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Practically permanent fix to an old problem: failing Haldex pump

32K views 55 replies 23 participants last post by  Stingray230sx 
#1 · (Edited)
About six years ago, I experienced an intermittent problem with my AWD: I wasn't getting any rear-wheel drive traction in snow. When the car was put up on the lift and tested, there was tire rotation at the rear. Very strange.

The error I might have received at that time was "01155 - Clutch 04-00 - Mechanical Malfunction," although I seem to remember the word "intermittent" in there somewhere.

After a lot of guessing, I finally determined the Haldex oil precharge pump wasn't functioning. This pump comes on whenever the key is on, and should be faintly audible while under the car with the engine off. A complete DIY for the pump is located here: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...pre-charge-pump-removal-disassembly-PIC-HEAVY



There are two reasons why the pump fails: (1) because it's on all the time whenever the key is on; and (2) it uses a brush motor. Here are the specifications for the pump (obtained through resourcefulness and persistence):




In addition to these electrical characteristics, the physical characteristics are that it is 34mm wide and 65mm long; the shaft diameter is 3.30mm; the inner diameter of the housing that the motor must fit into is 39mm. The yellow lead positive, the black lead is negative, and the direction of rotation is clock-wise when facing the output shaft.

Certainly, you can replace this pump by buying a new one from Exorbitant Charges for Shipping Tuning ("ECS Tuning") for $780 + absurd shipping (here), and it will fail again in another five years (if you plan to keep the car that long). Or, you can try my solution, which is to replace the brush motor with a model 3153K024BRE brushless motor with identical physical specifications. It runs on 24VDC (so, I guess it has been running at half of its rated speed), and I sourced it from Faulhaber / Micromo Electronics.

This fix has worked flawlessly for the last six years. Because brushless motors experience no brush and commutator erosion, the only parts that can wear out from use are the two ball bearings.

I then set out to find out what the mystery Haldex fluid is, so that I didn't have to keep paying $$ to the dealer for it. Based on numerous Blackstone analysis done on the fluid by others over the years, I found that could replace the fluid with exactly 220ml of Amsoil Powershift ATF and 50ml of Amsoil Slip-Lock additive. This mixture results in a fully synthetic fluid that has bite and does not produce clutch chatter. I've been running it for the last six years, also.
 
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#4 ·
Yeah, I can't find the part number on the MicroMo Web site, but if you Google the part number, you get a bunch of Asian (both Chinese and Japanese, apparently) sites. I provided that link only so that you could have a picture of the motor. I did this work six years ago in March/April of 2007, and didn't take any DIY photos (sorry).
 
#9 ·
Nope. The Vortex DIY that I linked to mentions this on page 2, I believe. But, short answer is "No," you don't have to remove the Haldex.

You will have to carefully remove the motor and pump/gears assembly (also pictured in the aforesaid link), and you will need to clean those parts carefully, and you will need to replace the seal (discussed in the DIY thread).
 
#19 ·
I just called the American supplier (MicroMo in Florida). Very expensive. If I buy ten, it's $240 each. If I buy 100, it's $175 each. And if I put my money up to carry an inventory, I'm going to need to charge a small premium (because my money is tied up indefinitely). Let me know if there's any interest. Also, maybe we can locate a substitute brushless motor with similar size specifications. In any case, it's still cheaper than $700 for a replacement brushed-motor.
 
#21 ·
I'm embarrassed that i wasn't aware of this common failure before. At 85K, 2006 MK1 TT, i suspect it is time for me to start worrying about losing AWD? I also suspect they didn't improve anything albeit my TT is in the batch of tail-end of MK1 production. Given, the brushless motor referenced above isn't easy to find nowadays, I was looking into ordering a motor from the following ebay seller. It appears to be the OEM manufacturer. Isn't it?
http://www.ebay.com/usr/yourhaldexworks
 
