Edition 30 issues (revs fluctuating/jerky dsg)

[Sam1008]

Hello,

This is my first post here so please be gentle. I've already searched the website and google but it doesn't seem to answer my questions!

Long story short... I picked up a 08 plate edition 30 (with only 55k miles) last weekend and it has a few issues !

• First of all, when you're doing a steady speed the revs fluctuate ever so much. I've tried to take the oil cap off whilst the engine is running (only very briefly) and as expected it runs rough which to me means that there is no air leaks. Please correct me if i'm wrong to assume this though! There was a slight leak from the oil cap, so i swapped this out but nothing. Any other ideas what this could be?
• This one seems like a common one. When the car is warm, its really jerky in lower gears/lower revs/reverse gear. Whatever I do, i can't pull off without having the misses complain that i don't have any clutch control....She now understands.... Also, if i change down from third to second the revs seem to drop in two stages, eg 3k to 2.5k and then settling at 2k revs. I'm worrying myself looking at mechatronic units etc but should i start at at a dsg oil change/reset? I can get the unit changed at a place in Bristol for £700 and a dsg oil change will cost £179 from VW.
• If i take the oil cap off there is a slight milky reside on the inside of the cap, nothing too major or anything on the dipstick. Any thoughts?

We have another mk5 gti in the family which is currently being used to test parts etc.

The car already has a APR stage 2 remap, full miltek and induction kit but no DSG map. Could this be causing any of the issues?

Separately, the car needs a HPFP as at full chat you can tell that the pump is struggling but before i start throwing loads of money at it, i want to make sure everything is sorted.

Thanks in advance,
Sam

[pudding]

My first thought on question 1 was "Is it remapped?" and low and behold, it is 

Let's start with the easy stuff then.  Mayo in the filler cap = normal.  It's the coldest part of a running engine and is where moisture in the PCV gases condensate.  Happens to pretty much everyone over the colder months.
If you're not losing any coolant, you can skip straight past any leaking head gasket thoughts.

HPFP, I would get that sorted sooner rather than later and purchasing VCDS is also a good idea if you haven't got it already.  These engines need a lot of fuel when remapped and the standard one can't cope in many cases, edition 30 especially.

The more complex stuff.  DSG.  I have a manual so have very limited knowledge, but get it checked out and get a DSG map done to remove the auto upshift when in manual mode and perhaps increase the clutch pack clamping pressure as APR maps are quite aggressive normally.  It's quite normal to get the DSG harmonized to the remapped engine.  You're probably not realizing the car's full potential!

And finally back to number 1.  Mine is also remapped and I get the same issue when cruising in the 2000-2500 region. The lower the gear, the jerkier it can feel.  It also jolts when coming off / on the throttle which is bloody irritating when trying to maintain a set speed in urban areas.  I don't remember the standard map being like that.

It doesn't sound like there is anything drastic with your car to be honest.  These cars can be a bit irritable when remapped at times.

[Sam1008]

Thanks for your response!

I rechecked the oil cap the other day and there was nothing there so much have been the weather. However, i'm going to put a mark on the coolant level just to make sure for piece of mind.

HPFP is definitely on the cards, got my eye on a Loba pump. I'd prefer to spend the extra money for something that is a complete tested unit and doesn't required my time to change the internals etc. I've got a friend that has VCDS which i'm able to use to may make pop down and plug it in again and take it for a run to see if anything comes up. Last time we plugged it in there was a log for the fuel rail pressure which again links back to the pump.

I agree, again this is something that's on the cards. I just want to make sure that all the issues are ironed out first before i throw a lot of money into parts that may need to be replaced.

Difficult to say about the waving revs, everything i've seen points towards an air leak but unless someones had the same issue and fixed it then it's hard to say.

Latest thing is the rear brakes seem to be sticking on. Readjusted the handbrake last night with no luck, however i think its a combination between the return spring on the caliper itself and the caliper. I've had the caliper off to wind the piston back but there was no shifting it! I can get refurbished calipers from GSF for £55 (for the both!) thanks to their discount codes and returning the old units. May be a temporary solution before upgrading the brakes all round.

[pudding]

Next time you're under the car, have a look at the top left of the engine block, adjacent to the gearbox.  If you do have a head gasket leak, it's like to be there.  Quite common on KO4 engines apparently.  It's just a slight sweat of coolant and not getting into the cylinders, so nothing to worry about.  Pics below.  Mine's been like that for 30+K miles and not got any worse.  A new HG is on my to-do list.

I have the Loba on mine and it's been great.  If you're getting low rail pressure faults, be cautious because it means your engine could be running dangerously lean, which the pistons don't like.

Small air leaks are hard to find on these engines as there are so many potential leak points.  A smoke test is a good place to start though.  If you look in VCDS at block 032 and the numbers in the 1st and middle boxes are <5%, I would say your engine is leak free.

Yeah that happens to us all eventually.  I needed a pair of new calipers last year during a major service at the dealer.  They tried to free them off and refurbish them first, but they weren't having any of it!  Once they've seized up, they're often scrap.  I think people letting the brake pads wear right down to nothing extends the piston travel too much and they start corroding up.

[Sam1008]

Will definitely take a look at that next time i'm under the car. I'd quite like to get it up on ramps on some point and just give it all a quick once over to see if there is anything else needing attention.

Yes completely agree, just need to try a keep my eye out for a new second hand item. Missed a couple at around the £500 mark which is a decent saving over the full price.

Thanks for the information on the VCDS values, will definitely give this a go when possible. I was looking into getting VCDS for myself, think it would be quite useful. I've got a MK1 GTI with a 2.0 ABF in the garage which would also benefit from some log checking etc.

Agree with you there. Maybe £55 from GSF was a little hopeful, looking more likely to be £100 but still not too bad for the time being. The calipers are a terrible shade of pink at the moment so whilst they're off i'll give them and the carriers a rub down and respray.

[Sam1008]

Latest update on this one...

Changed the fuel filter and noticed one of the intercooler pipes wasn't on correctly over the weekend so that was replaced too. Unfortunately, no luck with any of the issues.

Also changed both of the rear calipers and that seems to have sorted the dodgy caliper!

Bad news though is that the dsg has now started to pull itself out of gear at the most inconvenient of times with the PRNDS flashing. The fun never ends...

[teo_parvu]

Sorry to revive this ... @Sam1008 - how did you solve it, I’m having the same
issues with my DSG?