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Fault/Uneven Running/Misfire Counters, recent issues after using Redline 0W40
So I have recently had some drivability issues, what I describe as surging, jerky acceleration/not smooth, and general feel of reduce power mainly in what seems like the 3000-5000 rpm range. Im not talking like 50% down on power, or reduced drivability, but noticeable, in the 5-10% off from normal range if that makes sense. the surging, jerky acceleration and hesitation is the worst thing, power feels only down a little as a result. It start fine, idles fine, cruises fine. No check engine light, etc.
This is on a 2005 CTT, with 104,783 miles.
I checked for codes of course with my icarscan X431, and there is nothing.
I have smoked tested and found nothing, as I have been replacing and keeping up with the normal ones that crop up over time our pigs. Of course the smoke testing isnt under high pressure like a boost condition (I always wonder about this, smoke testing doesnt expose leaks that could occur only under boost).
After noticing this, I immediately turned to checking the plugs. In this same time frame I ran Redline fuel cleaner, and also switched to Redline 0W40 oil as I am always looking for an oil to help with my consumption (since 43,000 miles when I bought it and now at 104,000 miles, the pig has consumer about 1 qt in 1000 miles, held steady, and nothing alarming per Blackstone UOA). The plugs which I replaced about 10, 000 miles ago (along with new Bremi coils from FCP Euro) showed what looked like oil fouling, particularly cyl 3, 4, 7, 8, which have historically always looked worse than 1, 2, 5, 6. Also, with the 0W40 Redline, my consumption dropped to 700 miles for needing a 1qt top up.
I have since switched back to a normal Euro oil, 5W40 Valvoline Syn (have traditional run Castrol Edge Euro 5W40, tried QS Euro) and replaced the plugs, checked their gap, their resistance, and checked the resistance on the Bremi coils (along with a visual inspection, all good).
I decided to buy a Foxwell i53BT scanner from ECS tuning (great sale currently running BTW), to look at more things like fuel trims and misfires, which the icarscan X431 can not do.
I did see a 1314 DME code, which from what I have researched, could explain some drivability issues, and seems to be a code that could mean a bunch of different type of failures from bad crank sensors, to low battery voltage, to wicking of trans fluid in the wirin harness, so Im going to start some other investigations into this, but I cleared it and it hasnt come back yet in a couple days of driving.
But in the mean time, playing with the Foxwell, I recorded Fault Counts / Uneven running counts / misfire counts, which I am not sure how to interpret. Misfire counts which I thought I understood, all showed 0 (while drive I saw a 1 pop up on a cylinder, but then later it was gone) so I ddint attach those.
But below are the Fault counts and Uneven Running for each cylinder.
1. What do these mean?
2. these counts, assuming they are capturing total misfires (fault counter) or general running of the cylinder (Uneven running), seem to point to something up with cylinder 4, do you agree?
I know what you are all gonna say, bore scoring, I hope it isnt. I have a scope, but dont know how to check from the bottom, so could only check from the top.
What Im gonna do is pull the #4 new plug and check it, as well as swap out the coil to see if either of those are the issue since the counts seem highest in that cylinder.
I guess I should also run a compression test?
I did check fuel trims, and nothing seems a miss there, let me know what you think:
So, any other obvious things Im missing, should check??????
My wishful thinking is, the Redline 0W40 really cleaned things up, maybe around the piston rings along with the redline fuel cleaner, etc. (although my valvetrain looked really clean when I replaced the cylinder head gaskets over the winter and I have used techron and redline SL1 cleaners before without issue), partially fouled some of the plugs, or maybe fouled some other sensor which hasnt trigger a check engine code yet (like I said, its not running terrible, it starts and idles fine, just is a bit off and jerky), and things just need to get back to normal.
Or since I do consume oil, maybe the redline with high ZDDP and Moly, etc, fouled my plugs, gunked up something more than the normal Euro cleaner burning oils.
Or my relatively new Bremi coil on the #4 cylinder is failing.
Or the 1314 code I did see is pointing to something like a crank sensor which could cause these drivability issues.
I started thinking fuel pumps as my symptoms sound similar, but want some more proof before I go at it with the parts cannon. thus checking fuel trims. What else should I check on the fuel pumps? I disconnected fuses 13 and 14, no change.
