2.5 TDI 163 HP BDG engine BROKEN/FAILED

Hello forum members,

I'm here because I'm working on restoring an Audi A6 V6 TDI with a BDG engine. The car is 3.5 years old and has 178,000 kilometers on the odometer.

Upon opening the valve cover, it was immediately clear that there was a major problem. The camshaft was broken, 7 hydraulic lifters were broken off, lifters were scattered everywhere, and pieces of the camshaft had broken off. For your information, three rocker arms on the valve side are broken or have cracks in the steel.

Fortunately, a compression test showed that all the valves are still sealing, and the compression is 21 bar in all cylinders (17 bar is the wear limit for this engine).

Now I need new camshafts, rocker arms, and hydraulic lifters. Does anyone have a tip on where I can find this at the most affordable price? (Camshaft kit)
Are there any specific things I should pay attention to when installing the new rollers?

Where do the missing metal fragments from the control linkages typically end up?

I would be very grateful for any tips, as I can't afford to spend 9500 euros on a replacement engine.

There are no kits available. Try searching for "Autohaus Südring," located somewhere in northern Germany, and give them a call. They frequently list items on eBay. Debris is everywhere, but the "engine experts" from Bielefeld are disassembling and cleaning both oil pans. It's a lot of work, but it doesn't require many spare parts.

You'll need specialized tools for the main and auxiliary water pumps; a drill bit is sufficient for the pump. You'll also need a specific (short) puller for the auxiliary water pump wheels. VAG-COM.
The shaft seals need to be replaced, as do the blind cover on the passenger side and the seal for the vacuum pump. The hydraulic lifters sometimes come soft from the factory, so buy five more just in case. After installation, wait 30 minutes, haha. In that time, you won't be able to get the valve covers and the rest of the components back together anyway.

christians wrote:

1) There are no kits available. Please search for "Autohaus Südring" in northern Germany and call them. They are frequently listed on eBay. 2) A special (short) puller for the NW wheels. 3) Hydros are sometimes soft from the factory, so buy 5 more.

1) or Autohaus Wipprecht, AHW.de, I believe.
2) I bought it for EUR 60 from Facom (I think). NW wheels also require a counter-holder.
3) It made me want to do the whole thing again, a second time.

Take your time, pay close attention to the timing, and buy quality parts.

My sincere condolences. I think this engine should almost be banned because of the problems it causes. You can get the camshafts, lifters, and roller rocker arms as a complete set from aftermarket suppliers. However, the work is not a pleasant undertaking, as it is also very time-consuming.
The debris should be found in the oil pan .

In the early V6 TDI engines, the camshafts would wear in, while in the newer models with roller rocker arms, the camshafts tend to fail. They really have a screw loose... where they construct this stuff.

Steffarn wrote:

1) I think this engine should almost be banned because of the problems it causes. 2) The camshafts, tappets, and rocker arms, including the roller rocker arms, are all available as complete sets in the aftermarket. 3) They really have a screw loose when it comes to

construction.
1) Why almost?
"2) Regarding accessories? My parts supplier could only provide the hydraulic components. Apparently, the rocker arms, those small plates, and the water pump were only available as original parts. What's your source for that information? Does it make it much more original? Surely there must be a reconditioned version available, like the extra-hardened ones from AKN?" Do you have access to the current market status?
"The problem is that, even after years, they still haven't figured it out, and they've known what they're selling for years. The fault lies with the customers (including myself) who buy this garbage. People don't want to buy foreign products (and I earn my money here too), but it would be a good reminder to put "German thoroughness" back in the spotlight." Currently, only that saying remains, and D is finally doing better in the accident statistics.

Okay, we're still using the AKN with a rocker arm. We got these, along with the hydraulic lifters, from ViertelMotoren in Nuremberg. I'm not sure if roller rockers and camshafts are available as accessories. But why be nice, since many of them break .

It would be interesting to know if there are any revised NW (presumably referring to "Nachweiswerke" or similar documentation) available for the BDG (presumably referring to a specific organization or standard). This question might also be of interest to drivers of AKN/AFB vehicles, as there is a seller on eBay offering cylinder heads for the AFB/AKN with roller rocker arms.

@carat32b
Are you certain that you can still reuse those heads, given the extent of the damage? Are the northwest storage containers, for example, damaged?

Are the camshafts in the BDG actually pressed out of a whole piece, or are the lobes pressed onto them? I'd be interested to know.
The question isn't whether German cars are worse.
'How many foreign cars are driven that many kilometers during that time? Then the accident statistics would also be much higher. But these cars are usually scrapped beforehand or don't reach that mileage until after 10 years. The fleet vehicles are usually equipped with German cars.' What lasts forever doesn't bring money .

The cam lobe rings appear to be shrunken or compressed. Because I have already seen some in two BDG engines that were not in the correct position .

For that reason, the slide levers are no longer engaging properly.

I recently spoke with someone from TK about this, and I have some concerns about the lifespan. The camshafts are press-fitted. But he meant that it would last forever .
Nowadays, there are also engines where the camshaft is pressed from a single piece of metal. Let's talk about some things that can happen with those. At least the hollow camshafts are 3.5 kg lighter than the old ones from the AFB.

The wave is shaped and pressed into place using high internal pressure applied to the pipe material, and also pressed with the cams. Recently, one has been reading more frequently about such defects. Whether this will reach the same proportions as with the old NW models remains to be seen. I'm afraid that 1. there are no improved replacement parts available for the roller rocker arms yet, and 2. that the current V6 TDI engines may also be affected, as their roller rocker arms are essentially built the same way.

You learn from your mistakes, right? Well, at least if that's true, they're consistently using the same faulty part in the V6 TDI engine.

"On my car (V6 TDI with engine code BDG), the timing belt cover on the rear right side (passenger side) is broken, and I want to replace it. I also have the locking tools. I've actually already removed most of the components {lock carrier, viscous fan, turbo pipe, air filter box}." I also removed the cover for the camshaft, the one where the locking plate goes in.

"There is no TDC (Top Dead Center) marking on my camshaft; I only see DL and various numbers (through the oil filler opening)." It seems it has probably been replaced before with a part from the accessories.

"I'm also still figuring out the best way to do it, which is basically this: I would need to remove only the right camshaft sprocket to be able to remove and install the timing belt cover." I would leave the timing belt for the ESP on, as well as everything else.

I imagine it like this:



1.) Securing the rear camshaft on the right side.

2.) Securing the ESP wheel with a locating pin.

3.) Marking the position of the timing belt on the left camshaft sprocket.

4.) Loosen the coupling nut of the right camshaft gear (I have a wrench to hold it in place).

5.) Loosen the timing belt.

6.) Remove the camshaft gear.

7.) Replacing the right (rear) timing cover.

8.) Reinstall the camshaft sprocket with the timing belt. Basically, it wouldn't really matter where the timing belt is positioned on the reinstalled camshaft sprocket, as long as the timing belt remains in place on the other sprockets (the left camshaft sprocket and the crankshaft sprocket), and the right camshaft remains locked.

9.) Tighten the timing belt.

10.) Reattach the camshaft sprocket (right side, the loose one).



By fixing the position of the ESP wheel, the position of the left camshaft wheel should also be fixed. And, if I don't change the position of the timing belt on all the other involved wheels, shouldn't everything fit back together correctly? Or am I mistaken? This procedure would save me the trouble of having to secure the left camshaft and the crankshaft.

Can someone confirm the procedure?

It's all sorted out now. I replaced the timing belt cover, more or less the way I had planned.