Check Engine Light = O2 sensor OR fuel pump going out...

[t3los]

I went to get breakfast the other morning and noticed my car was running REALLY sluggish, even after I had let it warm up before I left the house. Later that day after I had driven an hour and a half to Wichita and eaten dinner, I got into my car to start headed back home, my check engine light came on and I got really nervous and started checking things out on the forum. Someone said they had taken their car to an Autozone to get their codes read, so I did that.

They said it was either a failing O2 sensor, or a failing fuel pump, and that it is the same code. They also said it was 'pending', which apparently means it only threw the fault code once.

Upon arriving back into my town, I bought some stuff called Sea Foam, and called my dealership back in Arizona to make sure it was safe to use; they cleared it. (SIDE NOTE: The guy at the O'Reilly's said that all the gas stations here use shitty gas, and there is one place just outside of town that is actually a truck stop where you can get what he referred to as "true 91 octane" gas, and his few friends with high-end cars go there to fill up.) I put about a half-tank of gas in, then added that Sea Foam in, and then proceeded to drive a few towns over to let it all run out. During this drive, my car seemed to start performing progressively better. Shortly thereafter, I went and got a case of Lucas octane booster, filled my tank up again at that same truck stop, then added the booster in. Everything seems to be working fine now.

The sensor being bad is unlikely, as running the cleaning agents through my system helped rid myself of the symptoms that I had before the fault code was thrown, which also leads one to believe that it was in fact the fuel pump. Perhaps some bad build-up from the shitty gas out here... My questions are 1.) Does this sound feasible to you all? And 2.) If it did only throw the code once, and it's running fine now, how long until the check engine light goes dark again?

Thanks!

[schirm]

You have to clear the check engine light.... Sounds like u just had water in Your gas

[t3los]

I'll call my dealer back West and have them walk me through that. They also still need to walk me through clearing my service reminder as I just did that myself...

[makav3li]

yeah sounds feasible. Doesnt necessarily mean water but could just be some shitty fuel and you did a good job of cycling it out. Just keep an eye out for it and let it be for now. Next time you get a code scanned, actually get the code and not just what the autozone guy says, cuz chances are that guy works on civics and never worked on an audi. So its not a bad idea to take his advice, just get the code as well and post that up for us to interpret as well.

[schirm]

You can reset the service reminder. There is a thread how to just search for it, it's easy.

[t3los]

You can reset the service reminder. There is a thread how to just search for it, it's easy.

Well I found that thread. I cannot find one on resetting the check engine light so easy. Is it the same process?

[schirm]

No u need a OBD2 get at Good one at auto zone like 100-140$. Then you can scan your car yourself everytime you get a check engine light... I love mine

[schirm]

And you can scan any car that's newer then a 96

[t3los]

And you can scan any car that's newer then a 96

So the scanner will clear the codes as well?

[t3los]

UPDATE: Well, I thought I had fixed it, but as I suspected from driving it this evening, something is still not right; I've lost a decent amount of power, and it's very noticeable. I've compared a 0-100 video from this afternoon to a 0-100 video I took a few months after buying the car, and there's a huge difference. I'm concerned, and I still have my CPO, however, the nearest dealership is about 5 hours away from me... If they'll give me a loaner car and let me take it out of state then I'll be fine. Otherwise I'm sort of fucked. Wat do?

[groundround]

what code do you get?

I just had my n276 valve go on my hpfp (p2294 and a p0171), but it also caused my epc light to come on and no boost at all.

[makav3li]

yeah were going to need that code. Could be alot of things, chances are its a simple fix if its just a loss of power. Like pcv or dv.

[Charles.waite]

UPDATE: Well, I thought I had fixed it, but as I suspected from driving it this evening, something is still not right; I've lost a decent amount of power, and it's very noticeable. I've compared a 0-100 video from this afternoon to a 0-100 video I took a few months after buying the car, and there's a huge difference. I'm concerned, and I still have my CPO, however, the nearest dealership is about 5 hours away from me... If they'll give me a loaner car and let me take it out of state then I'll be fine. Otherwise I'm sort of fucked. Wat do?

Sounds like you need to invest in a Vag-Com. Given how far away a dealer is from you I would HIGHLY recommend it. And if your budget allows, get a REAL one. Not a shitty ebay OBD clone. It really is worth the extra cash.

