VW 06 BRM: the Famous P0101 CODE:

DunnTDI

Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2017
Location
VA
TDI
06 Jetta TDI PD BRM 1.9L
I bought a Jetta TDI with 189K on it. It currently has 203K miles on it, after driving it for a year and love it. I hate seeing codes and started researching and working on my car. Fixing all the different pieces i find wrong. This code has been ON since I bought the car. I have done tons of research, reading forums, and video watching to help me diagnose my P0101 error code: Before we get to far into my explaining, I did swamp my cam, as I learned that it is the most common problem with this model, as the cam lobes begin to wear after so many miles. I dropped in the Stage 2 Kerma TDI cam; hoping that would solve my problem. STILL NO LUCK. I have diagnosed my car to a certain symptoms which trip the code. I clear the code. I drive for a while, and as driving down hill, the car will begin to engine break, which always throws the code. I have in the past, seen the code thrown while going up hills, but only rarely does that happen. Mainly always it happens when the engine is breaking, going down hills. I have searched for vacuums leaks, boost leaks, air intake leaks, and have found nothing that stands out. I have a EDGE cts monitor in which i monitor the MAF and MAP sensors. and while engine breaking my sensor values are not ridiculous values. I have unplugged my MAF and the engine did go to limp mode, which gives my hope that my MAF is working well. I watch values on EDGE, and it shows continous flows, rather than jump or sparatic values. So part of me does not believe it is the MAF. I will replace here soon tho, just to be sure. DOES anyone have any ideas of what this could be? My next thought is the intake manifold. When swamping the cam found that the EGR build up on the inside leaves the walls caked with black carbon. I cleaned EGR valve, but could only get so much out of the intake without ripping it off. Would that it affect the P0101 code, when Engine breaking?
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
You need a VAG specific scan tool. There is either some other DTC, or perhaps it is the MAF itself, or an EGR problem. You will chase your tail trying to use generic OBD2 scan tools, especially on a Volkswagen.

Watching actual and requested MAF, output testing the EGR, etc. can all be performed with a proper scan tool.

www.ross-tech.com
 

farfrumsanity

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2005
Location
Wintersville,Ohio
TDI
Jetta-2005 Reflex Silver A-5
My cam seems good, pulls strong to redline without shudder or miss, changed the MAP and MAF with Bosch, have a Malone 1.5 with egr delete and removed the egr cooler, cleaned all the carbon out of the intake, replaced all O-rings in the intake tract from the air box to the manifold, my code sets exactly as yours, under coast or engine braking, never under load, the code does not put mine into limp mode, seems to run just as good with or without it, a friend has similar problems and checked all the wiring, he is a vw tech, and found nothing after 6 hours of checking. I have vag com, but never had it hooked up when the fault set, driven as far as 100 miles and as little as 7 to get the code, I am wondering if the computer has seen bad values and needs to reset the code numerous times to unlearn. if you find a cure post it. Values on vag com are not shaky or overly out of parameters, agreeing with your findings, has to be something we are overlooking. I have been told that if it doesn't affect performance, forget the code, but I'm hardheaded and want to clear it.
 

TonyH

New member
Joined
Apr 12, 2015
Location
Rochester NY
TDI
2006 Jetta DSG
P0101 has made a recent appearance in my '06 Jetta. It also has been hesitating and belching black smoke on acceleration. Back of the car is covered in soot. And it has been making a hissing noise for a long time, which I ignored because I don't hear it. (My wife does) I found out that the EGR cooler on these cars starts to go south over 100kmi, so I inspected it with the engine running and discovered a good flow of exhaust at idle coming out of the area where the diverter flap shaft comes through to connect to the actuator linkage. So I think that's the hissing source. I wonder if the code is happening because of the EGR cooler exhaust leak? I saw a few posts on changing the EGR cooler but none said why that work was done. I think I will change it as a first step to solving this. I do have VAG COM but my laptop died.
 
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TonyH

New member
Joined
Apr 12, 2015
Location
Rochester NY
TDI
2006 Jetta DSG
Update: I got VCDS working on a new laptop and did some logging. Found EGR and MAF actuals tracking very closely together but boost pressure actual way below specified. I checked all vacuum lines and VNT actuator -all good. then I discovered a leak in the boost pipe to the intercooler. I patched that and it now runs very well. I have a new question about the turbo but I will post that in performance mods. Thanks for suggestions and comments!
 
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