#23 ·
Thanks. I'm also inclining towards the source in Poland via ebay. I wish there was the shaft- seal available separately. My current pump is in good working order. I suspect, a cleanup and thoroughly drying it and replacing a seal would rejuvenate it and help serve many more years.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Sorry for resurrecting an old thread - I found a source of the Faulhaber brushless motor esoxlucios mentions in his original post They're relatively inexpensive ($49), but the shipping is crazy ($72) as it's coming from overseas. I can order up to 12 of these pumps for the same shipping price - if there are 11 others who want to buy one for their car, let me know, and I'll be happy to order them and re-ship them to you. You would be responsible for shipping from CT to your location as well. I'm also working with the Russian company autorepairkits that has a pump repair kit to make a kit without the commutator and brushes (essentially o-rings, oil seal, new screws, and harness plug), so if you want one of those too, let me know (pricing TBD, but will be less than $33 including shipping). This way the seals and bearings would be replaced and the pump would be like new. Send me a PM and I'll add you to the list.
 
#25 ·
Pump Removal

Hey all,
2002 TT ALMS Edition here..

Got the case loose and have been trying to get it past the Damper/Counter Weight.
Tried using a Crescent Wrench to bend the Damper far enough away to slide out with no luck.
Is it hard to loosen the damper, or is taking the whole rear drive shaft out involved?
Should I put the case back on the pump and try to slide out whole.
Unfortunately, the pre-charge pump needs a little help too. Heat?
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
Thnx, RS.
 
#26 ·
Yes please

Hey pylotwolf, I'm definitely interested in getting one of the faulhaber brushless motors... Even if there were 4 or 5 of us, the shipping wouldn't be *that* bad...

Couple questions:
-are you certain they are the right spec motors? I did some searching and failed miserably.
-what continent do they ship from? If it's Europe, we might be able to get cheaper shipping through a trusted TT friend in the UK...
-Do you have anybody else interested so far?

Thanks.



IshDog: You should be able to disconnect the transverse shaft from the rear diff and just move it slightly out of the way, pump should come out easily then.
 
#27 ·
Hey pylotwolf, I'm definitely interested in getting one of the faulhaber brushless motors... Even if there were 4 or 5 of us, the shipping wouldn't be *that* bad...

Couple questions:
-are you certain they are the right spec motors? I did some searching and failed miserably.
-what continent do they ship from? If it's Europe, we might be able to get cheaper shipping through a trusted TT friend in the UK...
-Do you have anybody else interested so far?

Thanks.



IshDog: You should be able to disconnect the transverse shaft from the rear diff and just move it slightly out of the way, pump should come out easily then.
It's the same motor model as the OP posted. Unfortunately I can't get my car up on my lift for a few more weeks to work on it (way too cold here, and working in freezing temps is not my idea of fun) so it'll be a bit before I can verify it against the Haldex on my car. But from the OP's measurements it seems to match, but I will wait before I order them.

I checked the price for shipping locally vs overseas (it is in Europe). Because there is no tax if they ship to the US, it works out to be within a few dollars to ship here vs locally and then having it send over to the US. I have lots of trusted friends over there in various countries but none of the countries I tried to ship to saved more than a few bucks (which would be wasted by reshipping).

Currently there are 5 people interested.
 
#28 ·
Pump Removed/Replaced

Forgive me for posting on two threads, however just trying to see if anyone has any further insight before I go and replace the whole read drive.

1. Replaced the control unit.
2. Got the dreadful code, sporadic mechanical clutch failure.
3. Replaced the ground strap/earth wire and tested the functioning of the rear wheels.. they spun on the lift and not under load.
4. Finally got the pump replaced and tested in the rain the other day. Just front wheels spinning.
5. We did the VCDS test on the Haldex system and all was ok. No codes at all.
6. Traction control light goes on when I got on the car.. ABS breaks tested/AWD System test and no codes. Tried getting the wheels to spin with out EPC activated with no luck either.

Is there anything else this awesome community can tell me what to look for before I get under the car myself and replace the whole rear drive of the car with another used unit?
163K on 2002 ALMS EDITION and don't think car is worth more than 4k.. Sucks to be attached to a fun car!

Thnx, RS
 
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