FAQ: Official Thread for your Cam Follower(s).

[vbrad26]

ouch...i was scared to see that out of mine
BUT...


im wondering if it was changed shortly before i owned the car...
2005.5 currently has 68,xxx mi and has been chipped on apr stage 2 for about 5,000-10,000 of those miles
bought it with just about 50k on the odo

[QUATTROA4B7]

^^ You're lucky! Maybe your follower was changed before you bought the car, or
maybe you are just easy on the pedal? I havn't stepped on it for atleast 15k miles,
I was surprised to see how bad my follower and hpfp plunger were. I will be happy
when everything is fixed and over with, hopefully next week.

[vdubjetta02]

I have never checked mine, I romp on my car everytime I drive it..... has about 24,000 miles. My plan has always been to check it when i finally hit 30,000.... Which will probably be in another year

are some of you having failures before 30,000 mile intervals?

[manguyen]

alright, just did this for a friend. Heres the details. he has about mid 50K miles on the car. no performance mods at all. He got a MIL about 3 weeks ago, but i wasnt able to go back until this week to help him out. This is what we found:






This is such a poor design that would lead to $$$ in repairs. We replaced it with a new cam follower, told him to check back in like a month or so and see what the wear is on the follower again, but im certain the cam will need replaced and also the HPFP. Im shocked to not see a recall yet on this issue from AoA.

[rs6]

The 1.8T's major issue (besides ignition coils) was the oil sludge issue. For the 2.0T FSI, it's this. Audi needs to to accept responsibility for this design flaw.

[Rebelgd]

This is mine... replaced today @ 51000 miles. APR chipped for about 9months with mixed driving.



Black coating is almost all gone. Nearly zero scoring of the metal though. Piece of mind.

[naiku]

Finally, this weekend I think I am going to tackle this. I have read DIY's over and over again, and really just need to get on and work on it. I have a question though that I have not seen answered anywhere, if I take it apart, and the cam follower is shot, with obvious damage to camshaft and HPFP, is it OK to put the old follower back in and drive it for a few days while waiting for a dealer appointment?

I don't have a new cam follower, and even if I order one today, it is not going to arrive until sometime next week. However, should I even bother taking it apart if I don't have a new follower ready to put in? I have not experienced any codes, but get the occasional fuel cut that I can't replicate no matter how much I try.

[KiddEng]

Finally, this weekend I think I am going to tackle this. I have read DIY's over and over again, and really just need to get on and work on it. I have a question though that I have not seen answered anywhere, if I take it apart, and the cam follower is shot, with obvious damage to camshaft and HPFP, is it OK to put the old follower back in and drive it for a few days while waiting for a dealer appointment?

I don't have a new cam follower, and even if I order one today, it is not going to arrive until sometime next week. However, should I even bother taking it apart if I don't have a new follower ready to put in? I have not experienced any codes, but get the occasional fuel cut that I can't replicate no matter how much I try.

if you follower is shot as in has a hole through it...you'll see massive scoring on the cam itself, and wear on the HPFP plunger; mainly b/c the cam follower is not there as a barrier between your cam/hpfp.

I would order a follower and wait another week to do this check, even though i think it's ok to reuse your old follower (depending if its shot or not) but since you've already opened everything up and done the work, why not just throw a new follower in there? unless you like doing the work twice...i think a week wait should not affect you since you have no codes and cant replicate the fuel cut.

if you really set on doing it this weekend, stop by an audi dealer and pick up the part.

ps. 06' Arctic White Avant

[naiku]

I would order a follower and wait another week to do this check, even though i think it's ok to reuse your old follower (depending if its shot or not) but since you've already opened everything up and done the work, why not just throw a new follower in there? unless you like doing the work twice...i think a week wait should not affect you since you have no codes and cant replicate the fuel cut.

Thanks, I think I will just wait until I have a new follower to put in there then. That gives me an excuse to put my RS4 sway on this weekend instead.

ps. 06' Arctic White Avant

I am jealous of your 6MT though!! Not many Arctic White Avant's around, nice to see another one that is also not even that far away.

[babybepeezy]

Just ordered mine from dbc performance...
If I take this to my indie mechanic (Eurotech Culver City) would they be able to install it? I'm going in for an oil change soon..
How much do I expect for labor?

[thanatos]

Just ordered mine from dbc performance...
If I take this to my indie mechanic (Eurotech Culver City) would they be able to install it? I'm going in for an oil change soon..
How much do I expect for labor?

I don't think proactive replacement of the follower would take more than an hour's labor.

