Another Turbo Actuator problem .....

[dynamodollishill]

Hello, 

 

I have a middle of 2012 105 1.2 TSi Fabia (DSG) (about 75k miles).  It on and off has thrown a EPC code  (once every three monthy)  - which normally I could clear by a stop and start.  Until today.

 

It's the dreaded P334b error (and P334a).  EPC and sometimes the Exhaust symbol comes up.  I tried waggling the actuator rod - and cleared the code and started again.   

The rod moves back and for now - but I've no idea whether there's anything simple I can do?  The Skoda dealership has the next slot on March 10th to look at it!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/eQjzsuNku6UTvFKF7 - a rather shaky video.  Considering the car lives in a garage pretty corroded in there.  

 

Engine code is CBZB.  There's no shim.  

 

Any ideas appreciated.  

[thomasaspin]

2 hours ago, dynamodollishill said:

Hello, 

 

I have a middle of 2012 105 1.2 TSi Fabia (DSG) (about 75k miles).  It on and off has thrown a EPC code  (once every three monthy)  - which normally I could clear by a stop and start.  Until today.

 

It's the dreaded P334b error (and P334a).  EPC and sometimes the Exhaust symbol comes up.  I tried waggling the actuator rod - and cleared the code and started again.   

The rod moves back and for now - but I've no idea whether there's anything simple I can do?  The Skoda dealership has the next slot on March 10th to look at it!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/eQjzsuNku6UTvFKF7 - a rather shaky video.  Considering the car lives in a garage pretty corroded in there.  

 

Engine code is CBZB.  There's no shim.  

 

Any ideas appreciated.  

Try wd40 on the shaft buddy should buy you some time 

[dynamodollishill]

Ended up needing a new actuator/wastegate unit.

 

First thing that's gone wrong on car in 75k.  But still at £430 quid fix.  

 

At least it wasn't the turbo!

[Pippylongstocking]

Allo again everyone, not long since bought a mid 2011 Fabia II 1.2tsi for the kids. 66k miles and in very good condition. The car came with theintemittent wastegate fault, but the previous owner gave me a brand new actuator to replace it with. OBDB II codes P334a, P334b, and P334c came up in turns. Changed the actuator, had to hacksaw the shaft of the old one, as the collar was so corroded and siezed in the mounting that there was no getting out tidily. Installed the new one in an hour, as opposed to the four taken to tickle the old one out.

Everything was fine for a few days, then the faults came back. No rhyme or reason, accelerating or not, sometimes on start-up, mainly during driving. I am now adept at pulling over and clearing the codes with the scanner. Any ideas what is going on? The lever for the wastegate was nice and free moving when I checked it before mounting the new one.

It is a shame this unpredictable problem is spoiling the car for driving.

all contributions welcome, I have read all the posts i could find here and no0one seems to be having the same trouble after fitting a new actuator.

[xman]

Just a few suggestions as to what it may be

 

Wastegate may be sticking when getting hot due to thermal expansion of the shaft in the turbo housing.

 

The 2011 year had a TPI issued - requiring a shim fitting between the actuator and turbo housing so the wastegate travel was correct. Check on ERWIN for the recall and if so whether the shim is fitted.

 

Have you adapted the new actuator after fitting woth VCDS. Not sure whats involved but it needs adapting to endure the actuator position is calibrated.

 

Is the actuator the correct part? There are variants with different rod lengths.

 

Is it a genuine, really new actuator or a buffed up s/h part bought on ebay? Have you got the receipt? Could be just another faulty actuator.

 

This may be of help

7zOC0B2.pdf

 

 

 

 

[Pippylongstocking]

Thanks Xman,

 

yes the old actuator had the shim fitted, I had to prise it off and clean it up with a wire brush before fitting to the new unit, which is really new, made by a bunch I've never heard of called MaXpeeding rods. The length seemed spot on, as the pin on the shaft/blade only engaged with the actuator lever at its nearest -to-the actuator travel. everything fits square on, but i see the lower mounting nut has a few threads of the bolt showing, but the upper one doesn't. I had my mechie clear the errors with VCDS, but a few miles after that, the fault threw again. it clears with ignition off/on sometimes, or throws the exhaust system light as well as the epc. At the moment it is like playing golf against someone whose handicap is two " gertchas", if you remember the joke.

