AUDI OIL PUMP PROBLEM

AUDI A4 ENGINE NOISE

For the past week my sister's Audi A4 2.0L 2007 has been having issues. When it starts its engine sounds like a tractor engine but after about 15 secs it quietens down and sounds and idles perfectly normal. Ever since its engine oil and oil filter change some seven weeks ago by her friend. The "Engine oil pressure light" keeps turning on, after some 20 minutes of driving, accompanied by a beep from the pizzo electric buzzer. Thereafter  it repeatedly  triggers  unexpectedly,  actually giving her a fright every time it does. I ran a scan with VCDS and there was absolutely no sign of engine trouble or DTC from the engine. Except for ABS signal out of specification fault which is totally unrelated to oil pressure. So since there was no problem other than the engine  Engine oil pressure light that triggered daily she decided to drive the Audi in that condition and tolerate the beeping. 

I inquired about the oil that they used, thinking perhaps that if the  grade of oil was too thick, it would affect the oil flow and pressure.  She fetched the container which still had some oil in it from the garage to show me what it was and on inspecting the viscosity of the oil between my thumb and forefinger I was amazed by the crap they sell unsuspecting customers. It turned out that she bought SAE 10W/20 oil at the local supermarket off the automotive shelf because it was going cheap. The oil was so thin, it was virtually like water, it couldn't even form a drop at the end of my finger. I even asked her if they mixed paraffin with the oil and she said no. I looked at the writing on the container to see if it wasn't two stoke oil for lawnmowers but it wasn't. 

Audi A4 Oil Pump (Old Top - New Bottom)

I then knew that this was the cause of the problem. The oil was too thin and the oil pump had difficulty in getting enough oil to the cams, bushes and gears  resulting in the noise caused by excessive friction during the the first 15 seconds when started. I actually thought that the oil may be too thick, so that the  oil pump couldn't push through the required volume of oil per minute. After telling her what an idiot she was to buy this cheap crap oil, I begged her to get some VW 50300 Long Life Engine Oil from the Audi agents.  I even offered to drain the crap oil out her Audi, flush the engine, replace the oil filter and fill it with the correct oil. The VW 50300 Long Life Engine Oil does cost a lot more than regular oil put it has the advantage of 30000 km before the next change. Fortunately it costs less than VW Automatic Transmission Fluid

So after replacing the filter and filling up with the new oil, the Audi now sounds a lot better but it is still noisy. Not as loud as it was before and the duration of the noise reduced from 15 seconds to about 4 seconds. Its  going to cost her a new oil pump replacement within the next week or so, because driving with a suspect oil pump is asking for the engine to seize and heaven alone knows what that's going to cost to repair.

VW AND AUDI EPC SOLENOID

VW AND AUDI EPC SOLENOID REPLACEMENT 

Its been four months since the accident that triggered both my VW Polo's airbags. Even though damage to the body was slight, my polo has been standing for all this time while repairs were effected. Now that everything is fixed and ready to take the Polo on the road once again, there appeared to be a huge problem. I couldn't select any gears whilst the engine idles because it grinds horribly but was able to select them when the engine is off. I have even selected a gear then turned the ignition, just to see it the clutch and pressure plate engages. After several attempts at grinding every gear, I came to the conclusion it may not be the gearbox that's at fault but perhaps the clutch that is not disengaging from the flywheel sufficiently.  So I started the engine and pumped the clutch for a several minutes. Thereafter it started selecting gears with difficulty and after several attempts it was back to normal. I took the Polo on the road and every thing was just great. 

