Camping Trip: Our First RV Adventure!

Hey there,

Just a little something for those who might be interested.

Last Thursday, we left Thuringia, near Suhl, heading to the Harz region near Wernigerode, with three vehicles. My family was in our Passat with a caravan weighing approximately 1200 kg. Another family was in a G3 (AFN) with a caravan weighing just under 900 kg, and a third family was in a Hyundai van (gasoline engine, 110 hp) with a caravan also weighing approximately 900 kg.
I've already mentioned the 'towing capabilities' of my Passat. And with the caravan, it was no different. There were no problems when towing, not even on the sometimes steep inclines of 12% or more. The Passat consumed approximately 9-9.5 liters per 100 kilometers with moderate driving.

but: the Hyundai bus had problems with its relatively low weight. It was unable to keep up with our combination on inclines, even though we were far from reaching our limit! Well, and almost 17 liters of premium gasoline per 100 km is also not insignificant!
The g3 was causing problems. The vehicle could only reach a maximum speed of 70-80 km/h in a straight line, even with the accelerator pedal fully pressed. This made me suspicious and prompted me to take out my diagnostic tool (VAG-COM). And sure enough: the turbocharger was producing too little boost. The cause was a stuck VVT (Variable Valve Timing) adjustment. Well, we took a break, and I decided to tackle this often-discussed problem. After some thought, I remembered ULF's trick with the flasher relay to free the linkage. Luckily, I carry quite a bit of tools and accessories with me. I built and connected some cables. After an hour, we continued, and the g3 was running perfectly again! My wife was very proud of me.

but it's all thanks to this forum and the collective expertise here! Once again, thank you to everyone who contributes to shedding light on the mysteries of TDIs. In the 3/4 year of my membership here, I've learned an incredible amount, and as you can see, it's already made a difference! So, thank you again to everyone here!

Hi Joerg,

Whoever reads this...

"... just unpacked the diagnostic system..."

As if nothing could be simpler than that...


Seriously now:
Having a gasoline engine pulling a caravan is a real punishment. You struggle up every incline with high engine speeds and are "rewarded" with extremely high fuel consumption. My brother used to pull his caravan with his 5-cylinder, 136 horsepower Audi 100, and he would always laugh when I attached my ("smaller") car in front. His motto back then was: "... cubic capacity cannot be replaced by anything other than even more cubic capacity..." However, despite the significantly higher power (but less torque), he couldn't even outrun me uphill, which has now also made him a TDI driver.
I also achieved a fuel consumption of 9-9.5 liters per 100km with the AXR engine when riding with a trailer (although I wasn't driving at a leisurely pace).

hi bertil

Yes, with the diagnostic system... ! There's not much else to it. The 'slippers' (likely referring to a specific item) now have a permanent place in the car. Even though in 99% of cases, nothing is wrong, it provides a certain level of security. And as you can see, it actually helped this time. It was certainly a lucky coincidence, but we've done enough research on the overall issue and can now apply our knowledge!
Well, it did have some good things: there was free beer and Thuringian Rostbratwurst and Thuringian Rostbrätel as much as you could want!!!!

I understand that the gasoline engines are having their share of difficulties and problems. I had really believed that the bus would have fewer problems, since 900 kg should actually be 'practically nothing' for such a vehicle! But I see now: I thought, and I was wrong!

Actually, it's always a punishment to drive a gasoline-powered car, isn't it?

Deleted upon request.

joergs wrote:

After thinking about it for a while, I remembered Ulf's trick with the flasher relay to free the shaft. Luckily, I carry quite a bit of tools and accessories with me. I built and connected the cable. After an hour, it worked again, and the G3 was running perfectly!

Hi Jörg,

Were you able to explain the purpose of the exercise to the AFN owners?

Tapping the turn signal to fix the engine might seem like voodoo at first glance...

