Need Help Here...Just bought my 1g

[TSINDY]

Hey all I just bought a 91 TSI and drove it home. It smells like burning oil, won't shift out of second (auto), and it overheated once. after I got it home I unplugged the battery to try and reset the ECU and then started it up again. It ran good but before I had a chance to take it out on the road to try the tranny again, I started having low idle (500 RPM), low oil press (almost all the way down), and the WORST part is that it started making a loud noise from the timing area. I looked at it and tried to find where exactly the noise was from. Sounded like the cam pulleys and then I noticed one of the other pulleys looked loose a little lower from the cams (i dont know what it's called).

Anyways, I got a really really good deal on this car and I don't want to scrap it so if you all could help me out on a diagnosis and fixes I would really appreciate any of your advice.

 

[Bud92gsx]

Are you sure it won't shift out of second..Or is the car starting out in 3rd, and that's what your noticing..


What kind of loud noise are coming from the timing area? Maybe a video would help us help you figure out whats wrong, or what is normal...

 

[8urwrx]

As the tranny not shifting id check out the TCU. The TCU is the transmissions control unit. If there is a problem the TCU will go into limp mode and you will only have 1 forward gear neutral and reverse. They sometime will go bad. Open the casing and see if there is any noticeable damage. As for the timing area noise I would get right into that problem as that could cause a major failure and cost you more then just a timing belt job would.

 

[TSINDY]

Are you sure it won't shift out of second..Or is the car starting out in 3rd, and that's what your noticing..


What kind of loud noise are coming from the timing area? Maybe a video would help us help you figure out whats wrong, or what is normal...

I'm not positive it's 2nd, but it starts out low and then won't shift as I go down the road. The noise is really the issue I would like to deal with first. I'll try to get a vid up today, I just don't want to risk it running too long if it's an oil-to-head- issue.

thanks again

 

[Bud92gsx]

Ya it sounds like your tcu is bad...I'm going to guess here, but it does sound like the tcu is in limp mode...Which consists of the car starting off in 3rd..Being a total dogg off the line(takeoff)..And then not shifting when you do get up to speed..


Your noise could be just lifter the infamous lifter tick, but you said that it's coming from timing area..

 

[TSINDY]

ok and how would I go about resetting/checking the TCU?

Yeah the noise seems to be coming from the cam pulleys and the large pulley below them in the middle (not the crank)

 

[Bud92gsx]

Open the tcu and check for obvious corrosion...Check for leaking capacitors, or water damage..Smell the tcu to see if it smells burnt or not..If you cannot see anything obviously wrong..There might be damage to the cuircuit board or damage internally..Damage to resistors etc.. Just take a look around and you wil probly find something thats not right..

 

[TSINDY]

ok I'll check that...and I guess with the loud noises--I just talked to my buddy who listened to it as well and he thinks it sounds like there's not much oil in the top end (head) of the motor, and like i said the gauge reads almost no oil pressure, but it starts right up and runs like a top....just makes a lot of loud, intermittent noises from the top pulleys and ideas?

 

[kottyking]

Is the noise a "ticking" sound? If so, that would be your lifters. As for burning oil, what color smoke is coming out of the exhaust? Is it blue or is it white? The color of the smoke can indicate alot of things like bad valve stems, bad turbo, headgasket, etc...

I forgot to add, try adjusting your low idle by adjusting the BISS screw located on the top of the throttle body. There is a little "o" ring below the screw that leaks air if it's bad or not sealed properly.

 

[TSINDY]

I found the noise was coming from the water pump...the pulley is wobbling pretty bad. It doesn't burn a ton of oil, but it leaks enough to where it's all over the engine bay. How does a leakdown test work?

 

[98srt]

You need a compressor and a tester. Pull the plugs and pressurize and watch the gauge and see how long it takes to leak down.

 

[TSINDY]

ok so I put in a new water pump and T belt. The car runs great BUT:

I put the car in reverse and it slams hard into gear.
No Check engine lights or anything.
starts out REALLY slow.
Won't shift into any other gears--stuck in 3rd.

I want to know:

Where is the TCU located so I can check it out/replace it?
What should I do to try and get it out of "limp?
I checked the fuse--it's fine. I checked the TPS and it's in the right adjustment.

WHAT DO I DO?

 

[jimmythesaint]

ok so I put in a new water pump and T belt. The car runs great BUT:

I put the car in reverse and it slams hard into gear.
No Check engine lights or anything.
starts out REALLY slow.
Won't shift into any other gears--stuck in 3rd.

I want to know:

Where is the TCU located so I can check it out/replace it?
What should I do to try and get it out of "limp?
WHAT DO I DO?

Yeah sounds like limp mode. The TCU is behind the ECU which is behind the radio. There are panels in your floorboard that you remove and the TCU is held in with 3 bolts and is right up against the firewall.

But before you go pulling it, why dont you check the fuse first? Could save you hundreds of dollars.
Here is where the TCU is located.
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu205/jimmythasaint/DSCI0013.jpg

This is a closeup of it. The ECU is on the left and the TCU is in the center. ECU is not bolted up in this picture so its hanging out a little.
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu205/jimmythasaint/DSCI0014.jpg

Here is the fuse box.
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu205/jimmythasaint/DSCI0015.jpg

Close up of the fuse box. You want to check the 10amp fuse on the second row from the top. Its the second fuse from the left. If that fuse is blown, your TCU isnt getting power. In my picture its the red fuse right next to the blue one on the left side.
http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu205/jimmythasaint/DSCI0016.jpg

If the fuse is good then likely the TCU is bad. You can remove it, open it up and check for corrosion on the board. Usually when these fail there will be acid leaked from one of the caps.

 

[slvrbllt]

i am going to look into my tcu to see if I can get my car out of limp mode. I miss going 90mph on highways