Advice needed from fault diagnosis experts (LCR)

[Russellg911]

Thanks everyone, these responses are lifting my spirits

Steve, just generally feeling sluggish then. Cool thats pretty much the overall feeling, idles fine etc. Does sound noisier and more throaty with limited top speed when mines feeling bad..

 

[rst_cupra_r]

ok vern i didnt realize it was like tht on these turbos im still not very good at knowin these cars im still iin ford rs mod an the actuator goes regulary on them

 

[vern]

ok vern i didnt realize it was like tht on these turbos im still not very good at knowin these cars im still iin ford rs mod an the actuator goes regulary on them

Yeah forge do one, but a dealer would swap the full turbo, as they have done in past...........

The problem stinks of an intermitant maf sensor fault 4K+ is where they always dip when they are going sour

 

[rst_cupra_r]

ill remember wen mine goes sour then

 

[S3 to LCR]

Had the same problem with my scooby no fault codes but poor performance dealer was unhelpful as no fault codes on computer, turned out to be a faulty maf sensor which coursed mix to lean out and det so ecu cut boost.

If you think its the maf just unplug the maf so ecu sees a fault take it to the dealer and tell him the car was running poorly and the engine management like come he will plug the fault reader in see a fault and say it needs replacing hopefully as this is what i done.

 

[Ruddmeister]

I also briefly had a Lambda fault code show when the MAF was going assume the car was running rich and it picked it up

 

[Russellg911]

Evening guys

Made a call to Coupers Seat in St Albans today; the earliest Saturday they can look at my car is 4 weeks time. I'll go ahead with the MAF changing plan first as that seems to be the popular opinion with you guys.

If that doesn't solve thing then the N75 is my next step....just wondering how a dealer would be willing to swap that over without any fault logs. I guess the worse case scenario will be to fork out £40 odd quid for a new one and then find someone to fit it.

Thanks very much again for everyone's input; it is genuinely appreciated.
Russell

 

[JRB]

I hope coupers are better at fixing them than they are at PDI's im still waiting for bits nearly 2 months and a few phone calls later!

 

[Russellg911]

Ok bit of an update.

At lunch I decided to give my car another run with the MAF unplugged. It was only a quick 2 minute drive - again, not a great deal of difference.

I then plugged the MAF back in and went for another drive; the car pulled more agressively but was hesitant for the first few times of putting my foot down (boost cutting in and out) Now I assume this was due to the car getting used to having the MAF plugged back in.

Anyhow tonight I was going out and I decided to let the car warm up for a good few minutes (at idle) before setting off. As soon as I pulled away the throttle felt noticably sharper and smoother and basically the car has driven very well indeed all night! The pull was nice and progressive and the car felt like it had shed a ton in weight...In gear response (i.e cruising at a steady speed and then accelerating firmly) achived a much quicker, smoother and sharper response. Does this info add more weight to the MAF theory??

 

[Russellg911]

Another update after a bit of experimenting.

On the days that my car runs sluggish and feels like it's lagging, it retains that feeling for the whole of whatever journey I'm making - my daily trip to work is about 30 mins; even at the end of the journey the car feels like it hasn't warmed up properly if that makes sense? Whilst the revs at idle remain steady on such days, the engine sound still has a constant tremor / flutter - nothing majorly excessive but it's not there on the days when the car is fine.


Now the past couple of days I have been letting my car idle (warm up) for quite a while before I set off (I know that tecnically this is not great for cars). Anyway after it has been left for a while the engine sounds a lot smoother and the tremor / flutter seems to go. From the moment of then pulling away the car feels lighter and more responsive throughout the journey - the sound of the turbo spooling is also a lot more audible and consistent each time it starts to kick in. Generally the car feels much smoother, quieter and throttle response is much better and more sensitive.

Any more thoughts people? Something that my car always does EVERY morning when accelerating in 2nd (at 2.5krpm) from COLD, is hesitate once - I've been told that this is a generic fault of the LCR's ECU...so does everyone else have this? My car also has the old style coolant sensor (i/e not the green one) and I'm wondering whether to replace this.....?