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Known fault

2.0 / 1.8 TSI (EA888 gen1 to gen2): the timing chain tensioner lets go

It does not show up on every car. Check before you buy.

critical

severity

not available

mileage

3

sources

3 sources next to the write-up.

The fault

How you spot it

With the 2008 EA888 VW switched from a belt to a chain, and the tensioner of the first two generations turned out weak: as the ratchet mechanism ages it does not hold its position when the engine stops and the oil pressure disappears. The oil drains overnight and the chain goes slack. The symptom looks harmless for a long time (a short, few second rattle on a cold start as the chain slaps the guide rail), and then one day it jumps, and the engine is badly damaged inside. From then on the repair is a cylinder head or an engine rebuild. Around 2012 the maker was already fitting an improved tensioner; on the old one only replacement helps, not monitoring the noise.

Which model

Who it affects

The card opens the generation, the engine or the transmission.

Engines and transmissions

Checklist

2.0 / 1.8 TSI (EA888 gen1 to gen2): the timing chain tensioner lets go

What you would check for this fault. Take it to the car.

Before you buy

Checklist

What you tick stays on this device only.

vinkodex.com · Before you buy it, see what can go wrong.

Sources

How we know

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