Limp mode keeps coming back - VW

JAMES VTI S · 21-09-2019 10:40AM #1

Took my VW caddy 1.9tdi 2007 to get the EML diagnosed and it was in limp mode.

The code was for the boost pressure solinoid which was replaced and all was good for and hour until limp mode came back after I turned the engine off.

The mechanic cancelled the light again and the same story again all was good followed by limp mode.

He read the codes again and I've attached a picture of the latest codes the diagnostic computer gave.

*The engine has more power

*When I floor it for a while limp mode comes back

*When I turn off/on the ignition while moving limp mode goes away until the engine is switched off or I floor the ACC for a while.

*Any ideas lads, I have the old boost solinoid alsom

listermint · 21-09-2019 10:41AM

Checked for leaks ?

JAMES VTI S · 21-09-2019 12:17PM

I wouldn't know where to start, there's so many hoses, pipes.

George Dalton · 21-09-2019 12:55PM

Wiring issues are common. You need to find someone who is familiar with the problems they give.

JAMES VTI S · 21-09-2019 01:05PM

How to find a mechanic that is used to these issues?

Steve · 21-09-2019 01:14PM

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

How to find a mechanic that is used to these issues?

Where in the country are you?

JAMES VTI S · 21-09-2019 01:18PM

Co. Limerick. But munster is fine I don't mind traveling for the right service.

Steve · 21-09-2019 01:35PM

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

Co. Limerick. But munster is fine I don't mind traveling for the right service.

Ah, ok, if you were in Dublin, I know a good guy for this, sorry, hopefully someone here knows a more west based solution..

corks finest · 21-09-2019 01:37PM

Ref limp mode another reason could be a blown brake bulb( my old Skoda fabia went into limp cos of that as it blew something under the brake pedal aswell)

JAMES VTI S · 21-09-2019 01:44PM

I don't have blown bulbs though. Thanks.

jmreire · 21-09-2019 01:59PM

I had a 1.9 tdi Audi for a few years, a bit older than your's ( 2003 ) and it started this limp home mode, so I started to put 400 ml 2 T oil into the fuel tank every time I filled it, result. no more limp home modes. The only ever other problem I had with that car was the wiring harness for the injectors is under the rocker cover,,,and they can give problems, mainly mis-firing.... I disconnected the one in mine, cleaned all the connections and replaced it,,,end of problem. It did not show up any problem's either when it was scanned. So maybe worth a try for you? 2 T oil is cheap, get the cheapest you can find,,,, for the injector harness, get some one who know's what he is doing. The harness can be bought separately but are not so easy to fit. Well worth a try cleaning the connection's on it first.

CoBo55 · 21-09-2019 02:36PM

Sticking turbo vanes, had the very same trouble with an Octavia of that vintage. I got rid of it, it's still on the road but I wasn't prepared to pay for a new turbo, which is the only lasting solution.

JAMES VTI S · 21-09-2019 02:38PM

Ya, about a grand for the turbo I hear...

CoBo55 · 21-09-2019 02:41PM

jmreire wrote: »

I had a 1.9 tdi Audi for a few years, a bit older than your's ( 2003 ) and it started this limp home mode, so I started to put 400 ml 2 T oil into the fuel tank every time I filled it, result. no more limp home modes. The only ever other problem I had with that car was the wiring harness for the injectors is under the rocker cover,,,and they can give problems, mainly mis-firing.... I disconnected the one in mine, cleaned all the connections and replaced it,,,end of problem. It did not show up any problem's either when it was scanned. So maybe worth a try for you? 2 T oil is cheap, get the cheapest you can find,,,, for the injector harness, get some one who know's what he is doing. The harness can be bought separately but are not so easy to fit. Well worth a try cleaning the connection's on it first.

Nothing to do with the injector harness it hasn't any misfiring codes logged, never heard of putting two stroke oil in the diesel before...

jmreire · 21-09-2019 04:09PM

CoBo55 wrote: »

Nothing to do with the injector harness it hasn't any misfiring codes logged, never heard of putting two stroke oil in the diesel before...

I'm speaking from personal experience with my 1.9 tdi, which had the AVF engine, one of the best 1.9 tdi engines ever produced,,,,another great engine was the AWX.
After I bought it, it would occasionally go into limp mode....so I had heard about adding 2 T oil, and tried it out...never again experienced a "Limp " mode.....not even one in more than 20'000 Miles. Car is still going strong....and still no limp modes happening. The new owner, has followed my instructions re the 2 T oil, and he has not experienced any limp modes either.
The Injector harness has a known fault in that over time, the connections get dirty. That threw a code ok, but it did not specify the harness...I forget what it was now, but it vanished after I removed the harness, cleaned and tightened the connectors,,,, no problem since. I did not even have to remove the harness completely, which not so easy, given the proximity of the bulkhead to the rear of the engine, and the stiffness of the harness itself. Maybe when they are new, they are more flexible, and easier to fit... but mine had 150'000 miles on it, so a bit of hardness in the plastic frame that keep's the harness in place is to be expected. That's very strange that you have never heard of adding 2T oil to diesel fuel.....google it, and see what you find. was a very well tried and true method in keeping the various components lubricated in diesel engines.... friend of mine has as 2010 MB W212, and he swear's by it.....add's a few ML's of 2T every time he fill's it up....now has nearly 200'000 Klms done, and car is driving fine, recently flew through the NCT.

