We have long wanted to talk about not the most successful motors developed by Volkswagen engineers and belonging to the EA888 series. In particular, today we will tell about the infamous power unit 2.0 TSI.
In 2007, VAG management showed the public its new gasoline “four”, developed in strict compliance with the highest environmental requirements. These engines replaced the “fours” from the EA113 family, about which we have already told earlier.
And as it happens, it was the motors of this series that became a stumbling block, after which Volkswagen’s fans were diminished.
This series includes only two engines, with volumes of 1.8 and 2.0 liters, with the possibility of longitudinal and transverse installation. They are equipped with a cast iron cylinder block, turbocharging, direct injection and timing chain. Moreover, there are three chains installed under the timing cover, two of which are responsible for the balancer shafts and the oil pump. There is also a timing belt responsible for the cooling system pump.
Engines of the second generation EA888 were produced under Euro-5 and equipped with an improved pump with variable capacity. Well, and yes, the second generation was not without joints. Pistons are just awful, with tiny holes, by which oil is drained, reduced height of piston rings and very thin main rails.
In today’s material we will talk about the motor 2.0 TSI, under the marking CDNC and everything said below will be relevant for motors with power of 177, 180, 200 and 211 “horses”.
These engines can be seen under the hood of Audi A3, A4, A5, A6, Q3, Q5 and TT.
They were also put on Volkswagen cars: Eos, Golf, Jetta, Tiguan, Passat, Scirocco, Skoda Octavia and Superb, on Seat Leon, Exeo, Altea and Alhambra.
In addition, similar problems are found on the 1.8 TSI engines with 120, 152 and 160 horsepower. They were put on all the same Audis and Skodas, besides this motor is under the hood of Yeti.
The above-mentioned internal combustion engines were put on cars of the Volkswagen concern in the period from 2008 to 2015.
What is wrong with the reliability of the motors of the EA888 series?
The first versions of the second generation EA888 are just beyond good and evil. The first thing that catches your eye is the exorbitant lubricant burn. Over time, Volkswagen engineers and third-party manufacturers have overcome this ailment, but all this was done at the expense of motorists.
The second noticeable “joint” is the timing chain. This is, unequivocally, the worst chain in our memory. In our material, we will tell in detail about all the shortcomings, the owners of cars with these “miracle engines” under the hood will definitely face them!
Motor supports
Practice has clearly shown that the supports of longitudinally mounted motors do not withstand more than 150 thousand mileage. The damper starts to fall apart, because of which the support fluid starts to leak out, which leads to the following problems:
- Vibration at idle, and even with a warmed motor.
- Severe jerks when moving from a place.
- It is also possible to see an error on the engine mounts, because a miniature sensor is installed on one of the mounts.
Turbine
EA888 motors were equipped with turbines from KKK and IHI. The motor under consideration today has a turbocharger from IHI, model RHF5.
In general, it is not the worst turbine, performance and service life of which depends on the condition of the oil system.
The first EA888 models often had a backlash of the bypass flap, which could be realized by a ringing sound after releasing the gas pedal. Engineers were able to solve the problem by placing a spring clamp on the pivot between the damper rod and linkage. However, this did not always solve the problem, as in some situations both the hinge and the damper bushing in the volute were broken.
This leads to regular underblowing. So the turbo would have to be overhauled, or a new one would have to be purchased. The turbocharger has a couple of actuators. The bypass damper actuator is controlled by the N75 valve, and the N249 valve is responsible for bleeding the excess boost pressure.
There are no problems with N75, but with N249 – from time to time, but arise, VW engineers even had to improve it. So, instead of the original diaphragm valve, they started to use a more reliable plastic one. It serves many times longer, and does not crack like a diaphragm valve.
Throttle valve
The engine choke is fine, even though it’s plastic. It should be cleaned every 100,000. After that, the fuel consumption at idling will drop noticeably, and the injectivity of the motor will become much better.
