kap1

I've read up on the cam/cam follower issue, my B7 2.0 was manufactured Sep 2005, out of warranty, 44K miles. No CEL or noticeable power issues. Questions:

1) I assume I should replace the cam asap, since it seems that once the CEL illuminates, chances are pretty good the full repair is about $2k at least ?

2) what exactly am I replacing, just the cam ? the cam follower ? cam shaft ? I'm not clear on which part is the source of the problem.

3) I'm reasonably handy but not a car guru. There are posts with many pics and explanation on what to do, is this a reasonble DIY or should I get an indy mechanic to do it ? if DIY, what are the most important tips or things to avoid when doing it ?

Thanks much for any guidance.

Old Dog

The first thing is to check your cam follower. If you have no CEL and no other issues your camshaft itself may be ok. Once you check out the condition of your cam follower you will have a better idea.

Here is a link to a thread that has 300+ posts with plenty of pics. It will give you a good idea of what a good and bad follower looks like. I thought I had a more concise link on a DIY, but can't find it at the moment. I'll post it if I find it.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...Cam-Follower(s).

This is a DIY and guys that have checked it themselves do it in about an hour. There is a lot more here on this problem if you do a search on "cam follower".

Here is that DIY link I just found: http://freepdfhosting.com/8791e81dac.pdf

Jake-AudiUSAParts

Most people I have talked to replace the cam and the follower at the same time. Cam 06F-109-101-B $225.00, follower 06D-109-309-C $40.50. Usually if you get to it early enough it doesn’t damage the pump. Hope you got to it in time.

kap1

Thanks Jake, so basically even if I check it and it looks ok, best to just change them out ? to be clear, on the B7 is the cam issue usually a question of when, not if ?

also, I'd like to do it DIY not only for the savings but bc I like learning how to do my own maintenance. I can follow the directions on the many postings, but anything to watch for, meaning mistakes that a beginner would make ? I was a little unclear about draining the fuel line ... ?

Again, thanks so much for any guidance

A4Audi4Fun

Been some threads around in the last few days about a warranty extension ref followers and cams. Might be worth giving Audi of America a call and determining what your status is.

kap1

intersting, I did a search and found the threads. Will be interesting to see if AOA resist since at this point VW and Audi are the same company, same engine (I believe), same issue. That said, I think I have to check it myself. The likelihood that AOA would do anything for me out of warranty w no CEL or performance issues is ... ok you can all stop laughing now.