JAMES VTI S · 21-09-2019 04:25PM

Mine has 337,000k KM's on it, this is its first problem in nearly 10 years of ownership.

CoBo55 · 21-09-2019 04:31PM

jmreire wrote: »

I'm speaking from personal experience with my 1.9 tdi, which had the AVF engine, one of the best 1.9 tdi engines ever produced,,,,another great engine was the AWX.
After I bought it, it would occasionally go into limp mode....so I had heard about adding 2 T oil, and tried it out...never again experienced a "Limp " mode.....not even one in more than 20'000 Miles. Car is still going strong....and still no limp modes happening. The new owner, has followed my instructions re the 2 T oil, and he has not experienced any limp modes either.
The Injector harness has a known fault in that over time, the connections get dirty. That threw a code ok, but it did not specify the harness...I forget what it was now, but it vanished after I removed the harness, cleaned and tightened the connectors,,,, no problem since. I did not even have to remove the harness completely, which not so easy, given the proximity of the bulkhead to the rear of the engine, and the stiffness of the harness itself. Maybe when they are new, they are more flexible, and easier to fit... but mine had 150'000 miles on it, so a bit of hardness in the plastic frame that keep's the harness in place is to be expected. That's very strange that you have never heard of adding 2T oil to diesel fuel.....google it, and see what you find. was a very well tried and true method in keeping the various components lubricated in diesel engines.... friend of mine has as 2010 MB W212, and he swear's by it.....add's a few ML's of 2T every time he fill's it up....now has nearly 200'000 Klms done, and car is driving fine, recently flew through the NCT.

Prefer to follow logic myself... Op has an overboost issue, he changed the boost sensor which was the next logical step but unfortunately the original sensor was working correctly in telling the ECU the boost pressure was too high. Overboost is caused by the turbo vanes sticking in the high boost ( the normal closed position) and failing to open quickly enough to reduce pressure. Can't see that being fixed by strimmer oil... Google overboost although I think I've explained the basic mechanics of how it works, even to a snake oil salesman.

jmreire · 21-09-2019 04:33PM

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

Mine has 337,000k KM's on it, this is its first problem in nearly 10 years of ownership.

Do you know what engine is in it?? Friend of mine had 2009 Octavia, worked for an agricultural company, load of driving each day had 950'000 Klms when he traded it in, and only then because it failed the NCT...but it was mainly suspension's and brakes etc.that were at fault... engine still starting and running though. Always well serviced, oil and filter changed on time.

JAMES VTI S · 21-09-2019 04:35PM

I don't? 1.9tdi is all I know??

jmreire · 21-09-2019 04:51PM

CoBo55 wrote: »

Prefer to follow logic myself... Op has an overboost issue, he changed the boost sensor which was the next logical step but unfortunately the original sensor was working correctly in telling the ECU the boost pressure was too high. Overboost is caused by the turbo vanes sticking in the high boost ( the normal closed position) and failing to open quickly enough to reduce pressure. Can't see that being fixed by strimmer oil... Google overboost although I think I've explained the basic mechanics of how it works, even to a snake oil salesman.

Oh, no need for me to google it,I know well what Overboost is..I'm just telling about my personal experience and what has worked for me....and trying to help some one here on the forum, but if the best you can do is refer to me ( or indeed anyone else )as a "Snake Oil Salesman" , that speaks volumes about you, but not in a good way. If you can't post without resorting to that kind if comment, better not comment at all

Kenny Logins · 21-09-2019 05:00PM

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

Ya, about a grand for the turbo I hear...

Mr Muscle in the hot side. Check it out on YouTube.

CoBo55 · 21-09-2019 05:01PM

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

Mine has 337,000k KM's on it, this is its first problem in nearly 10 years of ownership.

It really seems to be hit and miss with that engine some get the overboost problem and others do galactic mileages. It's certainly more prevalent in cars doing stop start work and short trips. You could try the recon route but quality varies considerably. George Dalton on here is a top class vag mechanic try sending him a PM ( can't see him recommending strimmer oil though). No matter what it isn't a quick fix unfortunately.

JAMES VTI S · 21-09-2019 05:06PM

I hear a turbo can take upto a week?

Toyotafanboi · 21-09-2019 05:31PM

CoBo55 wrote: »

Prefer to follow logic myself...

Thank heavens, I though it was just me.

We have a fairly specific fault code to work with here and yet were talking about adding two stroke to the diesel and checking for blown brake light bulbs. May aswell advise topping up the screen wash and adjusting the rear view mirror too, just encase that helps.

