iwcham1979 Posted April 6, 2016 Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 (edited) Hi guys. I am about to buy a Lupo 3l 2001. The car is in nice condition, and it is fitted with climatic, which is a big plus. It has 217000km on the odometer. I have never driven a car with automatic gearbox, so I need some advice regarding mileage and gearbox reliability. What should i look out for once i give it the test drive? I have already test driven an A2 3L, It wouldn't shift to the next gear when i gave it a full throttle and didn't let go. However, when i eased off of the gas paddle when it hit high revs, it did select the next gear. Is this normal? I suppose not... I know that the mileage is fine with the engine, but is the gearbox likely to start causing problems at the mileage in question? Thanks! Edited April 6, 2016 by iwcham1979 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skezza Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 Tbh the a2 you describe, probably just needed a new accumulator. Not a big job or an expensive one. The 3L gearboxes are pretty reliable. The biggest problem is when they do go wrong, there's little to no knowledge available so you have to work it out yourself. If it drives smooth, shifts up and down ok, then it's probably fine. Check the bodywork of the car as it's very aerodynamic and needs to be right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwcham1979 Posted April 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2016 Hi guys. I have picked up the car. What i can notice is that it will keep high gear at very low revs, when i do the accumulator test, the pump switches on after the very first shift. And one more thing... The car can hit 120km/h and it wont go faster withthe gas floored. It wont go past 2500rpm. Any advice greatly appreciated... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skezza Posted April 9, 2016 Report Share Posted April 9, 2016 Does it shift up and down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwcham1979 Posted April 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2016 (edited) Yes, it shifts up and down, but tends to stay in 3rd or 4th gear at very low speeds... It's far from refined in my opinion, dont know whether it's normal. It does not jerk, and such, but rather changes at very low rpm. If i floor it does kick down, but stays in that gear until 3000rpm and does not change to the next if i dont ease off a bit. Dont know whether it' normal. Is it dangerous to drive with pump activating at 1 change? What does it indicate? If there is a leak, is it difficult to diagnose and repair, or just check hoses and accumulator? Tnx guys, advice greatly appreciated... Edited April 9, 2016 by iwcham1979 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skezza Posted April 9, 2016 Report Share Posted April 9, 2016 Accumulator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwcham1979 Posted April 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2016 Tnx a lot Skezza. Appreciate your help. Is it safe to drive it like this for 10 days or so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrera-gt Posted April 10, 2016 Report Share Posted April 10, 2016 The driving characteristics sound right for the car if you read the road tests of the time, your isssues with top speed could be the car in 'ECO' mode which limits engine power output ( see wikipedia ) The normal fix for gear change issues is to replace the hydraulic acumulator as long as there are no leaks. Drive it as long as you have breakdown cover in case it goes wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwcham1979 Posted April 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2016 It was not in Eco mode. A friend told me it may be the EGR or MAF... Regarding the transmission, so, if i got it right, i wont do any damage to the gearbox system by driving with the near-dead hydraulic accumulator (it powers after only one gear change in tiptronic) ? I mean, i will definitely replace, nevertheless, but i can drive like this for a while? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrera-gt Posted April 10, 2016 Report Share Posted April 10, 2016 The pump can drive the hydraulics and charge the accumaltor at the same time, so all that is really happening is the pump is running more than it should. Other pumps power steering for example run all the time with no issues, can't see any reason it's not OK for a short time. After all if you didn't know what was supposed to happen, it would seem quite normal for the pump to run on every gear change. For other issues you need to read any fault codes that might be there before you can get to fixes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwcham1979 Posted April 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 Tnx carrera for the reply. On my way to a Skoda dealer today. when i started to accelerate on the freeway, the car went like a little beast, all fine, 140-150km/h a joke, but only for a brief 30sec, then decreased speed to 120km/h. the mechanic took a look, fiddled with a little clamp thingy near the turbo, said it moves with difficulty, blew with his mouth into a tiny hose, said it is clogged, so the turbo needs to be taken out and looked at. As for the pressure accumulator, he said it is good to replace it, and also the hoses resealed because there might be a leak as well. He said the hydraulic oil was at min and topped up with steering wheel servo oil. On my way home, the car was horrible, nmax speed 100km/h, struggled in 4th, changed to fifth, than back to fourth, then went to neutral kind of, with the stick in D mode. No response from gas pedal. I stopped on the yellow lane, switched off the car, switched on and i started to shift... When i came back home, i opened the hood. Somehow, the oil the the mechanic had topped owerflowed somewhat even though the cap was tightened, and greased and sprinkled close by. I have now driven some 10 extra-urban km, and it shifts fine.... I am totally confused now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrera-gt Posted April 11, 2016 Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 OK so, if there is oil everywere you have a leak of some sort, if the oil was very low you might have had air in the system, which is self bleeding and has now bled itself so all works OK, clean the whole thing up and try to see where it;s leaking from. Thinking about it your mechanic may just have overfilled it and the excess just got forced out the breather. The turo is a variable nozzel turbo, controlled by vaccum so either you have a leak or a blocked pipe which is stopping you from getting boost pressure, There should be a vaccum actuator on the turbo which will be a cylinder with a vaccum pipe and an actuator rod you sould be able to move the rod by hand ( ONLY do this when cold ) Given the performance was OK even briefly says the problem is related to the control side so vaccum and control valves rather than turbos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwcham1979 Posted April 