Cam Follower Failure (photos inside)

[Tadpole99]

Hi all,

My first post on this forum

So I've got a 2005 GTI (95k on the clock) and was/am? suffering from the following problems:

1. Lack of power above 3000rpm (only just noticeable)
2. Occasionally went into limp mode when thrashing it - particularly on the motorway
3. When left for a couple of days, takes a lot of cranking to start the engine
4. P2293 - Fuel Pressure Regulator 2 Performance when code reader used on ECU

After a bit of googling it seemed that all or a mix of the problems above point towards low fuel pressure caused by a worn cam follower (reducing stroke on the HPFP).

So I bought a new one and fitted it today, the picture below shows how my old cam follower was completely worn through, which was causing the fuel pump plunger to rub directly on the cam shaft. You can see in the cam shaft photo that it is pretty ruined, there is a V shaped groove in the cam caused by the fuel pump plunger.




So fitting the new cam follower has increased the stroke and therefore upped the fuel pressure at the pump, which seems to have "fixed" it, although I'm left wondering how quickly the cam and cam follower are going to eat each other now that there is worn surfaces?

Anyone have any experience of this?

[Degudodger]

ouch. The cam follower looks like it has not only failed but eaten itself!

Can't really see how bad the cam lobe has worn but going how badly the cam follower has worn I would think you'll be needing a new cam pretty soon.

[Luke383]

Same thing happened to me 6 months after buying the car with 84000 on the clock, gutted. Check it every service or even replace it as it's only a £30 part.

[vRSAlex]

Do NOT drive the car until you have the camshaft changed.  The worn cam will eat straight through the new follower, and it sounds like the fuel pump will need replacing too.

Would do an oil change too as all the bits of the follower, cam, and fuel pump are now floating around the engine.  Needs the sump removing and cleaning out too.

Keep using it and you will have a much bigger bill.

[rich83]

Ignore Alex's advice at your peril....

[Mev]

as above

[MC71]

Sh*t a brick, that's cam follower is destroyed. 

[Scottymon]

Feel sorry for you bud, but the advice from now on is there:

[Luke383]

Yep! Mine was a stage 4! I won't even let it get to stage 2 now

[drsilviuro]

This is a replaced cam follower after 30km!! The previous one was worn through

[Scottymon]

Where did the worn bits go?

[Luke383]

They can go anywhere! Mine was so smashed I couldn't find it! Sump was empty too  Vw should put it in as part of a service! They knew it was a problem on the early mk5's, B######S

[simonp]

They know the pressure switch in the a/c system cracks and lets all your refrigerant out, too, but they still charge you for the redesigned version when it happens to your car! 

[Luke383]

I know  But, still wouldn't have anything other than Vw! Got us by the NADS really