Best advice, aside from the suspected turbo, is to get someone to look at it who is familiar with them.

jmreire · 21-09-2019 05:51PM

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Thank heavens, I though it was just me.

We have a fairly specific fault code to work with here and yet were talking about adding two stroke to the diesel and checking for blown brake light bulbs. May aswell advise topping up the screen wash and adjusting the rear view mirror too, just encase that helps.

Best advice, aside from the suspected turbo, is to get someone to look at it who is familiar with them.

We have a Op with a limp mode problem, so he can follow the results of the scan, and do what ever that dictates, at whatever expense..fine no problem. Now I had a similar problem in my 1.9 tdi....and before going down the expensive route ( which at the time, might have been more than the car was worth ) I was a member of the VAG forum, and it seems that I was not the only one to have this problem, and it was recommended that I try the 2T solution, and see what happened, And what happened? I duly added 400 Mls at next fuel filling. And the result?? No more limp home mode. Same thing with the Injector harness.. the OBD threw a code showing injector fault, Clear the fault...everything fine for awhile, then misfiring return's. Sometimes, not for 500 miles, others after 50 Miles. Again, on the VAG forum, the harness was given as a frequent cause of this, and infinitely better than process of replacing a set of injectors...and afterwards, to find that the problem still existed. So I tried the harness first, and it worked, as did adding 2 T oil to the fuel. Now you can think what you like about it, call it witchcraft if you like,,that;s your prerogative, but I'm a believer...and I'm not the only one. It has worked, and is working,so I'm happy. You can run OBD scan's as much as you like, on any make of car, but sometimes, the car will have a fault,,that is not showing up in a scan... customer brings in the car complaining of this or that...fine run a scan, which show's everything is OK, ( of or maybe has an old fault showing, and you clear it )but next week.. customer is back,,same complaint. If you are in the business, you know that this is true.

jmreire · 21-09-2019 06:26PM

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

I don't? 1.9tdi is all I know??

To find out which engine is in it, you can write down the VIN nr, ( its in the registration ) and google VIN decoder's, enter in your VIN detail's, and everything about that specific car will come up, inc engine type etc. Alternatively, have look
at the plastic cover on the pulley at the front of the engine.....you will see which engine type on that too.... generally 3 letters.

JAMES VTI S · 21-09-2019 08:01PM

Cool I'll have a look.

ice.cube · 21-09-2019 08:36PM

jmreire wrote: »

We have a Op with a limp mode problem, so he can follow the results of the scan, and do what ever that dictates, at whatever expense..fine no problem. Now I had a similar problem in my 1.9 tdi....and before going down the expensive route ( which at the time, might have been more than the car was worth ) I was a member of the VAG forum, and it seems that I was not the only one to have this problem, and it was recommended that I try the 2T solution, and see what happened, And what happened? I duly added 400 Mls at next fuel filling. And the result?? No more limp home mode. Same thing with the Injector harness.. the OBD threw a code showing injector fault, Clear the fault...everything fine for awhile, then misfiring return's. Sometimes, not for 500 miles, others after 50 Miles. Again, on the VAG forum, the harness was given as a frequent cause of this, and infinitely better than process of replacing a set of injectors...and afterwards, to find that the problem still existed. So I tried the harness first, and it worked, as did adding 2 T oil to the fuel. Now you can think what you like about it, call it witchcraft if you like,,that;s your prerogative, but I'm a believer...and I'm not the only one. It has worked, and is working,so I'm happy. You can run OBD scan's as much as you like, on any make of car, but sometimes, the car will have a fault,,that is not showing up in a scan... customer brings in the car complaining of this or that...fine run a scan, which show's everything is OK, ( of or maybe has an old fault showing, and you clear it )but next week.. customer is back,,same complaint. If you are in the business, you know that this is true.

Fairly unusual fix tbh, fair play if it worked for you. I wouldn’t get too upset if I was pushing your idea and getting a little backlash from it!

firstlight · 21-09-2019 10:02PM

Try the Mr muscle on exhaust side of turbo,had similar problem with a Passat
My turbo use to stick from time to time
Hard drive,diptane,2 stroke and egr delete works a treat on the 1.9.have 3 in the family
Good luck sorting it

JAMES VTI S · 21-09-2019 10:15PM

What happens the blades stick open? Mr muscle I'm guessing the one that foams up

21-09-2019 10:20PM

CoBo55 wrote: »

Sticking turbo vanes, had the very same trouble with an Octavia of that vintage. I got rid of it, it's still on the road but I wasn't prepared to pay for a new turbo, which is the only lasting solution.

same as this, i got the turbo refactored and didnt have the problem again.

pricey fix, mine had to be done for other reasons anyway so it wasnt optional

might be worth seeing if theres a cleaning option, but also worth watchin to see if the buildup has taken the vanes in any way off-centre while youre at it, because at that stage youre into big decision territory

Limp mode keeps coming back - VW

Comments