Oil separator
Another node of EA888 engine, which was finalized for many years. There were three major revisions, the last one happened not so long ago, in 2016. When choosing a new oil separator, you need to consider both the version of the oil separator and the vacuum it can handle. There are ordinary oil separators for 25 mBar, there are also overrated – 100 mBar, but in fact, the difference is only in the stiffness of the spring, which is located under the diaphragm. Also oil separators can function with different software and be equipped with a variety of glands.
During the operation of the car you may encounter quite a classic malfunction: the diaphragm cracks and oil vapors escape through it, from which a lot of errors occur. The most frequent of these are: ignition misses, poor fuel injection and problems with intake tightness. Unaccounted air enters the VKG through a standard hole in the cap above the diaphragm.
Tube in the oil filter
The filter bracket houses a tube equipped with several O-rings and a valve. Over time, the entire structure deforms. Because of this, the lubricating fluid begins to seep out of the filter into the oil pan. You can realize this by the uneven operation of the motor at idle, and if the problem starts, the car will start to work jerkily immediately after starting, the phase shifters will start to make noise.
The tube is very cheap and its cost does not exceed 8 dollars. It is easiest to change it during oil filter replacement and it is better to do it preventively.
Oil leakage from under the vacuum pump
Many motorists are faced with oil leaks from under the vacuum pump. The problem is solved by installing a new gasket, except that it will be difficult to do this, due to the peculiarities of the location.
Heat exchanger
Another frequent problem of EA888 family is blockage of antifreeze circuit in the heat exchanger, because of which the temperature of the lubricating fluid rises sharply. We recommend that you regularly dismantle the heat exchanger, flush it and change the gasket. This will significantly extend the service life and avoid problems with overheated oil.
Ignition coils
Coils put on EA888 power units refuse to work together with badly worn plugs. The manufacturer recommends to change the plugs every 30 thousand kilometers. And indeed, this is the only way to extend the life of the coil.
Dirt on the intake valves
Not only air circulates through the intake valves, but also gases and oil vapors that come from the ventilation system. Moreover, in direct injection engines, this dirt on the intake ducts is almost unrealistic to clean off, while distributed injection motors have no such problem. What’s more, this buildup causes the intake valves and swirl flaps that block the intake passages to malfunction. If the flaps are jammed, or if the control valve – failed, you can see the error P2015. The position of the flaps can be easily checked with a potentiometric sensor.
It is strongly recommended to thoroughly clean the intake manifold of EA888 family power units at least once every 80 thousand mileage. But it may be necessary to do it even more often, especially if you notice that the engine starts to run jerkily at idle.
Pistons
But with injectors, no special malfunctions are not noticed. And by the way, many people can not immediately find them, because they are located somewhat unusually: from the head of the cylinder-head, not from above. From rare, but occurring problems can be distinguished only problems with atomization.
Audi Valvelift System
The longitudinally mounted 2.0 TSI motors have the Audi Valvelift system, which is responsible for changing the intake valve lift height. Surprised? Yes, we’re not wrong, it’s the intake valves. At a load of 3100 rpm, the cams responsible for lifting the valves to a height of 6.35mm are engaged. And the intake valves open a little later, so exhaust gases from neighboring cylinders do not have time to enter the cylinder. And the intake valves can open earlier. With this elegant solution, VW engineers have achieved a better scavenging of the combustion chamber and were able to improve the process of filling the cylinders with clean air. This all has a very positive effect on the torque increase.
With AVS – everything is fine, it does not give a special headache. There is a composite exhaust camshaft, on which are threaded bushings with cams and grooves that slide along the camshaft. Axial movement is provided by electric actuators. There are a pair of actuators per cylinder, one responsible for moving the sleeve to a longer valve stroke and the other for moving it to a shorter one.
Pump
The cooling system pump on EA888 engines is located in the rear and is driven by a special belt from the left balance shaft. The thermostat is also mounted there, along with a temperature sensor.
The pump had several variants. The very first pump was made of plastic, which, to put it mildly, is not the best solution. After a number of problems, VW engineers started using a partially aluminum pump.
But even this did not really help, because the pump can rarely live more than 100-120 thousand, after which it starts to leak. The original spare part will cost 300 dollars. But there are interesting “non-original” solutions, for example, if you are lucky, you can find a pump with a fully alloy housing.
TNVD
Fuel system in EA888 family is surprisingly quite good, but absolutely refuses to work on low-quality gasoline with numerous impurities.
Compared to the previous family – EA113, there is no pressure sensor in the low pressure circuit. The pump capacity is automatically adjusted to the load on the engine, and varies within the limits of 3.5 – 6 bar. But the control unit of the booster pump is far from ideal. If it breaks, the motor simply will not start, and if you do manage to start it, it will start working with a significant loss in power. All this will be accompanied by errors on too poor fuel mixture and low pressure in the ramp.
Taking into account this problem, Volkswagen engineers have repeatedly tried to bring the control unit to the mind. The latest version of the block will cost 130 dollars, but you can look for good non-original parts. The pump itself breaks down very rarely.
In general, the high-pressure fuel pump is not bad and it will be necessary to change it only in case of significant mileage. Its excessive wear is easy to understand by the appeared errors associated with the formation of enriched fuel mixture and pressure.
And due to the fact that Volkswagen engineers timely came to the decision to put a roller tappet on the fuel injector, it solved the problems with its wear, cam wear and cutting of metal chips into the lubricating fluid.
Phase Regulator
The phasoregulator of 2nd generation EA888 motors is highly dependent on oil quality, and on top of that it doesn’t like problems with low or pulsating lubricant pressure. The combination of these factors causes interruptions in its operation and can cause serious wear and tear. If you ignore this problem, the phase control valve will start to rattle, but it will still work fine.
One way or another, but rattling phasoregulator should be noticed, and if you want the new one to last much longer than the previous one, we recommend to thoroughly clean the oil channels in the motor, check the condition of the mesh filters in the channels. Otherwise, failure of the phase regulator is a matter of time. By the way, it is not necessary to put a new phasoregulator, sometimes it will be enough to change the worn blades.
And yes, to unscrew the mounting screw, you will need a special wrench.
Transmission timing chain
But it is the timing chain that gives the biggest headache. The toothed chain stretches very quickly, and if you do not notice it, it is sure to jump. In addition, the jump can happen because of not the best tensioner, with a very flimsy counterclockwise stop. So skipping happens because the tensioner rod is pushed in. This often happens when the car is left in gear on a backward slope.
Toward the end of 2012, VW engineers finally changed the design of the tensioner and chain. The tensioner’s stopper comb was changed.
Chains of the latest releases are labeled AD or VE or BR. And externally they are very different from their predecessors, because their neighboring inner plates are assembled in pairs. You can see that the chain has begun to stretch through the hatch on the hood. The manufacturer advises to change the chain when the tensioner is extended by 4 teeth
It is definitely not necessary to “drive” the chain to a more serious stretching, because it provokes the appearance of wear of the stars on the shafts, and the service life of the phase shifter – reduces.
If there is a wear of stars, you will have to put a new crankshaft star, each costs 90 dollars, also have to change and camshafts, which cost 600 dollars.
A standard timing chain repair kit and other consumables will cost about $500, and it’s a good substitute, not the original.
Balancer Shaft Wedge
This is a very rare breakdown that causes the balancer shafts to wedge, which can cause the chain that drives them to break. By the way, this is preceded by a significant drop in oil pressure. Do not forget that during idling, the oil pressure should be within 1.2 – 2.0 bar, and if you increase the revs to 3700 rpm, it should rise to 3 bar and higher.
