Engine Management fault codes....

Richie S-Line

Richie S-Line

Member
Hi there everyone,

I may be not only a new member and a new owner, but I've been able to glean some incredible information from here so far....

But now I'm sort of stumped. So this is a plea, like so many others for help. And for what looks like a regular problem....

My car is an 03 plate 1.6 FSi Sport, with about 51,500 miles on the clock.

Problem: Engine management light flashing intermittently.

Solutions so far:
1. Tried new coils; no difference so back to the original coils.
2. Cleaned the earth connections associated with the coils; no difference.

Still to do....
3. Checking cam belt tensioner....
4. Checking compression....
5. Possible sticking/burnt out valves....

Fault codes found so far:

16685 Cylinder 1 misfire detected PO301

16687 Cylinder 3 misfire detected PO303

Engine Data: BAD 049 035

Starting to get worried that there is no actual solution, but certain there must be.

Any help/advice gratefully received. Thanks in advance!

Richie
 
Hi!
I had the same problem with my 03 fsi sport! I had the coils changed which helped a little but the only thing that fixed it was having the NOX sensor replaced! Think it cost a bit less than £200. Seems ok so far!
Hope this helps!
Adam
 
Thanks Adam.

It now seems that this entire episode is due to filling my tank with Tesco fuel.

I had just driven 500 odd miles from Aberdeen and stopped at Tesco's in King's Lynn to get some fuel (about 40 miles from home.) After that the engine light started to flash on the dash and I felt an occasional stutter from the engine...

Now, after my mechanic has tried coils and various other possible causes we realised that Tesco's were the last fuel supplier and the car had been perfect before. After a 500 mile trip, a visit to Tesco's about 40 miles from home seems to be the prime suspect!

Now on the phone to Tesco and about to put in a serious claim for compensation!

For those in a possible similar position here's a link:
http://www.doyourselfjustice.co.uk/contaminated.asp

I'll add further details during the process so that people can keep abreast of this situation, and also if the current Engine Management Light" problem get's solved.

It's just too much of a co-incidence that it's only after filling up with Tesco fuel that everything starts to go wrong, and especially now as my mechanic has basically checked everything it could possible be and found everything (mechanical and electrical) to be working fine.
 
Random Misfire across all cyl, Misfire cyl 2

Random Misfire 1.6 FSI

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

Hi, My Fsi 1.6 was in with a multiple misfire all cylinders, misfire cylinder 2.I took it to an independant VW Audi specialist who have a good reputatiom in the Grimsby Cleethorpes area. They reported Cold compression was ok but head off anyway as they found burnt exhaust valves? Sent away for exhaust valves, guides and seats. When re-assembled the misfire remained. Exhaust valves may have been burnt but on this occasion they were not the cause of the misfire. The VW/Audi specialist had the car (3 weeks ) I always had my doubt about the head removal as first call. Auto electrician tested and everything ok. Lots of straw grasping, coil packs , plugs , filters fuel system checks, vac pipesetc. Audi consulted and suggested injector fluid. That failed. They then said change #2 fuel injector and that worked. Misfire cured. Bill for £1100. I was charged 10 hours labour at £40+ Vat the rest was parts and head reconditioning although I suspect it may not have needed it .
Unfortunatley em fault light came on 50mts from garage so its back in again. Had Vag com on it and it now has 3 other faults. Inlet manifold valve not reaching position.Air intake air leak. Had it back to Indi/Garage who had diagnostic on it but did not seem to be able to grasp the FSI/Manifold valve concept. which needs calibrating. Block 174 on Vag-com shows the vacumn to the valve, they thought it was working backwards? I have lost confidence in them, even I could interpret the results as 100% vac 0% no Vac.
Its off to the main dealer now, should have taken it there for diagnostic in the first place.
In the next post more info on the manifold valve.
 
