2007 Q7 4.2; Suddenly ESP and EPC....all kinds of issues...

[flat12]

Hello Audi-Gang! I'm fighting a severe depression...my Q7 seems to have suddenly developed all kinds of issues since yesterday....Sunday - March 27th. We went to have breakfast at the local IHOP after Sunday services. When we arrived the parking lot was beyond full. People with trucks and SUV's were parking on the grass, to do that you had to drive up over a curb - no biggie. I gently pulled up to...and over...the curb and shut the old girl down. After breakfast we come out and get into the Q7. I notice it takes a few cranks before it fires up....as soon as it does, the ESP and EPC lights come on...and it idles a little rough. I went straight home and back her into the garage, it was idling a big rougher now. This morning I go to work and it's about the same....not great but not unbearable. After a long day I hop in and start her up...lots of cranking time, then she starts and runs like total crap. I get home okay and hook up Vag-Com and I get a boat load of issues. I'm down below a quarter tank of gas so I decide to go and get fresh gas hoping that I got some bad stuff in the tank - no difference. I get her back home and open the hood and look all over for a vacuum leak. I do see that there is a hose disconnected down at the bottom-front of the passenger's side air filter housing...I think YAY and plug it back on....barely a difference, still runs like dog-poop. In fact if I let it idle on it's own....it will sometimes just die.

I've searched the web and see a variety of potential causes, things like:
1) Battery is getting weak.
2) Poor electrical connection - grounding issue.
3) ABS Sensor
4) MAF
5) Carbon Build-Up
6) ECU has died
7) Some sort of Relay somewhere

It just seems awful odd that all of this trouble seemed to start after I gently drove up over that curb...is this a possible cause? I looked under the vehicle for anything obvious but nothing jumped out at me. Need some direction on where to begin as there are so many issues I'm about ready to just roll the dice and try anything.

Thank You Gang!

[zerokiller698]

What I would search:
Vacuum leak
Crank position sensor

[flat12]

UPDATE 4-2-16:
Below is a summary the malfunctioning systems from the Vag-Com Scan I took today. I looked in the area of the ECM (under the passenger's side cowl area) and did not see any signs of water or similar issues. I also looked in the spare tire well for issues and didn't see any. All of the data shows that the voltages to the various systems was 13.4 to 14.2 volts, which suggests that the battery is okay. My Q7 does not have the sun roof - FYI.

01-Engine -- Status: Malfunction 0010
02-Auto Trans -- Status: Malfunction 0010
03-ABS Brakes -- Status: Malfunction 0010
05-Acc/Start Auth. -- Status: Malfunction 0010
07-Control Head -- Status: Malfunction 0010
19-CAN Gateway -- Status: Malfunction 0010
28-HVAC, Rear -- Status: Malfunction 0010
34-Level Control -- Status: Malfunction 0010
37-Navigation -- Status: Malfunction 0010
42-Door Elect, Driver -- Status: Malfunction 0010
47-Sound System -- Status: Malfunction 0010
61-Battery Regul. -- Status: Malfunction 0010
62-Door,Rear Left -- Status: Malfunction 0010
69-Trailer -- Status: Malfunction 0010
6C-Back-up Cam. -- Status: Malfunction 0010

[flat12]

Update 4-3-16:
While looking around the engine bay today I noticed that the electrical terminal "thingy" on the right side high pressure fuel pump is cracked. I don't think that is the cause of my issues but it will need to be fixed. My time is very limited due to family and work so the Q7 just sits in the garage. I think maybe the ECU is toast but not sure yet. Opinions welcomed....

[flat12]

UPDATE 4-5-16:
Since the EPC is an issue, I checked the accelerator pedal....just happen to have a spare from a previous VW we owned. I removed the old pedal and hooked up the "new"one...no improvement. So I put the old pedal back in. We looked closely at all the vacuum hoses and their connection points, nothing. Checked all of the fuses in all locations and everything looked good. Didn't see any loose or damaged wires anywhere. Unhooked and manually moved the variable intake manifold barrel just to see if it changed anything....very little fluctuation in rpms. Looked under the vehicle for anything obvious...did not see anything...as expected. My next task is to change the spark plugs as preventive maintenance, and probably replace the throttle body. I'll keep posting until I get this bas*&%$ fixed.

