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Engine code

CZHA engine faults.

Listed as: 2.0 TDI. The faults belong to this engine code. They do not apply to every car with that name.

diesel

fuel

1968 cc

displacement

110 kW (150 HP)

power

5 fault write-ups. 4 important.

Before you buy

Known faults

4 important faults

critical1

Rising oil level: interrupted particulate filter regeneration

critical

On short urban trips the particulate filter cannot burn through. The engine control unit then injects extra fuel late in the cycle to heat the filter, and part of that fuel passes down the cylinder wall into the sump. The oil level rises, the oil thins out, and it lubricates worse.

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The maker addresses this itself. Audi's 2015 service bulletin (01-15-18) tells the technician how to read the oil level on 2.0 TDI engines, because an overfilled level triggers an oil change message with no engine warning light and no stored fault code.

An oil level above the maximum calls for an immediate oil change, and it points to short urban trips. A diesel driven only in town is a bigger risk from both the particulate filter and the turbo.

A thinned, rising oil level is one precondition of a runaway engine. A diesel controls torque with the quantity of fuel injected, and it has no throttle. So if enough combustible liquid reaches the intake, the engine starts running on its own oil, and cutting the injection or switching off the ignition will not stop it. The revs climb on their own until the engine destroys itself.

A raised oil level alone is rarely enough for this. The classic trigger is a failed turbo shaft seal that feeds oil mist into the intake. But the two go together: thinned oil lubricates worse, and poorer lubrication damages the turbo bearing first.

If it happens while driving, the key does not help. Only cutting off the air does: cover the intake, discharge a dry powder extinguisher into the intake tract, or on a manual select a high gear with the parking brake on and release the clutch quickly.

What to check

  • Pull the dipstick with a cold engine on level ground: the level must not be above the maximum mark
  • Smell the oil on the dipstick: a diesel smell means it is thinned with fuel
  • Ask whether the dash has ever shown an oil level sensor or oil change message
5 more steps in the write-up

expensive3

AdBlue / SCR: NOx sensor and crystallising dosing valve

expensive

On AdBlue (SCR) diesels the NOx sensor after the catalyst ages, and the tip of the dosing valve crystallises. An AdBlue warning appears on the dash, often with a countdown ("X km of starts remaining"), while the tank is full. Crystallisation typically forms with short trip, urban use, or from poor quality AdBlue; on a car standing below freezing the circuit can freeze up too.

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At the end of the countdown there is a start inhibit: the car can become undriveable until it is repaired. The fault is not always the SCR catalyst: the cause is the sensor or the dosing valve.

between 100,000 and 160,000 km

What to check

  • Check whether there is an AdBlue filler (next to the fuel cap or in the boot): if there is not, this car does not have the system
  • Read all the dash messages after switching the ignition on: there should be no AdBlue warning and no km countdown
  • Ask for a fault code read: the codes P20EE, P2202 and P229F belong here. A cleared code comes back after a few tens of kilometres
2 more steps in the write-up

Dual mass flywheel: diesel

expensive

The internal springs of the flywheel tire, and the two discs knock against each other. The signs are a rattling or knocking from the bellhousing at idle and when releasing the clutch pedal, and vibration through the floor. If the clutch slips without a burnt smell, that also points to the flywheel. It is worth replacing in time: a disintegrated flywheel can destroy the bellhousing too. At a clutch replacement the two go together anyway.

What to check

  • At idle, without touching the clutch pedal, listen for the rattle from the bellhousing, then press the pedal: if it stops, that is suspect
  • Watch for the characteristic clatter on starting and switching off
  • Put your foot on the floor at idle: a noticeable vibration indicates tired springs
2 more steps in the write-up

TDI: the vanes of the variable geometry (VNT) turbo stick

expensive

The vanes of the variable geometry turbo are glued together by soot and oil arriving through the EGR. First you get overboost or a lack of boost, then loss of power above 2,000 rpm, and finally limp mode. Caught in time it is enough to remove the turbo, clean it and fit a new actuator rod. Short urban trips and gentle, low rev driving speed up the deposits.

What to check

  • On the motorway, load it above 2,000 rpm: does it pull evenly, or does the power break up
  • Watch whether the warning light flashes up under acceleration (overboost protection)
  • Ask what kind of journeys it did: a daily short urban run is the worst
1 more steps in the write-up

comfort1

Coolant temperature sensor (G62) failure

comfort

The G62 sensor tells the engine control unit how hot the coolant is. If it is faulty, the control unit thinks a warm engine is cold, and runs it rich: hard warm or cold starting, a rough idle, markedly increased fuel consumption, and a dash temperature gauge that jumps around or never reaches its usual reading. The part is cheap and can be replaced in half an hour: the trouble is that many people do not recognise it and replace an injector or a lambda sensor instead. If the fault persists, the rich mixture can destroy the catalytic converter too.

What to check

  • Warm it up and watch the dash temperature gauge: the needle should sit steadily at the middle reading, not jump around
  • Watch a cold start, then a warm start after twenty minutes standing
  • With a code reader look for the 17664 / P1256 code in the engine control unit
2 more steps in the write-up

Engine code

Factory data

Factory data

Engine family
EA288
Fuel
diesel
Displacement
1968 cc
Power
110 kW (150 HP)
Production
—

Generations

Which models it is fitted to

1 generations.

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms