Fuel Pressure Sensor.........and so it begins

[jmars]

I'm in 6th gear under load in northern Mass the other night and I get a fuel cut 4x. The check engine light comes on and I think...Yes time for a new cam, follower, sender, HPFP........this however was not the case.

I brought my 2006 (I'm sure version A cam) into the dealer and they replace just the fuel pressure sensor. I ask about the cam and follower and of course they say everything is fine.

So, my question is..........now that the Fuel pressure sensor had to be replaced is this now the downward spiral of my cam? My warranty is up on 1/24/09 so I'm understandably worried about this. I really love my car but what an achilles heel this is.

Should I drive hard in 6th gear till I do damage...I know how that sounds but the sounds I'm going to make when i have to pay out of pocket for a new came are going to be way worse. =

I'm chipped with GIAC and have read most likely all thread pertaining to this.........I almost wish I didn't.

Thoughts? Thanks guys

[Quattro]

I would, but go to dealership and tell them you are getting fuel cuts and to replace your cam/cam follower, maybe you get lucky.

[jmars]

Yeah, but now I need fuel cuts again so the codes are stored and shows up after the date of my fuel pressure sensor.

My 45K service is coming up and it will be my last freebie so maybe I'll get lucky........on a side note the dealer wanted $74 for wipers and installation....HAHAHAHHAAHHA!!!

[AofC_RR]

LOL we sell them for like 30 for a pair and put them on for that same price, IE included. Hell put them on yourself they're cake.

[neverfollow-rs4]

Yeah, but now I need fuel cuts again so the codes are stored and shows up after the date of my fuel pressure sensor.

My 45K service is coming up and it will be my last freebie so maybe I'll get lucky........on a side note the dealer wanted $74 for wipers and installation....HAHAHAHHAAHHA!!!

I would tell them to stick it somwhere for $74!!!

[jmars]

Of course didn't pay that. Robbery I tell ya

[sysadlight]

I have a similar issue to yours. I'm chipped with APR and on both the 91 and 93 programs I have been able to duplicate the fuel cut, especially in this cold weather. On stock I beat the snot out of it and can't make it cut.

Im sure it's the same issue with cam as discussed, my 06 has 35K on it and the 4yr warranty was up in October, but I bought it as a CPO, so Im counting on any repairs of this naure to be either TSB or warranty covered.
Bad thing is when it happened last Thursday, finally got a MIL to come on, but half a day later it went out again. Ran stock since then, but taking it in tomorrow AM, and hoping it threw enough codes to get it all replaced.

Keep us updated on your issue, and Ill post my results as well.

[Matt@EuropaParts]

We have the wiper blades for $17.77 each (http://www.europaparts.com/audi-genu...b1955425c.html). Installation is really pretty straight forward.

Good luck on the HPFP issues, and keep us posted.

[RVT]

So, I've never had a fuel cut on my car, but did have CELs that made Audi replace my pressure sensor.
I panicked as well, only to find that it was actually my low pressure sensor from the pump in the tank they replaced .
Fearing the same as you, I went ahead and paid Audi to replace the HPFP bucket at my cost. I knew that if they opened it up and saw damage then they could proceed under a warranty action without problems.
Sadly the HPFP bucket looked great and the whole process set me back about $150 for a little peace of mind.

Vince

[sysadlight]

OK so the rep tells me that the codes were a low pressure fuel sensor, probably the same thing that was replaced by you. He said that nothing else was indicated to be replaced, so I guess the only thing I can do as you stated above is to now put it back into 93 mode, and drive it normally and see if the problem re-appears.

If it does, this will lend credibility that there is definitely more wrong than a damn fuel sensor.

The good news is that it is a CPO, so I should have up to 100K to deal with this. Currently at 35K...

[jmars]

If your code goes away then don't sweat b/c its stored. Like saysadlight, in stock mode I had no code. I'm heading to VT tonight from NYC so come North CT I'll put some load on her and pray the CEL comes on again. If it does and it related to anything HPFP then I believe the argument is valid to have the dealer replace cam, follower, HPFP. If the fight is hard and they don't and my cam goes after warranty (with in reason) then Audi has the process documented and the argument that they should've replace all cam pieces the first time should hold some ground.

RVT, I read your older post on the low pressure sensor. Like you I'm going to have the Cam follower checked but I'm having an independent shop do it b/c i truly don't trust dealers.

