car advice needed

[Boggy]

We really need a forum section for this!:)

anyhoo, Ive bought a Seat Alhambra 1.8 20v turbo so I can whip the rear seats out and have a nice heli transporter. Ive been using it for a couple of days and have found it reluctant to tick over smoothly. I removed the engine cover and the accelerator cable runs along the front of the inlet pipe to bevel/wheel arrangement. (im assuming there is a butterfly valve inside the inlet?.) however there is no adjustment screw on the stop. on the opposite side of the inlet is a box with a plastic cover retained by 6 hex screws,I didnt want to take this apart without seeking advice first incase there is something inside I can upset?

At the moment it ticks over at around 600 rpm and will cut out if i dab the accelerator pedal, If im gentle it will tickover fine (but I think too slow)

Any mechanics out there familiar with this car?

[dani_r]

Well, i'm not sure about adjustment of the idle, but it might be worth looking for the ICV and checking there. What year is it? Worth checking the throttle body (bodies) for carbon build up, it's it's all crapped up that might not do it any favours. Worth checking the MAF sensor too. If you know someone who has access to VAGCOM that would help loads. But not essential, just saves time ;)

Does it do it once it gets warm? Or only when cold?

[bigbas]

hi u can not alter the idle on a manual basis corrected throu ecu only and tbh it will save u time and money if u connect to vagcom as sensors need to be checked for continuity and value i do this all day longwill save u time and effort

[Delarado]

That black box is probably the TPS (Throttle position sensor) I wouldnt touch it.

Normally anything VAG is plagued with MAF sensor faults. I had an A3 quattro 20v turbo with the same engine as yours I believe and I had a MAF issue.

It could also be a problem with the coilpacks, these also go on these engines (If im thinking its the engine that it actually is)

GSF do very reasonable parts for them. If I were you I'd start by getting a mobile VAG mechanic out to have a look at it. Plug it into a computer and they should be able to say what it is. My moneys on MAF, coilpacks or o2 sensor though. I had to have all of those done on mine.

Does it pull ok when your driving it?

[Sburv]

car advice needed

Does it idle any better once warm?

Other than idle how does the engine perform while driving, all ok?

If I had to go for something then my money would be on a Lambda Sensor.

[Boggy]

thanks for the replies.
yes it still does it when warm. I was looking at vagcom's on ebay the other night so I may invest in one:) plus i have a mate with a repair garage I'll nip up there tomorrow and see if he can diagnose/ adjust it:)

thanks again for the answers, I thought it would not be as simple as an adjustment screw!:(

(the coil packs have audi badges on them):)

[Delarado]

Its all the same mate, seat, audi, skoda - they all use this engine.

It works, but has electronics issues. I suspect this is what your seeing.

[steve_b]

I'd be looking at the MAF, Coil Packs or even the pre cat Lambda sensor, like Delarado, I had the Leon Cupra with the 20v engine and had all of these parts replaced for a similar sounding fault

All easy to swap and cheap in the case of the coil pack and sensor, can't remember if the MAF is cheap, but easy enough to replace from memory.

[Boggy]

coil packs I know lambda sensor I know but whats a MAF?:)

the car runs and drives perfectly except for this by the way:) doing av 29mpg

[Varelco]

Mass Airflow Sensor, will be on the inlet between the filter box and inlet manifold.

[steve_b]

The MAF is the Mass Airflow Sensor, and is the lump that the air filter pipework goes to. It measures the amount of air coming in, and the Lambda sensor measures the exhaust gas, and with does a comparison on what it expects and it works out how much fuel to inject to get the right fuel air mix.
As a result if the MAF or Lamdba sensor is bust then it goes to 'safe' numbers. But you can also get it from a dying coil pack as the plug isn't sparking correctly.

[rachel]

Why do you all forget the basics ? Before you blame coils , idle speed conntrol valves and computers etc try checking the breather and vacuum pipes !
There are several on the 1.8 T
Basics first then shoot the computer box thingy ;-)

[Gate88]

[QUOTE=rachel;924029]Why do you all forget the basics ? Before you blame coils , idle speed conntrol valves and computers etc try checking the breather and vacuum pipes !
There are several on the 1.8 T
Basics first then shoot the computer box thingy ;-)[/QUOTE]

Good call Rach, I'd spray a bit of EZstart around the engine bay and listen for a change in rpm to see if there are any leaks before getting all techno on it!

[RcRotaryMadness]

I used to have a ford galaxy 1.9 TDI - again a VAG engine, it also had a MAF failure meaning the car struggled to go faster than 40mph. I used to be a member of this forum: [URL="http://www.fgoc.co.uk/forum/index.php"]Ford Galaxy Owners Club Official Forum[/URL]

Ideal place to research your problem and ask questions... I seem to remember the petrol models suffering more from blocked/broken pipes, HT leads, coils etc - not so much the MAF sensor as the diesel models.

--Edit--

I know your is a Seat but its the same car as the vw sharon and ford galaxy under the skin

[Boggy]

definately the same! there are ford /audi /vw badges on components all over it:D