[naiku]

So, I finally have a new cam follower and some time tomorrow to work on this. But, just noticed that I need a torque wrench that goes down below 20ft/lbs. The only one I have is a huge torque wrench I use on my wheels, not going to work on this. Do I need to go out and buy a smaller torque wrench? or can I get by without one?

[KiddEng]

So, I finally have a new cam follower and some time tomorrow to work on this. But, just noticed that I need a torque wrench that goes down below 20ft/lbs. The only one I have is a huge torque wrench I use on my wheels, not going to work on this. Do I need to go out and buy a smaller torque wrench? or can I get by without one?

which bolts/nuts are you trying to get the tq wrench on to tighten? Bolts for the pump, banjo bolt for fuel return or nut for feed? when i did mine, i didn't have a tq wrench (1. That small to fit, and 2. went low enough) I just made sure they were tight but not overkill. I have a pdf on this diy that i can email to you if you get me your addy.

you have the 12pt 8mm torx for the banjo bolt?

also another tip, buy a stubby open ended wrench to get at the fuel feed nut, the firewall sits so close its tough to get a regular sized open wrench in there.

[naiku]

which bolts/nuts are you trying to get the tq wrench on to tighten? Bolts for the pump, banjo bolt for fuel return or nut for feed? when i did mine, i didn't have a tq wrench (1. That small to fit, and 2. went low enough) I just made sure they were tight but not overkill.

If I remember correctly according to the instructions I have I need one for all of them. Sounds like it is not a requirement though, so I am not too worried.

I have a pdf on this diy that i can email to you if you get me your addy.

I might already have the same one, its the one that illegitimus put together.

you have the 12pt 8mm torx for the banjo bolt?

Yep, ordered one at the same time as ordering the cam follower.

also another tip, buy a stubby open ended wrench to get at the fuel feed nut, the firewall sits so close its tough to get a regular sized open wrench in there.

I think I already have one, so should be good to go. If not then, will figure something out.

Will be working on this tonight, I am a little nervous, but it really appears pretty straight forward. The hardest piece looks like it is having enough room to work. Fingers crossed I will be posting in here later today with posts of a cam follower successfully replaced.

[DJ Carl]

This is mine at 30000 miles... APR stage 1 at 10000 miles, APR stage 2 since 20000 miles... The black coating is gone but the metal still looks pretty good...at certain angles you can see that it's beginning to wear down but overall i decided to change it since i had it. HPFP side just had normal wear...small silver dot. I do oil changes every 5000 miles.

[naiku]

Well, finally managed to get the pump off and take a look. Not a happy camper.

100_1023.JPG100_1024.JPG100_1022.JPG

Car is stock apart from a BSH PCV and Forge DV. 88k, no CEL, had very minor fuel cuts (talking so minor you would wonder if it was the breeze blowing). Taking it to the dealer first thing monday morning, luckily still under CPO. Hoping they do not try to blame it on my mods, but the woman who I spoke to instantly knew what I was talking about when I said cam follower and that they have had a lot of people come in with the same problem.

How does the fuel pump look? the lobe looks almost flat with a little ridge around the side. I could not tell what the cam looked like (probably because I have no idea what I was looking for) but it was definitely scratched up.

[KiddEng]

^ouch man, sorry to see and hear that... at least you are still CPO and they will take care of it.

[naiku]

Dropped it off this morning, and this is why I hate taking it to the dealership for anything. The guy asks me if I just want them to check my work, no, I literally put the new follower in so I could drive it here today for you to put in a new HPFP and Cam. I am going to be annoyed as all hell if they try to tell me the fuel pump and cam are fine.

[KiddEng]

^I hoped you showed them the pics of the original cam follower and hpfp, also if you had pics of the cam lobe. with your follower chewed through like that, i'd suspect some scoring on the cam lobe itself also.

[naiku]

^I hoped you showed them the pics of the original cam follower and hpfp, also if you had pics of the cam lobe. with your follower chewed through like that, i'd suspect some scoring on the cam lobe itself also.

I emailed the service manager pics of the HPFP / cam follower, also showed the person who wrote me up this morning the old cam follower and left it on the passenger seat of the car. I did not get pics of the cam lobe itself, but pretty sure there were visible lines on it.

[naiku]

WTF, dealer just called, because it is not throwing any codes, and they can't replicate the problem, they won't do anything without me authorizing them to tear down the engine to inspect the cam ($450) and then there is no guarantee that they will replace it or cover that labor. Assholes. I am pissed.

I left them with the screwed cam follower, said I can email them pics of the clearly worn fuel pump lobe, all he said is that they will have to still tear it down and send pics to AoA.