[zerokiller698]

EPC is telling me this should be crank position sensor

[flat12]

Thank You ZEROKILLER968. I assume there is measuring block or similar in Vag-Com where I can verify that the sensor is working properly. I'll do some checking on that.

[flat12]

UPDATE 4-17-16:
Family visited from out of state, and too busy to spend any time with the Q7. After sitting for almost 2 weeks I started it up and ran crappy as expected. Just for fun I punched the gas pedal to the floor and reluctantly the rpms picked up, did this a couple of times and it seemed every so slightly better. Then I unplugged both MAF sensors and started it up and it actually idled at about 600rpms but not smoothly. I plugged the MAF's back in and started it up again no change....only a slight improvement...maybe just wishful thinking on my part. I bought another Throttle Control Valve to try out. Looked through the Bentley manual and there is no procedure that I can find for changing this thing out. There is a procedure for removing the entire intake manifold, maybe it's supposed to come off with the intake as a unit? Next I pulled out #1 spark plug and it had some oil down in the plug well, not much...just a dribble, but it's certainly not desirable. The plug itself looked on the rough side, carbon build up, etc. I also noticed that the plug unscrewed pretty easily, no force involved at all. So as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I will get new plugs installed and go from there. I'm finding that as I get older, fatter, and slower....I just don't have the drive to work on these things like I used to.

[flat12]

UPDATE 4-18-16:
Okay Audi-Gang...ever try to get spark plugs for these 4.2 Liter FSI V8 engines!?!? What a pain. First...try and find out what type of plug it is. I pulled a plug out of my engine and all it shows is "NGK" and "VAG"....no other writing on it at all. So I search the internet, and finally find the part number on NGK's official site...it takes PFR6W-TG (NGK part number 5547). And you can forget about any auto parts store having these in stock - called all over town, Autozone, O-Reilly's, Advanced Auto....none of them had any. So I decided to go to our local VW dealer (don't have an Audi dealership in town) and ask them. Now these folks should know their parts, but all they could ask for is my VIN number and the engine code. I told them to look up spark plugs for a 2008 Touareg with the 4.2 FSI V8 engine, but they still said "what is the VIN number?" So I finally asked if I could look at their computer screen, they swung it round and I scrolled down to the 4.2 BAR engine - "there it is" I said with some exasperation in my voice. And of course....they didn't have any in stock!!! What a shock! Here's the prices. VW = $22.91 each. Advanced Auto = $19.71 each. Autozone said they couldn't even get them. So again...the internet is your friend, I found a set of 8 plugs for $92 shipped to my door. What an ordeal. You used to go to an autoparts store because they had stuff in stock, now nobody has anything...oh sure they can order it....but so can you and for cheaper too! Okay....I'm shutting up now.

[zerokiller698]

Spark plugs easily found
https://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-Q7--V...n/Spark_Plugs/

[flat12]

Thanks ZEROKILLER698. Have you ever removed the intake manifold from a 4.2 FSI engine? I'm thinking I need to do this to remove the carbon from the intake valves.

[LINDW4LL]

Can you post the actual engine fault codes that are showing?

[zerokiller698]

Thanks ZEROKILLER698. Have you ever removed the intake manifold from a 4.2 FSI engine? I'm thinking I need to do this to remove the carbon from the intake valves.

This is a project I'm about to do when I get a nice full day to commit to this.

[flat12]

Here are the fault codes I got the other day....


001112 - Evap System Purge Control Valve (N80): Short to Ground
P0458 - 002 - Lower Limit Exceeded - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 11100010
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 165673 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2016.03.28
Time: 18:15:45

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 648 /min
Load: 32.5 %
Speed: 0.0 km/h
Temperature: 98.0°C
Temperature: 54.0°C
Absolute Pres.: 990.0 mbar
Voltage: 13.589 V

005173 - Secondary Air Pump Relay (J299): Short to Ground
P1435 - 002 - Lower Limit Exceeded - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 11100010
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 165673 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2016.03.28
Time: 18:15:45

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 648 /min
Load: 32.5 %
Speed: 0.0 km/h
Temperature: 98.0°C
Temperature: 54.0°C
Absolute Pres.: 990.0 mbar
Voltage: 14.224 V

000258 - Mass Air Flow Sensor (G70): Signal too Low
P0102 - 002 - Lower Limit Exceeded - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 11100010
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 165673 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2016.03.28
Time: 18:15:46

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 598 /min
Load: 39.6 %
Speed: 0.0 km/h
Temperature: 98.0°C
Temperature: 54.0°C
Absolute Pres.: 990.0 mbar
Voltage: 13.970 V

000268 - Mass Air Flow Sensor (G246): Signal too Low
P010C - 002 - Lower Limit Exceeded - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 11100010
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 165673 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2016.03.28
Time: 18:15:46

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 598 /min
Load: 39.6 %
Speed: 0.0 km/h
Temperature: 98.0°C
Temperature: 54.0°C
Absolute Pres.: 990.0 mbar
Voltage: 13.970 V

000135 - Fuel Rail/System Pressure: Too Low
P0087 - 002 - Lower Limit Exceeded - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 11100010
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 165673 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2016.03.28
Time: 18:15:52

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 612 /min
Load: 55.7 %
Speed: 0.0 km/h
Temperature: 98.0°C
Temperature: 54.0°C
Absolute Pres.: 990.0 mbar
Voltage: 13.970 V

009217 - EVAP Leak Detection Pump Control Circuit: Short to GND
P2401 - 002 - Lower Limit Exceeded - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 11100010
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 165673 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2016.03.28
Time: 18:15:55

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 614 /min
Load: 55.7 %
Speed: 0.0 km/h
Temperature: 98.0°C
Temperature: 54.0°C
Absolute Pres.: 990.0 mbar
Voltage: 13.335 V

008852 - Fuel Pressure Regulator Valve (N276): Open Circuit
P2294 - 004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 10100100
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 10
Mileage: 165675 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2016.03.28
Time: 18:46:04

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 512 /min
Load: 50.6 %
Speed: 2.0 km/h
Temperature: 91.0°C
Temperature: 40.0°C
Absolute Pres.: 990.0 mbar
Voltage: 13.462 V

004763 - Fuel Pressure Regulator Valve; Bank 2 (N276): Open Circuit
P129B - 004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 10100100
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 7
Mileage: 165676 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2016.03.28
Time: 20:14:38

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 994 /min
Load: 54.5 %
Speed: 0.0 km/h
Temperature: 74.0°C
Temperature: 36.0°C
Absolute Pres.: 990.0 mbar
Voltage: 11.938 V

000768 - Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected
P0300 - 001 - Upper Limit Exceeded - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 11100001
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 165676 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2016.04.01
Time: 17:10:56

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 1300 /min
Load: 32.9 %
Speed: 0.0 km/h
Temperature: 23.0°C
Temperature: 24.0°C
Absolute Pres.: 990.0 mbar
Voltage: 14.097 V

000773 - Cylinder 5: Misfire Detected
P0305 - 001 - Upper Limit Exceeded
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 01100001
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 165676 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2016.04.01
Time: 17:10:56

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 1300 /min
Load: 32.9 %
Speed: 0.0 km/h
Temperature: 23.0°C
Temperature: 24.0°C
Absolute Pres.: 990.0 mbar
Voltage: 14.097 V

000769 - Cylinder 1: Misfire Detected
P0301 - 001 - Upper Limit Exceeded
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 01100001
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 165676 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2016.04.01
Time: 17:53:46

