Is this the worst cam follower ever off of a non-destroyed motor?!?

[ZEM930]

Well it was long overdo. Replace the cam follower. We all hear it and plenty of us do it. I bought my car with 27K miles and had the "wont happen to me attitude". THANK GOD I DECIDED TO FINALLY DO IT!!!! Here are pics of what came out of my car at 63K miles. Car was running weird but nothing crazy. Only sometimes under full throttle I would have almost like a surging fuel cut feeling. Figured i just need to upgrade the fuel pump since I had software and a HFC. Enjoy the photos. Im SOOOO damn lucky!

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[A 4 Awesome]

DAMN!!! You are lucky you replaced that before any real damage occurred to your engine.

I really should replace mine, i am at 56K and bought my car used at 22K miles.

[bigblue]

Damn those 2.0s are nasty

[ZEM930]

I mean correct me if im wrong but shouldnt the car not be ok LOL

Drives great!

[QUATTROA4B7]

What makes you say the everything is undamaged? Your HPFP is definitely worn. Also, the shots
of the cam lobe aren't very good.. but it looks like there is scoring on the cam. I'd say you should
replace that cam and your HPFP, or you will be going through cam followers like crazy!

[ZEM930]

New cam? Sounds expensive. Cam has some scoring but nothing crazy. I'll watch it closely. A new cam sure costs a lot more than a bunch of cam followers lol

[QUATTROA4B7]

Well, that scoring on the cam and the damage on the end of your HPFP will wear through your
cam follower extremely quickly. If you decide to just throw a new follower in there, and hope for
the best.. chances are that cam follower will be toast within a couple hundred miles, and will further
damage your cam and HPFP.. which can eventually lead to even worse and more expensive damage!
I would say it is worth it, and pretty much your only option to replace the cams, follower, and HPFP.
I know it sucks, I have been in the same situation. Just so you have an idea... if you try to throw a new
follower in there and run with that.. here is how it should look after >100 miles:

[beantown]

Not sure which is more horrible; the wear on the follower or you finger nails lol. But seriously, awesome that your car make it through without any major issues.

[Soul Kitchen]

maaan are you lucky! this makes me scared! good thing my car only has 35k miles so far, but i drive my car with a pretty heavy foot..

when would you guys recommend either replacing it or having it checked out?

[jayphil82]

I do not understand why some are still asking if they should check their follower... I change mine every 10k miles... My complete cylinder head needed to be replaced because of that problem. Will I do a 150$ maintenance every year to avoid that in the future let me think about it YES, YES and YES.

The OP, I do not understand how you can believe everything is fine now with you car when metal pieces from the follower and cam are somewhere in the engine. My follower was not as bad as yours and the dealer ship replaced everything including complete cylinder head like I said above...

Also I heard that VW of America will extend the warranty of the CAM / Follower and PUMP so Audi will probably follow shortly.

[b7kevin]

audi only replaced my cam, follower and pump. i want a new head!

[jayphil82]

audi only replaced my cam, follower and pump. i want a new head!

My Audi dealership was kind enough to inspect carefully the cylinder head and there was some sign of wear. They replaced it and also replaced my oil pump. My dad also have an Audi and went to the same dealership but they only replaced the cam since the head was not damaged.

Also for non warranty work they charge 90$/h which is not to bad but in top of that if you have a Audi 2006 and less you can buy a 60$ card and get 20% rebate on the hourly rate which = 72$/hour and 10-15% on parts!

[ZEM930]

Well, that scoring on the cam and the damage on the end of your HPFP will wear through your
cam follower extremely quickly. If you decide to just throw a new follower in there, and hope for
the best.. chances are that cam follower will be toast within a couple hundred miles, and will further
damage your cam and HPFP.. which can eventually lead to even worse and more expensive damage!
I would say it is worth it, and pretty much your only option to replace the cams, follower, and HPFP.
I know it sucks, I have been in the same situation. Just so you have an idea... if you try to throw a new
follower in there and run with that.. here is how it should look after >100 miles:

Well this is certainly not godd news at all. :(

That's seriously only after 100 mioles?!?!?!?

Did your look like mine when you changed it the first time? Also how much is a new cam :(

BTW not my finger nails, that's my friend lol

[vannyhuj]

Mine was essentially in the same shape as yours, I replaced my camshaft and HPFP. If you can DIY (plus timing belt), it will cost around $1,500 plus tool rental. If you pay the dealership your looking at about $4,000.

BTW, did you find all the pieces of the cam follower?

[ZEM930]

Mine was essentially in the same shape as yours, I replaced my camshaft and HPFP. If you can DIY (plus timing belt), it will cost around $1,500 plus tool rental. If you pay the dealership your looking at about $4,000.

