Well I installed my new fuel pump and filter today and my car started right up! All warning lights are now off and it's running as smooth as ever. In addition to replacing the fuel pump and filter I also pulled out and cleaned the MAF sensor while I was waiting on the parts. I also now have a VAG-COM cable so if I have any problems in the future I should be able to retrieve the codes. Thanks for all your help!

Dan

 

Awesome! Great job. Gotta love it when you've fixed your car yourself and didn't have to put any money into the hands of the dealer.

 

Well it seems I declared victory too soon...after putting just over 800 miles on my car since replacing the fuel pump and filter my car is dead again It happened last night: I was returning home from a long trip with the car and a friend of mine was driving when he commented that it seemed the vehicle suddenly lacked power. It had no problem maintaining highway speeds and above but completely lacked any acceleration and both of us thought that it seemed as though the turbo wasn't running. While the engine seemed to be running perfectly smooth acceleration was non existent and we couldn't hear the turbo working at all.

No warning lights came on as this was happening and being that we were nearly home we continued to drive when maybe 5 or 10 miles later the CEL flashed suddenly and the engine immediately shut off. We pulled to the side of the road and tried to restart the car: nothing. No cranking or anything, just the sound of a motor of some sort running when turning the ignition. Luckily I was able to get the car towed the rest of the way home by a friend where it now sits dead in my driveway.

I was able to retrieve 9 fault codes using my VAG-COM cable and VCSD-Lite. Here are the codes, I filled in the "please register/activate" text generated by the VCSD-Lite with what I could find out about the codes online:

9 Faults Found:
18010 - Power Supply Terminal 30: Voltage too Low
P1602 - 002 - Lower Limit Exceeded - Intermittent
16396 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs
P0012 - 001 - Cam timing over retarded - Intermittent
16725 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs
P0341 - 004 - Camshaft position sensor performance problem
16683 - Boost Pressure Regulation: Control Range Not Reached
P0299 - 002 - Lower Limit Exceeded - Intermittent
16684 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs
P0300 - 001 - Random/multiple cylinder misfire - Intermittent
16686 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs
P0302 - 001 - Cylinder 2 misfire - Intermittent
16486 - Mass Air Flow Sensor (G70): Signal too Low
P0102 - 002 - Lower Limit Exceeded - Intermittent
16685 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs
P0301 - 001 - Cylinder 1 misfire - Intermittent
18017 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs
P1609 - 001 - Crash shut-down activated - Intermittent
Readiness: 0000 0000

I'm not sure how to proceed from here, it seems it could be so many different things and I really don't know where to begin Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Dan

 

One more detail I forgot to add in my previous post: We noticed maybe an hour or so before the loss of power symptom that the climate control was acting up. It was very erratic, going from blowing cold to hot air and the fan speed was all over the place. I'm not sure whether this is relevant in any way but figured it was best to provide as much information as possible. Also it was snowing and very cold at the time.

 

My guess is that P0341 - 004 - Camshaft position sensor performance problem is the key code here. I know I've read somewhere that a bad camshaft position sensor can prevent starting in a worst-case scenario.

 

Interesting, I had decided that my starter motor must have gone bad at the same time since upon turning the ignition key all I can hear is the starter motor running but it seems that it is not engaging the flywheel as there is no attempt to turn over whatsoever. Is it possible that a bad camshaft position sensor could be causing this instead of a bad starter motor? I actually started work on trying to remove the starter motor but haven't gotten anywhere as the removal process seems to be not nearly as straightforward as I had hoped I can't find any way to access the bolts securing it without first removing other parts surrounding it. I was unable to find any sort of guide on how to best remove the starter motor so I left it be yesterday but if there is a chance that simply replacing the cam shaft sensor could solve this that would be great!

Thanks!

Dan

 

The starter motor wouldn't cause your car to start running poorly, which is what happened before it died, right?

 

Yes that is correct, first symptom was a loss of power and then it stalled suddenly at highway speeds. No doubt there is something else wrong that has nothing to do with the starter motor, however it seems to me that since upon turning the ignition it seems the starter motor is failing to engage the flywheel the starter motor must have gone bad at the same time (although this does seem way too coincidental.) Either way I have ordered a replacement camshaft position sensor and will try replacing that before I touch the starter motor.

Thanks,

Dan

 

I have a 2002 Audi a4 1.8t that turns on and then off almost imedietly after turning on..if i give it gas it will stay on for an extra 2seconds.The car had randomly shut off when ideling and has had this problem since. I recenty changed the rack and pin, clutch and igniton switch. The mechanic who fixed my car told me i needed 2 new motor mounts and i have been driving without it for about a week and a half if this may be the cause. Please help!

 

Hi, and welcome! It would be best if you created a new thread with your problem, instead of adding to this thread. We can try to help you in your new thread.