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 487 /min
Load: 63.1 %
Speed: 1.0 km/h
Temperature: 25.0°C
Temperature: 25.0°C
Absolute Pres.: 980.0 mbar
Voltage: 13.843 V

000770 - Cylinder 2: Misfire Detected
P0302 - 001 - Upper Limit Exceeded
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 01100001
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 165676 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2016.04.01
Time: 17:53:46

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 487 /min
Load: 63.1 %
Speed: 1.0 km/h
Temperature: 25.0°C
Temperature: 25.0°C
Absolute Pres.: 980.0 mbar
Voltage: 13.843 V

[clover168]

I'm thinking carbon build up. I have the similar code for my 2012. Random misfire on all cylinder and evap leak, lost of power....

Sent from my STV100-1 using Tapatalk

[flat12]

Hello CLOVER168...yes...my plans are to remove the intake manifold to remove carbon deposits, and possibly tend to a few oil leaks. Last night I started to unplug some of the electric motors on the front of the intake manifold that adjust the intake flaps, etc. I was not able to unplug the electrical connector to the center-lower motor.....because some dufass broke the retainer on the connector and used permatex to secure it. There isn't any way that thing is ever coming off. So I have to either cut the wires and re-soldier later, or disconnect the control levers and remove the whole motor....either way it sucks.

[flat12]

UPDATE 4-23-16:
So far today I've removed more components from the engine. You may recall that I was not able to disconnect the little electric motor at the front-center-bottom of the intake manifold, so I removed the tiny e-clips that retained the actuating levers, and then removed the motor & levers and set them aside. I still have to remove the Oil Seperator, center air-intake duct, and some other items at the rear of the intake manifold - BUT THERE IS NO ROOM WHATSOEVER TO GET MY HAND...LET ALONE ANY TOOLS IN THERE...!! I have the Bentley manual and it's written under the assumption you have access to the rear of the engine to get to all of the various fasteners and such - but this is not the case on the Q7. I finally had to walk away from the darn thing and cool off. My goal is to remove as few items as necessary, trying to keep things as a unit...where ever possible. But I'm at a stand still right now. I just cannot get my hands in there to remove any more crap...!!!!

Suggestions are welcome...or should I say.....PLEASE HELP...!!!!

[flat12]

2nd UPDATE 4-23-16:
Well I kept at it....and FINALLY got the intake manifold off. What a pain in the butt job it was too! I was hoping to keep the fuel lines buttoned up but it wasn't possible, so I had to remove the lines to the high pressure pumps, etc. The air intake tube at the rear-center, the oddball crank case ventilation system and oil separator were the worst things to deal with. And I'm sure it won't be any easier going back together as the packaging is beyond tight. Looking at the intake vales, they look a bit gooey but not as bas as some of the other pictures I've seen. There is a bit of oil in a few spots in the engine valley area, so I have a few leaks to fix. The oil leak that I really need to fix is the passenger's side rear timing chain cover, it leaks down onto the exhaust manifold and makes for a lovely atmosphere in the cabin. During the disassembly process I made sure to label things and take pictures, and I know they'll come in handy when I try and put everything back together.

[clover168]

2nd UPDATE 4-23-16:
Well I kept at it....and FINALLY got the intake manifold off. What a pain in the butt job it was too! I was hoping to keep the fuel lines buttoned up but it wasn't possible, so I had to remove the lines to the high pressure pumps, etc. The air intake tube at the rear-center, the oddball crank case ventilation system and oil separator were the worst things to deal with. And I'm sure it won't be any easier going back together as the packaging is beyond tight. Looking at the intake vales, they look a bit gooey but not as bas as some of the other pictures I've seen. There is a bit of oil in a few spots in the engine valley area, so I have a few leaks to fix. The oil leak that I really need to fix is the passenger's side rear timing chain cover, it leaks down onto the exhaust manifold and makes for a lovely atmosphere in the cabin. During the disassembly process I made sure to label things and take pictures, and I know they'll come in handy when I try and put everything back together.

