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Losing power going uphill

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    Posted: 24 Feb 19 at 12:24
Hi,

Just hoping for any suggestions relating to an issue I'm having with my van, please.

Over the past 3 or 4 months, a noise has developed when I make the engine work a little bit. It sounds like a blowing exhaust - a sort of hissy, gas escaping type sound, fairly loud. I can create the sound when in any gear, but not when in neutral. I mentioned it when I took it in for a service about 3 months ago and took the guy for a short drive in it to demonstrate the sound, but he couldn't diagnose it.

Yesterday, an additional new sound developed - kind of like the sound you'd make running a finger round a wine glass, but louder. I also lost a lot of power going up hills on the motorway - usually I don't drive beyond 60, but at times I was dropping down to 50 or below, and even had to drop down to 4th on one ocassion.

If anyone could offer any suggestions before I take it in for the garage to take a look, it would be much appreciated.

Thank you.
Lancashire
LT35 80kw TDi - 2005
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote mojo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 19 at 18:58
My initial thoughts would be turbo/boost leak or leaky egr system. Check around the egr pipe for any signs of soot. You could always try unplugging the control solenoids for the turbo and egr valve to see if the sound alters, just to give you idea of where the problem might be.
2006 LT35 TDI 109 AVR
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ADK Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 19 at 12:11
Thanks very much for the opinion. I will get the handbook out and have a look at where I can find the egr pipe!

Thanks!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote mojo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 19 at 14:18
EGR pipe is the shiny metal one in the pics.




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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ADK Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 19 at 15:51
Thank you very much (again) for that.

I've checked and I think you might be right - the pipe is cracked around the part where it meets the spiral/threaded-looking area. I can move it quite easily with my hand and there is a visible crack.

I'm not competent/confident to do the job myself, so I'll have to get a garage to look at it.

Am I likely to do any damage if I continue to drive it before it is repaired? What about a 300 mile round trip that I've got coming up on Thursday?!

Thanks again, you've been a great help.
Lancashire
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote mojo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 19 at 16:48
The exhaust gases drive the turbo, with your exhaust gases leaking that means no or reduced turbo power. Apart from the loss of power the escaping exhaust gases could toast surrounding components like the turbo hose or turbo vacuum line etc and cause more problems especially over a long run. I wouldn't drive it like this. If you could source a new pipe and your near Liverpool I could swap it over for you. It's literally a 2 minute job.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ADK Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 19 at 19:40
Thanks very much, and that is a very kind offer indeed.

It is due for an MOT in the next two weeks and the garage I use is pretty fair, so I expect that they will be very reasonable in terms of charges, so I will leave it to them. The part seems pretty available and affordable on eBay.

I will definitely take your advice and not drive it though.

Thanks very much for your help and for your kind offer - Scousers are the best!
Lancashire
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote mojo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 19 at 22:57
Haha... I've heard scousers called some things but never thatLOL
Your welcome and let us know how you get on.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ADK Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Mar 19 at 17:38
A quick update: it's fixed - and it was the EGR pipe as suggested - thanks for the help.

It cost £109 and had to be got through a VW dealership. TPS were the same price and there was nothing available on eBay. The pipe completely broke yesterday and it sounded like I was driving a tractor, but I did have to do a ten mile round trip and seem not to have done any damage.



Regarding fitting I'd asked at a local garage who claim to be VW specialists about doing the job, but it's run by a couple of weird brothers and they didn't seem to be able to decide whether they had retired or not. Eventually they decided they had in fact retired, so I asked at the unit over the road.

The guy who owned it took a look at the job and quoted £30!! So I decided to have a go myself - it was bad enough with VW taking the piss with £109 for a small tube, without someone else getting in on the fun too.

ANd, as you predicted, it was a simple job. Took me less than ten mins, and that included finding the allen keys!

Thanks very much for your help, the problem has been solved. Like I said, Scousers are the best! Cheers!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote mojo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Mar 19 at 21:17
Thanks for the update and glad your sorted.

At least you saved yourself £30, today an EGR pipe, tomorrow.......an engine rebuild! (which reminds me, is your timing belt due or been changed?)

I wanna meet those 'two brothers' were they sitting in rocking chairs on a wooden porchWackoWacko

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ADK Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Mar 19 at 14:54
Ha ha, not sure about the engine rebuild, but you are right, I did save the £30 (with your help, thanks) which offsets the rip-off part cost to some degree.

And those two brothers aren't quite ready for the rocking chair on the garage porch just yet, but they are certainly from that mould - they've probably got one set of teeth between them, if that helps paint a picture

I have had the timing and cambelt changed twice since I've owned the van but I can't recall when the last time was. I checked within the last year (when it went in for service) and it wasn't due at that point, but i suspect it is probably due fairly soon.

From memory, I think they recommend every 70,000 miles (and mine is now on 153,000) but thanks for the reminder. I'll go through the paperwork and make sure I'm on the ball with that one.

I recognise that vans don't last forever and mine is definitely needing more maintenence nowadays, but if there are any other aeras you would recommend I look at, feel free to shout out. I've g ot a friend who is good on bodywork, and he sorted all of that out for me last year, so hopefully it will just be the mechanical side of things I need to concentrate on.