BTW, did you find all the pieces of the cam follower?

Damn :(

Sounds like I need to trade this car in on something or buy an extended warranty. I hope/assume the pieces are down in the oil pan. rememeber I cahnged it because I thought I was doing "routine maitenence" not fixing a problem LOL

[JayStang]

Man this scares the crap out of me. I'm around 36k miles and it's never been checked to my knowledge. Purchased the car with 25k on it. I think I'll take this in soon to check out. Is inspecting the follower covered under warranty? How bout replacing if it is bad?

[ZEM930]

Here's a thought what if I just did a APR fuel pump and the stronger KMD follower and left the cam alone? Good idea, bad idea?

[VdTechnofreak]

Gee, I must be lucky...72k on mine, had it in to dealer for cold start issue so they checked the cam follower--but wouldn't replace it b/c it's still in good shape.

Ended up just doing a software update on the HPFP--there's a TSB out there for that. Unfortunately, it was already back together when I got the pix, or I woulda paid to have the follower replaced anyway.
Btw, according to the service advisor, the wear issue only happens on about 10-15% of the 2.0's--it's amazing how that small population all resides here on the 'Zine!

to the Mod's: I've had issues posting photos, is there a setting on my account that's blocking that feature? I would post a pic of my cam follower if I could.

[viziers]

Here's a thought what if I just did a APR fuel pump and the stronger KMD follower and left the cam alone? Good idea, bad idea?

Nope that won't do as ure fvcked!! you need a new cam follower, Intake cam and a new HPFP there is no way around it as it you just replace the HPFP and follower its still going to wear quick through the follower.. It's fine for a temp fix BUT THATS IT! So NO your NOT lucky! Sorry.....

Not to rub it in but my 1st cam follower lasted 114k miles...



vizi

[QUATTROA4B7]

Well this is certainly not godd news at all. :(

That's seriously only after 100 miles?!?!?!?

Did your look like mine when you changed it the first time? Also how much is a new cam :(

No, definitely not good news! That follower was actually after about 85 miles on my damaged
cam / HPFP. My cam follower was not quite as bad as yours. Here's what mine looked like when
it was taken out:

Here's a thought what if I just did a APR fuel pump and the stronger KMD follower and left the cam alone? Good idea, bad idea?

The APR pump, and the KMD follower on the damaged cam is not a great idea. The scored cam will
wear away at the cam follower faster. There is no telling how long the follower would last. You're
definitely going to have to replace the cam to fix your problem. ECS tuning has a kit with the cam,
and necessary hardware for $400, here: http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B7_A4-....0T/ES2081104/.
That kit paired with an APR HPFP should solve your problem. All you need is a shop that wont kill you
with labor costs for exchaning the cam, and removing the lost piece of your follower.

Btw, according to the service advisor, the wear issue only happens on about 10-15% of the 2.0's--it's amazing how that small population all resides here on the 'Zine!

I don't believe that only 10-15% of 2.0s have this problem, with all the blown followers I've seen.
Some people definitely have better luck than others, but I think it has a lot to do with how hard you
drive your car.. etc.

[viziers]

Gee, I must be lucky...72k on mine, had it in to dealer for cold start issue so they checked the cam follower--but wouldn't replace it b/c it's still in good shape.

You better knock on wood and better go check your follower right now after that statement!

I know you must think i'm kidding but i'm not.. Just trust me as iv'e been around this platform and seen the hundresd of threads of people saying they were lucky only to find a new thread by the same person with the title "I'm fvcked" a week later...... If the black coating is worn off you need to replace it period!




vizi

[ZEM930]

Thank you everyone for the advice and the links. On to the next step :-/

[tgrundke]

My friend, your HPFP is definitely toast. Look at the wear on it. There's also a very high likelihood (near 100%) that the cam itself needs to be replaced because if the pump was riding directly on the lobe, it wore that as well.

[ZEM930]

Yes unfortunately it is looking that way. Going to keep a real close eye on it and figure out how to raise the money for this new mess :(

[Dangler]

yeah just changing the follower isn't good enough, you should have the cam's both intake and exhaust inspected. 10 minutes of driving with the loose shards of metal in your head, can cause some serious scoring, and that cam you have now is scored pretty bad....should have a polished look to it with fine lines, not with large scratches. its going to eat the next follower up faster. and the pump needs to be replaced too, the tip of the plunger is fucked also. the shrapnel is probably still dancing around your head everytime you drive. if the pieces are large enough it could create a blockage in the oil system too.

Someone here on Audizine, had a something like that happen, also and need to replace the entire head...so many bad things can happen when your follower blows up like that.

get a credit card and get that shit fixed and pay off the repair over time. Just replacing the follower is just a bandaid, that is only going to get you so far.