Since you are therem it might be better for you replace all the manifold gaskets and such like that.

[flat12]

Yes....that is my plan. There are 2 gaskets for the intake manifold, and then there are various O-rings for the other various items. Hopefully I don't encounter any other issues. I need to know what people use to clean the intake valves. I assume I need to determine which valves are in the "closed" position before spraying any gunk in there and scrubbing. Then clean out the intake ports, rotate the engine as needed to close up other valves and repeat.

Advice on this is welcomed....thank you Audi-Gang....

[flat12]

What about Catch Cans?

I've been reading through various forums on carbon build up - boy there sure is a lot out there! The sad thing is, there appears to be several contributors (not any one thing) to the carbon build up. I am interested in learning more about catch cans, as many felt that crank case ventilation was the single biggest contributor to the carbon build up. Does anyone out there have such an arrangement on their Q7?

[LINDW4LL]

Several people have tried catch cans with their RS4s (some with methanol injection, too) and the concensus was that it made no notable effect on carbon buildup.

You have way more issues than carbon judging from your codes, though. I would have dug into that first, but the carbon clean certainly won't hurt.

[clover168]

I did use liqui moly fuel injections cleaner and I felt a slightly different on my fuel mileage but then again maybe that's me.



Sent from my STV100-1 using Tapatalk

[zerokiller698]

With a direct injection engine, fuel injector cleaner does nothing for carbon build up

[flat12]

Hello LINDW4LL - yes I do have other issues. I noticed as I was taking everything apart that several wire harness connectors were damaged, including one on the rear side of fuel manifold where all of the hard lines plumb into. I'm going to check all electrical connections that I can get to...and make sure they are good, and clean all grounds, etc. In addition....I have verified that the throttle pedal module is good, but I have to check the throttle valve yet.

[clover168]

With a direct injection engine, fuel injector cleaner does nothing for carbon build up

Hmmm. Good to know. did a carbon clean up once at 80k km.

btw mine are the 3.0T.

Will oil catch can help?

[flat12]

I've been looking all over town for a set of the "triple-square" bits, you know the ones with 12 points versus the usual 6 points of the Torx bits. Reading through other threads, folks have said they've bought these bits at Autozone, O'Reillys, Sears...well I've been to all of those places and nobody has them. So I guess I'll order a set on-line.

[flat12]

UPDATE 4-30-16:
I found a set of triple-square bits (4 pieces...7mm, 8mm, 9mm, 10mm)....yay! Today I looked inside the intake manifold, what a complicated piece. Each runner has sludge and oil in it, as well as the flappers. To do a thorough cleaning I though about separating the upper and lower intakes and started to remove the bolts, but looking closely I had second thoughts as I get a gut feeling that I'd better leave it alone. So I'm just going to clean each runner and flapper as best I can with cleaner, brushes, rags, etc. I figure it will take a good 4 to 6 hours to get everything nice and clean. After seeing the amount goo in there, I'm still very tempted to run a catch can. This sludge has to be coming from the Crankcase Ventilation System.

[flat12]

I need to address an oil leak on the passenger's side rear cam / chain tensioner cover. I've searched ECS Tuning and Blauparts websites for a gasket for this but don't see any. I also googled it looking for info but everything refers to the earlier 4.2 engines, not much on the FSI motors out there. Is there a gasket for this cover? Or is it RTV?

