VRS Turbo / Actuator / EPC light problem

[TheClient]

the possible difficulty with replacing the actuator on the ea888 gen 3 is the access. I have a feeling the downpipe may need to come off.

[dimrod]

Anyone have any more info on this issue? I have a 2014 Petrol Vrs and since before Christmas I've having the same issues. 

When I drive the car on.... Limp mode kicks in along with the epc light and the engine revs not above 4000rpm message... Pull over and restart the car and all is back to normal. Sometimes I get the auto start/stop error message too. 

Both garages ive brought it to say its most probably the oil pressure switch but when changed this didnt fix the problem. 

I'm hoping this might be something I can fix myself but can't figure out if its possible to change the actuator or if the turbo needs changed or if I can just lubricate the actuator rod as I've read somewhere. 

If anyone has any more info I'd greatly appreciate it. 

[dcalder]

My turbo was gubbed and replaced. Interestingly failed again 11 months later and has just been replaced on warranty. Running nice

[TheClient]

12 hours ago, dimrod said:

Anyone have any more info on this issue? I have a 2014 Petrol Vrs and since before Christmas I've having the same issues. 

When I drive the car on.... Limp mode kicks in along with the epc light and the engine revs not above 4000rpm message... Pull over and restart the car and all is back to normal. Sometimes I get the auto start/stop error message too. 

Both garages ive brought it to say its most probably the oil pressure switch but when changed this didnt fix the problem. 

I'm hoping this might be something I can fix myself but can't figure out if its possible to change the actuator or if the turbo needs changed or if I can just lubricate the actuator rod as I've read somewhere. 

If anyone has any more info I'd greatly appreciate it. 

 

What engine fault code was or is actually recorded now?  Normally a wastegate or actuator would log a under or overboost DTC, possibly leading to limp mode.

 

Oil pressure could also lead to limp mode but would normally log a completely different fault code related to......... oil pressure over or under limit. So it seems strange to me they replaced the oil pressure switch - it seems they must have identified an oil pressure fault.  An oil pressure switch problem would often also be associated with an Oil pressure warning on the MFD.

 

I would recommend a full scan now. Before embarking further.

 

You could try and move the wastegate actuator rod, move back and forth. even lube the pivot of the wastegate arm end, see photo,  but waste of time if the fault is not related to boost.

 

If the fault is over boost / under boost related, it could be the actuator, the gears in the servo can fail or it could be the actual wastegate flapper arm pressed into the turbo housing itself that is much more difficult to deal with and will need a turbo rebuilder or part new casing. Turbo out for either of those.

 

According to Mk7 GTI posts you can change the actuator with the turbo in place but I imagine they are tight to work with. This thread suggests a low profile T30 in the IHI20 actuator bolts. 

 

AFAIK VW/Audi do not sell the actuator separately, but you can obtain them.

 

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/replacing-wastegate-actuator-with-turbo-on-car.395214/

[dimrod]

44 minutes ago, TheClient said:

 

What engine fault code was or is actually recorded now?  Normally a wastegate or actuator would log a under or overboost DTC, possibly leading to limp mode.

 

Oil pressure could also lead to limp mode but would normally log a completely different fault code related to......... oil pressure over or under limit. So it seems strange to me they replaced the oil pressure switch - it seems they must have identified an oil pressure fault.  An oil pressure switch problem would often also be associated with an Oil pressure warning on the MFD.

 

I would recommend a full scan now. Before embarking further.

 

You could try and move the wastegate actuator rod, move back and forth. even lube the pivot of the wastegate arm end, see photo,  but waste of time if the fault is not related to boost.

 

If the fault is over boost / under boost related, it could be the actuator, the gears in the servo can fail or it could be the actual wastegate flapper arm pressed into the turbo housing itself that is much more difficult to deal with and will need a turbo rebuilder or part new casing. Turbo out for either of those.

 

According to Mk7 GTI posts you can change the actuator with the turbo in place but I imagine they are tight to work with. This thread suggests a low profile T30 in the IHI20 actuator bolts. 

 

AFAIK VW/Audi do not sell the actuator separately, but you can obtain them.

 

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/replacing-wastegate-actuator-with-turbo-on-car.395214/

These are the codes I got off a simple obd reader at home. Don't know what the garage found exactly. 

[TheClient]

6 hours ago, dimrod said:

These are the codes I got off a simple obd reader at home. Don't know what the garage found exactly. 

15188 is oil pressure switch malfunction. So that makes sense why they suspected and replaced that.

 

the others are inactive and don’t seem related.

 

is this a scan as of now or end of last year? Have you cleared and re ran? As if you are still getting limp mode still,  I’m expecting there may be a new fault code that wasn’t present before?

 

Or if the fault is coming back after clearing the other oil pressure switch maybe faulty as well. There are two I think, high and low pressure. Seems very coincidental for both to go faulty though. 
 

those scan fault codes on generic scan tools don’t give great descriptions as you’ve probably noticed. 
 

 

[dimrod]

Yeah this was a scan from a couple of months ago. I must rescan and see what pops up. I changed out two of the three oil pressure switches. There is one more I have to change but need to get access to the area. 

[dimrod]

Update on this issue:

 

Myself and a friend got the car up on a lift, drained the oil after running Engine flush through it and then dropped the sump. When the sump came down we found a load of bits of black plastic. Thought it was part of the baffle at first but none of it was broken so we were stumped. Put everything back together and filled with new oil and filter and its as good as new. 

But i went looking online then to see where the plastic could have come from. And from what ive found i think its part of a chain tensioner from either the oil pump chain or the timing chain. 

[TheClient]

You mean it a guide or rail for the chain? They have been known the fail or get ripped off sometimes. They're mostly white plastic from memory often with cross hatching reinforcement I think. I can't really tell from the photo as its all covered in oil. 

 

Edit. This is for a gen 2, but will be similar. There are white brown and black rails and guides!! 

 

Edited 17 April, 2023 by TheClient

[dimrod]

6 minutes ago, TheClient said:

You mean it a guide or rail for the chain? They have been known the fail or get ripped off sometimes. They're mostly white plastic from memory often with cross hatching reinforcement I think. I can't really tell from the photo as its all covered in oil. 

 

Edit. This is for a gen 2, but will be similar. There are white brown and black rails and guides!! 

 

Yeah i think its most probably part of the oil pump chain tensioner... Apparently the original ones were black and the revised ones are white plastic. 

[TheClient]

I think you are going to have to pull timing covers off and inspect. If your going to all that trouble and cost you'd want to replace the main chain, rails and tensioner even if it is not the broken one. I wonder how much plastic has got ingested. Hopefully it just broke up and dropped into the pan. 

[dimrod]

Yeah I think so too... I dont think any got ingested as the gauze in the oil pickup stopped it all. 

Any ideas what the cost would be for that kind of job? 

[TheClient]

To do a main timing chain, tensioner and rails used to be from about £700. But that was 4 years ago. 

 

At a skoda dealer was from about £950 at the same time.

 

It's probably 5 or 6 hours work. And if it is one of the other tensioner that will add a bit more in labour and parts but the bulk of the cost is getting everything opened up. 

 

How many miles on the car? How long have you owned it? 

[dimrod]

205000 kms on the clock, I've had it 3 years. 

[TheClient]

Same issue by looks.

 

 

Any update @dimrod?