Cracked Cylinder Head: Symptoms & Repair

Hello everyone,

I'm having a big problem with my car:
Golf3 TDI AFN, no engine tuning, 204,000 km.
(Just to be clear, I couldn't find anything relevant by searching.)

Since the temperatures have dropped to winter levels, I've been having cold start problems. This means that I have to turn the glow plugs on three times, then crank the engine for a long time, and it only starts on two cylinders, with the other cylinders firing about 5 seconds later.
Conclusion:
Replaced spark plugs (2 were faulty), also had the customer service department check the vehicle (and performed an electrical compression test = OK).
After that, things didn't really get better.

I then read the error codes after having a lot of trouble starting the car in temperatures as low as -10°C.
Error:
Fuel shut-off valve.
Short circuit to ground, static.
Conclusion:
Vehicle to be taken to Bosch service. Request: Get my car running again!
Breaking news from this morning:

- Injection timing checked, OK.
- Fuel injectors are still present (in good condition, they are the original ones).
- Fuel injection pump removed and checked, all okay.
- It's not related to the crankshaft (the bolt is a 12.9 grade and is fine).
- Compression is OK.
- Spark plugs, oil, and diesel filters are also new (see above, price: KD)

The technician from BOSCH said that...
CRACK IN THE BLOCK OR CYLINDER HEAD!!

Does anyone have a tip? Is there any way to test this without having to remove the head?

Thank you.
Regards,
Markus.

If the engine (AFN) fails to start due to a crack in the cylinder head or block, this should be reflected in the compression readings. Do you have the individual compression values?

Conclusion:
Vehicle to BOSCH service. Order->Get my car running again!!!!


Do you have too much money?

Wow, look at everything they've already accomplished...


Breaking news from this morning:
- Injection timing checked, OK.
- Fuel injectors are still present (in good condition, they are the original ones).
- Fuel injection pump removed and checked, all okay.
- It's not related to the crankshaft (the bolt is a 12.9 grade and is fine).
- Compression is OK.
- Spark plugs, oil, and diesel filters are also new (see above, KD).


You had the following error:
Fuel shut-off valve.
Short circuit to ground, static.


Have you taken a look at the valve? Or the wiring harness?
We recently had a Golf 3 (without WFS) where the diagnostic system wasn't working...
Due to sloppy cable routing (likely from the factory), there's an issue in the water tank.
scrubbed.

'No offense intended, but if you don't get those guys under control soon,...'
A new car: the more affordable solution...

Good luck.

Rudi.

I agree. Why is a useful error message being completely ignored?

And how does one arrive at a "crack" prediction when all compression values are considered to be within acceptable limits?
That's going to be a very expensive problem if you don't intervene immediately.
I second what the previous speakers said. Please take a look at the error that is still listed.

Hello everyone,

Here are a few more things for clarification.

The error message was definitely checked, the shut-off valve was replaced, which didn't solve the problem, and it was reconfigured to the original setup. I checked the wiring harness myself beforehand.

I work at Bosch in the diagnostics department, specifically with gasoline engines, so I don't have as much detailed knowledge about diesel engines. However, I do understand error messages quite well. I forgot to mention that.

I had the compression (electrical) tested when I had the spark plugs (initial assumption) replaced and had the vehicle serviced. They also checked the crankshaft at the same time, and there were no issues there. If I remember correctly, when I had a problem with the VTG a few years ago, VW had already checked it, and VW replaced almost everything, and most of it was reinstalled for free .

After the appointment at the workshop, it was determined that the problem was not with the shut-off valve. The Bosch service then stated that the issue must be with the ESP (Electronic Stability Program). We agreed that the ESP unit would be removed and inspected, and the technicians even wanted to install a new one immediately. Of course, this was all covered by insurance.
'Getting my car fixed' means: figure out what's wrong, contact me, create a quote, and then we'll see!

All in all, the costs are about half as much, with the only more expensive part being the ESP check.

I was talking to the mechanics at the shop who work on prototypes, and they are absolute experts in their field. They confirmed that not every crack can necessarily be explained by a compression test, and that the electrical check also won't reveal it in two cases. The problem is that so far, two workshops haven't been able to perform a mechanical test because they don't have the equipment that's compatible with the AFN engine (and this is even with the BOSCH service). However, both of them said beforehand that it wouldn't be a problem.

So, here are my questions again:

- Has anyone any suggestions as to what else it could be? And if possible, a brief description of how I can check it (visually, electrically, or via OBD?).

- Does anyone have experience with cracks, how they affect things, how to identify them, and potential weak points in the AFN?

P.S.: I no longer have the values, but I'll see if Bosch Service can send them to me or something. I only remember that the deviations between the individual cylinders were quite small, but there was a decrease from cylinder to cylinder (so to speak, Cyl1=100%, Cyl2=95%, Cyl3=90%, Cyl4=85%). According to Bosch, the individual cylinders tend to slightly influence the next one, and the difference between (for example) Cyl1 and Cyl4 being less than 15%.

