Diagnosing and repairing secondary air injection system (codes 17831, 17819, 16815)
04-11-2015, 06:50 AM
#21
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If the code stays gone for a couple of days after being reset - take your car for its smog test and reset it all with your laptop in the car park and get it tested straight away!
Once its passed, it gives you time to investigate after you've registered it etc.
Once its passed, it gives you time to investigate after you've registered it etc.
04-12-2015, 11:47 PM
#22
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new oxygen sensor in
OK, so an update...
For the last week the check engine light has come back on, and remained on since. I pulled the code and it came back as 16815: Warm Up Catalyst; Bank 2: Efficiency Below Threshold. I've had this since my original post, and so I've discussed all of this before.
Anyway, today I changed out the front driver's side 02 sensor as suggested in various forums. It is a bit tricky to do, had to buy a couple of super-long socket extensions and rent an 02 socket kit from autozone, but it wasn't as bad as a few people suggested it might be.
I followed the directions on this thread: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-...ested-2775139/
The sensor leads went to different places in my allroad but the main part of the thread (how to get a socket on to the actual o2 sensor) worked fine.
Now I just have to wait and see if the 16815 code comes back...
Icks- I wish it were that simple. The engine has to go through a bunch of self-checks to "generate readiness" after clearing the codes before you can pass smog here in California. The smog guys check to see if it has done all of these checks, and you can't pass until it has. Thing is, in the course of these checks it will discover and report any issues with the emissions system, generating a check engine light, which is an automatic fail on the smog check. I just gotta keep banging away at this one.
For the last week the check engine light has come back on, and remained on since. I pulled the code and it came back as 16815: Warm Up Catalyst; Bank 2: Efficiency Below Threshold. I've had this since my original post, and so I've discussed all of this before.
Anyway, today I changed out the front driver's side 02 sensor as suggested in various forums. It is a bit tricky to do, had to buy a couple of super-long socket extensions and rent an 02 socket kit from autozone, but it wasn't as bad as a few people suggested it might be.
I followed the directions on this thread: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-...ested-2775139/
The sensor leads went to different places in my allroad but the main part of the thread (how to get a socket on to the actual o2 sensor) worked fine.
Now I just have to wait and see if the 16815 code comes back...
Icks- I wish it were that simple. The engine has to go through a bunch of self-checks to "generate readiness" after clearing the codes before you can pass smog here in California. The smog guys check to see if it has done all of these checks, and you can't pass until it has. Thing is, in the course of these checks it will discover and report any issues with the emissions system, generating a check engine light, which is an automatic fail on the smog check. I just gotta keep banging away at this one.
05-29-2015, 11:33 PM
#23
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A final reply:
So I got my SAI completely sorted, cleared all the codes, and they don't come back. In the end it turns out that my air pump which I thought I had fixed was still having issues. I gave up on trying to get it to run reliably myself and sent it to a guy on ebay who repairs them for $99: rostykf on eBay
It turns out the bearings in mine were worn to the point where it would short out the motor out of stress (or something), burn fuses etc., and just generally be a pain in the ***. It is now running smoothly without any drama so I would recommend the ebay fix as a low-cost solution if you hit the point where you are considering buying a new pump. For $99 you get a one year warranty so that ain't bad.
For the catalytic converter code I had to resort to an o2 spacer... I'm in California and because of the legal requirements for smog checks here it was either pay $1500 (yep) for a entire new driver's side exhaust system or $20 for an 02 spacer. No shops that I called were willing to weld in a universal cat because the only legally certified replacements here are the factory OEM pipes, one piece per side. My current exhausts had already passed the actual tailpipe sniffer test, meaning they were within California legal requirements, but had failed the much more mysterious audi CEL test. Nevertheless, in California if you have a CEL light on when you do your smog test, no matter what it is for, it is an instant fail.
The 02 spacer was an easy choice in the end- after spending a chunk of money on trying to fix the CEL in the most strictly legal way (to satisfy the audi gods, not the california courts) I was not going to spend another $1500 on a new exhaust which I didn't really need.
Problem solved. No more codes, driving off into the sunset.
So I got my SAI completely sorted, cleared all the codes, and they don't come back. In the end it turns out that my air pump which I thought I had fixed was still having issues. I gave up on trying to get it to run reliably myself and sent it to a guy on ebay who repairs them for $99: rostykf on eBay
It turns out the bearings in mine were worn to the point where it would short out the motor out of stress (or something), burn fuses etc., and just generally be a pain in the ***. It is now running smoothly without any drama so I would recommend the ebay fix as a low-cost solution if you hit the point where you are considering buying a new pump. For $99 you get a one year warranty so that ain't bad.
For the catalytic converter code I had to resort to an o2 spacer... I'm in California and because of the legal requirements for smog checks here it was either pay $1500 (yep) for a entire new driver's side exhaust system or $20 for an 02 spacer. No shops that I called were willing to weld in a universal cat because the only legally certified replacements here are the factory OEM pipes, one piece per side. My current exhausts had already passed the actual tailpipe sniffer test, meaning they were within California legal requirements, but had failed the much more mysterious audi CEL test. Nevertheless, in California if you have a CEL light on when you do your smog test, no matter what it is for, it is an instant fail.
The 02 spacer was an easy choice in the end- after spending a chunk of money on trying to fix the CEL in the most strictly legal way (to satisfy the audi gods, not the california courts) I was not going to spend another $1500 on a new exhaust which I didn't really need.
Problem solved. No more codes, driving off into the sunset.
Last edited by Mr_Moustachio; 05-29-2015 at 11:36 PM.
03-09-2017, 08:19 AM
#25
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The Service Manual can be bought online as a PDF for $35 US. It comes in handy as a first step. Its long so best is to use Search for key words. In this case you Search for Secondary Air. Which teaches you Combi / EGR valves, J299. N112, Air Pump. You search for all of those and "learn the system".
Lesson learned: the SAI is a pain. Parts are now 15 years old so replace via Ebay with new and German, EU out of Poland, Latvia and Spain NOT Chinese crap. SAI pumps can be fixed, (bearings). The SAI hose is $$ so wrap the new one to protect it. Vacuum hoses can be easily replaced and simplified. Electricals like fuse, N112 Solenoid valve and J299 relays can be sign of symptom not cause.
Lesson learned: the SAI is a pain. Parts are now 15 years old so replace via Ebay with new and German, EU out of Poland, Latvia and Spain NOT Chinese crap. SAI pumps can be fixed, (bearings). The SAI hose is $$ so wrap the new one to protect it. Vacuum hoses can be easily replaced and simplified. Electricals like fuse, N112 Solenoid valve and J299 relays can be sign of symptom not cause.
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