My stutter... any ideas how to cure it?

[mudgery]

Hi all! Hoping you might be able to help me with a drive-ability problem...

I have a PD140 DSG with a stutter. Under certain conditions, usually in 3rd gear under acceleration it stutters around 1900rpm. A split second stutter, once maybe twice and then it'll pick up. Sounds like its having a bit of a cough or a stifled sneeze when it does it. The car generally has to be under load for it to happen.

Now, the really annoying bit is that about 6 weeks ago I thought I had cured it. I noticed the EGR valve was blowing oil from the breather hole round the back. I took it off cleaned it up, refitted with new seals, and it helped the problem but didn't cure it. After a bit of deliberation I decided to replace the EGR valve. This appeared to cure things, until last week and about 2,000 miles of stutter free driving, it started again. No way as bad as before but it's definitely back.

Just thinking what I should look at next that might be causing it?

I have VCDS so can log stuff... but I'm only a beginner with it. What should I look at to try and diagnose further?

Any ideas gratefully received! TIA.

[fasolt222]

Have same prob with 2.0 tdi. Stutter when accelerating in 2nd gear around 1700 rpm after slowdown. Dealer couldn't find fault on three occasions, as no engine light coming on. Suggested a loose air intake. Makes no difference when I wiggle it though! £80 odd to 'fix' this. Any ideas?

[fasolt222]

Have same prob with 2.0 tdi. Stutter when accelerating in 2nd gear around 1700 rpm after slowdown. Dealer couldn't find fault on three occasions, as no engine light coming on. Suggested a loose air intake. Makes no difference when I wiggle it though! £80 odd to 'fix' this. Any ideas?

[Scout66]

I have a stutter on my 2.0 TDI PD140. it only happens at 78 mph normally in 6th gear. It happens when i'm gently accellerating towards 80 mph, it stutters for a second (as if having a cough) and then is fine. Doesn't happen all the time so haven't paid a garage to try and find an invisible fault!!

[Golf-Fiend]

Well documented but never resolved. A lot of the 2.0 TDi's across the VAG range suffer from this. Mine does too. Say, accellerating along the M-way to about 75/80mph in 5th, lightly feather throttle as if approaching traffic ahead, re-apply throttle and it hesitates for a second then pulls fine.

I put it down to - being off boost and the ECU cutting the fuel supply when off throttle. I guess it takes a second for boost and fuel to come into play again. My solution - drive around the problem and live with it when it happens.

[D@z]

I think the EGR valve has something to do with this also, try fitting one of the reduction gaskets and see if it helps, worth a punt for the couple of quid it costs.

[andyvee]

Hasn't Ben@Shark fixed this in his maps? Or was that PD170 only?

[Chester]

Not sure if its the same problem but......

Had a similar problem when I had my Fabia vRS MK1 - cured it by fitting a smaller blanking plate into the EGR.

Plenty of discussion on the MK1 Fabia forum.

[mudgery]

I think the EGR valve has something to do with this also, try fitting one of the reduction gaskets and see if it helps, worth a punt for the couple of quid it costs.

thanks daz_pd will give it a shot!

Hasn't Ben@Shark fixed this in his maps? Or was that PD170 only?

secretly hoping the reduction plate doesn't work so I can go out and get myself another 40bhp

found the thread for that.

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/202993-pd170-stutter-issue-fixed-for-good/

they say 100% fix for the PD170... would imagine it does the job for the PD140 also - will give them a call.

thanks for all the advice - will post how I get on and hope others with the same problem get it sorted!

[pz1811]

This might not be of any help ... But here goes ...

Last month I was on a 400km round trip in my 1.8tsi and after 200 kms it developed a stutter exactly between 1900 and 2000 rpm, but as soon as the turbo kicked in all was fine ...

I took it to the Skoda workshop and I was given a new engine update (CDAA) and after that the problem hasn't occurred and the car's running smoother than ever ..

[mudgery]

Fitted a reduction plate between the EGR valve and EGR pipe today. Will be testing over the weekend...

[blackspaven]

Can't believe no-one's suggested a speech therapist already, having read the title?!

