'03 2.7T CEL Help!
#1
02-13-2007, 12:15 AM
'03 2.7T CEL Help!
I recently bought a 03 2.7T with about 45K miles on it from a large local dealer, and within two weeks, the CEL light came on. I took it back to the dealer, who said they'd fix the problem at no cost (since the car was literally just bought) and after running the VAG COM software, found that the reason the CEL was activated was because of a low reading on the Secondary Air Pump (SAP) and faulty readings on the oxygen sensors.
When they checked out the Secondary Air Pump they found no problems with it, nor could they find any problems with the oxygen sensors. Everything, according to them, was running as designed and normal, and the service tech was somewhat perplexed as to why the CEL came on.
The service tech replaced the fuse, thinking that when the dealership was detailing the engine, they might have accidently hit something or the like, causing the fuse to pop.Hereset the CEL,since everything was working as it should have been, and saidhe didn't think thelight would come back on, but if it did, to come back.
Anyway, 4 days later, and less than 50 miles later, the CEL came back on.
Some observations I've made regarding the situation. The first time the light came on, I noticed a significant increase in fuel consumption (i.e. bad fuel economy), but not long after, fuel consumption returned to normal. The second time the light came on, the situation was very similar. Upon engine start, I noticed the fuel level lower than when I had left the car, but that after a while fuel consumption returned to what seemed to be normal. I park my car outdoors, in Colorado, where recently the lows have been in the 10s and 20s and highs in the 40s and 50s.
I've done some research online as to what the problem might be, and from what I've gathered, it sounds likethis is not an uncommon problem. I think maybe the problem lies in some ofthe hoses, which may be cracked and leaking, but what I don't get is that if there were a problem with the hoses, wouldn'tfuel consumption remain bad the wholetime the car is on? Also, I didn't come across many people who detailed how the CEL light and SAP problems affected their fuel economy, and exactly how it did.
Does anyone have any experience with similar situations, or has anyone delt with this type of scenario? Anykind of help would be greatly appreciated!Thanks!
When they checked out the Secondary Air Pump they found no problems with it, nor could they find any problems with the oxygen sensors. Everything, according to them, was running as designed and normal, and the service tech was somewhat perplexed as to why the CEL came on.
The service tech replaced the fuse, thinking that when the dealership was detailing the engine, they might have accidently hit something or the like, causing the fuse to pop.Hereset the CEL,since everything was working as it should have been, and saidhe didn't think thelight would come back on, but if it did, to come back.
Anyway, 4 days later, and less than 50 miles later, the CEL came back on.
Some observations I've made regarding the situation. The first time the light came on, I noticed a significant increase in fuel consumption (i.e. bad fuel economy), but not long after, fuel consumption returned to normal. The second time the light came on, the situation was very similar. Upon engine start, I noticed the fuel level lower than when I had left the car, but that after a while fuel consumption returned to what seemed to be normal. I park my car outdoors, in Colorado, where recently the lows have been in the 10s and 20s and highs in the 40s and 50s.
I've done some research online as to what the problem might be, and from what I've gathered, it sounds likethis is not an uncommon problem. I think maybe the problem lies in some ofthe hoses, which may be cracked and leaking, but what I don't get is that if there were a problem with the hoses, wouldn'tfuel consumption remain bad the wholetime the car is on? Also, I didn't come across many people who detailed how the CEL light and SAP problems affected their fuel economy, and exactly how it did.
Does anyone have any experience with similar situations, or has anyone delt with this type of scenario? Anykind of help would be greatly appreciated!Thanks!
#4
02-13-2007, 06:40 PM
RE: '03 2.7T CEL Help!
The plump has 2 hoses that go to 2 valves. The hoses are brittle plastic. They can pop off, or just leak.
Either replace the hoses, or wrap them in heat shrink wrap. When you mess with them, they might break.
The o2's can be related to the pump, but only at cold start. If you mileage goes down, changes are it's due to faulty O2's.
Either replace the hoses, or wrap them in heat shrink wrap. When you mess with them, they might break.
The o2's can be related to the pump, but only at cold start. If you mileage goes down, changes are it's due to faulty O2's.
#5
02-13-2007, 07:31 PM
RE: '03 2.7T CEL Help!
Gas mileage only goes down when I start the engine, and all tests on the O2 sensors came back fine. Consumption seems to be normal after the engine gets going. I'm thinking it's the hoses... I'm going back to the dealer today, and hopefully within a few days the problem will be fixed. Thanks!
problem looking for is loose pipes as stated and a code might help
#7
02-14-2007, 12:01 AM
RE: '03 2.7T CEL Help!
So far I haven't experienced your problem, but if it sounds like you're running rich until the engine warms up. Suggest you check the air filter and have the dealer pull a plug to see if it's burning right.
When you say gas mileage goes down, do you mean the mpg calculation on the dash computer reads low? Then after the car warms up it returns to a "normal" mpg?
Let us know what you find out. I'm bound to have the same problem at some point, with my luck.
When you say gas mileage goes down, do you mean the mpg calculation on the dash computer reads low? Then after the car warms up it returns to a "normal" mpg?
Let us know what you find out. I'm bound to have the same problem at some point, with my luck.
#8
02-14-2007, 09:27 PM
RE: '03 2.7T CEL Help!
Dealer called today and saidthe Secondary Air Pump needs replacing. I'm hoping they diagnosed it correctly, and once they get the new one in, the problem will go away. Dealer is taking care of costs either way, but it is a hassle to keep having to go back...Hopefully the problem will be solved after this...
#9
03-01-2007, 03:03 AM
RE: '03 2.7T CEL Help!
Picked up the car a few days ago. It was indeed the Secondary Air Pump. Dealer said it had an internal short, and replaced it for free. The estimate they had on their records said it would have cost like $775. I've seen the part online for $450, so I imagine they were going to charge over $300 for labor, which seems kind of excessive, but since I didn't pay for it, I don't really care.
I've driven a little over 120 miles since the new one was installed and gas mileage seems much improved and the dramatic fuel decrease at startup hasn't occured since.
Hopefully this will solve the CEL problem, and will be the last problem I'll have to deal with for a while.
On a somewhat related note, just a question. Today I was driving in whiteout conditions here in Southern Colorado, the Audi handled like a champ, could really feel the quatro. But at one point, I was going up a hill and kind of fooling around with the car, like "slipping" it and swerving side to side (nothing too drastic or damaging), but the Airbag light came on for like 10 seconds and then turned back off. Is this anything to be concerned about? It didn't come on thewhole ride back (about 30 miles), so I'm not too concerned...
I've driven a little over 120 miles since the new one was installed and gas mileage seems much improved and the dramatic fuel decrease at startup hasn't occured since.
Hopefully this will solve the CEL problem, and will be the last problem I'll have to deal with for a while.
On a somewhat related note, just a question. Today I was driving in whiteout conditions here in Southern Colorado, the Audi handled like a champ, could really feel the quatro. But at one point, I was going up a hill and kind of fooling around with the car, like "slipping" it and swerving side to side (nothing too drastic or damaging), but the Airbag light came on for like 10 seconds and then turned back off. Is this anything to be concerned about? It didn't come on thewhole ride back (about 30 miles), so I'm not too concerned...
