Suspect damage.

johnyfartbox

johnyfartbox

A2OC Donor
United-Kingdom
Ok guys.
Ive got ongoing problems with a TDI 75 where the glow plug lite keeps coming on even after changing the brake light switch and using VCDS lite to clear the fault.
Having spoken to Plasticmac extensively I more or less checked everything that he has suggested but to no avail.
But another problem as surfaced recently.
When the car is started the revs always kicks in at around 1100 revs but blipping the clutch pedal makes it settle down after a couple of prods.


Also lately, if I give it some beans it is blowing black smoke out and quite a lot of what I think is oil residue onto the floor.

Just a bit of history here.
The car ran like a dream when the daughter in law first got it but then the glow plug light started to flash and would go into limp mode so I took the car back. (it was kind of mine anyway because she never paid me for it but thats another story)

Something else and this might just relate to the blowing smoke, just before I took the car back she told me that she had hit a rather large pothole at around 40mph on a gentle bend in the road and it was the nearside wheel that took the hit and im now wondering if something other than the top mount and maybe spring was damaged (there is a boinging noise now pressent when the steering is turned from lock to lock)

What im asking here is could something have been dislodged , a pipe or something else in the engine bay.
I will be having a look soon but was wondering what to look out for first before I start taking things apart.

Sorry for the long post but this car was a pleasure to drive before all this happend and would love to get it back to normal so the other daughter in law can have it to replace her Y reg A2 which although running ok but is showing signs of major work .
Thanks for reading.
 
Yes Mac, first chance Ive had until today to have a proper look under the car.
Bit fiddley but I have changed it yes.
found this dangling down after taking off the undertray on the nearside next to the windscreen wash bottle.
1J0973702
IMG_20200108_153813.jpg


Also noticed this.

IMG_20200108_152200.jpg


This is the joint to the exhaust right at the bottom of the engine.

Also it amazes me what can drop off the undertray when you remove one......LOL

IMG_20200108_151622.jpg
 
johnyfartbox said:
found this dangling down after taking off the undertray on the nearside next to the windscreen wash bottle.
1J0973702
View attachment 60290
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The is the outside air temperature sensor; the thing that feeds the instrument cluster display with '+9°C', or similar. It shouldn't be trapped between the front bumper and the undertray, though. It should be located at the end of a plastic stand in front of the radiator, such that it's not affected by the warmth of the engine whilst driving along.

johnyfartbox said:
View attachment 60291
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This shows that there's an oil leak around the turbo's compressor, or something nearby is leaking and covering the compressor housing in oil. Not ideal, but highly unlikely to be related to the issue with the flashing warning light in the car.

johnyfartbox said:
Also it amazes me what can drop off the undertray when you remove one......LOL
View attachment 60292
Click to expand...
That is an old alternator pulley. Somebody probably let the old one get too old ...and then it sheered off and played pinball in your engine bay until it settled on the undertray.

When the warning light is on/flashing, what does VCDS say? What codes are you getting, if any?

Cheers,

Tom
 
Last edited:
Ah, thats the one you pointed out to me on Frankie that we thought was suspect when fuse 38 kept popping, correct?
Incidentally, it never blew again.
 
johnyfartbox said:
Ah, thats the one you pointed out to me on Frankie that we thought was suspect when fuse 38 kept popping, correct?
Incidentally, it never blew again.
Click to expand...
No, that was the G65 pressure sensor, which also sits in front of the radiator, though at the very top. The outside air temperature sensor sits about 25cm lower down the radiator, directly beneath the G65.

Interesting that Fuse 38 never blew again. I now suspect that was something to do with either the power steering pump or the air conditioning compressor. Glad it's behaving itself now. :)
 
Might be nothing but is the car boosting ok?
I recall years ago with a c max that had a small split in the boost pipe that it would overfuel, hence the smoke. Has it cracked the boost pipes or intercooler?
 
Vantagemech said:
Might be nothing but is the car boosting ok?
I recall years ago with a c max that had a small split in the boost pipe that it would overfuel, hence the smoke. Has it cracked the boost pipes or intercooler?
Click to expand...

That has crossed my mind or should I say Tom mentioned it im sure in a PM suggesting that.
 
Ref glow plug warning. Possibly the switch you have fitted is either poor quality and faulty, not set up correctly, bulbs gone - check led third brake light. I once had this issue until the car was driven a few hundred meters. Turning the steering left and right. The glow plug light extinguished - something to do with ABS /ESC needing to reset.
 
Can't ever rule out a dodgy switch but having the luxury of trying the switches from my other 3 TDIs, all 75s with the same result.
Put them back In the cars they came from and all was good with them.
On a plus side, I've got pretty good at taking apart the gubbins under the steering wheel and swapping the switches over.

Update re the smoke, its not as bad as I made out, the residue left on the floor from the exhaust is mostly dirty water,
IMG_20200108_140344.jpg
IMG_20200108_140355.jpg


I tasted it and it just tasted of water, no fuel taste or oil floating on top so prob just condensation, Ive not started the car up for at least a week and in all honesty, it starts every time on the button , it just revs quite high until I press the clutch pedal and the revs drop to the same as the other TDIs.


I also swapped over the clutch switch next to the brake switch to see if there was any difference re the tick over at start and bipping the clutch pedal.........it was the same

Ive had a really good look around the engine bay both from the top and from underneath, really got my head and my phone to record video to where I cant see and I cannot see any oil spillage that may be dripping down onto the compressor housing .

But now most things are ready and out of the way Im ready to have a good poke around tomorrow.
 
OK but did you drive the car after fitting the switch? I have changed a few, some immediately turned off the glow plug light others needed to be driven around the block to reset.
 
Ah, you got me there, the car is on SORN at the moment so a bit risky to take the car out on the road.
I've got a long drive way though, 60 feet, don't suppose that's enough room to test the car.
 
Ok, thanks. Are the brake lights coming on even with the slightest pressure on the brake pedal, or is there some travel in the pedal before the brake lights illuminate?

Cheers,

Tom
 
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