A4 1.9 TDI: Error 01044 - Troubleshooting

Hello,

'The preheating light is flashing on my Audi, and the VagCom diagnostic software is showing me error code 01044: 'Control unit incorrectly coded.' However, the car is running perfectly fine!'

'I had a tuning chip installed in the engine control unit about 2 weeks ago. Could that be related to the problem? What's surprising is that I was able to drive for a whole week without any error messages.'

The preheating light has only been flashing for about a week, shortly after the engine starts.

Do you need to reprogram or re-calibrate the control unit in any way?

Regards,
Jackson.

Hi, bad solder joint(s)?

Best regards, Rainer.

Hello,

I can't imagine that, I've checked it three times.

When I clear the error memory, the code 01044 reappears immediately, or it isn't erased at all.

As I mentioned, the car is running perfectly. However, if there are cold solder joints, it might experience interruptions during operation, or the software might crash while driving.

Regards,
Jackson.

Is the chip the correct one for the control unit? Please compare the control unit number that VAG-COM displays (which comes from the chip) with the number on the label on the control unit.

What is your current coding? Please also provide your vehicle data: model, year of manufacture, engine code, and transmission. Then, we can check your current coding using a coding table in the repair manual.

-Uwe-

Hello Uwe,

Luckily, I was able to find some old data before the chips were replaced (see below).

Okay, the engine control unit number is correct. My Audi is a B5 model, manufactured in October 1997, and it has a 5-speed transmission. I don't know what the MKB is.

Could it be that 'SG' and now 'AG' at Comp refer to shiftable and automatic transmissions? If so, that would be incorrect.

Regards,
Jackson.

Old data:
VAG No: 038 906 018 S
Comp: G00SG 1621
Soft: 00002
Shop: WSC 06325

New data:
VAG No: 038 906 018 S
Comp: G00AG 1621
Soft: 00001
Shop: WSC 06325

Hi,

That's right.

AG = Automatic.
SG = Switchgear.

That definitely needs to be corrected.

Best regards,

Jan.

Then it seems like some kind of configuration process is needed so that the control unit knows which components are installed in the car.

But how do you do that? Does anyone have instructions for me?

Regards,
Michael.

MKB = Engine Identification Code.

'No problem, you've already found the issue. Just set the encoding back to 00002, and then you can clear the error.'

With VAG-COM:

Select control unit -> 01-Engine.
Function: Encode-07
00002 eingeben und quittieren (weiss nicht was auf dem knopf steht, es gibt ja 3 verschiedene deutsche uebersetzungen, in der englischen version ist's 'Do It!'). See:

http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/tour/recode_screen.html

-Uwe-

Hmm, I just tried, but I can't seem to change the software version.

After confirming with DoIT, it goes back to the engine data screen, and 'Soft' and '...AG' are still the same.

Kann es sein das man sich vorher Einloggen muß? If so, how?

Regards,
Michael.

The documentation for your AFN (access point name) doesn't mention anything about a login being required before you can configure it. However, you could still try using the common login credentials: 01283, 11463, or 12233.

'I've also seen cases with 1.8T engines in A4s where, after a chip tuning modification, the coding options were much more limited than with the standard configuration. It was a fault on the part of the chip tuner (supposedly they used an incorrect base program from Bosch, but I'm not sure if I believe that).'

-Uwe-

I've tried all the login credentials, but this thing just won't update to software version 00002. Login 01283 is giving me an error message.

I've probably tried it 30 times, and I've never seen an error message. According to the software, it should have worked. Turning the ignition on and off doesn't help either.

Regards,
Michael.

If I reinstalled the original chips, would I then be able to change the software version to 00002, and would it remain at 00002 after the change?

I'm wondering if the chip is possibly only programmed for the engine control unit (ECU) with an automatic transmission.

Regards,
Michael.