With the Vag-Com you can pull codes, clear the CEL and whatnot and not rely on the dunces at O'Reillys (nice guys at the one near me, but don't know a thing about Audis). You can even log engine parameters and actually, like really, find out whats wrong with your car rather than throwing Seafoam in and some shit octane booster and hope that fixes it.

Is your cam follower new? loss of power followed by a CEL could be that, which means SERIOUS engine damage and a large repair bill. Theres an extended warranty on that so Audi will foot the bill most likely, but its better to not let it happen at all...

It could also be the PCV or DV, or N75, or N276...

You'll never know unless you can scan for codes.

[t3los]

Sounds like you need to invest in a Vag-Com. Given how far away a dealer is from you I would HIGHLY recommend it. And if your budget allows, get a REAL one. Not a shitty ebay OBD clone. It really is worth the extra cash.

With the Vag-Com you can pull codes, clear the CEL and whatnot and not rely on the dunces at O'Reillys (nice guys at the one near me, but don't know a thing about Audis). You can even log engine parameters and actually, like really, find out whats wrong with your car rather than throwing Seafoam in and some shit octane booster and hope that fixes it.

Is your cam follower new? loss of power followed by a CEL could be that, which means SERIOUS engine damage and a large repair bill. Theres an extended warranty on that so Audi will foot the bill most likely, but its better to not let it happen at all...

It could also be the PCV or DV, or N75, or N276...

You'll never know unless you can scan for codes.

I just heard about the cam follower yesterday, and I am still under CPO. I've made an appointment at the Audi in Tulsa, OK for this Friday and told them what's up. If it is the cam follower, I'm hoping it's done it's damage by the time I drive it there so I get all those new parts for free and get to drive around their car in the mean time. :p

[EDIT] I looked up VAG-COM, and It's fucking Windows... Ugh. That does me no good. I don't use Windows on my laptop, and I highly doubt I'll be taking my desktop out to the garage any time soon, which has Windows though I never use it (dual boot to *nix).

I'm about to go to O'Reilly right now, but I wanted to know if exactly what I'm looking for is just the scanner, or if I can actually plug my laptop into this computer and do things that way. Either way I'm sure I'll need one, so I'm gonna go get it in a bit.

[Charles.waite]

I just heard about the cam follower yesterday, and I am still under CPO. I've made an appointment at the Audi in Tulsa, OK for this Friday and told them what's up. If it is the cam follower, I'm hoping it's done it's damage by the time I drive it there so I get all those new parts for free and get to drive around their car in the mean time. :p

[EDIT] I looked up VAG-COM, and It's fucking Windows... Ugh. That does me no good. I don't use Windows on my laptop, and I highly doubt I'll be taking my desktop out to the garage any time soon, which has Windows though I never use it (dual boot to *nix).

I'm about to go to O'Reilly right now, but I wanted to know if exactly what I'm looking for is just the scanner, or if I can actually plug my laptop into this computer and do things that way. Either way I'm sure I'll need one, so I'm gonna go get it in a bit.

You can set up Windows XP in Virtual Box or some other Vitrual Machine software and run it through that. I set it up on my mac last night because my shitty Windows Laptop took a dump on me. It does suck that its windows only, but using a VM works just fine for me.

You can buy a generic OBD2 scanner, but keep in mind it'll only check very basic functions, pull codes, and clear codes/CELs. It should do the trick, but it can't diagnose problems outside of the engine i believe. For what you're experiencing it should be fine though. Ross-Tech has a VERY useful DTC code database that you can cross-reference too: http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index...ry:Fault_Codes

[t3los]

You can set up Windows XP in Virtual Box or some other Vitrual Machine software and run it through that. I set it up on my mac last night because my shitty Windows Laptop took a dump on me. It does suck that its windows only, but using a VM works just fine for me.

You can buy a generic OBD2 scanner, but keep in mind it'll only check very basic functions, pull codes, and clear codes/CELs. It should do the trick, but it can't diagnose problems outside of the engine i believe. For what you're experiencing it should be fine though. Ross-Tech has a VERY useful DTC code database that you can cross-reference too: http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index...ry:Fault_Codes

Well I just talked to the guy over at O'Reilly about some of their systems that can be ordered.. They're around $2k for the GeniSys and PegaSys systems. They had no idea what Vag-Com was (kinda figured). I may get one of the aforementioned systems if they have some remanufactured ones that I can get for $1-1.5k or so. But otherwise, I was under the impression that this was going to be a cord I plug directly into my laptop and run software and drivers for it that way. This is it's own console and hand-held system that I have to get the Euro-spec package for (another $400 (cannot be included in a $2k system stock? fuckin lame)).

