Hi

 

so on monday, I noticed that I was getting some front wheelspin when accelerating on a damp road in gears 1/2/3. its unusual behaviour in a 4x4 haldex car, with no error being displayed on the dash apart from flashing traction control when the front wheels lost traction, so i took at look with vcds.

 

I got the following error code in the AWD controller (22) - “00488 - Haldex clutch pump (V181) - 011 Open Circuit Intermittent”

 

I’d changed the haldex clutch oil before so was fairly familiar with the layout of the unit, and from some googling, this seems to be solved by either

 

a: cleaning the small filter on the front of the haldex clutch pump (cost - 1L of haldex clutch oil) , or

 

b: replacement of the pump entirely (1L of clutch oil, + 350 euro for a new pump)

 

so I went with option a: first which at this point appears to have worked.

 

first up, you need to elevate the car. jackstands or a ramp etc. 

 

To remove the pump, you have to drain the haldex fluid from the haldex coupling (fluid part number g055175a2), remove the pump, do whatever you do with the pump, then refill until the fluid spills back out the fill hole (keeping the car level at all times).

 

a quick search of the interwebs gave me the following illustrations which are quite useful

 

 

to drain the fluid, open the fill hole B, then open the drain hole A to drain the fluid out using a suitable drain pan. its important to do it in this order, so you are sure you can actually fill it back up

 

let the fluid drain out, then go around the other side of the haldex clutch unit. the pump is secured by two 4mm hex head bolts (1&2).

 

 

you need to push the pump back off the unit (a screwdriver and a bit of force helped)

 

the pump has a fine filter mesh secured by two t10 torx screws, which are easy to remove, and you can then take the screen directly from the pump and clean it.

 

there was a lot of “sludge” on mine which was blocking flow of oil, and it stopped the pump actuating the clutch unit.

 

in the pic below, I removed the sludge in the center of the filter for some contrast. i cleaned it out, and then reassembled the pump onto the haldex housing.

 

 

I then replaced the drain plug, and proceeded to refill the diff using a small hand pump - see link below - until the fluid started to spill out the fill hole.

 

i then cleared the codes on the controller, and test drove the car. the 4x4 system was back working.

 

Result!

 

so if you do get this problem, make sure they take a look at the filter first!

 

t.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-FHP-1L-23242-Multi-Purpose/dp/B008YFX1S6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1452730058&sr=8-3&keywords=oil+transfer+pump

 

Edited 14 January, 201610 yr by tmg

Hi there.

 

This is a great post, have you had any repeat faults since doing the above? This morning i got the same error with huge front wheelspin!!

 

Thanks

hey - not to date. 

Hmm, I recently had the same error, but as the car is still under warranty it went back to the dealers who chose option b. They had done the haldex clutch oil change at the service last year, but I wonder if cleaning the filter is included.

Edited 24 March, 201610 yr by dbg400

Hmm, I recently had the same error, but as the car is still under warranty it went back to the dealers who chose option b. They had done the haldex clutch oil change at the service last year, but I wonder if cleaning the filter is included.

No. They just drain and replace the oil, nothing else is touched.

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

Thanks for your reply, i am going to do this when the weather warms up a bit, i bet the filter is mucky on mine.  

Seems to be a common fault on Haldex units (earlier ones at least). My 2008 Freelander 2 had the same fault at around 78k miles but ended up needing a new pump.

You mentioned that the car needs to be level when filling the fluid. Would it not work with the back of the card on ramps? Does it really "need" to be level? I would assume by having the back raised you would get a bit more fluid rather than too little, which I would not imagine would harm it since it is not a pressurized system.

 

I do not have a lift so I am not really sure how one would lift the entire car otherwise.

I have a large floor jack for my truck, but it was my understanding that you should not use such a jack on modern passenger cars as they are designed to be lifted at a special notch in the sill near the wheels and without that notch it will crush the sill.

I also have a set of jack stands, but since there is no "frame" in the traditional sense on a Superb, I am not sure where I would put them.

Seems to be a common fault on Haldex units (earlier ones at least). My 2008 Freelander 2 had the same fault at around 78k miles but ended up needing a new pump.

Still get the same problem on the Evoque and Disco Sport.

You mentioned that the car needs to be level when filling the fluid. Would it not work with the back of the card on ramps? Does it really "need" to be level? I would assume by having the back raised you would get a bit more fluid rather than too little, which I would not imagine would harm it since it is not a pressurized system.

 

I do not have a lift so I am not really sure how one would lift the entire car otherwise.

I have a large floor jack for my truck, but it was my understanding that you should not use such a jack on modern passenger cars as they are designed to be lifted at a special notch in the sill near the wheels and without that notch it will crush the sill.

I also have a set of jack stands, but since there is no "frame" in the traditional sense on a Superb, I am not sure where I would put them.

Vehicles needs to be level so that correct amount of fluid is in there (not too much not too little).

Look at this post about oil change and you can see where he puts axle stands even though I would not use a puck in there as it could cause slipage ..

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/346425-oil-and-air-filter-change-skoda-superb-cr140-cffb/

A couple of cheep hockey pucks from ebay with a slot cut in them works for jacking up the sill without any damage or these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rubber-pad-with-slots-hydraulic-ramp-jack-jacking-pad-adapter-trolley-jack-/161216710441

Still get the same problem on the Evoque and Disco Sport.

Obviously the Achilles heel of the Haldex no mater what generation.

Have noted people saying they have the haldex oil changed etc in accordance with manufactures recommendations but still some suffer or have the failures. Why are they not taking out the pump and cleaning the filter mesh as part of the procedure?

When you replace engine oil you replace the filter, so why not clean the Haldex mesh if it is prone to sludge.

Because it's not their car