02E  Automatic Transmission EPC Solenoid DSG  Gearbox  valve body   (Electronic Pressure Control) solenoid 

This so reminds of my friend Aron who also had or rather is still having a nasty transmission problems with his Jetta.  When he selects a gear, there is  loud thud coming from the transmission, then the  P, N, R, 1, 2, 3 light in the  instrument cluster flash red for a while then just stays on. In fact the light display is reversed, solid red back ground with whiteout text.  His car is fitted with DSG transmission. Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG), Multitronic DSG / CVT Transmission  repairs can be and are invariably quite expensive and this problem looked and sounded very expensive. So to save money, he decided to repair it himself.  After watching what he had to do, I realized that a bad transmission is definitely not a DIY project, unless you have the mechanical and electronic expertise and the necessary specialized equipment. 

A 02E transmission scan came up with the following data:- 

 Address 02: Auto Trans Labels: 09G-927-750.LBL
Control Module Part Number: 09G 927 750 HJ HW: 09G 927 750 CJ
Component and/or Version: AQ 250 6F 1068
Software Coding: 0000072
Work Shop Code: WSC 31414 000 00000
4 Faults Found:

17104 - Transmission Output Speed Sensor (G195): Circuit Malfunction
P0720 - 012 - Electrical Fault in Circuit - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 10101100
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 44
Mileage: 104552 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2010.10.19
Time: 16:39:08

17099 - Transmission Input Speed Sensor (G182): Circuit Malfunction
P0715 - 012 - Electrical Fault in Circuit - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 10101100
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 39
Mileage: 41353 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2015.08.08
Time: 00:00:00

17094 - Transmission Fluid Temp.Sensor (G93), Circuit Malfunction
P0710 - 010 - Open or Short to Plus - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00101010
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 184
Mileage: 41353 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2015.08.08
Time: 00:00:00

01680 - ABS Wheel Speed Signal; Front Right
013 - Check DTC Memory
Freeze Frame:
 Fault Status: 00101101
Fault Priority: 2
 Fault Frequency: 7
Reset counter: 201
Mileage: 41353 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2015.08.08
Time: 00:00:00

The transmission gets  a speed signal from the front right side wheel which is needed by the TCM to determine the speed of the car and when it should change gears hence there is an ABS fault listed above. After stripping the valve body, he found that the transmission oil looked like there was water in it, a sort of milky grey instead of reddish translucent. It turned out that the previous owner never bothered to replace the transmission oil at all. There were iron fillings attached to the magnets in the sump and some black plastic bits from the solenoid plugs could be seen in the oil, liquidized by the gears.  This most likely caused solenoid EPC (electronic pressure control) solenoid to seize, preventing it from moving when pulsed because it caked-up around the plunger.  In fact the entire loom was so brittle when  it was unplugged that it just disintegrated into crumbs.  Considering that the engine is attached to the transmission, both of which produce tremendous heat which virtually "cooks" the transmission oil at 40 degrees C. Its no wonder the transmission harness  is overcooked hard and brittle because it lies in this hot oil. It's also very surprising that VAG cars with DSG transmissions aren't more trouble some than they already are, because the electronic mechatronic unit sits inside the gearbox. As bad luck would have it, Aron's Jetta's mechatronic device was fried and needed to be replaced along with the internal harness.  No electronic component other than "military spec electronic components" was designed to withstand of survive such huge amount of heat.  

Anyway, the EPC (Electronic Pressure Control) solenoid was replaced after the valve body tunnels was cleaned with a rifle cleaning wire brush and reassembled. Two more rubber seals on two other solenoids were also replaced and as mentioned earlier, the mechatronic unit and the internal harness.

