aTOMic

Hi Allroad gurus,

I am having fun diagnosing my 2004 A8L's suspension problems over here. Fault code says "Temp sensor short to ground, intermittent" and "Comp temp high" and even after sitting overnight the thing reports 70c (158F) so I am pretty sure the G290 temp sensor is kaput. I wonder if anyone has a known-good G290 to check resistance for me (or knows offhand the value) so I can confirm before I spend $500 to replace mine (EDIT: the sensor is just as pictured, i.e., not integral w/pump). The oddest thing is the pump runs up to reported 4.88 bar but the car is flat. That's why I'm thinking there is more to the story than the G290.

TIA,
Tom

Pic added for future reference

Resistance of mine measures 4610 ohms (mine is fubar I think). What does the label indicate?


It was like this

aTOMic

Okay, how about the part number and / or availability?

Anyone had their sensor fail?

My search on AW is FUBAR please cut me some slack!

bagpipingandy

Hi You can get the sensor seperate im sure, but the compressor should put out 16BAR MAX when new and needs 8-10+bar to do anything

does the suspension work ok, what are the symptoms you are having? only this code?

my experience is with the allroad but it is the same compressor unit, let me know and i will try to help out.

also no need for new compressors see this: http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/s...rip-amp-repair

and this:http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/bagpipinga...&_trksid=p3686


regards
Andy

aTOMic

Wow, Andy, thanks for that great information on the allroad forum (I think I've seen it on A8parts.com in the past, right)?! All this dissecting of compressors and you never measured the resistance of a sensor? Also, do you know how, on the OEM compressor, is the G290 made so very integral as to be un-removeable?

My main thread regarding my current suspension hiccup is here, you can read the whole tale in its lurid glory.

There is another guy who's having the same problem and I was a bit shocked to see him seemingly happy at his resolution - throwing parts at it to the tune of $2000 plus. I was telling my wife how wasteful a society we've become when replacing a $1500 compressor is the acceptable solution to a $40 sensor failure. Punch line is, I get some help from a Scot for a more frugal solution! Thank you.
Tom

aTOMic

Andy, is there any way to get a kit from the US? I need it quicker than the week it'd take from UK...

bagpipingandy

hi, if your sensor is defo knackered you can buy allroad replacements here:

http://www.air-suspension-shop.com/i...=1389&lang=eng

it just fits over one of the head bolts on the allroad (i thought the A8 is the same is it not??)

Also I have a spare one from many a stripped compresssor I will measure the resistance on it and i can send you it too if you wish,

i will measure the resistance on it 1st and you can compare it with yours,

as for kits quickly shipping to USA from UK is approx 10 business days, plenty of people on here have purchased them perhaps put a post out to see if someone in the US who has not used it can send you it quicker, I have sold 400+ in USA they cannot all be fitted yet!

it seems to be a throw away society and for repair bills at £2000 my car is not even that value so not an option, hence i stripped the compressor and luckly came up with the repair kit,1100 units sold now but a lot of people copied it now only buy from bagpipingandy!! thanks for your support

best regards

Andy

aTOMic

Yes, it is apparently the same, I have discovered...

Is this what "defo knackered" means (sorry, I don't speak Scottish)?

The car thinks the sensor is at 70C when it's in a glass of ice water so I guess it IS defoknackered. And definitely broken, too.
It was like that when I reached up to remove it, BTW.
I appreciate it, yes please report the resistance here when you can; but I fear I need to move from the "Denial" stage into "Acceptance" (of the fact I cannot get out of this without buying a new compressor).
I WILL buy a kit from you in the near future and rebuilt my old compressor, and at that time you can send along a new used sensor or two, thank you very much for that!

Tom

G0to60

You may want to look on ebay or the classifieds if someone is selling a used compressor and use the temp sensor. It would be cheaper and you can have an extra on hand.

You may also be able to use a compressor from a different model if you want to replace the whole unit. I know that you can use a Mercedes compressor in the allroad with only minor modification (I think the wiring is slightly different). Perhaps you can do something similar to save a bit of money.

aTOMic

Yes, Arnott shows visually identical compressors for MB and my A8L at $375 and $875 respectively, only apparent difference is 3 wiring connectors and 2 hoses which I suspect one could transfer from old to new pumps... but it's be a $300 gamble.

bagpipingandy

Hi sorry for the last post, "deffo knackered" is Ayrshire slang and basically means "definitely broken" , I have checked resistance of my spare temp sensor: at Scottish garage temperature approx 14degC it reads 15.8 with multimeter set at 20K ohms

yes its the same sensor as the allroad, I tool some pictures see below not sure if plug will be the same:




you should be able to put a resistance over the plug to "fool" it into thinking the temperature is ok, this will at least let you check it is not the ECU or wiring giving a bad reading and let you test the rest of the suspesion system to prove it is only this temp sensor causing the issues,
I can offer my temp sensor & throw it in a kit if you need to change it later on or try the shop I posted earlier for a new one
I hope this helps,

best regards

Andy