[flat12]

UPDATE 5-7-16:
I worked on cleaning up the intake manifold today, everything in the runners had a grungy film of oil. It took quite a bit of time to get the flappers cleaned up, as crud was a challenge to get to....but eventually everything was done. Now I move on to the intake valves, but first I need to determine how to turn the motor over by hand and then see which valves are closed. I'm going to pull all of the spark plugs out so the motor will rotate easier. I found out that the rear timing chain covers do NOT have a gasket, but just sealant. I was hoping that with everything removed so far I could get to it....but nope! I need to remove windshield wipers, and then the cowl cover at the base of the windshield, then the sections of the firewall that contain the Engine ECU and the large fuses and relays. Then I must drain the cooling system, and remove the rear coolant pipes, before I can finally access the timing chain covers. I love Audis and have owned many, but this friggin Q7 is a total pain to work on! Nothing is easy to access, it always seems like you have to pull of numerous items to do the simplest things. I have no choice but to continue on with all of these projects. I can only hope and pray that when everything is done, she starts up and runs good again. If not....I'll probably have a nervous breakdown....

[flat12]

UPDATE 5-11-16:
Worked a very long day, not much energy left when I got home but decided to do "something". To help make it easier to rotate the engine by hand, I pulled out the remaining 7 spark plugs (already pulled #1). OMG the spark plug wells were full of oil, I mean like a quarter inch deep or so.....maybe more! So the O-rings are leaking like crazy, only 2 plugs were dry. So I will order the cam cover gasket kit from ECS Tuning. I also removed the bolts that secure the driver's seat down...and tipped it back to take a look at the battery. The brand name is "World" and I think that is the OEM supplier. The Q7 has sat for so long that I need to hook up a battery charger but I'm afraid of screwing up the electrics. If I unhook the cables to charge the batter I will loose all stored information, which doesn't bother me much except that I'm worried there may be something "unknown" occur. Feedback welcomed.....

[flat12]

UPDATE 5-13-16 - I'm going set my Q7 on fire...!!

The first thing I did today was to remove the battery and put a charger on it, however much to my disappointment after hours of charging it's only at 11.9 volts....which leads me to think it may be time for a new battery. I will get it tested to confirm. The brand name of this battery is "World Products" and of course there is no date noted as to when it was installed - thanks to whoever was too lazy to record this. Is this an OEM battery?

Next I concentrating on fixing the oil leak on the right side timing chain cover. So I've removed the "belly pan" and drained out the cooling system. The next thing to do is to remove the windshield wipers, one of them came off but I can't budge the other two, tried prying while tapping with a hammer, side-to-side motions, you name it....nothing. I read on other posts were some folks get lucky and they come off with little trouble - and then there's me...these buggers are not cooperating at all. I'm going to need some kind of special puller, till then I give up. Next thing to do is to remove the various water pipes in the back and around the sides of the motor...have you seen how much room there is to do this....NONE...!!! I see that someone else must have tried to do this same repair because I've noticed fasteners missing here and there, I'd normally curse whoever did this substandard work but in this case I can understand it. It's obvious that everything on this motor is packaged into the smallest space possible, and the only way to fix things is to drop the motor out of the vehicle to gain access. I got so peed off that I just had to walk away....swearing at the Audi engineers the whole time...those frickers. And another thing Audi engineers...when space is tight it's okay to use a hex head bolt, that way you can at least get a wrench on it if you have to. You don't always have to use a stinking torx head bolt....which requires room for the bit and socket wrench to do anything. Guys...I'm almost to the point of giving up on this thing. I've owned and worked on many cars in my life, everything from a simple air-cooled VW to a 12 cylinder Ferrari, but this "Rube Goldberg" designed Q7 has me on the ropes!

I need some support...before I loose all my marbles....

[dukesean]

Sorry to hear abouta 'll the troubles.

OEM battery is Varta, and will have vw/audi parts number and manufactured date on it.

I'm kind of on similar situation now.
Just found a small transmission fluid leak between engine and transmission. About a quarter mark on floor every night. Only fix is to drop the engine to replace the $40 pump seal.
I don't think it's worth it to spend that kind of money on a $6000 car. Didn't decide it yet though.

Good Luck on your repairs.