[xman]

You need to carry out the wastegate adaption using VCDS.

 

Alternatively you could always try this

 

[Pippylongstocking]

[Pippylongstocking]

Thanks Xman. I'll give them the once over and see what I can work out. watch this space...

[J.R.]

Maxspeeding rods are a good company, I have bought a couple of aircon compressors and rear brake calipers from them.

[Pippylongstocking]

ok. I have slept on all the advice and info so far.

1) just the bonnet open, I cannot move the rod at all. I'm assuming this is how it is meant to be. I put a post it note on it to observe what happens next ( video will follow if I can work out how to uplaod it)

2) Ignition on. the rod jiggles about left and right a bit and then rests.

3) engine fired up. The rod moves according to the need for boost. rev the engine, it moves left ( as seen looking at the engine from in front, that's away from the actuator), moves right at idle.

4) engine off, the rod goes all the way over to the left and stays there. That's away from the actuator and where it started from. There is also a fairly quiet, but noticeable high-pitched hum from the actuator, which continued for about a minute, even with the key out of the ignition.

 

Curiouser and curiouser. No faults thrown while this was done.

[xman]

The high pitched hum for a minute will be the electric aux coolant pump, which continues to pump coolant to cool the turbo bearing for approx one minute after shutdown. If you look at the coolant reservoir you will notice the coolant being returned. It does this on shutdown regardless of engine temperature btw.

 

I still think you still need to go through the diagnostic adaption routine. It would highlight if the shim you have fitted is the incorrect thickness or even is not required. An incorrect shim will cause it to go into limp mode.

 

The youtube video I posted suggests that by repeating the sequence of turning on ignition, waiting for the actuator to go through its initialisation then turning off ignition, around 15 times, will be sufficient to re-adapt. You could try but I have my doubts, as I understand it, you probably first need to establish if the shim thickness is correct by running VCDS adaption and checking the voltages returned by the actuator's position sensor are within limits.

 

 

[Pippylongstocking]

Thanks for that Xman. I did the reset 20 times, fired her up, and the Exhaust system warning light was on. Cleared that with the OBDI II , and went for a long drive. At about 2 miles out, I was accelerating briskly from about 35mph in 4th, and EPC light came  on and power-chop. Stopped, cleared with ignition on and off. Drove on, trying to provoke it again with "plenty of beans in the low revs" behaviour. Nothing. Nowt. Behaved impeccably. But of course, it has done that before for a few days at a time over the last fortnight since I changed the actuator.

There is still a 'gertcha' in there, I know there is.

Thanks for all the assistamce so far, please keep it coming.

[thomasaspin]

23 hours ago, Pippylongstocking said:

Thanks for that Xman. I did the reset 20 times, fired her up, and the Exhaust system warning light was on. Cleared that with the OBDI II , and went for a long drive. At about 2 miles out, I was accelerating briskly from about 35mph in 4th, and EPC light came  on and power-chop. Stopped, cleared with ignition on and off. Drove on, trying to provoke it again with "plenty of beans in the low revs" behaviour. Nothing. Nowt. Behaved impeccably. But of course, it has done that before for a few days at a time over the last fortnight since I changed the actuator.

There is still a 'gertcha' in there, I know there is.

Thanks for all the assistamce so far, please keep it coming.

Sounds to me like on certain occasions the wastegate is allowing the turbo to make too much boost causing the car to go into limp mode or throw up an emission fault did you set the rod to the exact same length as the old rod you replaced? As the tighter you go with the rod the more the wastegate will stay closed thus creating more boost, also I’ve read on other forums multiple times that once the turbo actuator is replaced or even the uprated shims added that it effectively has to be re programmed in vagcom to accommodate the replaced actuator even if a actuator is replaced for the exact same type of actuator it still needs to be reprogrammed! 

