Low Power, Erratic Shifting, Electronic Issues

2006 Jetta TDI – My car ran fine going into work one morning but when I got in it to come home I noticed it had low power, erratic shifting and electronic issues. It didn’t have the power to get up to 55 mph, the shifting in and out of gear (I could manually shift) and lost my cruise control. We took it to a mechanic who changed the cam and the transmission oil and filter and that did not solve the problem. They could not identify what is causing the low power issue. In fact they had another vehicle in their shop with similar issues but have not determined what is causing them. Does anyone have any suggestion that will help us get my car back on the road?

Yes i have a suggestion since you asked... Find a trusted tdiclub mechanic. If you have to travel then do so. Look at all the money this mechanic just had you throw at your car... Local auto shops are a waste of time and money. Also if you plan to own a VW plan to own a VCDS scanner as well.. See ross-tech.com for vcds. Also read more on TDICLUB it will save you money and time.

Welcome to Fred's.

I 2nd GreenLantern's suggestion. I also suggest that you invest in a VCDS & time learning to use it. It is well worth the investment. Attempting to diagnose problems without one is like spitting into the wind.

Alternately, attempt to connect with other VAG owners in your area that have VCDS and will, as a good samaritan, run a scan on your car. Search the SouthEast forum & VagCom list.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/forumdisplay.php?f=70

A scan of fault codes from VCDS is what is needed to aid you in the diagnosis. The expensive cam replacement without resolving the problem is a perfect example of why a scan is needed & the value of owning a VCDS.

http://www.ross-tech.com

Thanks GreenLantern TDI and Bob S. for your response!! I thought the TDI mechanic we used was one we found off this forum but could be wrong. They did a Vagcom scan is how they found the cam issue as well as a flywheel issue. They thought the cam replacement would fix the low power issue and my husband was going to replace the flywheel to save money. Don’t want to fork out a lot of money on fixing the VW when we don’t know exactly what is wrong. Even after the cam was replaced there is a hissing noise which is almost like it has a leak somewhere but they could not locate one. There was a commit made about having to get an actual VW Tech on the line to identify what the real problem is which I’m assuming to do that I would have to go to a VW dealership. The VW Jetta has been a good car and love the fuel mileage. It has 196,000 which is also time for the 100,000 mile tune up as well as fixing all the other issues.

The hissing noise is likely an EGR cooler leak. Eventually it will harm & rupture the coolant hose to the heater core. Run a search, it is a known problem as the cars age.

If the shop ran VCDS, they should have a pre & post service print of such. Hopefully stored in their system. Request a copy.

We previously had an issue with the EGR and that was blocked off about 3 years ago. Could this cause the low power?

A scan &/or VCDS printout would identify if the engine is in limp mode & why.

Thanks Bob S. Greatly appreciate your help. We've call the mechanic and they are going to send us a copy of the scan they did so hopefully that will help.

Update?

Yes, got an update. We got the VCDS scan from the mechanic. There were 5 Faults Found with engine. Following was identified:

• 001025 - EGR System (The EGR was blocked off a few years back)

P0401 - 000 - Insufficient Flow

• 001650 - Cylinder 2 Glow Plug Circuit (Q11)

P0672 - 000 - Electrical Fault – Intermittent

• 000257 - Mass Air Flow Sensor (G70)

P0101 - 000 - Implausible Signal

• 000665 - Boost Pressure Regulation

P0299 - 000 - Control Range Not Reached

• 008759 - Oxygen (Lambda) Sensor B1 S1

P2237 - 000 - Pump Current Open Circuit

There was 1 fault found for Auto Trans

• 18149 - Clutch Pressure Adaptation

P1741 - 002 - Limit Reached – Intermittent

The mechanic replaced the camshaft, oil and oil filter, transmission fluid and filter. They did a DTCs cleared. Ran scan again - keep getting the 1 fault found on engine:

• 008213 - Intake Manifold Flap Position Sensor (Bank 1)

P2015 - 000 - Implausible Signal - MIL ON

The other question I have is the mileage with each fault found is different. I’m assuming since they are different that that is the mileage at which the fault occurred. Can someone confirm that? Does anyone have any suggestion of what we can do to restore the power?

We are going to try to clean the Intake Manifold this weekend. From what I've read this sounds like a dirty job.... Wish us luck!!!

jwph said:

We previously had an issue with the EGR and that was blocked off about 3 years ago. Could this cause the low power?

Click to expand...

Did you also do an EGR Delete? I had blocked it off, replaced the broke hose, and did and EGR delete. Cleared up my problems. Delete is only $99 through a Malone dealer.

Is an EGR delete the same as blocking it off? Is so, we did that a few years back.