With my consumption, I do always get a second or 2 puff of blue/gray smoke on start up, after the car was driven or warmed up during the day, then restarted, never 1st time after sitting all night, equally from both sides of the exhaust, which I think is important. This makes me think valve guide seals and not scoring on a cylinder. I dont get the puff every time however. No noises underhood either.
I dont often hear about leaking valve seals though on these much, but after 100k miles and 19 years???
Last edited by Corvetteboy6988; 08-09-2024 at 05:25 PM.
First of all, always post your year and model. I'm just assuming it's a 955tt since you mentioned boost conditions? Turbos tend to have less bore scoring overall than non-Turbos due their different cylinder clearances as they have Forged pistons. I've used Redline 5w-40 in my CTTS for the last 60k miles and also use it in two other Audi's with no problems. I do think that 0w-40 is a little on the thin side but in Ohio you may want to run 5w-40 in the summers and swap to 0w-40 in your colder winters. Can you post that Blackstone report? That will rule out whether Bore scoring is a factor whereas Jake Raby said that a Cylinder inspection with a camera will not reveal the scoring until it is real bad as it starts at the bottome and works it's way up. Standard Cayenne question is how old is your battery? What plugs are you running? Strange that the back two cylinders on each bank see to burn more oil or run rich. My CTTS now has 105k and all plugs are looking good. How is your PCV diaphram?
Yep, sorry, was thinking about my vehicle info and forgot, cause I was rambling so long, lol. I added it
Ill dig up my most recent blackstone and post it. I just sent in a sample on the redline 0W40, but it only had about 1200 miles on it, and dont have that back yet.
I was thinking the 0W40 was light, I have moved away from 0W40's for summer to 5W40's, but I thought redline was on the thicker side in all grades? I run redline in some of my other cars and never had issues either, (its in Cayennes diffs, transfer case), but my other cars dont consume oil either. Summit racing right by me doesnt stock the 5W40 euro or regular oil, another reason I picked the in stock 0W40.
Which redline 5W40 are you using?
Yep, battery is about 2 years old, and Diehard AMG from Advanced Auto. Ill do a load test or stop at a local autoparts to get it checked, summer heat can be as bad as winter cold!
The new plugs I just changed to are the Denso IK20TT single electrode, iridium tip electrode, plat tip ground, gapped to 0.032. I have used these before without issue. The ones I used when replaced 10,000 miles ago and just took out where the Denso Iridium Powers IK20 (single iridium tip, u groove ground - try try something different and are cheaper.
What plugs are you running?
I replaced the diaphram about 2 years ago, and I also checked it when this stuff started, no tears. I do have an oil catch which has been on for 6 months or so, and is working to catch some oil (see the best catch can thread 2018) and at one point was wondering if this is negatively contributing to things. Have run with it on and disconnected, and doesnt seem to make a difference. I have also switched to a more free flowing can to make sure I wanst creating too much back pressure in the AOS vent.
I still do get some oil in the intercooler pipe, and I just drain a spoonful when I switch back to the Euro 5W40.
Last edited by Corvetteboy6988; 08-09-2024 at 05:43 PM.
Basically if they mention LSPI or if it's a API SP rated oil then it is a low Calcium oil for DI Motors and that is what the Euro series is. Since mine is a '06 CTTS I use the regular Hi-Performance series 5w-40, and it has more ZDDP than the lower Calcium Euro series. I'm sure battery is good at only 2yrs old and the Diaphram, worth asking. There was the talk about AOS hoses collapsing, this could cause excessive crankcase Vaccum and then pressure with on/off boost. Not sure why the back cylinders would be more affected.
If I commute every day for a week (42mi R.Trip), I'll use close to 1/2qt of Oil, then if I take a 2,000 mi roadtrip it only uses between 1/2~1qt. That seems like a common consensus for a lot of Cayenne Turbos, use a lot of oil on short trips and not a lot on long trips.
From Summit Racing in a 955, I'd use Driven DT40 5w40.
Post pics of the plugs you removed and the UOA report.
Turn off the A/C system and see if the same feeling is there. To completely turn it off, first press ECON then take the fan speed all the way down to off.
Have you checked the plug and swapped the coil on cylinder 4 to a different one? See if the problem follows the coil?
