noisy at morning startup

[SKiP48]

Have a 2003 Passat 1,8T - 1 week old, it is noisy when startup in the morning and the rev is around 1300, but after about 2 minutes the rev drops to about 900 and the noise is back to normal. On checking with the dealer he says its normal. Is this normal for the newer Passats since my previous one (1998 1.8T) does not behave like this.
Will any of the engine or fuel additives helps?

[HeirMuench]

I have seen a problem in a few of the new 1.8T like this. What you are experiencing is the chain tensioner on the back of the cam area. These tensioners have a one way check valve and I have seen a ferw bad, they will lose pressure overnight and until oil pressure is back they will allow the chain to stay loose and noisy. This is covered under the poser train warranty and your dealer should replace it.

[kfollett]

I have a vw02 Passat and I have the same thing in the morning. My dad who is a mechanic said its just the heat shields. they are loose when cold and need room for expansion.

[HeirMuench]

I can almost guarantee that this is not a heat shield problem. I am a VW Tech and I see this an a lot of Passat's, especialy the 1.8 turbo's. This is covered by power train warranty.

[kfollett]

Thanks for the info. I have another question since you are a VWTech. My 1.8t does not perform like it use to. The turbo does not seem to kick in in first gear at all no matter what rpm I am at and it will seldomly kick-in in 2nd gear but only if I down shift. All other gears work fine but I don't really think I get the acceleration like I did when it was new. I had the service mgr drive the car with me and he said the car learns my driving habits which I totally did not buy. He did finally agree that something was not right. Unfortunately I have not had the time to take the car back to get it worked on. Have you seen anything like this before?

[HeirMuench]

Could be a number of problems, did the dealer check for any engine faults?

[kfollett]

They did check and the first time they said they replaced the coil igniters but I don't think that is true because I did not have any engine fault lights on. Then at another dealer which I have used for a long time said there is nothing wrong. Don't you think the turbo should come on in first gear? They told me the car learned my driving habits and that does not sound right to me.

[Jantzenkd]

I have the same problem - 2003 1.8t GLS. Noisy for a few minutes in the morning, then quiets down. Its actually noisy on start up after any long duration of time (8 hrs or more). My friend told me it is the Turbos warming up, but after reading everyones replys - i'm not so sure

[HeirMuench]

Sorry kfollett, what you have been told is not true. The turbo should work in all gears and this is not a learned process. The coil problem was a part of the WG Recall from Volkswagen. I would need more info on symptoms to answer your question.

[SKiP48]

Sorry for the late reply guys was away, will be sending the car in for warrenty servicing next week and will let you know of the outcome

[GAPF1]

Any further info on these problems? Exactly same symptoms on my 2003 1.8T manual Passat. Been getting noisy startup since new, then turbo issues came in after first oil change. I had similar hesitation on 1999 1.8T Tiptronic, but only in high ambient temp (live in AZ!). Any help?

[Stevo555]

Glad to see I'm not the only one getting this problem with their 1.8t. I've been getting the noise for the last six months - usually after the engine has been off for any longer than a couple of hours. The only way I could describe it was like the noise you used to get when sticking a playing card in between bicycle spokes - sort of a "snarling". The revs stay at about 12-1300 then settle down after a couple of minutes - but the idling is still a bit rough, and waves about more than any other car I've driven.

I asked my VW dealer to investigate and they said it was a problem with the EGR valve, so they replaced it under warranty. That was two days ago, and I did notice that the problem disappeared for one day, but now it's back to normal!!!

I'm concerned that this could result in serious damage if left unfixed. Has anybody had any success in getting their problem fixed yet? Wonder if this is common across all VW/Audi 1.8t's.

[craigp40]

I just found this site and it's great!

My 2001 Passat is doing the exact same thing. Gets annoying, especially for a car that is rated so highly.
Has anyone had done what HeirMuench mentions with the chain tensioner? I would like to get it fixed, but like most I would expect the dealership to tell me there is nothing wrong and that it is normal.

[Stevo555]

Took mine back to the dealer and mentioned the chain tensioner issue. The guy said that the 1.8t doesn't use a chain - it uses a rubber timing belt and that they don't use pressurised chain tensioners. He advised that it wasn't a good idea to have oil anywhere near the rubber timing belt because it could cause it to perish.

HeirMuench does this make any sense? Can you explain what tensioner you were talking about in terms that I could explain to a receptionist at a VW dealer?

I asked them to humour me and stick the car on the diagnostic computer but surprise surprise it came back with "no fault found".

[boschmann]

They're talking about VR6 engines, which use chains. 1.8T's use a totallt different design, a rubber belt. Start a new thread explaining your concerns....