VOLKSWAGEN VEHICLES FITTED WITH CHEATING SOFTWARE

VEHICLES FITTED WITH VOLKSWAGEN EA 189 DIESEL ENGINE

The Volkswagen  emissions scandal, nicknamed "Dieselgate" is a controversy of global proportions, perpetrated by the largest carmaker in the world. And unless you've lived under a rock for the past three weeks, you would have heard it spoken about at breakfast diners, discussed in public transport on the way to work, lamented over by colleagues who recently bought a VAG vehicle, commented on at social gatherings and scandalized by the facebook and twitter communities.  To date Volkswagen AG admitted that 11 million vehicles manufactured between 2009 and 2015, fitted with EA189 diesel engine are affected with "cheating software".  Global pressure is forcing Volkswagen to recall all affected vehicles to remedy the problem by the end of 2016. Currently all the affected models have been withdrawn from sale and includs the 2009-2015 range of  VW Beetle 2.0L TDI,   VW Golf 2.0L TDI,   VW Jetta 2.0L TDI,  Audi A3 2.0L TDI, and  VW Passat 2.0L TDI sedan and wagon, Audi A4 sedan and wagon, Audi A5 coupe, Audi Q5 2.0 TDI SUV, VW Tiguan SUV,  the Skoda Yeti SUV and Skoda Superb sedan and wagon, all fitted with the controversial 2.0-litre EA189 TDIengine.  However, the cars are safe to drive since they don't have safety issues. These vehicles are globally distributed as per the graphic below. As can be seen approximately half a million (482,000 ) of these suspect vehicles were sold in the USA and is also the place from  where all the hoo-haa, objections, opposition, protest, criticism and law suites originated thus far, even though the USA reneged from the Kyoto protocol as long ago as 2001 whilst under the Bush administration.    

Meanwhile, Peter Mock the managing director of a European non-profit clean-air organisation found discrepancies in the European tests on VW  Passat, and VW Jetta diesel vehicles. His organisation was  unsuccessful at convincing European regulators to emulate the higher and stricter U.S emissions standards for diesel automobiles. He then appealed to John German his American counterpart at the International Council on Clean Transportation to replicate the tests in the U.S., convinced that they could show Europeans it was possible for diesel cars to run clean. So in conjunction with the West Virginia University’s Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions (CAFEE) -- contracted to the EPA-- they found emissions discrepancies between lab tests and road tests of Volkswagen Diesel vehicles fitted with the EA 189 Diesel engine. 

Whistle blowers - John German (L) and Peter Mock (R)

After making their findings known to the EPA,  an investigation was opened against Volkswagen in May of 2014. The string of subsequent events just snow balled,  resulting in the forced resignation of Prof. Dr Martin Winterkorn CEO at Wolfsburg Germany. Termination of  Ulrich Hackenberg, engineer and former head  of R&D at Audi and  Wolfgang Hatz engineer and former head of R&D Porsche. Admission that Volkswagen cheated at emission testing and subsequent loss of 30 billion Euro market share in just two days of trading. Congressional hearings grilling of   Michael Horn, the CEO of VW's American division.

Volkswagen is the largest automobile manufacturer in the world with a global employee figure  of almost 600,000 people. Fines leveled at Volkswagen popping up all over the world could result in sequestration and add all these people to that already long unemployment line. But according to the new CEO Matthias Mueller while addressing more than 20 000 employees, he assured them Volkswagen will rise above the scandal. According to Michael Horn  when questioned by the House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee, he said that the "cheating software" was not a corporate decision but that of a  group of rogue German software engineers.

VOLKSWAGEN BOUNCES BACK

VOLKSWAGEN'S BOUNCE BACK

Chancellor Angela Merkel, who wasn't very vocal about the dieselgate scandel, called the Volkswagen's  deceit and disclosure "a dramatic event" and urged them to clarify the issue as soon as possible. Seeking public trust, Volkswagen resorted to  full-page advertisements in national newspapers in its home market. (See Video below). All things considered, today was a good day for Volkswagen AG. By the looks of things, Volkswagen has somehow managed to contain the fallout from its "Diesel Gate Scandal", within a few short day by setting up several websites for their loyal VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda clients to easily self verify whether or not their vehicles are fitted with the "cheat device". As such the VW share price started to recover very quickly as can be seen on the slide below. At 4:00 PM today, the share price reached a high of €98.07 delivering a yield of 5.14% opposed to the opening low of €93.90 at 9:00 AM this morning. Unfortunately the share price took another dip thereafter and settled at  €97.30 by 5:30PM, yet still above 5%.   