I tried. But nobody really understood it! Unfortunately! It didn't matter much anyway, because the car was running again after the voodoo! And in the end, I didn't care either, because the owner then voluntarily went to the nearest butcher shop and bought some delicious roast beef and sausages! }

The post from back then was good, and as you can see, it might even be successful under certain circumstances! Besides, what should I have done? If that twitching had continued, I would have had a crisis! It was quite annoying to always have to observe the subsequent gear changes in the mirror and actually brake more than accelerate! }

Hello everyone,

I have a few questions: The trick using a flasher relay to control the solenoid valve should also work on my bypass turbo (1994 1Z) to potentially free up a stuck bypass valve, right? I suspect that might be the issue. Is it normal for the linkage to not move even a millimeter by hand when the engine is off? The linkage doesn't show any signs of rust. Will there be an error code if you disconnect the control signal for the solenoid valve that regulates boost pressure while the engine is running?

Sure, here's the translation:

'Thank you in advance.'
Michael.

Hi Micha,

If it's stuck completely, then it won't make a difference whether you move it or not, and it won't help with either the VTG or the wastegate. However, if it only gets stuck occasionally, then the movement might help, possibly in combination with a little copper grease.

The error entry likely arises, but that doesn't bother many people here, because with VAGCOM, it's cleared faster than it appears .

I have no idea whether the wastegate adjustment needs to be manually adjusted while the vehicle is stationary.

Here's the translation:

"However, what should work is: disconnect the pressure hose, attach a large syringe, and press. Wastegates are controlled by overpressure (VTG uses vacuum), so you should be able to move it with that."

Best regards,

Jan.

I also can't manually adjust my wastegate... Seems normal...

Hello,

Thank you for the answers.

@Jan: Then I'll go get a syringe, pump it forcefully, and see if anything moves. I just hope the valve isn't blocked inside, because it's mounted in a very inconvenient location for me.

@DocSnydor: Okay, it was just an idea. I once read something in my repair manual: Start the engine and have an assistant suddenly press the accelerator. In doing so, the adjustment should move. However, I don't know how much movement there should be. I mean, I don't think anything is happening in my case.

'When I'm back home next weekend, I'll try a few things and, if it works, I'll use VAG-COM to measure the boost pressure.'
'So far, with my minimal adapter using optocouplers, I'm only getting a connection at 240 baud, and I can only access the error memory and record individual measurements. I can't find any options for reading measurement blocks. This could be due to the slow connection. I remember reading somewhere in a forum that this problem with the slow connection is common in control units from the years 1991-1994.'
Does it make sense to build the adjustable optocoupler adapter based on Christian's design in this context, or can we expect the same results again?

Best regards and have a nice weekend.
Michael.

kenny wrote:

Isn't it always a punishment to drive a gasoline-powered car?

Not for gas station operators...

michaB4 wrote:

Does it make sense, in this context, to build the trimmable optocoupler adapter based on Christian's design, or can we expect the same results again?

Hi Michael,

It's hard to say... at least Jörg was able to get the most out of his old 1Z after he had also figured out the correct settings in the options -> Diagnostic technical article.

@Uwe: I think gas station owners probably prefer diesel drivers. Why? Because they spend more money on things like chocolate bars, ice cream, and drinks.

'We don't really make much profit from gasoline (for example, we make between 0.5 and 1.5 cents per liter, depending on the monthly volume).'

Hi Kenny,

kenny wrote:

I think gas station owners probably prefer diesel drivers. Why? Because they spend more money on things like chocolate bars, ice cream, and drinks...

Is that a fact, or is it just an assumption?
I know that gas stations need to finance their operations through their shops, but the theory behind that was new to me.
"I haven't noticed this happening to myself. The last time I saw a gas station attendant was years ago (except when I'm on vacation). I have a customer card from a gas station here in our town (a small, remote village)."

@michab4

Try using the search function and search for something like 'strange 1z reactions' or similar. You'll find quite a bit.

I've had problems upon problems. I have no idea how many adapters I had to modify. It only worked on my 1Z. Ulf's adapter, version 2.3 or later, or Maik's adapter should work! Of course, a lot also depends on your PC hardware! I'm running it on a very old Vobis Bluenote II (486dx66 with 4MB of RAM) and an early version of Windows 95. I tweaked a few options in VAG-COM, and then everything ran stably.