[jmars]

[email protected] for the heads up on the blades

[tankdeer]

You can always remove the HPFP and inspect the follower yourself. It doesn't take that long once you figure everything out the first time. Then snap some pics and shove them in the dealers face.

[RVT]

RVT, I read your older post on the low pressure sensor. Like you I'm going to have the Cam follower checked but I'm having an independent shop do it b/c i truly don't trust dealers.

If your under warranty, I would still recommend letting Audi do the work. Mainly because IF the bucket or cam are at a point of failure, all costs are now transferred to the warranty repair, including dis-assembly and inspection.
I paid for a new bucket, and requested the old one be returned to me. This way I could validate the findings. So for now, I have a new bucket in place, even though the old one was in great condition. Like I said, Peace of mind.....

Of Course, I am fortunate to have a Audi dealership that I trust.

Vince

[jmars]

I would only have a independent shop inspect and then tell me that its bad.....button it up and I would head over to audi. $150 out of pocket for the security out of warranty is worth it to me.

[mda0428]

I am having a very similar problem, seems like our cars do not like this cold weather. Two days ago my CEL came on, rushed down to the local Auto Zone came back as P0089 Fuel Pressure Regulator. The second I pulled out of the lot the CEL went off, I just recently put a Stasis Cat Back, my car has APR 93 and a CAI so since the light was off i thought ok maybe it was just adjusting. Today I started the car this morning 18 degrees outside and it started fine, pulling in 3rd gear i felt tremendous power loss at 2500 RPM so now im thinking it could be the cam/follower or DV. what do u think i am still under warranty so i will let you know how it goes

[jmars]

Update: Drove from NYC to Vt will 4 fuel cuts and a $200 ticket in MA b/c I was trying to get the cut but no CEL. On the way home......a bunch more fuel cuts and a CEL. I must have seen 10-12 fuel cuts in total on this trip.

I'm scheduled to bring her in tomorrow...........thoughts guys? I really don't want another band aid to fix this problem. I will bring the TSB with me but outside of that what other ammo do I have so I can get the updated cam? This issue is making me look at other cars.....Audi is burning people.

[CBRmatt600]

Fuel cuts are becoming enough of a problem to make me buy a BMW or Porsche next year.

[Eternalmind]

You can always remove the HPFP and inspect the follower yourself. It doesn't take that long once you figure everything out the first time. Then snap some pics and shove them in the dealers face.

this. my follower and CAM were toast and i never threw any codes at all.

[tankdeer]

^ to follow up on my original post, my cam was fine but the follower was f'ed. Started getting fuel cuts but no CEL. Don't wait for the dealer, you need to be proactive if you want your car to last.

[RVT]

Update: Drove from NYC to Vt will 4 fuel cuts and a $200 ticket in MA b/c I was trying to get the cut but no CEL. On the way home......a bunch more fuel cuts and a CEL. I must have seen 10-12 fuel cuts in total on this trip.

I'm scheduled to bring her in tomorrow...........thoughts guys? I really don't want another band aid to fix this problem. I will bring the TSB with me but outside of that what other ammo do I have so I can get the updated cam? This issue is making me look at other cars.....Audi is burning people.

Educated guess....Probably the low pressure pump (in the tank).
Sensor is always replaced hoping to be the point of failure, but it simply may be telling the truth about the pump output.

Sorry to hear bout the ticket... Sucks to have it show up on top the current problems...

Vince

[jmars]

Hey the ticket was b/c I was breaking the law regardless of the reason.....I can't get annoyed at that.......I rolled the dice. I did try to tell the cop my reason but he must've thought I was nuts.

Vince, if the low pressure pump is "fixed" I'm seriously considering dumping this car for this reason only. The car hasn't given me an ounce of problems outside of this and the fact that Audi is fisting people b/c consumers bought their cars with an earlier now known weaker mismanufactured part is plain wrong.

So basically I'm SOL just going through the motions until my warranty is up on 1/24/09 and the car throws a code again which now requires a cam replacement on my dime.

FML

[RVT]

Hey the ticket was b/c I was breaking the law regardless of the reason.....I can't get annoyed at that.......I rolled the dice. I did try to tell the cop my reason but he must've thought I was nuts.

Vince, if the low pressure pump is "fixed" I'm seriously considering dumping this car for this reason only. The car hasn't given me an ounce of problems outside of this and the fact that Audi is fisting people b/c consumers bought their cars with an earlier now known weaker mismanufactured part is plain wrong.