Thanks again, I can't really explain what a relief it is to have got it sorted without too much fuss.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote mojo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Mar 19 at 23:22
Haha, that's the picture I had in mind....Zeb and Jeb.

Maintenance wise they're pretty basic. Air filter, fuel filter (don't forget to open the water drain on it every now and again to drain off any accumulated water). Oil and filter. I don't do a lot of mileage so every 12 months for me. Specs say every 15,000 miles but personally I would do it at half that. I always wait till the likes of eurocarparts do a half price sale and get the lot for around £40-50.

Antifreeze every 5 years, around £15. Stops freezing, overheating and rusting internally. I used evans waterless coolant in mine as I'd just done a full rebuild.

The other things worth considering are gearbox and diff oil, around £60 for castrol stuff. There's no mention of a service interval on these but done mine early last year and what a difference it made to gear changes in the icy weather. There's a magnet on the drain plug of the gearbox and it was full of tiny filings when I removed it, that made me feel even better I'd changed the oil.

Brake fluid (also serves the clutch), I let mine go a year 'or ten' over schedule and it was actually crystallising in the resevoir. Around £20 for a full flush and refill.

Power steering fluid around £10 for a flush and refill, again there's no service schedule for this.

Evertime I've seen a major failure on these it's been down to lack of maintenance. Quite a few people in recovery and the dealers workshops have actually said to me keep hold of the LT and don't bother with the newer crafters for reliability reasons.

Btw these are all parts only prices.
Out of curiosity what engine code do you have in yours?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ADK Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Mar 19 at 16:22
Brilliant, thanks very much for the tips.

It gets a garage service once a year (I'm low mileage also, 8k- 10k maximum) and they do the usual oil and filters thing, but I'm sure they won't go to the lengths that you mentioned, nor use good quality parts and oil. Once I get a bit of free time I will look into how to do some of the jobs you mentioned, or at least ask my friend who is good with engines for a hand!

He mentioned something called Archoil ar6400-d max and I read the Amazon reviews and I'm tempted to give it a go. Seems pretty easy to deal with, even I can manage that job, I think!

Your point about Crafter v LT is a good one - I did a lot of research before I bought the LT and it was clearly the best van available. I preferred it to a Sprinter, if for no better reason that I noticed a lot of rusty Sprinters - and it was a major improvement on the Transhit I had. But from what I've read, the Crafter is not as reliable, so when the LT finally dies, I wouldn't know what to do next. SO I would definitely like to prolong the life of my LT, that is for sure!

According to the log book, its :

80 KW TDI 5G AVR DDY LN6J 0000 0000 CT

...if that means anything to you?!


Lancashire
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tellytubby Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Mar 19 at 20:23
Quote He mentioned something called Archoil ar6400-d max and I read the Amazon reviews and I'm tempted to give it a go

I use Archoil on my 2.5 tdi anj engine (nearly the same as yours) once a year and it has kept the turbo VNT operating reasonably reliably for the last 2 years.  I can say it definetely isn't snake oil and does have some effect but it's relatively expensive and may not help for your symptoms.  For instance it makes no noticeable difference to my smoke levels or mpg.  Don't expect miracles...

Would definetely recommend brake fluid change - it's probably the most overlooked service item on older vehicles.  After that antifreeze. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mojo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Mar 19 at 19:33
Originally posted by ADK ADK wrote:

Brilliant, thanks very much for the tips.

It gets a garage service once a year (I'm low mileage also, 8k- 10k maximum) and they do the usual oil and filters thing, but I'm sure they won't go to the lengths that you mentioned, nor use good quality parts and oil. Once I get a bit of free time I will look into how to do some of the jobs you mentioned, or at least ask my friend who is good with engines for a hand!

He mentioned something called Archoil ar6400-d max and I read the Amazon reviews and I'm tempted to give it a go. Seems pretty easy to deal with, even I can manage that job, I think!

Your point about Crafter v LT is a good one - I did a lot of research before I bought the LT and it was clearly the best van available. I preferred it to a Sprinter, if for no better reason that I noticed a lot of rusty Sprinters - and it was a major improvement on the Transhit I had. But from what I've read, the Crafter is not as reliable, so when the LT finally dies, I wouldn't know what to do next. SO I would definitely like to prolong the life of my LT, that is for sure!

According to the log book, its :

80 KW TDI 5G AVR DDY LN6J 0000 0000 CT

...if that means anything to you?!




Yes you have the AVR, same as mine. Slightly different/improved version to the other 109's

Need to correct myself regarding the gearbox and diff oil....service schedule is 60,000 miles or 4 years.

I think maybe fuel additives can help keep the fuel system clean but as for some of the claims they make about restoring 'this and that' I'm very doubtful. It all depends on the condition components are in in the first place. I always think of 'Hi I'm Barry Snott, look how my clit bang cleans these brand new tiles with brand new grout and with a light dusting of fresh dirt, scammed and the dirt is.....still there!' hmmmm. But that's just my opinion.
I always like to remove parts for cleaning, I'm a little bit ocd in that department. As you can see below, some before and after pics...
I also added a pic of the gearbox drain plug I mentioned with all the filings on it.



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