Audi A6 AEL needle lift sensor

My car is running fine presently,had it about 2 months very happy with it.Although ive been toying with the idea of getting it chipped.I have put vagcom on it and found that im getting a 'needle lift sensor intermittent signal' showing.As ive said it doesnt appear to have any running problems,plenty of power but just wondered is this something that will get worse sooner rather than later or could it just be one of those things? an original part from a vag specialist is over 500 pounds(1000$),which id rather not spend to be honest especially if it didnt remove the faultcode.

Have you deleted the code with vag-com, drove a few days to see if it returns?

yes i deleted it a few weeks ago,checked it again maybe 2 weeks later and it had returned.

you've heard the saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it" but if it puts your mind at ease, tell me the code's it thrown? I will have a look in my book to see what the probable causes will be.

ok here you go

1 Fault found:
00542 - Needle lift Sensor (G80)
27-10 - Implausible Signal - Intermittent

air in fuel system.
fuel level low.
wiring.
injector needle lift sensor.
I don't know what car you own but this code is listed for a 2000 passat with an engine code of afn.

its a P reg (1996) audi a6 tdi 2.5 (ael) 140bhp

yes same thing. you do know what the needle lift sensor is?

yes its on top of one of the injectors,im not sure if they detach from the injector or not?found out audi do an exchange one for about 130 quid but still its a lot of cash to blow if it isnt this what is showing the fault.A mate has one and he says he gets the same code,sometimes his sort of coughs when hes dong about 100mph but only rarely.Do you know anyone in the northeast who might be able to do a decent job of chipping it?ive been trying to get hold of this alligator bloke but he isnt answering my emails etc.

My guess is going to be a wiring problem. The wires are very small and prone to breakage. Inspect the connector near the top of the injector. It should be somewhat obvious which injector it is since it is only one (on the 4-cyl).

The signal is used to determine the Start Of Injection timing point. If the signal is bad, the computer can get confused or just use a substitute signal.

It's all to do with engine stroke and ignition timing. if faulty it affects your top speed and performance and reduced power is felt, usually your glow plug light will come on if faulty, basically your car will run fine but lacks performance. if your car runs well it is most likely wiring. don't worry too much it won't stop your car from working.

yes this one is a 5 cylinder but only has the one elctrical connection although it didnt look like it was removable when i looked at it briefly a few weeks ago,and there was not a connector for it in the loom.

Check the electrical connection and clean the terminals. I doubt it's the sensor itself because it's intermittant.

heres a picture i took today of it,as far as i can see there is no actual connection it looks like its moulded onto the injector.

Follow the wire, you will find a connector...

thats what i thought but it goes into the loom!