If #4 remains an issue I would do a leakdown test, maybe even with the piston at TDC and BDC.
If a leakdown test is difficult you can infer leakage to some degree from a compression test by how quickly it reaches peak PSI compared to another cylinder. A video of the test can help.
Yep, that's why I decided to start using the normal redline 0w40 over the Euro oils for our non DI engines, hoping fort better protectuon
maybe just coincidence that cinsumptuon greatly increased with this oil for some reason, or maybe the lower weight 0W40.
I got new hoses for the catch can, no more collapsing. But in the back of my mind is whether I created any damage to sonething in the interim. Right now the catch can is out, im back to stock.
i rarely do highway, so yes, im in the high consumptuon condition.
AOS was the 1st thing I thought too with the consumption.
Ill try turning off the A/C and driving, what's the thought behind that?
Ill get UOA and plug pics posted
Im gonna swap coils or try one of my back up coils this evening too.
Last edited by Corvetteboy6988; 08-11-2024 at 11:54 AM.
Cyl 1, 2, 5, 6 looked like the 1st pic, this is cyl 1
cyl 3,4,7,8 looked like the 2nd pic, this is cyl 4.
7 and 8 not as bad as 3 and 4, half way between 1 and 4.
cyl pic of 1, 2, 3, 4 i didn't rotate engine so some are near tdc, some lower, decent look at 3 and 4 at least, dont really notice any difference but cant see cyl walls great, i dont have a side facing camera on the boro.
I just pulled 1,2,3,4 plugs. These only have a few hundred miles on them.
in order left to right, top to bottom, since not rotated.
2 looks like what i would expect, new.
1 worse than 2, 4 worse than 3
also note the threads and oil on them. 2 has the least, only half way down. The other all the way down
1 has some little light spots on it.
The insulators show it the best, 4 is black, 3 is brown, 2 is white, 1 is a biege.
icheck resistence terminals 1 and 3 of coils, in order 1 to 4, i got, 5.0, 5.0, 4.7, 5.2
paper towel shows what came off rim of plug 4 and threads.
Im putting my previous porsche beru coils in all 4. Ill check the resistance on them 1st.
Last edited by Corvetteboy6988; 08-11-2024 at 01:46 PM.
Ok, I found a little mirror for my boroscope. the best i could tell, no scoring at least up high. left side is top of cylinder in each picture. i do see a streak of oil in one small spot, 1st pic. I believe that's the valve above it that's oily too makes me wonder if valve seals. The 2nd pic is oil streak further down the cyl wall. No scoring by it unless next to or below piston. the light band that runs vertical in each pic, which would be horizontal on the cylinder, is reflection from the scope camera. I need a better boroscope, lol.
Would cyl 3 and 4, 7 and 8 leak more due to oil drsining more towards the back of the head because of the angle of the engine being lower in the rear?
Cylinder 4 is concerning for the plug to look like that after that few miles.
Boroscopenpics of the cuminde walls aren't clear enough to really see anything but if there's oil stuck to the sides that usually happens in the scoring lines. If the walls are smooth it runs down and isn't visible.
Thought on the AC was maybe the surging you're feeling is when the compressor cycles on and off.
You definitely have an oiling issue. I don’t know if there is a copper plug equivalent to the standard iridium you are running but they do much better in oiling situations than iridium’s.
I haven't had luck with the Iridiums in a Turbo engine but that's a very minor issue. Your oveall Oil analysis doens't show anything major but your wear metals are about the same at 2100 miles as I see at my 5~6k oil changes and we have close to the same mileage ('06 CTTS 105k with Eurocharged tune). That oil you see running down the cylinder is what I don't like. Your oil analysis doesn't show any which usually shows up in Valve guide wear as an additive to the Bronze used in the bushings. Your Oil is coming from somewhere. When is the last time you've cleaned your Intercoolers? Could it be coming from the Intake and seeping past an open valve from a lot of PCV bypass? A leakdown/compression check is next but if there is no bore scoring a Cayenne will wear the guides/seals before the rings go. Way too much oil to be seen in the cylinder, is that first pic of the cylinder with the Vavle on the left (closed), and looks like Oil is running down the cylinder to the right from the Valve seat?