Any more input is very valuable at this point as I don't want to drop $1k on something when I can just get a cord and a disk for $400 and do the same thing.

[Charles.waite]

Wait what? You know what a Vag-Com is right?
http://store.ross-tech.com/shop/VCHUC.html

You can buy cheap (as in $20) ebay OBD2 interface cables but I would recommend the real deal Ross-Tech Vag-Com.

I'm generally a fan of O'Reillys but PLEASE don't take any advice from them, or at least take it with a grain of salt. I'm sure Kansas is pretty much devoid of any Audi related experts but check out the Vag-Com walkthrough thread for some info on what it can do. Its an interface made SPECIFICALLY for VW and Audi cars. It DEFINITELY what you want, no way you should be spending $2k on anything like what the O'Reillys guys are talking about, those are what repair shops use, not home DIY'ers like us.

This: http://www.amazon.com/OBDII-Engine-S.../dp/B000LEPT5G also works, and some people around here use them too. They'll only read generic OBD codes and only interface with the ECU, not all the other systems in our Audis, but they are great, portable code scanners.

[t3los]

Wait what? You know what a Vag-Com is right?
http://store.ross-tech.com/shop/VCHUC.html

You can buy cheap (as in $20) ebay OBD2 interface cables but I would recommend the real deal Ross-Tech Vag-Com.

I'm generally a fan of O'Reillys but PLEASE don't take any advice from them, or at least take it with a grain of salt. I'm sure Kansas is pretty much devoid of any Audi related experts but check out the Vag-Com walkthrough thread for some info on what it can do. Its an interface made SPECIFICALLY for VW and Audi cars. It DEFINITELY what you want, no way you should be spending $2k on anything like what the O'Reillys guys are talking about, those are what repair shops use, not home DIY'ers like us.

This: http://www.amazon.com/OBDII-Engine-S.../dp/B000LEPT5G also works, and some people around here use them too. They'll only read generic OBD codes and only interface with the ECU, not all the other systems in our Audis, but they are great, portable code scanners.

Yeah I was just saying that's what they said they had. I was sure they wouldn't be the same. And I figured what I wanted was a lot less expensive as well. The guys at the O'Reilly in town fully admit that they have no idea what to do with Audis, but interestingly enough when I had asked them about that, they did say there was a guy about a mile off in a little town due East who is always calling in and ordering VW/Audi parts, and he may have a euro-shop over there. Once I get back this Friday from my visit to Audi in Tulsa I'll probably stop by there and see what he's got going on.

I will definitely check those links out and buy the cable/interface ASAP. Thanks for the good responses everyone. Definitely glad I joined the forum.

[t3los]

The code is P0171. At O'Reilly now and just read the code. Wanted to put it in here since you all asked for it and so I can document it to look it up later. The scanner says the code means 'system too lean'.

[bman005]

Check your PCV, and you might as well get to your dealer since you said its CPO. There is also a warranty extension on the PCV

[80sGuy]

The code is P0171. At O'Reilly now and just read the code. Wanted to put it in here since you all asked for it and so I can document it to look it up later. The scanner says the code means 'system too lean'.

Have you checked your MAF? This is a common code for a dirty/faulty maf sensor

[t3los]

Well I'll be going to the dealership this Friday, so I'll have them look over everything. I cleared the code in the mean time. I've had problems with my MAF before, but never with the PCV. Either way, whatever it is, I hope it's expensive as shit so I can get a new one for free under CPO and not have to worry about it after 100k miles. :p

[groundround]

i just had the p0171 code along with p2294.

I am sure the p2294 was the N276, i changed my maf and n80 and the code went away (last weekend)

IT IS NOT THE PCV!!!

[80sGuy]

^^Had the PCV replaced when I got P0507. The thing was whistling like a kettle of boiling water and the rpms went sky high.

[t3los]

So I just torrented the VagCom software with a crack. Rofl. I had a random thought to look for it a moment ago.. My question now is if any cable from Amazon will do. I'm looking at a $30 one right now made by Cresent.

http://www.amazon.com/Crescent-OBD2-.../dp/B001MT0XPK