Well, this last week has been weird. My ‘15 A8 tdi with 103k started running really rough mid drive last week. It was 12f and I found the intercoolers frozen. The car started and ran fine but froze mid trip and the engine ran normally after disconnecting the intake hose from the engine.

In 4 years of ownership and 50k miles through harsh winter weather I’ve not experienced this situation.

So I:
- pulled the car into the garage, opened the upper hoses on both sides, and stuck the shop vac hose in to see what I found - completely blocked.

- took a hair dryer and put it in the upper driver’s side intake boot for 30 minutes and started getting air out the other side.

- separated the intercooler pipe under the car and attached the shop vac again, but this time I turned mega maid to blow from suck and was amazed at the chunks of ice that blew out. It was like a bazooka.

There were multiple sooty ice chunks that ended up in total being the size of a 20oz soda bottle.

- there also was a quart of oil that came out as well. My guess is the oil has accumulated over thousands of miles because I add zero oil between changes.

**Or maybe my turbo seals are going….??

After letting things drain for a couple hours I put things back together and it runs fine other than the dpf soot code.

But - the turbo hose clamp was impossible to get off so I had break it, I tried a generic t clamp but it didn’t last long…so now I’m waiting on Amazon for a 70mm clamp and if that doesn’t work Audi can get me one Tuesday.

I’ve cleared the faults but need to do a manual regen to ensure the dirty dpf p2463 fault goes away.

I’ve attached a video and my vcds log.

**I have an appointment with Audi for this Wednesday but will cancel if all ends up being fine, that is unless you guys think it’s worth taking it in.

My dealer is a last resort. I find the Penske dealers a huge hassle to work with, are slow as molasses and have absolutely terrible communications. They generally don’t want to work on my car or think anything applies to the emissions warranty coverage.

I look forward to thoughts from the hive mind?

 

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One oiler driver says, "Drive more aggressively, push the moisture out of the system and DON'T let it pool up. Lugging the TDI will cause a build up of moisture and leave it to freeze in the intercooler. The problem is the result of incorrect driving of the car, not the car."
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Others disagree.
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The issue here is not my driving like a grandma, that isn’t my style 😉.

Even Audi‘s own previous TSB documents show the EGR systems return a ton of moisture to the intercooler, which greatly increases the likelihood of this happening, in fact I even see a winter kit that Audi offers for the TDI EGR.

 

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Another issue stemming from the Green Agenda
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Well, de ja vu. My intercoolers froze again this morning on my A8, about 23 months apart from the last time.

I will be pulling it into my heated garage and thawing it with the shop vac tonight….messy job with al the oil, water, ice and muck.

 

Mark it on the calander.. Maybe every year just before winter execute this task? That way it doesn't strand you or destroy something...
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Just a thought.