The websites  mentioned above, allows VAG vehicle owners to input their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and the response from the Volkswagen AG database will confirm  the presence or absence of the dubious software associated with noxious emissions. Links to the websites can be found at the bottom of this web page. 

The graph above shows Volkswagen's share price over the past 5 years and it can clearly be seen that the current share price is more-or-less at the same level it was in the last quarter of 2011.  Tomorrow is Wednesday 7th October and marks the deadline for Volkswagen AG to present a "plan of action" to remedy the emissions problem of approximately 2.8 million vehicles in the German market.  In an attempt to soften the blow given to the general public by Volkswagen AG, it came up with some ads.

TRUST

Diesel Stinks.... but the dog "Tuna" 

smells worse than diesel fumes

WINGS

The Angelic beings who not only lied through 

their teeth about emissions, but went as far as 

cheating and hoodwinking the general public 

and the authorities with software mimics  emission 

control equipment because the new Volkswagen 

diesel engine just wasn’t good enough.

VOLKSWAGEN AG AFTERMATH

VOLKSWAGEN AG AFTERMATH

The Volkswagen emissions debacle is undoubtedly the greatest corporate catastrophe since the global financial crisis, and that even includes the BP oil spill of 2010.  It has been nicknames the "Diesel Gate" scandal and is the greatest controversy the carmaker experienced in its 78 year history. VW  is currently the largest car manufacturer in the world and it is no exaggeration to say that the company is in mortal danger. It is very likely that the VW group can survive the financial knock of the scandal but whether or not it can recover from the reputational damage it has suffered is extremely uncertain. The news of Volkswagen AG cheating in the global vehicle market space had a huge impact on its stock value / share price. Since December of 2014 Volkswagen's stock value / share price had steadily increased from €155 to as much as €247.55 depicting an average of €195.63. When the news of its impropriety broke, the stock value / share price plummeted and by Friday 2nd Oct 2015, it reached the all time low of €101,15 and is decreasing even further. Today  some 13 days later Volkswagen's share value has dropped to as little as €90.88, the same level it was at in September of 2011, a whole 5 years ago.  Just two days of down trading wiped out €25billion in VW market capital, placing it in an existence-threatening crises.

Emission Cheaters.....

Volkswagen is certainly not the flavour of the month anymore. VW is being bad mouth by everyone and the news channels are having a field day  with the resignation of Dr Martin Winterkorn its CEO and the dismissal of  the chiefs of R&D in their Audi and Porsche divisions. In fact the general interest in Volkswagen has waned so dramatically that VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda vehicle  blog sites are seeing a huge decline in surfer interest. As an avid Volkswagen enthusiast who owns a 7 year old Polo just witnessed that the amount of Volkswagen AG vehicles on sale at Gumtree.com has doubled. This is a bad sign, because I was hoping to sell my car some three weeks ago before Volkswagen's disclosed that they cheated. This is bound to impact on the price I  will get for her because the supply of VWs are way more than the current demand. Grrrrr.

The emission scandal coupled to the notorious DSG transmission debacle has really done all VAG vehicle owners a disfavour, to the point that the first time in more than 5 years, Volkswagen's share values fell below Toyota's share value. In a nut shell, your VW that won "car of year" in several divisions for several years has just depreciated to less than that of a measly Toyota... and falling. 

To make matters worse, the California Air Resources Board announced that it intends to broaden its testing of  Volkswagen AG cars fitted with diesel engines. This will include 3.0-liter V6 engines used in the the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi A6. Rival car manufacturers like South Korea's Kia and Hyundai, have seen their share prices climb as investors steer clear of German automobile manufacturers. As a consequence even German car maker BMW has suffered a 5 percent slump in its share price today. Not to mention that  businesses that service and supply components to the auto industry have also suffered a hard knock.