this every now and again but not all the time.

Funny enough I had booked the car in to be looked at this Wednesday when today it's just given up the ghost. I was accelerating during an overtake when all of a sudden it lost all power but this time it didn't kick back in. I backed off and then attempted to put the power down again when I then got no power again accompanied by a loud whining noise.

My idea was at this point to limp the car home. When I next stopped at lights the revs dropped down to about 300 rpm and then rose again to a normal idle. I thought it was going to stall but didn't at this point. I carried on with my journey home when on the next occasion when coasting up to some lights it lost all power, did actually stall and I lost all the power in the steering. The car started again straight away but it continued to do this all the way home. At one point I attempted to put the power down to see what would happen and the EPC light came on and the car went into 'limp mode'.

Anyway, I managed to get it home (just) and I'm just after some ideas for when I go to the garage. I've not had a turbo car before and was wondering if my turbo has packed in? It was still whistling away, however the car was not putting any power down.

Any ideas appreciated,

John.

 

[Dani_B19]

Maf.

 

[JCAVY11063]

I fitted a new Bosch MAF about 3 weeks ago.

 

[beachbuggy]

Sounds like you've got a leak somewhere. Under boost it's blowing the boost out the leak and at idle the leak is causing excess air into the intake. If it is a leak it's likely from the PVC, they tend to rot and break.

 

[DenCar]

Get the car scanned for fault codes.

DC

 

[Sandip]

N75 maybe?

 

[DavidW]

Was the engine misfiring at all? How does it run now at idle?

 

[JCAVY11063]

Prior to todays showing it would sometimes lose a few revs at idle but nothing dramatic, thats why I changed the MAF. But today, the revs were all over the place at idle and like I said when coasting up to junctions it would stall. When I did try and put a little power down nothing would happen apart from a bit of lurching.

 

[Dani_B19]

Spunds like a leak then, like said, you checked all the pcv pipework and boost hoses?

 

[jojo]

When your car was running in what you call 'limp' mode, did you ever turn the ignition off and then back on? this would cure it and make it run like normal.

Reading the first paragraph of your post, it was pointing towards a knackered MAF, I had it before where the power would come in 2 stages, what I call the 'VTEC' effect, and a new MAF sensor cured it. But reading onto the 2nd paragraph, it sounded like it's something else.

Hope it's not an expensive fix and you get it sorted soon.

 

[JCAVY11063]

Cheers everyone for your help. Got it sorted today and turned out to be a leak. Thanks again.

 

[s3dave]

Cheers everyone for your help. Got it sorted today and turned out to be a leak. Thanks again.

Fill us in then for future reference...lol, it may help other people with the same symptoms