Unreliable TDI towed 107 miles on way home from vacation!

1. One week before the vacation, I did my own 5000 mile service consisting of oil & filter change and draining the fuel filter and refilling it with fuel.
2. I had cruise control shutting off and a rough idle while driving home from work, but put vaselline on the o-rings at the fuel filter and the problem went away.

Then I went on vacation.

About once or twice every 100 miles I had to stop and add more vaselline - not a big problem. I figured I'd replace the fuel filter after I get home.

On the way home from the vacation I stopped to add more vaselline, and the engine would start and stop within 1 second. The immobilizer light and the glow plug light would blink. I went to the trunk and pulled out the 36 page technical bulletin. The Tech note stinks! I did the procedure to enter for 4 digit number over and over, and the car would not accept it.

I called AAA and VW. The nearest VW dealer going away from home was about 55 miles away. I called and they can't work on the car until monday. I called the second nearest VW dealer 80 miles away and got the same answer. "I got 26 cars I have to get done with today. No way we can work on your car today. Saturday is only for oil changes." AAA towed me home 107 miles. On the way we stopped at a VW specialist garage, but he didn't want to do the job because he was busy with other cars and he will be closed within one hour. He never heard of the immobilizer. He said if I had arrived a few hours earlier he'd have loved to try working on it. He only gets older vws.

So I was towed all the way home 107 miles by AAA. The first 3 miles were free, the rest at $2.50 per mile. Bill came to $260, and VW will pay up to $100 to be towed to a dealer ($100 is not enough to even get to the closest dealer from where I was stranded).

Now I have a car sitting in my garage that won't start with any of my 3 keys. It only runs for 1 second. Tomorrow I'll move my PC to the garage and see if the other procedures in the tech note are similarly bogus.

In the worst case I'll spend Sunday removing my Wett chip, Tuning Box, and reconnecting the PCV and EGR in preparation for a Monday tow to a local VW dealer.

Anyone with a laptop want to stop over tomorrow so I won't need to disconnect my PC and drag it down to the garage ???

Howard,

Why are you doing your own 5k service? Why are you draining your fuel filter at 5K miles? This is all scheduled maintainence which is FREE at your VW Dealer of Choice! I truly believe these TDI's should not be played with, no chips (sorry guys), no excessive maintainence, ect... Leave them stock and you'll have a car fit for 300-500K miles..

BTW, sorry to hear about your vacation being ruined. Have the car fixed and try to sneak away sometime before Labor Day!!

Sorry to hear about the problem Howard. But it is starting to sound familiar. We need to get to the bottom of why this is happening on the newer models. To date, the dealers have replaced the ECU. I wonder if there is a defect with them. Keep us apprised and good luck.

Vaseline??? Howard, uh... Driveon...NickatNight

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1999 green/tan MkIV Golf GLS TDI auto, lux., K&N, Bilstein HD, flaps down.

[This message has been edited by ENUTPEN8 (edited June 23, 2000).]

ENUP: Mickey recommends it. Or a dab of grease.

Strack: After all the stories about dealers who can't even put the right amount of oil (or the right oil) into the car, I figured I'd rather do it myself. I've always done my own oil changes. I'd rather do it myself on a weekend rather than take time off from work to wait around for a "expert" to do it for me.

Valois: ECU replacement???? I better get that Wett chip out!

Z, this all sounds TOO familiar except you had a glow plug and check engine light, right?

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Z, I would agree, you know they are going to blame the obvious. I do not believe they have a clue as to what's happening. There is a guy that is supposed to be a tech in a VW dealership in North Carolina on the VW lemon board, He has mentioned that he has experience and training specifically on the electronics of the VW system. It might pay to post something over there.

Howard, you said you put in a 4 digit number. Now I don't have the fob that I should have had because of some bs the dealer told me about getting the car from another dealer, BUT, the number for the key they gave me is a FIVE digit number. The radio code is a FOUR digit number. Perhaps you punched in the radio code by mistake.

Karl: I used the 4 digit secret code on the FOB that was originally coverred with lottery ticket silver stuff that is rubbed off with a coin. BTW, to log in using VAG1551 software you add a zero in front of the 4 digit number. I memorized the 4 digit secret immobilizer code and also the 4 digit radio code. When I got home I double checked and I was indeed entering the correct 4 digit code.

Next step is to hook up my pc to the obd2 port. Write down the error codes, and try the procedure to accept a new key. I figure that even if I fix the problem, I probably will need to go to the VW dealer anyway and let them fix it for all 3 keys. VW probably will not pay $100 of my towing bill if I don't end up bringing it to a dealer for repair.