Last edited:
Part 2 the Manifold valve. 1..6 FSI

Hi, £1100 lighter car running ok but em light on and manifold valve not working. Having downloaded info on all above this is how it works.
The flap in the intake manifold is moved by a plastic lever from the bottom of the actuator valve. This pushes down when there is no vacumn and opens the flap inside the manifold. When Vac. is present the plastic lever is up and the manifold flap is shut thus altering the aif flow for FSI/eco mode. The vac is switched by the ECU operating an electrical solenoid prior to the vac valve. I guessed it may be this butwanted to be sure. Told the Grimsby Audi Tech my plight with the other independent garage and he agreed to diagnostic for £30. Took it in and sure enough the solenoid would not switch even with a forced output to it. The part cost £48 and they offered to charge only 1hr at the same price as the independents rate which was £40. The car was returned after a full valet inside and out, and the final bill was 2 x £30 (saved another £10) + £48 +Vat = £127. The car now drives and goes like new.

In retrospect I should have had a second opinion about the Head recon. my gut feeling was and still is that it was not the cause of the misfire, which was proved correct, although the garage are still adament ( they would be) that it needed doing. Also I cannot praise the main dealers highly enough on this ocassion. I was always scared to take it to them from tales of rip-offs and £100 per hour rates but found them just the opposite. They will negotiate and have offered good rates if needed again.

The A2 despite all of this is still a great car. It now feels so responsive on the throttle, a propper little warm hatchback.
Handling is sorted due to 2xnew front springs and an anti roll bar fitted last November (along with a cam-belt and water pump)and hopefully fit for another 50 K.
 
Thanks for your invaluable posts Hayashbra, and I'm pleased you have been able to get your A2 running sweetly again.

My own problem has developed a little way.

Tesco have written and said it wasn't them or their fuel (as I expected...)

After flushing the fuel tank, replacing the filter and checking pretty much everything else that could cause a the problem, my A2 is now only showing the EML at tick over. After about 2000 revs it goes out . Despite the car still showing a misfire on cylinders 1 & 3 it is obvious there is no misfire.... we're still hunting the cause, but I fear a trip to Norwich Audi is on the cards and they've already quoted £85 just to plug the car in.

The saga continues, and I haven't let Tesco's off the hook yet!
 
I've got the same problem here, and it's after filling the tank with Tesco's fuel too on Saturday, it's lost power and the engine management light is on. The engine and the exhaust sounds rough though, has it ruined my catalytic converter?
Or was it the exhaust system that I had problem with?
 
So, after two weeks or so, an apparently final resolution to the EML/Tesco fuel dilemma.

My local mechanic eventually held up his hands and said there was no more he could do. After 2 weeks of doing very little I might add.... he was starting to talk about injectors and burnt valves.

I insisted it went to my local Audi dealer, Norwich Audi, who were, to be honest, brilliant!

They updated my car's software, and according to a service bulletin from Audi, disconnected the ECU and left it disconnected for a couple of hours.

After re-connection the EML was no longer flashing and the car is going like the proverbial bomb!

Still, I fuelled up with a tank of Shell V Power, and certainly won't be going to Tesco's ever again, as I'm convinced their fuel was at least partly to blame for the original problem.

Hope that's some help to anyone with similar problems.
 
I have always used Shell V power, and find it seems to suit my car. I know there was a problem with tesco fuel a while ago. Glad to hear its sorted.

Mind you, I had an issue a year ago, but that was due to the lamba probe.
 
Richie S-Line said:
They updated my car's software, and according to a service bulletin from Audi, disconnected the ECU and left it disconnected for a couple of hours.

After re-connection the EML was no longer flashing and the car is going like the proverbial bomb!
Click to expand...

Richie, are you saying that it was a software problem ? if so how do we check what version of software we have ??

our 1.6fsi has a similar intermittent flashing EML and wonder if software is the answer ?
 
bovril said:
Richie, are you saying that it was a software problem ? if so how do we check what version of software we have ??

our 1.6fsi has a similar intermittent flashing EML and wonder if software is the answer ?
Click to expand...
Hi Bovril,

I would guess only those with VAG COM or your local Audi dealer would know what your current software version is, and probably only Audi can tell you if it's the current version.

My understanding is that the software upgrade was fairly routine, but the disconnection allowed the ECU to reset itself, delete the misfire codes and thus stop the EML from flashing.

Someone else on here might be able to advise further, but it may well be that simply by disconnecting the ECU and leaving it for two or more hours before reconnecting, might solve your problem. And that's considerably less expensive than the "... oooh, could be an injector, or a burnt valve..." discussions that I started to hear!

Let us know what you do and the result!
 
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