[ZEM930]

^^^ Thanks man. It's gotta be done I know :(

Anyone know if I can send the HPFP to APR for the update or will they reject it since it is beat up? If the rebuild can be done that would be the ticket for me!

[Mc Suly]

nice hole ;)

Damn i gotta check mine but my car is at 38 000km. ill check at 55 000km.

[cheemn]

hey wow just read this thread sorry about your misfortune OP. All of these guys are right. You cant do anything till you change your HPFP, cam, and follower and honestly this is standard procedure for a follower in that condition at any Audi dealer. They also have to see if there is any other damage and get those metal pieces out of your engine too. Try contacting AOA and see if they will help a little bit with the cost since its going to be a hefty amount.

[QUATTROA4B7]

Anyone know if I can send the HPFP to APR for the update or will they reject it since it is beat up? If the rebuild can be done that would be the ticket for me!

Ticket rejected. Sorry, but I know for a fact APR will not re-build the pump because of the damage. Also,
nobody makes a replacement plunger for the pump. So basically, you are SOL and need to buy a brand new
APR HPFP for ~$1k. Sorry. :(

[AudiCVT]

I'm surprised that this issue hasn't become a safety recall on Audi's part. Would prefer that they pay for it.

[ZEM930]

That post really really is making me lose interest on this car fast. Maybe it's trade in time. This just sux :(

[jayphil82]

That post really really is making me lose interest on this car fast. Maybe it's trade in time. This just sux :(

Come on guy, go see your dealership with this problem they will probably be able to do something with AoA... AoA is well aware of that problem so you will be able to negociate something. Example free parts but you pay the labor, something like that or maybe even better.

[VdTechnofreak]

You better knock on wood and better go check your follower right now after that statement!

I know you must think i'm kidding but i'm not.. Just trust me as iv'e been around this platform and seen the hundresd of threads of people saying they were lucky only to find a new thread by the same person with the title "I'm fvcked" a week later...... If the black coating is worn off you need to replace it period!

vizi

Thanks for the advice, Vizi...I'll def be keeping an eye on it now. I like to think that my religious changing of the oil every 5k miles has helped its longevity.

[JayStang]

Noob question here... As far as I know but cam & follower are in perfect condition. If I go ahead and replace the HPFP w/ say an APR one and replace my follower with the heavy duty KMD does this "solve" the issue here? As in if I do all this am I still going to have to be paranoid and check the follower every 10k miles?

[ss7man]

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/online.cfm

You guys should stop whining and file official complaint. Last time I searched the NHTSA database, there was barely a handful of complaint. How do you expect Audi to care? They're not out reading forums. Its really quick.

[b7kevin]

Ticket rejected. Sorry, but I know for a fact APR will not re-build the pump because of the damage. Also,
nobody makes a replacement plunger for the pump. So basically, you are SOL and need to buy a brand new
APR HPFP for ~$1k. Sorry. :(

Or save yourself $200+ and buy a new pump for around $200 (forget which site) and have them rebuild it for less than that 1k price tag.

[fbox]

i'm just coming up to speed on the whole cam follower debate. in case anyone else is trying to get a better idea of what's up and/or how to check/remove the cam follower, i found an excellent pictorial write-up over on vortex:

http://picasaweb.google.com/11271303...werReplacement

[QUATTROA4B7]

Or save yourself $200+ and buy a new pump for around $200 (forget which site) and have them rebuild it for less than that 1k price tag.

Idk what site has HPFPs for $200.. ECS is one of the sites that has them, but for $320 w/o shipping.
The HPFP rebuild comes to ~$700 after tax, + $320 for the OEM HPFP = $1020 w/o shipping. With
shipping, I'm sure the total would break $1100. I don't think it is worth it to try going that route. It
would definitely be more of a hastle and could end up costing more in the end, since a brand new APR
HPFP is $1100, and ~$940 when on sale. Sometimes the guys at APR will even award you the sale price
when the sale is over. I'd say OPs best bet is to find a reputable shop with nice labor prices, buy the
replacement camshaft kit, and a new APR HPFP... and check the follower atleast every 10-15k!

[ZEM930]

Yes you are 100% right! Thank you again for that link. $400 is not bad at all! The only variable is that damn fuel pump! Hate fixing without upgrading so I'll probably bite the bullet and just get the APR :(

[QUATTROA4B7]

^^ I agree, definitely worth biting the bullet and getting the APR HPFP. I already had an upgraded
HPFP, which was ruined because of my cam follower. I couldn't have it re-built because of the damage,
so I had to pay $950 for a part I already had!! Imagine how frustrating that is! It is worth it in the
end.. I'll just be checking the follower much more frequently to avoid this issue again.