I suspect the procedure to recode a key will not work just like the procedure to enter the 4 digit code did not work earlier today. The procedures are for when your key is damaged or you buy an additional key. Sounds like everyone else who had this problem needed a new ECU due to hardware failure because it can't hold the codes embedded in the keys.

[This message has been edited by HowardZ (edited June 23, 2000).]

THANK YOU Z, for responding to my question---I was trying to help---es&d---thanks again Karl, for the third time .

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Doyle, you are sensitive. VW does seem to replace ECU's and Injection Pumps at the drop of a hat. How many miles was on your (Golf?) when your ECU was replaced? Is that part of the engine/drivetrain warranty?

I never had any lights with my air leak problem. This sounds like Relay 109 again.

-mickey

Karl, cranky is a better word---had a looooong work day yesterday. I had around 13,000 when they replaced it and they ate the whole enchilada towing bill($300-400).

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I'm thinking Mickey is on the right track; relay 109.

It's possible it melted in the open position or such, causing a non-start condition. $15 part.

Howard keeps a spare 109 in his glovebox.

Well, I replaced the relay 109 and it didn't help. I didn't think it would. And yes, I actually run the car for over a month on this CarolinaGolf resoldered relay 109.

I reconnected the EGR and PCV. I'm leaving the elephant hose in place - tucked away near the battery. I removed the tuning box.

Same symptoms:
I turn on the ignition and the immobilizer idiot light is on.
I try to enter the 4 digit code.
As soon as I start to enter it both the glow plug light and the immobilizer lights blink. After entering the code, the car still won't start.

I hooked up my battery charger to the battery. I'm going to leave the ignition on for an hour or so in case it the immobilizer is in a 10 minute or 20 minute or 40 minute lockout from yesterday's half dozen or so attempts to enter the code. I can hear the intercooler fan runing while the ignition is on - so I think the battery charger is a good idea.

If this doesn't work, then I will lugg my PC down to the garage and see what the VAG1551 emulation software has to say. I hate the idea of taking the PC down to the garage!

I think there are important clues in your description. Could a clogged fuel filter or fuel pickup trigger this response? I could envision one of these two forcing the fuel pump to suck air past the o-rings. What about the ecu cover possibly contacting the chip? Is there a sensor which would disable the system if it detected excess water in the system? Have you checked the grounds?

We need a database or table or something on the troubles that people have experiences. Symptoms, diagnosis, remedy, cost.

I'm wondering if this isn't related to running both chip and TB. These GD cars are smarter than us.

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Ok, I spent a few hours sweating in the hot garage with my PC moved there. I took out my tuning box, and reconnected the EGR and PCV.

Here's what I found using vwtool s/w :

Instrument Cluster Fault Codes:
1314 Unknown Trouble Code
1177 Engine Control Module Not Valid

Radio Fault Codes:
No Errors Detected

Brakes Fault Codes:
1315 Unknown Trouble Code

Airbag Fault Codes:
No Errors Detected

Engine Fault Codes:
Can Not Communicate

This led me to believe that the ECU is fried because the OBD-2 s/w can't communicate with it but can communicate with other systems. Also the Instrument Cluster claims the ECU is not valid.

Next I took out my ECU and removed the Wetterauer chip and replaced the factory chip. New for 2000 models, the Wetterauer has a small daughter card that snaps onto the ECU. One daughter card has the factory chip soldered onto it, the other daughter card has the wetterauer chip in a removable socket with a clip that holds the chip in place. I took the chip off of the daughter card and 2 pins of the chip were touching - I separated them using a small screwdriver. Most likely I caused the pins to touch when I took it out. Anyway, figuring that the ECU is fried I put back in the daughter card with the original chip. I had driven to Indiana and Wetterauer did the complete Ecu removal, chipping, and Ecu installation job. Never accessed the ECU since then, and it has been over 4000 miles.

As Gomer Pyle says: Shezaam
The vwtool s/w can communicate with the engine section (ECU).

Engine Fault codes:
17571 (P1163) Unknown Trouble Code
17978 (P1570) Engine Control Module blocked
17978 (P1570) Engine Control Module blocked
18048 Unknown Trouble Code
18020 (P1612) ECM Incorrectly Coded
0 No malfunction recognized

Instrument Cluster Fault codes:
1314 Unknown Trouble Code
1177 Engine Control Module not valid
1314 Unknown Trouble Code
1177 Engine Control Module not valid

I went into Instrument Cluster
Then into Adaptation
and placed the value of "0" into Block "00" which needs to be done when a ECM is replaced.