Now let’s get back to our problem. The balancer shaft has 3 bearings, all of which should be well lubricated. The plain bearings are connected by an alloy bushing, and there are strainers in the oil passages of the supports.
If debris gets into the lubricating fluid, such as burnt oil particles, sealant crumbs, etc., these strainers quickly become clogged, resulting in poor lubrication of the bearings. So it’s no surprise that dry friction and the resulting wear occurs. The balancer supports literally weld to the block. As a consequence, the engine stalls and the crankshaft stops turning. There are also cases when wear accumulates gradually, increasing the gap between the supports and liners, through which the pressure escapes. This will cause the pressure in the system to drop to a level of 0.5 bar, which is also bad. It is good to know that the low pressure indicator of the lubricating fluid signals this in time.
Jammed, as well as balancers with heavy wear, will have to be replaced, and both of them, even if one is in perfect condition. Moreover, it is necessary to buy new ones, because practice shows that used balancers do not live long.
You will also have to replace the intermediate pinion of the left balancer, all because of the fact that it has a lacquer coating, responsible for the correct gap between the teeth.
Summarizing, I would like to say that with long service and timely oil change, there will be no problems with the balancers.
Oil pump
In the second-generation EA888 internal combustion engine, one of the novelties was an oil pump with variable capacity. Roughly speaking, it is a gear pump, but its idler gear can slide along its axis. This allows you to change the mounting area of the gears. This changes the performance.
For the movement of the pinion is responsible for a special system, very similar to the hydraulic block of an automatic transmission. In addition, there is one solenoid, and inside the pump there is a piston and several oil channels.
This solution provoked a flurry of criticism. And there are several reasons for this. The first is that the pump functions in stages: at idle and up to 3500 rpm, the lubrication system generates pressure up to 1.8 bar, after which the system begins to work with a maximum capacity of 3.3 bar. The second reason is that faults in the lubrication system are not notified in any way until the pressure drops to 0.7 bar and below. And the third reason, the maximum pressure is still insufficient for proper lubrication at high rpm.
In short, the system turned out to be, quite ambiguous. Slightly clogged oil intake, minimal wear of oil pump gears, wear of balancer shafts – and that’s it, even on a well-warmed engine oil pressure is unlikely to rise above 1 bar. Which is obviously not enough. All this leads to premature wear of camshaft journals and other malfunctions.
Folk craftsmen have even learned to cheat the pump control. It is enough to remove the chip solenoid N428, and insert into its connector resistor at 1 kOhm, be sure to isolate all the contacts. In this case, the pump will constantly function in the second mode.
Oil burn
At the first motors of the second generation, the oil burn was, in the literal sense of the word, factory, and by the mileage of 100 thousand, the engine could digest all the filled oil for 800-1000 kilometers. And this is despite the fact that Volkswagen engineers indicate that the normal oil consumption is 500 grams per 1000 kilometers of mileage. It is believed that the main problem is the tiny holes for oil drainage. Due to the fact that they are clogged, oil remains on the cylinder walls and begins to burn.
Volkswagen management did not delay and tried to solve the problem as quickly as possible, releasing new pistons, where they seriously expanded the holes for the removal of lubricating fluid, as well as added a set of 3-component oil rings, moreover, slightly increased the compression rings. This happened in 2009, but since then the pistons have been tried a few more times to tweak them.
In general, the vast majority of motorists who drive cars with these “fancy” engines, changed the factory pistons for improved ones. The latest variation of pistons was released just recently, in 2016. So now it’s easy to find variations of pistons under the old 21mm connecting rods, and under the new 23mm ones. There are also quite good non-original pistons that are cheaper as well. So if you take a car with the engine family EA888 from the hands, then be sure to ask what revision pistons are in it.
In addition, there are two repair sizes of pistons, which are put in bored cylinders. So, we can say that now you can once and for all solve the problem with oil burning. But this does not cancel the fact that it will cost the car owner a huge sum.