[flat12]

Thank You DUKESEAN for that information, I'm thinking of getting an Interstate battery, from what I've read these are a good alternative. As for removing the cowl cover at the base of the windshield, I may end up cutting the cover so I can slide it off the wiper arm shafts. Today I'm going to see if I can free up some space in the rear of the motor, there are several aluminum water pipes and some large wire harnesses back there, that prevent me from removing the timing chain cover. I may switch to hex head bolts, or maybe allen head bolts, so I can re-torque the bolts at a later time if needed, there isn't any way this can be done with torx head bolts once everything is back together.

I think once at get "something" back together.....ANYTHING.....I'll start to feel better. As it is now, all I'm doing is the extremely difficult dis-assembly process.

[flat12]

UPDATE 5-14-16:

As you can see from my previous posts, I've had nothing but troubles working on my Q7 up to this point. Well today I started the day off with a payer to the Almighty and asked for guidance with the Audi. I know that probably sounds like a joke but I was very sincere. My payer was obviously heard as I accomplished 3 things today...see below...

I successfully removed the wiper arms today. After 2 days of trying everything I've read in other posts, I'd given up. Well today I had an idea, and it worked...!!! Some people have posted that they have cracked their windshield trying to remove wipers that were really stuck....and mine were REALLY REALLY stuck. Here is what I did. Loosen the retainer nuts on the wiper blades but do not remove them, just back them off several turns but leave 3 or 4 threads engaged. This is so that when the blades break loose you won't loose control of them. Tilt the blades upwards as if you are going to wash the windshield. I used lots of towels to protect everything. I wrapped towels around the wiper blades, over the finder around the hood...you need to protect all of the delicate surfaces...you can't be too careful. Looking at the wiper blade shafts, you will see that there are two different diameters, and smaller diameter on the upper half, and a larger diameter on the lower half. I used a 13mm open end wrench and inserted it onto the smaller diameter portion of the shaft, and let it rest on the "shoulder" of the lower larger diameter. I then used another 13mm open end wrench and inserted it under the wiper blade. I then used another open end wrench and wedged it in between the other 2 wrenches, trying to get the open end to insert over the wiper shaft...but it the wrench was a bit too thick. So I carefully tapped it in the direction of the wiper shaft with a hammer and it continued to wedge it in there....until finally the wiper arm "SNAPPED" free. Then I removed all of the wrenches, removed the retainer nut, and voila....the wiper was off! I had to do this on the driver's side wiper, and the middle wiper, the one on the passenger's side is not splined, the shaft has 2 flats ground into it...and it was not nearly as hard getting that one loose.

To remove the cowl cover at the base of the windshield, I used quick detail spray and wet the glass just above the cowl cover and let the solution run down into the "Lip" and hopefully loosen things up. Then I started at the driver's side I pulled carefully up at the end, in a direction that is vertical to the windshield surface. The cowl cover came up without much resistance. Once I could get my fingers underneath the cowl cover, I carefully slid my hand in the direction of the passenger's side, and as I did this the cowl cover came right out with no problems.

I also managed to get the passenger's side timing chain cover off, this was a MAJOR pain in the arse to do. I had to remove the engine ECU and it's mounting bracket, along with tons of other stuff. One of the most difficult things was the aluminum water pipe that connects to both the left and right timing chain covers. Everything seems to have other items connected to it, you can't remove one thing without removing several others....it's just insane. Getting this cover off was a major accomplishment for me, as the oil leak from this cover leaked down onto the exhaust manifold, and I can't count how many times I'd be setting at a stoplight and suddenly a plume of smoke would roll out from under the hood - very embarrassing for such a find German machine. I'm surprised that there is no gasket for this cover, only a bead of sealant. I'm going to make darn sure each mounting surface is spotlessly clean. And then I'm going to do a couple of practice installs, until I can do it without hitting things or scraping it against something. It has to be perfect. I'm also considering using hex head bolts instead of torx heads, this will allow me to perform additional tightening at a later time if needed, there isn't any way to do this with torx heads.

All in all it was a good day.....!

