P0303 Help

[Sam600]

Hey all,

Hoping to get a bit of help with my new to me Tiguan. It’s giving an error P0303.

I’ve changed all four spark plugs and switched around the coils, with P0303 still showing after idling for a short period.

When it drives, the CEL disappears once I get to about 20kmh. On idle it gets rough and that’s when the CEL comes back on then the EPC.

I’ve noticed some white smoke from the exhaust after the spark plug change and I’m not sure if that’s related or just because it’s raining here.

Does anyone have any other suggestions or hints? Should I replace the fuel injector on cylinder 3?

The car is a 2016 132tsi 2.0 4motion with AD1 engine (ea88.

Any help is greatly appreciated

[nermal]

Hey all,

Hoping to get a bit of help with my new to me Tiguan. It’s giving an error P0303.

I’ve changed all four spark plugs and switched around the coils, with P0303 still showing after idling for a short period.

When it drives, the CEL disappears once I get to about 20kmh. On idle it gets rough and that’s when the CEL comes back on then the EPC.

I’ve noticed some white smoke from the exhaust after the spark plug change and I’m not sure if that’s related or just because it’s raining here.

Does anyone have any other suggestions or hints? Should I replace the fuel injector on cylinder 3?

The car is a 2016 132tsi 2.0 4motion with AD1 engine (ea88.

Any help is greatly appreciated

Not sure about the CEL/P0303, though OBDEleven tells me that P0303 is "Cylinder 3 misfire", so maybe check that spark plug.

Regarding the smoke.. I'm no mechanic, but some initial white smoke (steam) shouldn't be anything to stress about, especially if the weather is rainy or cold - it's likely just a bit of condensation/water in the exhaust that gets evaporated off. If it continues long after the engine/exhaust heats up, then it may be more of a concern to get checked out.

If the smoke has a blue-tinge, then you're likely burning oil. That can be more of a concern, though could also be something like seals/gaskets that need replacing.

So... if it's consistent white smoke (or blue-tinged), then I'd personally be booking it into the shop to be looked at.

[Lucas_R]

Yes P0303 is a misfire on cylinder 3 so concentrate your efforts on cylinder 3 for now.

If you have replaced spark plugs and swapped around the ignition coils with no improvement, then you can rule out spark for now.

The next logical step is to look at fuel pressure and/or the fuel injector, but this can get expensive quite quickly if you dont know for sure that this is the issue. Have you got VCDS or another VW specific tool that will allow you to log parameters around the fuel pressure on each cylinder? If not, then I suggest you take it to a VW specialist who does so they can attempt to correctly diagnose the issue so you arent replacing parts that are not related to the issue.

Alba European in Moorooka is who I would recommend, but there are other VW specialists in Brisbane - and there might be one that is closer to you.

[Sam600]

Hey everyone, bit of an update.

I took it to a mechanic to do a compression test after ruling out the coils and spark plugs.

Unfortunately there was very low compression in cylinder 3, requiring a full engine rebuild.

I'm shocked that a car with 60,000 k's could have such a problem, especially with full logbook servicing.

Anyhow, it's something to watch out for if you own a 132tsi.

[nermal]

Hey everyone, bit of an update.

I took it to a mechanic to do a compression test after ruling out the coils and spark plugs.

Unfortunately there was very low compression in cylinder 3, requiring a full engine rebuild.

I'm shocked that a car with 60,000 k's could have such a problem, especially with full logbook servicing.

Anyhow, it's something to watch out for if you own a 132tsi.

Yikes! What year is it? Is it still under warranty? - are VW covering some/all of the repair?

[BeigeJet]

Yikes! What year is it? Is it still under warranty? - are VW covering some/all of the repair?

In the OP's initial post 2016 model

[Lucas_R]

Hey everyone, bit of an update.

I took it to a mechanic to do a compression test after ruling out the coils and spark plugs.

Unfortunately there was very low compression in cylinder 3, requiring a full engine rebuild.

I'm shocked that a car with 60,000 k's could have such a problem, especially with full logbook servicing.

Anyhow, it's something to watch out for if you own a 132tsi.

There is obviously a reason why cylinder 3 has lost compression. Timing chain issue? Cracked piston or piston ring issue? Burnt valve? Many reasons it could be. Would be interesting to find out once your engine is stripped down.

[amunra]

Hey all,

Hoping to get a bit of help with my new to me Tiguan. It’s giving an error P0303.

I’ve changed all four spark plugs and switched around the coils, with P0303 still showing after idling for a short period.

When it drives, the CEL disappears once I get to about 20kmh. On idle it gets rough and that’s when the CEL comes back on then the EPC.

I’ve noticed some white smoke from the exhaust after the spark plug change and I’m not sure if that’s related or just because it’s raining here.

Does anyone have any other suggestions or hints? Should I replace the fuel injector on cylinder 3?

The car is a 2016 132tsi 2.0 4motion with AD1 engine (ea88.

Any help is greatly appreciated

checked ur cylinders for carbon buildup?

buildup could be pretty heavy by now and especially in ur 3rd cylinder try opening the manifold and cleaning them individually with some GDI cleaner theres heaps of guides and see if thats fixes ur problem before rebuilding an engine mens

[Sam600]

Compression on cylinder 2 was 155psi, with cylinder 3 at 55psi. Worn piston rings was the suspected cause. The mechanic said he has seen a significant amount of VW's with the EA888 engine have the same problem.

I purchased the car from an auction house and bought it as is. Thankfully the ACCC take the new that even though the car was as is, there are still consumer guarantees including that the product is of acceptable quality given the value of the purchase. Fortunately, the auction house allowed a full refund.

Having owned a few VW's in the past, I now would never touch a VW.

I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else, but given the mechanics experience, it seems a significant amount VW's with EA888 engine will.

[nermal]

Compression on cylinder 2 was 155psi, with cylinder 3 at 55psi. Worn piston rings was the suspected cause. The mechanic said he has seen a significant amount of VW's with the EA888 engine have the same problem.

I purchased the car from an auction house and bought it as is. Thankfully the ACCC take the new that even though the car was as is, there are still consumer guarantees including that the product is of acceptable quality given the value of the purchase. Fortunately, the auction house allowed a full refund.

Having owned a few VW's in the past, I now would never touch a VW.

I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else, but given the mechanics experience, it seems a significant amount VW's with EA888 engine will.

That's no good =( ... at least you got it sorted.

Did the mechanic provide a quote for new rings? I have an EA888 (gen 3) in the Arteon and wondering what I'm up for if/when this happens - will also want to be prepared with any upgrade options.

[Lucas_R]

How long have you owned the car? Its possible something was wrong with it and that is why the previous owner got rid of it. This is unfortunately part of the gamble with buying 2nd hand cars, especially from a dealer or auction where you don't get to meet the previous owner.

I very much doubt it will be carbon buildup, these engines run both port injection and direct injection (unlike the earlier versions on the EA113 and EA888 which only had direct injection and were known for getting carbon buildup). The combination of port and direct injection keeps the carbon buildup under control.