Intermittent P0021 - Timing issue?

B6/7 S4/RS4
#1

07 S4: 98k miles

In the last couple weeks I’ve had my CEL come on a couple times. I normally don’t DD this car in the winter but my A4 got plowed in at the back of my driveway and the mound of snow is now solid ice… oops. Anyway, I first noticed the issue when it was 6 degrees F out on a cold start. Had a flashing CEL right after start up at idle for a few blinks then it was out. Car drove normal. The following day after the car warmed up I gave it some gas and it barely accelerated. I pulled over, shut it down and restarted it and the CEL was on. I brought it over to my shop scanned it and here’s what I got.

Thursday,05,February,2015,08:34:46:42923

4 Faults Found:

004392 - Fuel Trim; Bank 1 (Mult)
P1128 - 001 - System too Lean - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00100001
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 255
Mileage: 157562 km
Time Indication: 0

         Freeze Frame:
                RPM: 1872 /min
                Load: 12.5 %
                Speed: 60.0 km/h
                Temperature: 75.0*C
                Temperature: 1.0*C
                Absolute Pres.: 1010.0 mbar
                Voltage: 13.716 V

000768 - Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected
P0300 - 008 - - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00101000
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 2
Reset counter: 255
Mileage: 157673 km
Time Indication: 0

         Freeze Frame:
                RPM: 912 /min
                Load: 14.1 %
                Speed: 0.0 km/h
                Temperature: 28.0*C
                Temperature: 21.0*C
                Absolute Pres.: 1010.0 mbar
                Voltage: 13.462 V

000774 - Cylinder 6
P0306 - 008 - Misfire Detected - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00101000
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 2
Reset counter: 255
Mileage: 157673 km
Time Indication: 0

         Freeze Frame:
                RPM: 1348 /min
                Load: 12.9 %
                Speed: 0.0 km/h
                Temperature: 32.0*C
                Temperature: 20.0*C
                Absolute Pres.: 1010.0 mbar
                Voltage: 13.462 V

000033 - Bank 2: Camshaft A (Intake)
P0021 - 004 - Retard Setpoint not Reached (Over-Advanced) - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 11100100
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 2
Reset counter: 255
Mileage: 157673 km
Time Indication: 0

         Freeze Frame:
                RPM: 1047 /min
                Load: 11.0 %
                Speed: 0.0 km/h
                Temperature: 29.0*C
                Temperature: 21.0*C
                Absolute Pres.: 1010.0 mbar
                Voltage: 13.335 V

Shit, a timing code w/ misfires… Cleared the codes. Started the car back up and rescanned. No codes. Drove the car for a week with no problems then the light came back on. Rescanned:

Friday,13,February,2015,22:26:19:42923

2 Faults Found:

000033 - Bank 2: Camshaft A (Intake)
P0021 - 004 - Retard Setpoint not Reached (Over-Advanced) - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00100100
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 255
Mileage: 158097 km
Time Indication: 0

         Freeze Frame:
                RPM: 767 /min
                Load: 12.2 %
                Speed: 0.0 km/h
                Temperature: 58.0*C
                Temperature: 33.0*C
                Absolute Pres.: 1010.0 mbar
                Voltage: 13.589 V

004392 - Fuel Trim; Bank 1 (Mult)
P1128 - 001 - System too Lean - Intermittent - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 10100001
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 2
Reset counter: 255
Mileage: 158482 km
Time Indication: 0

         Freeze Frame:
                RPM: 1987 /min
                Load: 9.8 %
                Speed: 51.0 km/h
                Temperature: 75.0*C
                Temperature: -2.0*C
                Absolute Pres.: 1010.0 mbar
                Voltage: 13.589 V

This time around it looks like the CEL came on for the P1128. I’ve got this code intermittently since I put on the JHM intake manifold 2? years ago but always seems to pop up when its cold. I cleared the codes the 13th and have checked every day since with no codes coming up. My question is how concerned should I be about the timing code? At some point I planned on doing a timing service but I was hoping to wait until at least this summer or beyond when I have time to do it myself. Thanks in advance…

#2

If you have another car i would try to drive that for now. Do you have your own vagcom. There are a few simple things you can do to see if this will require service now. Still if you can it’s a good idea to get new timing stuff now.

Any clacking or start up chain rattle.

#3

I do have my own vagcom. No unusual clacking or noises while running. I’ve had minor chain rattle on start up since I bought the car at 44k miles but since switching to Mobil 1 it is less noticeable and sometimes doesn’t happen at all.

#4

Ok is the car close. Can you go take logs. I’ll tell you what to log.

#5

Yeah I’m still driving the car and keeping a close eye on any codes… What should I log?

#6

Ok so check the fault codes and just be careful. From what I have seen once you get the missfireing codes and the not reached codes. It the start if more issues to come. Your at the beginning of needing to do the chain service timing stuff. How long do you have I can’t say.

Go start the car don’t let it sit for long and log 091 092 093. Post the logs here. Me and the other guys will help tell you more

Log those blocks at idle for 10 seconds and then slowly bring up the revs to 2500. Hold at 2500 for 10 seconds. Let off the throttle and let it idle for another 10 seconds. That should be good.

#7

I’ll try to do the logs on my lunch break. I don’t think its related but you recently helped me resolve some other issues with the MAF and coil packs. Info here:

http://audirevolution.net/forum/index.php?topic=2710.0

#8

Logs from today.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PpjuvjwXZDAI7EmR_HPZ2294JIvO0yVXwNLJP-XQh6s/edit?usp=sharing

Before doing logs, scanned for codes and got this again. No CEL on.

1 Fault Found:

004392 - Fuel Trim; Bank 1 (Mult)
P1128 - 001 - System too Lean - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00100001
Fault Priority: 0
Fault Frequency: 1
Reset counter: 255
Mileage: 158696 km
Time Indication: 0

         Freeze Frame:
                RPM: 1766 /min
                Load: 12.2 %
                Speed: 56.0 km/h
                Temperature: 68.0*C
                Temperature: 6.0*C
                Absolute Pres.: 1000.0 mbar
                Voltage: 13.716 V
#9

Well the good news is I didn’t see anything that said your timing system failed. If you have a lean code on one bank that’s a good sign of a vac leak. Vac leaks tend to lead to miss fires at part throttle.

#10

Thanks Justin for taking a look at the logs, that’s some good news. The lean code only seems to pop up when its really really cold out, like below 15 degrees F. I checked for vac leaks a couple months ago when I was having the misfiring issue but I’ll check again. Looking back through my records that code first came up when I installed my JHM intake manifold. Re-torqueing it seemed to resolve it for a while so I’ll give that a shot.

#11

Yes look over the intake again and report back. If the code for lean only comes on when cold look to see if your Sai lines are in good shape. That can be an issue that’s hard to track down due to weather.