One cylinder died, loss power & loud sound

Hello-

this morning when I was driving to work, all sudden the engine start to make lloud clanking sound. Normally when idle you here the sound and when rev increase you hear it less. This is vice-versa and powerloss guessing about 25-40%. Can't hear turbo spool anymore and the the higher rev you go the higher the sound until freeway noise overcome it.

Took it to a mech, he guessing one cylinder died and will take out the iol pan to look at it.

other note: oil replace about 6K ago with timing belt.

any tip or hint to pointout this fix/cause?

thanks in advance.

P-D engine in that car. Might be a cam lobe (valve or injector) gone bad - first thing I'd do is take the valve cover off. What's the history on oil changes; has the proper VW 505.01 oil been used?

What oil were you using? who did the timing belt, with what method, and who's parts were used.

The mech said he will take the pan oil out to check, not sure what he's looking for. The car has 98K on it and yes proper oil is use in the car every 10K changes. Got the car at 75K.

That shop did the timing belt, he work as a desiel mech for semi-truck, now working at a normal auto-mech shop. Belt kit got at dieselgeek, replace whole thing belt tensioner etc.

Leave the pan alone ( for now ), check under the valve cover first before you pull anything else loose .

If you pull the pan & pull a rod cap you get into the need to replace the rod stretch bolts . And if it is the cam or the PD injector that is bad pulling the pan is a waste of time & money .

The mech I brought my car too, didn't dare to work on my car cause he said he never work on before. So I took it to the dealer to diagnostic the engine problem.

They said there are problems with my O2 sensor, MAF & (one more thing, forgot). I know the O2 sensor is dead, it came on 4 month ago and I didn't bother to replace it. They want to tear down the exhaust pipes to do some smoke test, but going to cost me $400, so I said no.

Could the MAF or O2 sensor cause (one) cylinder to misfire? I'll get some one to take a look at my injectors.. to see it it's clogging one I get it back.

I didn't pick up my car yet, but one I do I'll post the excast diagnostic they run onit.

thanks,

ALSO: before my cylinder loss power/misfired it's loss power slowly in 3 days total. Like sound, it's start a little loud to (in 3 days) loudest.

xbangu said:

The mech I brought my car too, didn't dare to work on my car cause he said he never work on before. So I took it to the dealer to diagnostic the engine problem.

Click to expand...

I hate to tell you this, but since you're in California (CARB state), it's possible that the dealer never worked inside a PD engine either...

Be aware, also, that the injectors in your car are far more complex (and expen$ive) than the ones in the 2003-and-earlier vehicles...

Good luck !!

Yuri.

Where is there a local TDIclub guru in the SoCal area that xbangu can take the car to for a proper diagnosis?

Closest thing to Herm and Chris would be Leonard Harview in Fullerton... almost 2 hours away...

Yuri.

Isn't TornadoRed in San Deigo? I'm not sure if he would be comfortable looking at it, but he may know someone that is.

My PD diagnostic abilities are minimal.

Xbangu either lives in SD and works in OC, or vice-versa. So.... if he can limp to Fullerton... Whatever is broken, isn't going to get any more broken.

Best dealership in SD County would be Classic VW in Escondido. But any dealership is going to cost an arm and 1.5 legs.

The mech I brought my car too, didn't dare to work on my car cause he said he never work on before.

Click to expand...

So... these are the guys that did the timing belt change?

So I took it to the dealer to diagnostic the engine problem.

Click to expand...

Man... I think you need to start asking the right questions... do you have any mechanical aptitude? if not... this can get expensive...

Ok, I just got the car back from the dealer, below is the diagnostic:

"Duplicate rough running engine, car has three codes in ECM=P1178 + P2196 + P0101, inspect for damgaed exhaust system and leaks, has leak in manifold area, need exhaust manifod unit removed for further diag. note: has also codes in air bag system sen sr."