So basically I'm SOL just going through the motions until my warranty is up on 1/24/09 and the car throws a code again which now requires a cam replacement on my dime.

FML

I'm on your side there... My Audi has been by far the worst car I have ever owned (reliability and maintenance cost wise). Not wanting to admit that after 35 years of driving nearly 2 dozen different cars, that I made a stupid buying decision in picking an A4....... A car so problem plagued I needed to cover my butt with another three grand in extended warranty.

Been on the extended for less than 5 months, and have already recouped half my investment back. In less than a year, I've been to the service bay 7 times.

And the saddest part is that of all the cars I've had, only the Audi has stranded me (three times) and required flat tow twice. Trust is out the window on this car, that's for sure...


Vince

[CBRmatt600]

I agree, I am sorely disappointed with the reliability of this car. I don't even have that much fun driving it anymore because I am constantly worried about destroying something. I was even seriously considering an S5 after the lease is up on this next year, but I'm not sure about that anymore. The BMW warranty is looking pretty damn good right now, and so is the reliability of a lightly used 911. Unless Audi takes the problems with this car seriously, I don't think I can seriously consider purchasing another one of their vehicles.

[jmars]

The catch 22 for me is that I haven't had issues outside of this but like Matt I too drive my car with a fear in the back of my head.

I couldn't get the car in today so she'll go in tomorrow. The check engine light went off but then after 3-4 more fuel cuts (now in hard 4th gear pulls) the CEL came back on.

While I was doing hard highway puts I could really feel the fueling catching up with the engine load.....not a nice feeling.

I now have had 2 separate CEL's in 24hrs. I'm hoping they are different CEL codes.

Has anyone taken AoA or their dealer to small claims court over this? I think there would be a very valid argument if this cam blows after my warranty is up. The dealer and I both have the same documentation of what has been fixed and everything is related to HPFP/ Cam failure. The fuel pressure sensor (first replaced) code is even on the TSB.

[CleverA4Name]

Edit: Transferred Post

[jmars]

Update:

My car is at the dealer. I spoke with a service advisor and really plead my case. Unfortunitly I had to do this all over the phone b/c I needed to get to the office. Lets hope the 12 pack of Sierra Nevada geases these guys to go the extra mile. They said they check the CEL first and call me before they do anything to the HPFP. I said I'd pay out of pocket for the labor to inspect my cam follow and they didn't say no......which is a good thing I guess.

I've never owned a car where I wanted there to be a problem. Please send me good vibes for a Cam B replacement.

[CBRmatt600]

Good luck.

My dealer won't pull the HPFP without a code, despite my offer to pay for whatever labor it takes. I am taking my car to Ringtec next weekend, as I just discovered that they are literally right across the street from my dealer. Hopefully they will be able to figure out the problem.

[jmars]

Godspeed Matt.

My next post will either be laced with happiness or complete and total anger.

If they tell me that the cam is fine my car will have a for sale sign on it and a set of 18" GM VMR 710's wrapped in Dunlop Dirrezza's will be for sale (with under 8k on them)

[jmars]

Update:

There were only 2 outcomes............

THEY ARE REPLACING MY CAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! under warranty

The dealer must have went ahead and looked w/o calling b/c they called and said yes I have a cam issue and that they are ordering a new cam (one wasn't in stock).

Now I will invest in the right tools to review my follower on a 10k basis (every other oil change)

Matt I hope you have the same outcome. ++++vibes++++

My dealer did say that they are "working" with another customer on this who just came out of warranty.

[gyroscope]

Update: Drove from NYC to Vt will 4 fuel cuts and a $200 ticket in MA b/c I was trying to get the cut but no CEL. On the way home......a bunch more fuel cuts and a CEL. I must have seen 10-12 fuel cuts in total on this trip.

I'm scheduled to bring her in tomorrow...........thoughts guys? I really don't want another band aid to fix this problem. I will bring the TSB with me but outside of that what other ammo do I have so I can get the updated cam? This issue is making me look at other cars.....Audi is burning people.

Dealer replaced my fuel pressure sensor. Then two nights ago my car started stutering during idle, and wouldn't start. Had it towed to the dealer and they replaced the fuel pump. Still getting cold start issues and a grinding noise when the car does actually start. I have 15k miles on the car. Obviously the cam and follower are bad but I guess AOA doesn't want to pony up and pay for their engineering flaws. I think it's time we try and put together some sort of class action suit against them, given that this repair costs in excess of $3,000 from the dealer.