[Pippylongstocking]

Thanks Thomas. There is no adjustment on the rod, it's a fixed length. Unfortunately, the old one was so badly siezed in the mounting bracket that there was no comparing lengths, as I had to butcher it to remove it. All the searches I have done on the part number of the old one, throw up a result with the new one as being correct. It only engages the actuator lever at the extreme short end of the rod's travel ( at the actuator end of things, when the rod is retracted) i went out for a drive early this afternoon, absolutely no issues. Went for another as you were posting this, and it threw up the epc 3 times. 1st two cleared on ignition key, 3rd one threw an exhaust system light as well. cleared those on the OBDI II. All fairly out of the blue, but during acceleration, but nothing outrageous, just normal picking up speed. Nothing after that, but came home and did the 20 on and off ignition reset with a hot engine, as opposed to the cold one yesterday. Fingers crossed, but I'll sound my mechie about about a reset on the VCDS thing. I know I can get the shim out in about 5 minutes flat if I have to.

Edited 21 March, 2021 by Pippylongstocking
can't type straight

[thomasaspin]

3 hours ago, Pippylongstocking said:

Thanks Thomas. There is no adjustment on the rod, it's a fixed length. Unfortunately, the old one was so badly siezed in the mounting bracket that there was no comparing lengths, as I had to butcher it to remove it. All the searches I have done on the part number of the old one, throw up a result with the new one as being correct. It only engages the actuator lever at the extreme short end of the rod's travel ( at the actuator end of things, when the rod is retracted) i went out for a drive early this afternoon, absolutely no issues. Went for another as you were posting this, and it threw up the epc 3 times. 1st two cleared on ignition key, 3rd one threw an exhaust system light as well. cleared those on the OBDI II. All fairly out of the blue, but during acceleration, but nothing outrageous, just normal picking up speed. Nothing after that, but came home and did the 20 on and off ignition reset with a hot engine, as opposed to the cold one yesterday. Fingers crossed, but I'll sound my mechie about about a reset on the VCDS thing. I know I can get the shim out in about 5 minutes flat if I have to.

This is what you need to do 

http://mygolfmk7.com/2019/08/wastegate-first-adaptation-charge-pressure-actuator-p2563/

[Pippylongstocking]

the headscratching goes on. I took it over to my mechie on Monday morning ( it behaved impeccably on the way there), they lined it up on the vcds, calibtrated it, and 2 mins and a few quid lighter, off I drove. it behaved impeccably on the way back.  Went to the shops at lunchtime and ...gotcha. It has gotcha'd me a few more times since.

This is turning into the quest for the Holy Grail, is it not.

[HuwPew]

Did you end up sorting this after all? Got the same problem and have taken the same steps as you so far.

[Pippylongstocking]

Allo HuwPew. 

in short-no. at length, having scoured the interwebworld for replacement turbos, for that is what is needed here, and having found that they cost an absolute packet, I decided on a slightly more cheapskate option. I modified the way i drive the car. I noted carefully how and when the issue occurred, which was usually when cold and being asked to give a lot of power on lowish revs ( under 2000rpm). I started to drive it like I was Hannu Mikkola, keeping the engine happy and buzzing at over 2000rpm .It doesn't seem to damage fuel economy at all, in fact, I think it is better with the engine lightly-loaded. It can, and does still throw the fault occasionally ( as opposed to every blooming day), usually, if I have been pootling along at a steady speed at about 2000 ish in 5th. Ignoring the gear-change indicator comes easily. I just watch the tach and listen to the buzz of the engine. it is really, really happy between 2000 and 3000. So i try and change-up so the next gear drops in at 2000-ish when i need to get a move on. Otherwise, it pootles around at lower revs if power is not needed.

It also does throw the fault on start-up sometimes, when I notice the initial idle is at about 1400rpm for a few moments before dropping down to 800-ish. That tells me that the engine is dumping a load of soot on the actuator mechanism in the turbo, and I should be wary. That only seems to happen when the outside temperature is neither here nor there, not properly cold, or warm, but somewhere in the 8-15 degrees range.

To be Fair, this really isn't a great deal different to the way i drove my air-cooled VWs all those years ago. Those marks on the speedo for gear changes were there for a reason.

So fixed it -no. Made it less of a problem- yes. BTW, I only run it on Tesco Millenium 99 octane, or similar. None of that E10 nonsense here.

[HuwPew]

Thanks for the update!

 

The one I have is an auto so unfortunately thr gears are out of my control. I'll keep plugging away at it and let you know if I manage to fix it short of replacing the turbo.