They also did a smoke test by removing the MAF section and inject smoke there, they said there nothing coming out inthe tail pipe (they think there a leak in the manifold). I run the car idle and there is something coming out of tail pipe. They said the engine is not misfired. Car is able to rev all the way up 5.0rpm, but very weak at 1.5-2.5rpm, above 2.5rpm it getting some power back. Between 2.0rpm to 3.5 sounded loud, but after 3.5rpm, it start to sound normal, maybe a bit louder when it was working normally.. can't tell what normal is no more.

I listen to the engine again just now at home, park the car in front of garage. Fromt he dorr go into the house it sound like normal at idle(hammer like sound), but from the side of my house "backyard" it do sound like a muffler have some hold in it (soft popping sound)

Could a leak manifold or muffler make you lose that much power?

If its an exhaust leak, yes. Turbo boost could be down from a leaky exhaust manifold. You'd sure smell it too, and it would be soot under the hood.

Did they check the boost pressure under load? A few things can cause low boost.

Another thought if its a "dead" injector, how about the wiring to that injector? The electrical plug for all the injectors is at the left side of the head. There ought to be a way to determine if the injectors are getting electrical pulses. If they are not, they don't fire. There is additional electrical plugs for each unit injector under the valve cover, as well.

Another thought is that the injector winding could be shorted, but I'd verify the electrical pulses, if its not firing on one cylinder, before I remove an injector. Maybe resistance can be checked with the injector installed, but unplugged.

Maybe a compression test is in order too.

Just random thoughts. Good luck with it.

--Nate

Just fill up my tank and added half a bottle of diesel injector cleaner. While making a turn, I saw some black smoke coming out of the tail pipe (for a few sec then stop). And power seem to be coming back a bit, the engine sound when rev is up don't sound too clanky no more, but still clanky (kinda soft).

Also, have been other post " after EGR replcement", guessing my EGR or downpipe be faulty or not install proeperly, what do you guy think? He have the exact probelm as my car now.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=172212&highlight=after+egr+problems

thanks!

I'm going to guess EGR issues, like the pipe broke.

OK today I jack the car up and check the downpipe, it's very solid bolt in. Don't seem to be loose at all. Also, I disconnected my intercooler and this is what I saw. No wonder smoke is not going to the tail pipe, is this normal. What could be the cause? Also, is that valve open all the time or should it be close? And a friend look it with me, not a mech.. said it feel like the flow from the intercooler is flowing out, instead of in.

http://pics.tdiclub.com/showphoto.php?photo=33786&cat=500&ppuser=47083
[URL="http://pics.tdiclub.com/showphoto.php?photo=33784&cat=500&ppuser=47083"]http://pics.tdiclub.com/showphoto.php?photo=33784&cat=500&ppuser=47083

[/URL]

Call Leonard and see when he can look at it. (714) 449-0485

The valve cover needs to be removed and the cam and followers looked at, ASAP.

I did call Leonard today, but he said he can"t look at it at least another week (too many car). when i call him, i didn't check the intercooler yet. I'll call him again.

I just remove the (??? valve) and intercooler tube to clean it so afterwardif I run my car again I can confirm that smoke is passing through there. This will illimniate the though of the dealer running a smoke test and cause it.

http://pics.tdiclub.com/showphoto.php?photo=33788&cat=500&ppuser=47083

Afterward I remove another (??? valve#2) just becauseit next to it to check it out. And I guess I have found my problem, but not sure. I try to rotate the valve by hand, but it not moving at all. Feel like it's stuck. Can someone explain how the valve & valve#2 work together or so.
PN:038-131-501 AD

http://pics.tdiclub.com/showphoto.php?photo=33789&cat=500&ppuser=47083

My though, when the turbo is not on the valve#2 should rotate (close) so the manifold flow out tot he exhaust and not out to the intercooler. And if turbo is "on" valve#2 should be (open) letting the air into the manifold. Looking at valve#2 right now it's look like it's stuck open, this might say how I got all those chimney black soot.

Also, this might explain how I hear this clanky sound( not sure) properly cause by ???valve from the pressure the manifold putting out. Because ???valve I can try to move it by just finger pushing on it.

anyone know the name of those valves?

----------------------------------------------------

whitedog said:

The valve cover needs to be removed and the cam and followers looked at, ASAP.

Click to expand...

I SECOND this.