Low operating temp/low power 1.4 tdi

D

dickiebom

Member
Hello Everybody
This will be my first post and I would just like to say its real nice when you purchase something new or require advice to find a forum which is well managed and enthusiastically maintained such as this one.
I have read through many of the posts so I am aware that the problems I am having with my recently purchased 1.4 tdi are not isolated to my A2. What I would like to know is. How they are relevant to each other?
The first problem with car is the temperature gauge stays on 60 deg and the heating is very poor as it takes a long time for the screen to clear. I assumed no coolant or stuck thermostate. The later proved to be the case there was coolant in the expansion tank and I was able to stick my finger in it after decent run and it felt about 60 deg or lower.
The second point is low power. The really struggles under load in third gear and beyond. It can not really rev much further than 3000 rpm and stuggles to make 40 plus. Overtaking is is a flight of fantasy or leap of faith. I let you know when I manage one. This is my first Diesel so was unsure what to expect. Reading posts on the site leads me to believe that this little Diesel can be quite sprite. There are no horrible noises etc of note.
How much effect on power will it have if the car does note reach the correct operating temp as explained? Is this consistant with the power loss I have described? Do you think there could be further complications with turbo, sensors,or management systems? Should I need a Vagcom is there any body in the Reigate area who could help? Your thoughts gentlemen please. Richard
 
It shouldn't struggle at all under normal load. The diesels fly along...
I think someone with a vagcom wil be your best bet to find out what is actually wrong

How long have you had your car and what year of car do you have?
 
Hello Dickiebom and welcome - it's a shame that your first post is because of a fault, but we'll see if it can't be solved easily.

First of all, Richard is right - the diesel A2, be it the 75 or 90 PS versions, do fly and shouldn't have a problem overtaking.

Whip off the bonnet and have a really good look around the engine bay for a pipe that is loose, torn or is disconnected. This could be anything from a pipe smaller than your finger to one of about 3cm diameter.

It sounds to me that you have something like a disconnected pipe that is causing your lack of power. It could be something that has failed (one of the control units) or even a blown turbo, but this is usually signified by other symptoms, such as extra noise or vibration.

Have a look at the Googlemap of members in your area to see if there is anyone that is VAG COM equipped, as a scan would be very useful in diagnosing your particular fault.

However, in the meantime, have a really good root around to check all your pipes are as they should be, as I think you'll probably be able to solve things in this way.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Hi Richard
Problems with the coolant temp semder at the back of the cyl head are quite common and this can give a low temp gauge reading. The fact that the engine appears to be running cold could be a separate problem. If the thermostat is not stuck open then another possibility is the auxiliary coolant heater may not be working. This should automatically cut in at around 6 degC and stay on. It operates like a 3Kw mini central heating boiler and runs on diesel. Without this working the cabin heater performance will be very poor in cold weather.
The low power is unlikely to be related. As Skipton said, the most likely cause is one of the very small turbo boost signal lines becoming detatched at the turbo

Cheers Spike
 
Auxiliary coolant heater location on 2001 tdi 75hp

Thank you very much every for your enthusiastic responses.Could you let me know the location of the auxiliary coolant heater and what it looks like. IS there way i can access its performance bearing in mind the thermostste may be defective. Regards Richard
 
Hi Richard
The auxiliary heater is located near the brake fluid reservoir in the top left (drivers side) corner of the engine bay. Its a box shaped alloy housing with a cylindrical air intake on the top which is connected to the body with a convoluted tube. It only works below 6degC and with the aircon switched on. Clicking the econ button will switch it off.
Its quite obvious when its working as it makes a fair noise which is particularly noticible after the engine is switched off and the system winds down through its cycle.
Assessing its performance would be quite difficult if the thermostat has stuck open.

Cheers Spike
 
Finnish up

Hello All
Got the car back from the garage today and can confirm the faults were a defective thermostate and a cracked turbo hose and lose bracket. Both have been rectified and I know love my little A2. Thanks All Richard
 
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