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 Well, tnx a lot for the info... You are great guys. The rod that you mention, that's what i called "the thingey" It moves with difficulty, and has some surface rust. The car hasnt been driven for cca 10 months. I will have the mechanic heed your advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrera-gt Posted April 12, 2016 Report Share Posted April 12, 2016 OK 10 months off the road, the vanes in the turbo are just stuck there are you tube videos on freeing them up Not a difficult job usually although you may need to remove the turbo for access reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwcham1979 Posted April 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 Tnx guys. I noticed oil smudges in the garage, left side and definitely hydraulics oil. Maybe a coincidence, but it started when the mechanic topped up the oil in the plastic container. (He used appropriate steering wheel oil) Is this definitely a leak, or maybe just some excess oil? At first I thought it was excess oil because the plastic container and cap were oily too, as well as space around the accumulator, so i thought the system is getting rid of the superfluous oil. I would say the leak occurs only when the engine is on, judging by the freshness of the smudge? If the car, which was not used at all for 10 months, is leaking oil at such a rate, how the hell did I drive it all the way home some 250km, without ANY oil and had no problems shifting? And immediately after the mechanic topped it up, it gave up on the freeway, stick in D but no response. Or can a car give up on you like this with a bad accumulator? Mine is fireing the pump every second change. Can you make any sense of this? Where do leaks tupically occur? I ordered the new accumulator today, not expensive, only 50 euros. Maybe it is the good idea to replace hoses and some rubber seals, but i dont have the oem numbers for that.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrera-gt Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 You don't don't kno how much oil was in there to start with, 10 months off the road can cause all sorts of issues,withs seals drying out etc. fix the immedate problem with the accumulator and see what that does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwcham1979 Posted April 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 Ok. By any chance, does anybody know the OEM part numbers for hydraulic pipes and seals, rings etc... It may be wise to change these as well, or at least have them handy. While ordering the accumulator today I asked for them, the tech said "no such a thing as seals and pipes to order." I've tried to google the parts out, to no avail... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrera-gt Posted April 15, 2016 Report Share Posted April 15, 2016 see this link http://www.volkspage.net/technik/ssp/ssp/SSP_221.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwcham1979 Posted April 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2016 (edited) Thx. The car is in the garage, waiting for new plates, and then the mechanic... Since i dont drive it, i checked the oil level in the container every morning. That mechanic definitely overfilled it with oil, not knowing what he was doing. The pump has sucked in the oil in the accumulator, and he topped up. When the car is off, the oil level starts to rise, and the oil somehow, whether by design or brute force finds a way to drip out. I have managed to take out about a dl of oil by using suringe. Also, i have just read that the oil needs to be GREEN VW PowerSteering oil, whereas the mechanic poured in some red steering stuff. Is all this overfilling, dripping, and using inappropriate oil likely to cause any damage, where there was no damage in the first place. I should have replaced only the accumulator and leave it at that. Nothing more was required, but now... Here is the pic of some of the oil i extracted, and the correct stuff. Actually G004 000 (M2) is now available, which is the new G002 000... How do i go about flushing all the old crap out without dismantling all? I was thinking of emptying the plastic container by using surringe, but the access is obstructed by a plastic piece...? I find all this kind of ridiculous. I am doing a thorough research for the mechanic Edited April 15, 2016 by iwcham1979 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skezza Posted April 15, 2016 Report Share Posted April 15, 2016 I would suck it out using an oil extractor then refill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwcham1979 Posted April 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2016 (edited) kkk, tnx. That's what i'll do. How much oil should i buy for a full refill? edit: Got it. The system requires only 0.4l according to this: https://www.kroon-oil.com/en/product-recommendation/cars/volkswagen-vw/lupo/lupo-3l-12-tdi/36422/415135/#!/component:415135/ Edited April 15, 2016 by iwcham1979 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrera-gt Posted April 16, 2016 Report Share Posted April 16, 2016 The only issue really is the seals inthe pump and the valve block, some oils cause seals to swell and fail, power steering oil specifictions are industry standards so you just need the check for differences between what was used and VW stuff. All you can do is drain and refill, you do need to find out if it's leaking and fix it before you will get relaible operation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwcham1979 Posted April 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2016 (edited) Ye, new accumulator is due to arrive on monday, but prior to fitting it i'm going to try to flush the old fluid out without dismanteling anything. I have taken some of the fluid out and the visible leak seems to have stopped, since the system is no more overfilled with oil.... I have ordered 1l of Febi-Billstein mineral oil that matches the G004 000 M2 specification. I am going to drain the container after not starting the car for at least 12 hours, and refill, than repeat in a few days, and finally replace the accumulator and pour the OEM stuff... Edited April 16, 2016 by iwcham1979 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skezza Posted April 17, 2016 Report Share Posted April 17, 2016 You could always flush it by simply filling it twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwcham1979 Posted April 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2016 Tried to take out the fluid out of the plastic container by using a thin hose and a surringe. It was a no go because the hose takes a winding route and gets stuck, it can not simply plunge downwards. The only way is to dismantle the thing. There is a kind of a quide here. As far as i could get it, there is a danger of trapping air in the system... http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?25145-A2-1-2-TDi-Pressure-accumulator-replacing-with-pics-and-Fluid-question Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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