ECU Learning?

[Gezz]

Got a 2002 Cupra 180 bhp standard with 98k on it


Had the excess pollution/diagnosis light come on the car last week, pulled over and restarted the car and it idled at 2000 rpm. It drove normally with no difference so I took it to my garage who checked it out and found a pipe between the turbo and manifold had split and replaced it. Light went out and pulls like a train again.

All was well and good until a cold start and the car was extremely jerky in first gear. I know these cars have a feature of not being very smooth when cold as I've owned it for 3.5 years and it was never good but this was really severe. So then tried to floor in 2nd and pulled like there was no turbo although it was still whistleing. Stopped at the next set of lights and all of a sudden its fine drives like normal, still a bit jerky in first.

Once the car warms up its fine. So I've read a lot of other posts on here about ECU needing to relearn and they may run rough for a while. I've done about 70 miles in it now since it was fixed but this morning again it was very jerky in 1st and no power in 2nd until I'd driven a few hundred yards then it slowly got back to normal.

Does anyone think it will correct itself in time (ie ECU recalibrating) or is there something else wrong?

 

[DPJ]

Got a 2002 Cupra 180 bhp standard with 98k on it


Had the excess pollution/diagnosis light come on the car last week, pulled over and restarted the car and it idled at 2000 rpm. It drove normally with no difference so I took it to my garage who checked it out and found a pipe between the turbo and manifold had split and replaced it. Light went out and pulls like a train again.

All was well and good until a cold start and the car was extremely jerky in first gear. I know these cars have a feature of not being very smooth when cold as I've owned it for 3.5 years and it was never good but this was really severe. So then tried to floor in 2nd and pulled like there was no turbo although it was still whistleing. Stopped at the next set of lights and all of a sudden its fine drives like normal, still a bit jerky in first.

Once the car warms up its fine. So I've read a lot of other posts on here about ECU needing to relearn and they may run rough for a while. I've done about 70 miles in it now since it was fixed but this morning again it was very jerky in 1st and no power in 2nd until I'd driven a few hundred yards then it slowly got back to normal.

Does anyone think it will correct itself in time (ie ECU recalibrating) or is there something else wrong?

Nothing to do with ecu adapting. I think you have another fault. It could do with a diagnostic check / Vag-Com.

 

[Ultra_Joel88]

Mildly off-topic, but whilst doing some electrical work on my Fabia vRS (Skoda diesel, get out!) PD130, I disconnected the negative on the battery for around 3/4 of an hour. After reconnecting it and going for a drive it seemed to pull harder and faster than ever before?

The car had done 38k at the time, standard map, with panel filter, exhaust system

I have owned the car since 28k, previous owner was a female vicar.

 

[MrJohnnyB]

Ultra have you ever had the car checked for faults? Removing the battery resets the ecu and obviously removes any faults which could be making it run a bit shitty.

 

[Feel]

You either have a coilpack on it's way out OR the famous "green top" coolant sensor issue.

My bet would be a coilpack - I would carry a spare pretty damn quick, as my guess would be it will completely fail in the next couple of days.

 

[Gezz]

Is that post about coil packs for me or the Skoda Diesel?!!!

I'm going back to the garage tonight to pay up so I'll ask if he checked the coils as when I booked it in thats the first thing he thought it was going to be.

I was only saying last week how I'd had the car for over 3 years and 50k and never had any mechanical issues with it at all! I should have known better.

Cheers

 

[sebasti0n]

sounds like the MAF...

 

[LEE69]

Sounds like little pygmies hiding in the engine bay, anyone can guess what the fault might be but get it on vag-com to be 100%.

Yes the ECU will learn after you have disconnected the battery, so the car does feel more "punchy"

 

[JamesL]

A female vicar driving around in Fabia vRS? Shame its not in my parish

 

[Gezz]

Don't know if it was the placebo effect but it definately felt faster in the mid range, if I had a split hose it may have had a small leak until the warning light came on causing a loss in pressure I suppose.

Its going back to the garage tonight for them to have another look at it. from other posts sounds like its the temperature sensor (green top), but was fine before they did the work so seems a bit strange that this fault suddenly appears when I get it back!

 

[Gezz]

Well, the car seems to have been fixed, thought I'd finish a post with a solution! (hopefully). Turns out the MAF was knackered, its as smooth as you like even from cold now so fingers crossed that will be the end of my problems for now.

Cheers for the suggestions