[flat12]

UPDATE 5-22-16:
Yesterday I finally re-installed the right side timing change cover. I'd originally bought a small tube of VW/Audi black silicone sealant off of ebay...you know the official factory stuff. This stuff requires that you use a caulking gun to apply the sealant. But unfortunately by the time I got around to use this stuff it was past it's expire date of April 2016 and guess what....it was all solidified....totally useless....it sucks but oh well. So I just used some Permatex Silicone Sealant...hopefully I don't live to regret this decision. Prior to the actual install I did a couple of practice fittings of the cover to be sure that I wouldn't accidentally touch anything and screw up the sealant...as space is pretty tight. I then applied the sealant to the cover and let it site for a few minutes, and then installed it and torqued the M6 bolts to approximately 6 Ft-Lbs. Now to attach the coolant hose back on, I used vice grips to hold the hose clamp in the open position and slid it over the hose, then pushed the hose back onto the aluminum tube, positioned the clamp and released it.

Today plan to install the main ECU and firewall panel that covers the all of the components in this area. I used the shop-vac and sucked out all of the leaves and other crud that found their way in there over the years. You want to make sure the drains / tubes are clear because if this area fills up with water it could damage some vital items.

[flat12]

...continued update 5-22-16:

I replaced both Cam Cover gaskets today. As I removed the covers I could see places where they oil was leaking. I ordered Audi OEM gaskets from ECS Tuning. I had to trim the driver's side gasket slightly due to some cam cover reinforcement webbing, but other than this they fit fine. I spent a lot time cleaning the cylinder head surfaces and the channels in the covers that retain the gaskets. I then tightened the bolts down in the specified sequence and torqued to 9Nm.

I think I have another oil leak at the hose connection to the Oil Vapor Separator. I'm going to remove the current "crimped clamp" and use a worm-style clamp to secure the hose. I also have a lot of oil to clean out of the valley of the engine. I'm trying to clean up everything really well so if there is a subsequent leak somewhere, it will be easy to spot. At least I'm making some progress now.

[flat12]

UPDATE 5-29-16:
I finally got some time to work on the friggin Q7 today. The next step is to clean the intake valves. First thing I did was read other posts on this as well as watch a couple of youtube videos. Well I was not able to find a suitable wire brush type tool to fit into my drill, so I ended up getting some long skinny wire brushes from a gun cleaning kit that looked like they might do the job. I started on the driver's side front cylinder by scraping off as much crud as I could, but let me tell you it's not easy! I used picks, screw drivers, and wire brushes. Then I vacuumed everything out, and sprayed sea foam in there and let it sit for a few minutes. I then used one of the gun cleaning wire brushes in my drill and buzzed it all around in there. I then soaked up as much crud as I could before finally using the shop-vac and getting the rest out. I had to repeat this process several times to get an acceptable result - it wasn't squeaky clean in there - but it was a lot better than before. I read where someone used crushed walnut shells and blasted the intake ports clean.....can anyone report on this? I'd like to know more details please.....

At the rate I'm going, it will take me 15 hours to clean all of the intake ports :-(

[flat12]

UPDATE 5-30-16:
Today I finished up cleaning all of those dirty rotten intake valves and intake ports. Those guys cleaning the valves of those in-line 4 cylinder FSI motors where everything faces the front of the vehicle don't know how lucky they go it..!!! Doing a Q7 V8 is a son-of-a-gun to do, especially when your a middle aged overweight guy like me. I will probably have to do one more round of fine scraping with a pick to get all the little specks out. Overall everything looks pretty good though. To turn the motor over I'm using a wrench on one of the bolts in the front pulley, all spark plugs are removed, so the engine turns over with a bit of effort.

[IbisB8.5S4]

had an issue with my Q7 a couple weeks after buying it, it would idle rough and jerk when cold. eventually it died completely (in the audi dealership's parking lot of all places) and would just turn over to no avail. Ended up being the crank position sensor. Luckily Audi replaced it under warranty (literally had just owned the car 2 weeks CPO).

I should mention mine was a 3.6 V6.