Any advice???

[Giantsfan10]

51k

[naiku]

^^ That is not too bad at all.

I am posting these pics in here as this section gets more traffic:





The cam follower in those pictures had been in for around 400-500 miles. I am still trying to find a dealership willing to replace my HPFP etc without a CEL. Dealerships and AoA being unhelpful are making me consider dumping the car.

[babybepeezy]

What are the symptoms of a worn out or completely shot cam follower? Will it throw a code without it being totally shot?
Or will I not notice without getting in there to check?

[Tanner]

Uh, the symptoms and such are mentioned in the first post, if your car is throwing a code. Having said that, there are cases where the cam follower is completely worn through and there weren't any noticeable issues, hence it's good to check the follower and/or replace on a regular basis.

[Koby]

Had mine changed today at 67,500. Glad to see there was nothing more than normal wear. Still good to know I won't have to worry about it for a while.

[ryanworth]

My cam loves me so much! Lol. This is at 94k miles.

[Operator]

Just wondering how many people with TIP's have had issues.

[br8ker21]

Just wondering how many people with TIP's have had issues.

x2 Operator...I haven't heard many, but I'll let you know how my turns out when I check it this weekend. I'm still Stage1 with about 50K miles, chipped since 20k I believe...

[A-BlacK_MambA-4]

Here is my follower, HPFP, and cam after 65k miles..I'm a Tip by the way...





Everything looks alright I guess, wouldn't you say??

[audi8844]

Hoping to do a cam follower check this weekend. Are there any major differences with the 08's? I haven't been able to find much regarding the different setups from 05 - 08.

[mixtery]

yeah I have an '08 tip. Looking at 38k this weekend. Going to pull it just for kicks to see if there is any wear.

[KraZ4Riding]

Adding a picture from a 2008. The 2008's have not yet been included in the recall, but I don't think the problem is resolved and hope they get included at some point.

I checked it and replaced at 40k miles. Not worn through, but no black coating left either. Almost looks like the lower left corner in the photo was wearing more. I recall someone theorizing that the wear really starts if the follower stops rotating. I wonder if this is what was starting to happen to mine as that lower corner is visibly worn more. Plan to just check it again in 35 or 40k. Only took 15 minutes to look on an 2008 with no Banjo bolt.

Original Owner
Not Chipped
Oil and filter changed every 5k with Castrol Full Synthetic 5w40.
Lots of highway driving, including trips to the mountains, spirited but not abusive driving.

[E.Anderson]

2008 52,200mi

follower coating completely warn off evenly, did not break. HPFP, follower and cam replaced

[KraZ4Riding]

2008 52,200mi

follower coating completely warn off evenly, did not break. HPFP, follower and cam replaced

Did you have codes or fuel cuts or did the dealer replace cam and hpfp just based on the black coating being worn off?

[E.Anderson]

I have a thread for both fuel pumps being replaced. First low pressure, then HPFP within a week. I told audi to check my follower since they were replacing the HPFP anyways. I was getting fuel cuts with intermittent CELs

It's a tiptronic 08 as well

[srcrash715]

I went Revo Stage 2 and started getting fuel cuts and a cel, so I pulled the fuel pump to check and this is what I found:
It hasn't punched through yet and everything looked fine, and the cam lobe didn't seem to have damage on it.









I was told by the shop that did the Revo 2 flash for me that Audi had an extended warranty to 120,000 miles regarding this issue, so he suggested I call AoA. I called them and when they did a search for the vin it didnt come up that it fell under that. Does that mean I have the newer cam in the car?

[mixtery]

figured I'd change mine as this forum had me paranoid. No black left on top of the follower and just slight circular marks on it. Probably would've been good for another 25k.
my fuel pump is certainly different from the '05.5-'07 ones so maybe that has something to do with it?
'08 Avant, Tip, 39k miles, APR 1.

[srcrash715]

I pulled my pump again because I still have the p2293 code so I could put my old follower in so when the dealer checks it tomorrow it will be the original one, but I am pretty sure my camshaft is toast. This is the wear on roughly 500 miles, the old one is on the left and the new on the right, the new one has zero black coating left.

[audi8844]

Finally got the chance to change out my follower... and glad I did. I have a 2008 A4 manual 2.0t quattro with 50,3xx miles. I have had the Uni stage 1+ (93 oct) tune for about 9 months (10k miles). Definitely not terrible shape, but definitely worn down a bit. Now I have piece of mind for a good 20k-30k miles with the kmdtuning cam follower installed