Engine Fault Codes:
18048 Unknown Trouble Code
18034 Unknown Trouble Code
18020 (P1612) ECM incorrectly Coded

Instrument Cluster Fault Codes:
No Errors Detected

I went into the engine section
then into "Recode Module"
and set the code to "2"

Now I can start the car with all 3 keys. But I get a blinking glow plug light and a check engine light. The remaining engine fault code is:
18048 Unknown Trouble Code

This 18048 code is not in my RB CD for 2000 New Beetle cars.

I have erased all error codes and the only remaining one is this 18048.

Now I am unsure what to do.

Without knowing what this error code represents I am unlikely to be able to solve it.

I feel like RB treats us like second class citizens giving us erroneous and incomplete information in the manuals and the CDs while giving correct and complete information to the dealers on their CDs.

I can take the car to a VW dealer, but I am not sure what to say.
Maybe I'll just tell them the entire story including the ecu removal and reinstallation but just leave out the chip swap.

What advise does our highly educated and intelligent readers have to give?

P.S. The replaced air intake, BMC air filter, and TT exhaust still make the care feel powerful enough to be exciting to drive. Of course it is less than with the Wetterauer Chip and Tuning Box. I hate the idea of the EGR and PCV fowling up the intake, but it is only for a short period of time.

[This message has been edited by HowardZ (edited June 24, 2000).]

Howard, you're really getting into the nitty gritty of fixing a state of the art car. Think of it as interesting!

Jay had a similar problem, if you recall ( http://forums.tdiclub.com/NonCGI/Forum4/HTML/001192.html ). The jury is still out on his problem too. If you read that post, I found that DTC 18048 in the 1.8 T part of Bentley. I've complained before about the accuracy of their stuff too.

Yes Karl!
That thread IS describing my circumstances. Unfortunately that thread does not tell us how everything ended up being resolved.

How many driving cycles have you completed? Is it possible the Mil and glowplug indicator will reset themselves? The codes that you threw were related to Emmision related faults, specifically Speed and idle regulation and computer and output signals. That is as far as I can reference it in the POC OBDII manual I have.
This is an outline of the codes:
1st character:
Pxxxxowertrain
Bxxxx: Body
Cxxxx: Chassis
Uxxxx: Future systems
2nd Digit
P0xxx: DTC codes specified by government
P1xxx: additional emissions related codes made availible by the manufacturer, they must be reported to the government
3rd character or digit
Px1xx measurement of fuel and air
Px2xx measurement of fuel and air
Px3xx ignition system
Px4xx additional emission control
Px5xx Speed and idle speed regulation
Px6xx computer and output signals
Px7xx transmission
The fourth and fifth digits designate the component or system.

I gotta question "chipping" a TDI. You got 90 hp....so you get 90.5 hp ..oh yea they tell you you get 110hp!

Just sit back and think...don't you think that VW would give you the 110 hp if they thought it was a good thing? How much money does VW R&D spend tweaking the TDI design to get a reliable compromise between longevity and performance. Now a " chip" guy comes along with a staff of 2-4 "engineers" and reprograms the FLASH look-up table memory with some parameters that make more power.

++++ 90 vs 110 hp, can you really feel it? get an american V8 if you want to feel it....
morons!

Morons?? aohhhkayyy

This is a free country; one can chip as one pleases.

Difference, huge, if you had tried the difference then you wouldn't be asking these questions.

Mickey? Skypup?

The RB NB CD does indeed show this error code in the 1.8 Liter gasoline turbo section. It says the solution is to replace the ECU/ECM!

It looks like this is not going to go away on its own.

Howard: As this problem was developing, you reported that it helped to relube the FF o-ring. There seemed to be some mechanical component. Do you think this is a related issue?

Check this out Z, it appears that VW had some programming faults on some of their ECU's, your 1314 code is listed as one of the problems, down at the bottom of the document they list the affected ECUs. http://tech.vw.com/pdf/v010001.pdf

These are for Automatic transmission models. You never know, could they be installing the wrong ECUs at the factory or is the software buggy?

According to what I have read the ECU part number should be:
06 A 906 018 P/V07 if it is 48 states model
06 a 906 018 CR/V03 for the 50 states model
If you have ABS ECU coding should be 00000
without ABS 00040 (this is for manual transmissions. Auto's are coded 00001 and 00041 respectively.