Once again another failed MOT

[jslootweg 0]

Put my car in for an MOT this weekend and it failed. Need to get some brake pipes done, N/S O/S Front Inner wing brake pipes, and the Nearside front to rear. Is this gonna cost much, and is it difficult to do yourself?

 

But the main problem is that it failed on CO and lambda reading. The values where:

 

First Fast Idle

 

CO = 10.92%

HC = 639 ppm

Lambda = 0.7

 

Second Idle

 

CO = 6.43%

HC = 161 ppm (this passed)

lambda = 0.82

 

Natural Idle

 

CO = 11.07%

 

Can any body point me in the right direction to what is going wrong. My first guess is probably knackerd lambda sensor?

[Supercharged 2]

What engine have you got?

[peteTDI 0]

sounds like a knackerd lambda sensor or an air leak

[jslootweg 0]

2.0l 16v.

 

I have looked for air leaks and I can't see any, and my MOT didn't pick up anything like a blowing exhaust. So do you reckon buggered lambda, if so i;ll replace it

[Goldie 2]

Its a strong possibility.

 

Did you give it a good run before you started the test??

[martyjmcfly 0]

And the cat if it has one?

[CazzaVR 0]

:shock: Those readings are high! Mine kept failing cos it kept getting 0.31-0.35% CO. It eventually went through OK.

 

Notice how the second reading was lower? Definately give it a damn good thrashing (30 minutes) with quarter of a tank of super with some injector cleaner (enough for a full tank of petrol), immediately before the retest.

 

 

Prob lambda or knackered cat.

 

Brake pipes not too expensive- had mine all done recently and they weren't too pricey.

[TomB 0]

Not TOO tricky to do the pipes yourself, just time consuming and a little messy. You'll need a tool to flare the ends of the pipes with though, and be careful not to kink any of the copper line when you're fabricating new ones. Also, buy some new hoses as you may need to cut the old lines off with a dremmel and some 'crab' clips, as the old ones will probably be rotten, and it's a failure to not have them on.

The line itself is about £15 a roll, and you might need 2 rolls by the sound of it...

Watch out for the bleed nipples when bleeding the brakes, as they can shear off as well....

Can you tell what I've recently done? :-)

[jslootweg 0]

Right i've done a bit of research and I'm gonna try changing the lambda first. Where is the best place to get one? and which type do i need?

[davidwort 0]

Right i've done a bit of research and I'm gonna try changing the lambda first. Where is the best place to get one? and which type do i need?

 

General consensus seems to be get a genuine VAG one from the VW dealer, worth that little bit extra. The ECP ones seem to be going after a year in some cases. May be because they are a general fitment type rather than an OEM part specifically for the 2L 16v.

[Henny 0]

GSF do 'em... phone 'em and tell 'em what your car is and they should be able to tell you which one you need... 8)

[jslootweg 0]

Does GSF do the OEM ones or is it the universal type? All i can see on their website is the universal ones.