[2Kittys]

Can't believe no-one's suggested a speech therapist already, having read the title?!

Jordan said 'fixed' Gareth Gates' stutter... Or was that f***ed his stutter...

Is that the sort of therapy that needed?

[mudgery]

Thought I'd just report back with a couple of weeks of driving and no stutter since fitting the reduction plate, so it looks like it's cured it.

On 2Kittys suggestion, I am naming this mod 'The Jordan'

I read in another post that with VCDS you can reduce the amount of gas recirculation... might try that out as well, as learning more on the issue I want to reduce the amount of crap going back into the engine. How about an EGR delete...? anyone done this and recommend it? Which kit to use - pro / cons?

[andyvee]

EGR delete - Darkside

Just had my map adjusted by Ben@ Shark

Fitting the pipe this afternoon - Wardy recommends it as he has been running it for about 10k miles now

http://www.darksided...-race-pipe.html

[andyvee]

Just off to road test now, but the car is idling noticeably smoother from cold.

I have left the EGR cooler in place for now, I'll get round to removing that in a week or two as I couldn't be bothered dropping the coolant to sort all the hoses out properly. I've blanked off the EGR port at the cooler for now.

For anyone doing this job make sure you have suitable 1/4" or 3/8" drive allen key sockets as space is quite tight around the ASV and EGR.

My EGR valve was nowhere near as bad as some pictures I have seen - not bad for 160K miles! I suppose that a lot of that is long distance motorway cruising helps.

I am going to get it cleaned up and list it on ebay to recoup some of the cost of the delete kit!

[Anddenton]

I read in another post that with VCDS you can reduce the amount of gas recirculation... might try that out as well, as learning more on the issue I want to reduce the amount of crap going back into the engine. How about an EGR delete...? anyone done this and recommend it? Which kit to use - pro / cons?

Really? Anyone know how to do this and what if any are the side effects?

[mudgery]

Here is the ross tech info on it

http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/cars/tdi.html

There is also a post about it somewhere on here, explaining how to do it, but I can't find it right now.

I just read on the ross tech info it's not a setting you can change for PD engines though :(

[mudgery]

I have left the EGR cooler in place for now, I'll get round to removing that in a week or two as I couldn't be bothered dropping the coolant to sort all the hoses out properly. I've blanked off the EGR port at the cooler for now.

nice one andyvee, how does it drive now?

removal of the egr cooler is the bit I have not checked out yet. any hints and tips when you do it would be a great help.

Mine is due a coolant change. What order did you do the mod... map then fit pipe/blank or the other way round? just wondering if you can drive it with the delete pipe on but EGR not mapped out of the software?

[andyvee]

Drives like dream - throttle response is sharper and the engine seems quieter as well.

I did the map first, then fitted the EGR delete pipe. Cooler still in place as I said, I just removed the large EGR pipe between cooler and EGR valve and blanked off at the EGR cooler. Stuck a bolt in the end of the vac hose that was connected to the EGR valve.

You could fit the pipe first, EML will come on but other than that no side effects.

The cooler will be coming off on Friday - I have the adapter from Darkside so that the large coolant hose can connect to where the heater matrix goes in to the car. The two smaller hoses that connect I will just join together unless I can see an easier way of doing it, but that will involve cutting some steel pipework I think.

Best tip I can give is get the air filter and air intake pipes out of the way before you start - gives you loads more room for getting to things in the engine bay. It isn't worth struggling trying to do things with them still in place. Also, disconnect the intercooler hose from the ASV so that you can keep moving it about to gain more clearance to undo the bolts on the ASV.

And don't drop allen keys in to the plastic undertray

[mudgery]

andyvee - sounds like a good move. thanks for all the advice

just wondering if it is necessary to remove the egr cooler once the pipe and the map is done? Could it just remain in the system?

[andyvee]

It could remain, but do you want an auxilliary radiator above your turbo?

I thought the whole idea was to keep the intake charge as cool as possible, and try and dissipate as much heat as possible from the turbo. Sitting a 'radiator' on top of it will hardly help matters!

[mudgery]

good point!

following your darkside egr delete thread. interested to read how the plumbing goes with those hoses... post some pics please!