HELP.......A2 tdi 2001 losing power at 60mph

L

lazzapaul

Member
hi, i bought an audi a2 tdi last week, its a 2001 model with 87000 miles, car was fine for first 3 days, then whilst overtaking i reached 60mph and the car seemed to lose power......the turbo stopped working, and it took forever to accelerate, pulled over and re-started the car.......fine again til i reached 60 again!!..........this seems to happen everytime i drive it now, today i took it for a run and realised i can exceed 60 as long as i reach 60 in 5th gear?? could this be because its lower revs? the car is booked in for a diagnostics check on wed.....anyone have any idea what the problem could b? and is it going to cost me a smll fortune??

thanks

paul
 
Have a quick look in the engine bay to the left of the radiator to see if your intercooler has bust and started leaking oil all over the lower tray, mine did that, but it could be a number of other things as well. But my money is on the intercooler.
 
Also, did the problem show up on diagnostic check?? Or would I be throwing money down the drain?? (£65 to find a fault seems quite steep)
 
Hi there
Limp home happens for several reasons - either too much boost for too long (usually because pressurised air is leaking out somewhere, usually from the intercooler), or not enough boost for too long (usually because the N75 boost control valve, via its 3 rubbery hoses, can't get enough boost out of the wastegate because one or more of the little rubbery ******s has split) - error code scan will help indicate which way it's going (over, or underboost).

A quick visual inspection as Craig has mentioned should allow you to rule-in, or rule-out, the split intercooler. Also, if the split is quite bad you can often actually hear it from inside the car - wind the window down and start accelerating in 2nd gear. If you hear a whooshing/ sucking noise like a vacuum cleaner, the intercooler is definitely bust.
If it is the intercooler, you're looking at £250 for a replacement Audi one, or about half that for a patent job. It's about 3 hours labour to replace the intercooler (requires the front bumper assembly to come off).

If it's the N75 and/or its associated plumbing - the hoses are cheap, but accessing and checking them and then replacing them is a really fiddly job. Could take the best part of a day if things don't go your way! I think the N75 valve is quite expensive - and actually it's the hoses that are more likely to fail than the valve itself.
 
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Thanks mate, that's very helpful.......will take her for a spin inna min and see if I can hear said noises.........
 
Right, I've just had a little look in the engine bay, the best I can, there's a small amount of oil on the tray behind the radiator.......not huge amounts tho?? Would this indicate a hose rather than the intercooler?? Not the easiest cars to work.on r they?! Ha ha
 
Just took it for a spin and can't hear any abnormal noises in 2nd gear.........all seems to b fine. Just hope the diagnostic check shows something, and it doesnt cost me an arm and a leg!!
 
The intercooler is the small radiator on the left. If the bottom of it looks black compared to the grey silver alloy at the top thats indicating a split...
lazzapaul said:
Right, I've just had a little look in the engine bay, the best I can, there's a small amount of oil on the tray behind the radiator.......not huge amounts tho?? Would this indicate a hose rather than the intercooler?? Not the easiest cars to work.on r they?! Ha ha
Click to expand...
 
Just checked what I assume is the intercooler, there is no black at the bottom, in fact it's all silver.......lets hope the diagnostic check tells me what the problem is........fingers crossed
 
If it turns out to be the EGR valve, I would just have it replaced. I have been messing about with an intermittent fault on mine for months.

If you are getting what appears to be a misfire, suspect the fuel pump. My TDI 90 has similar mileage to yours & has gradually faded to stalling on hills as a result of the fuel pump.
Oddly it appears there is no error code for the fuel pump. :confused:

Balla. 8)
 
All sorted, needed a pressure hose replacing........too much boost?? Diagnostics and repair £101, so im a happy a2 owner again, thanks for all your help :)
 
Overboost caused by one of those little boost control lines then I guess? Glad you've got it sorted either way!
 
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