[jmars]

Gyro, your issues don't sound like mine. I never had grinding....maybe the occasional cold start issue but it was mostly fueling issues for me during hard pulls that only got worse.

If you car is still under warranty then get that cam checked ASAP! The one thing I learn through all of this is to be persistent with your dealer. Since you are in NYC I'm sure Tyrol Sport will take out the cam follower and show it to you. It may cost you a few bucks but it may also give you piece of mind knowing what is going on and then bringing it to the dealer educated.

If my cam blew after my warranty I was all set to head to small claims court and I was bringing the dealer and AoA.

[RVT]

Update:

THEY ARE REPLACING MY CAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! under warranty

Outstanding
That should put a big chunk of fear behind you for the future of your car.
Many of us get to continue living with it until it bites us...

[jmars]

Yes it does but like I said earlier...........beat on your dealer to do the follower inspection.

[Coderedpl]

Dealer replaced my fuel pressure sensor. Then two nights ago my car started stutering during idle, and wouldn't start. Had it towed to the dealer and they replaced the fuel pump. Still getting cold start issues and a grinding noise when the car does actually start. I have 15k miles on the car. Obviously the cam and follower are bad but I guess AOA doesn't want to pony up and pay for their engineering flaws. I think it's time we try and put together some sort of class action suit against them, given that this repair costs in excess of $3,000 from the dealer.

Your 4 years are up already?
if not, go complain as much as you can....might piss them off a bit but it gets the job done at least.

[CBRmatt600]

Congratulations man!

Can you explain the fuel cuts you were experiencing a little bit more? Mine only seem to happen when going WOT from the low RPM range. They kick in right around 2500 RPM, and just feel like the car starts bucking. It never goes into limp mode, and there is never a total loss of power, and there is also never a CEL or fault code.

[jmars]

Of course more then happy....

All my fuel cuts were at highway speeds. The cuts intially started happening when mashing the throttle while driving in 6th gear at about 75mph. The car would cruise to 85-90 then go into limp mode. Once in limp mode I had no power and but then a surge of power would come (gas finally reaching the engine). This issue came and went. Fast forward to 2 weeks ago.....while driving in 6th gear the same issues happened only this time I could replicate the limp mode any time I wanted to at 85mph. I made fuel cuts happen until my CEL came on.....my goal was to have the CEL saved in the computer.
The first cell that came on the dealer replaced the fuel pressure sensor. That same day I drove up to VT and I wasn't even CT when I hit limp mode. The difference now was that I was in 5th gear merging. At this piont I figured that I'm not going to quit getting it into limp mode.....I must have put her in to limp 10+ times on that one trip....however now I could't get the car out of limp mode which was really concerning. I shut the car down, waited and started her back up........now another CEL appeared. On the return from that trip I did the same, got on her hard and now found limp mode in hard 4th gear pulls. The cell that previously lit up was now off but it only took 5 or so more limp modes to get it back. The next day or so I got my car into the dealer, I knew it would be an up hill battle but I guess the tech like the beer I left in the car b/c luckily they checked (of course I asked) the my cam follower out and they determined that my car needed a new cam.

Matt, I always knew when my car was going to cut b/c I could feel the engine getting starved for fuel. In 6th gear the limp happened at about 3000-3500rpm. Once the issue got worse and it happened in 4th & 5th gear then rpms were a bit higher but I always knew (b/c I could feel it) when it was going to kick out.

To anyone out there please feel free to ask me questions. I've been helped many times on this forum and I enjoy giving back where possible..............ask away

[CBRmatt600]

Thanks man. That still sounds different than what I am experiencing, my problem is more of a bucking when I start getting into heavy boost. I haven't had a complete loss of power like that, and mine will happen in all gears if I am on the throttle hard.

This sure is frustrating. Hopefully I can get a full diagnosis after my visit to Ringtec.

[jmars]

Matt, I never "bucked" but rather I could feel the engine starved for fuel. It's more like when a lawn mower is running out of gas.

Does this issue you are having happen when your chip is turned off?

[CBRmatt600]

No it doesn't, which is why I assumed it is fuel cut and not a DV problem. I have the AWE DV installed, and thought it is a possibility that this is failing and not throwing a code because it is a mechanical valve rather than an electronic one. Since I don't have this issue in stock mode though, I am sort of ruling it out. My coil packs are fine, the car has new NGK plugs gapped at the recommended chipped spec, and I have a new PCV.