'I know those symptoms! That's exactly what happened to my old Golf II GTD (JR) three years ago.'
The ultimate cause was quite simple: the diesel fuel. You might not have used winter diesel. You wouldn't necessarily know that when you're at the pump. But perhaps you filled up at a less reputable gas station.

Have you ever considered that?

Hello,

It can't be related to that. I drove the car for the entire period with at least 3 full tanks of fuel, and the fuel filter was also replaced (KD).

- I read something about disconnecting the engine temperature sensor. Apparently, the control unit then reads -48°C and enriches the fuel mixture accordingly. Can you give me more information about this?
Does the AFN have only an engine temperature sensor, or does it also have a coolant outlet temperature sensor?

- One more request: Could someone send me a list of measurement block descriptions (what each measurement represents) for diesel engines?

Thank you.

Quote:

Can someone send me a list of measurement block definitions (what is what) for diesel engines?

Technical article - Technical data - Target values for TDI.

SCANDAL!!!!

I spoke with my BOSCH service representative again today. He took another close look at the crankshaft.

The screw on the pulley has come loose (it was probably only loosely in place), and it has 1.5 teeth of play!!! And now for the kicker:

I have an invoice here from my VAG workshop, dated January 7, 2004, which shows that they replaced the crankshaft seal (part number 13741999).
THE PULLEY WAS THERE, AT THE BOTTOM!!!!

Okay, it's a clear case of the workshop messing things up again!

Here's the question for you:

The repair of the sealing ring (which was done during the timing belt replacement) is more than 1 year and over 30,000 km ago.
DO I STILL HAVE A WARRANTY OR GUARANTEE?

I'm including the pulley in the claim, and hopefully the Bosch service department will provide a clear statement about this mess!

Please keep your fingers crossed that I can get this covered under warranty.

Hello Markus,

I'm rooting for you .

I find it fascinating that the car still ran despite that shoddy workmanship.

Best regards,
Rudi

So, the question now is how such a significant issue with a loose pulley could have been overlooked during the initial inspection of the workshop, especially since, as you mentioned in the first text, the workshop reported that everything was in order and even noted that it was a 12.9 grade screw. This is all becoming very strange, especially since the master mechanic previously suspected a faulty cylinder head.

I'm not familiar with the details regarding warranty coverage for repairs, but this information should be on the back of the invoice, or a phone call to the mediation service will quickly clarify the situation.

To my knowledge, a 6-month warranty is provided for services.

However, when I had my timing belt replaced at ATU, they told me I had a 1-year warranty.
I think it will be difficult to pursue claims for reimbursement after more than a year.

Hi everyone,

As far as I know, private individuals always have a 'warranty' period of 2 years. Only in the case of commercial use can the liability for material defects be shortened.
For private individuals, the warranty period after a repair can be reduced to 1 year if used spare parts have been installed (but this must be clearly indicated, e.g., with a note on the invoice: 'Alternator, used part in exchange').

'@Markus: Your workshop removed the pulley a year ago and replaced the screw that has now come loose. Unless someone has tampered with your car in the meantime, the workshop clearly made a mistake back then. I would go to the workshop and, using the 2-year warranty you have for material defects, talk to the workshop manager in a friendly but firm manner.'

(Of course, I have no idea whether everything I've written is correct, as I am not a lawyer. I have only expressed my personal opinion, which may also be quite wrong.)

Regards,
Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

'Micha'

Hi!
@Markus: I did a Google search for you and found this.
http://www.verbraucher-urteile.de/kauf/faqkaufcontent.html

Please review the workshop's invoice carefully, especially the general terms and conditions.
Then you would have a bit more clarity.

Best regards,

Hello,

Thank you for the many emails.
I picked up the car earlier. I'm not going to say how much I paid for it, though.
But: I preheated it once, and when I pressed the key, it started up, even with an outside temperature of +2°C! Yay!! Because I need the car, they installed a new timing belt pulley and secured everything properly!

Regarding the case:
I also found out from the ADAC, where I have my legal protection insurance, that the warranty period is likely one year. This is also visible in the interesting link (thank you).
Here's the translation:

'Another new development is that a defect is already present if the purchased product was improperly installed, even...'

And here's the quote: 'It is also new that a defect is already present if the purchased product was improperly installed, even...'

The good thing is that I already took my car to Bosch service in mid-December 2004, and due to the poor starting performance, I had my spark plugs replaced. 07.01.2004 -> 27.12.2004 (invoice date) = Less than 1 year!!!

I will get advice from the legal department at ADAC on how to proceed. Furthermore, the text (ADAC) also mentions something similar about defects and damages needing to be rectified! } We will see what happens!

More details will become available early next week. I'll keep you updated.