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Hi all

A couple of weeks back I had an error come up. Bank A cam adjuster solenoid short to ground etc…

Car was driving fine so had a look into things.

Believe it basically means the solenoid of the near side cam adjuster is stuck or has electrical issue. I think I chalked the signal at the plug and it’s all ok but the solenoid pins are showing too much resistance.

I’ve also been collecting parts to do my cambelt for a while and had scheduled to do it in a few weeks but now I obviously need to source something to fix the adjuster.

Genuine Audi ones are now nearer £8/900 EACH! Cheap Chinese ones are still around the £150/200 mark. Even the VAICO ones and FAI are £500!

I shopped around and found a LHS adjuster for £365 after discount so bought one.

As a temporary stop gap I unplugged the connector and connected to the new part and voila the error didn’t come back. As a quick win I thought I’d then swap over the solenoid onto the Audi adjuster in situ.

And there’s a problem. During assembly the solenoid has been bolted on and pinched the (oil) seal.

Bugger. I’ve emailed the UK supplier and they have been in touch with VAICO themselves. No word yet but doesn’t fill me with confidence in the parts.

Wow, such a lucky find!

It was like this when you bought it or after fitting it?

When I bought it. The solenoid didn’t look flush with the unit and when I unbolted you could see it’s not been assembled properly. Didn’t even put it near my car.

Also worth noting that thankfully this is for the NS bank which fits at the front of the engine. Much easier to see.
The OS one is at the back by the firewall and much harder to see.

Gotcha. That's bloody annoying, but these things happen. It's not necessarily a sign to worry about the quality of the design.

You can see the thin gap between the solenoid and rhe adjuster near the top. It was on tight but obviously could leak out hot high pressure oil.

Just to keep you all updated - replacement on its way. Not sure about the old one yet. Hoping to do Camelot change around half term too.