Cold weather hesitation/limp?

[Koomorph]

I've noticed recently that when I get in the LC in the morning and drive off, when I gently accelerate in 2nd from say 15mph- 35mph..... holding a steady low throttle, the car accelerates steadily but then all of a sudden backs off (noticeably and suddenly as if I've released the throttle) so that I have to apply more throttel to get it accelerating like it was.

Any idea what this might be? Anyone had this problem?

Then when it warms up a bit and I begin to drive less conservativley, the car feels much more sluggish then it normally would, like I'm not getting all the boost I should be.... some sort of limp mode?

Cheers for the help.

Raf

 

[Tallpaul]

i get the same problem... not every time i start from cold but certainly every once in a while.

i've got VAG-COM and the fault that causes the limp-mode is an over/under-boost error. could be one of many things to be honest, i removed my DV relocation kit on the advice of a SEAT technician and it *seems* to happen less often. i'm sure it's related to the boost requested v's actual while the engine is on the cold cycle which, in turn, *could* be due to a failing MAF.

i think i've had the fault for a while but only confirmed it by fitting a boost gauge. it happened 3 times in a week after the gauge went on! so i took off the DV relocation kit, am carefull not to use full power until the engine warmed up and it has only happened once since (that's in 6 weeks).

when it does go into limp-node i wait for the engine to warm up, then turn the ignition of and on and it clears it.

searching on here i've seen half a dozen other cars with a similar problem, but nobody with a certified fix.

another suggestion from the SEAT technician was that it *might* be something to do with the auxillary air pump not feeding warm air into the car when it's cold (i've got a BMC CDA so my auxillary air just vents to atmosphere through a seperate filter).

 

[Koomorph]

Thanks Paul - Same here - mine certainly doesn't do it all the time but seems to be doing it more regularly recently. I certainly don't use full power until the engine is warm either.. but when I do (after I've felt the hesitation for example) - the engine certianly doesn't seem to be hitting normal boost or going anywhere near as well as it should.

Once you had the boost gauge fitted and the fault occured - what did the guage show in limp? Any boost at all?

Might have a dealer look to see if any fault codes are logged... hope it's not the MAF - or if it is at least it will solve it... hopefully...

Raf

 

[Tallpaul]

my regular boost peaks at 13psi and hold 10psi. in limp mode it will only hit 5psi at peak. it feels like no boost at all, car really struggles to rev past 4500rpm.

if you do take it to your dealer, this is the fault code i get:

17705 P1297 035
Wiring charger-throttle
pressure drop
No image in the display
Sporadic fault

to be honest i hope it is the MAF, it's a very simple fix. But i've logged my airflow when it isn't in limp mode and i'm getting extremely good readings. I need to buy the full version of VAG-COM to check my requested boost v's actual. But, as i suspect it's a cold cycle issue, i don't want to rev the nuts off my engine with cold oil! bit of a catch 22 as i can't check for anything out of the ordinary unless i do the logs with a cold engine.

if you find anything out, let me know!

 

[Koomorph]

Will do - thanks for the info - very useful.

Raf

 

[Koomorph]

Quick question - if my MAF was on it's way out wouldn't the dash throw an engine warning/malfunction light??

Problem seems to be getting worse.... I can even hear that the turbo isn;t spooling like it should.... In all of the 5 stints of driving I did today, I felt the sudden hesitation followed by little/no boost for the rest of the journey....

Raf

 

[Tallpaul]

not necasseraly.

i if it's getting worse, take it to your dealer. Might be something more sinister? My money is on MAF though.