P0171, P2187 and P2279...OR...How A Vacuum Leak Has Me Losing My Mind!

[BudgetPhoenix]

You never mentioned you already had a leaky RMS before...but yeah RMS will cause those codes too. I got a P2279 and p0171 when mine went along with rough idle. A blown RMS can absolutely cause air leaks. Its a fun job to do in a single car garage with a DSG lol...

 

[PghDan]

You never mentioned you already had a leaky RMS before...but yeah RMS will cause those codes too. I got a P2279 and p0171 when mine went along with rough idle. A blown RMS can absolutely cause air leaks. Its a fun job to do in a single car garage with a DSG lol...

Interesting. Not to be dubious, but how certain are you that replacing your RMS is what solved your rough idle? Was it obvious, as-in, you car was idling rough so you pulled the transmission, replaced the RMS, then bolted everything back together and your problem was instantly solved?

You had two of the same exact fault codes as me, obviously. What were your symptoms? I'm just curious if yours were the same as mine or if they varied in some way. Also, did you install a VW RMS, or did you use the aftermarket iAbed RMS?

In my case I don't have the garage space, or time, to replace it myself so I want to be sure before I schedule the job with a garage.

 

[BudgetPhoenix]

My trans was leaking oil daily, was throwing codes air related codes, didnt idle well. It was pretty obvious since its a very common issue on the 2.0TSI, if you're leaking oil from the weep hole on the bell housing you've got a bad RMS. I replaced the PCV at the time too since I didn't want to risk a bad one causing it to fail again. Once I got the trans off I saw the seal was almost completely detached from the backing plate! I used a new OEM VW one instead of the iAbed. The updated oem has the seal facing inward to the crank so pressure will force to seal tighter against the crank instead of blowing out.

 

[zrickety]

The iAbed RMS is worth the extra bucks. Once you hold them both in your hands, it's a no brainer. If you have to replace, get the better parts. I have no doubt the updated seal is better, but the one on iAbed is much beefier. The billet housing, there's no comparison.

 

[PghDan]

With the iAbed rear main seal, I'm genuinely curious what benefit the billet housing provides? The thicker, heavier duty rubber seal I can understand. Is it just that the thicker rubber seal requires a stronger frame to mount to? Either way, if I take my car to an independent shop I'll ask if they're comfortable installing an aftermarket RMS. If I take it to a dealership then I doubt they will, but I'll ask anyway.

 

[zrickety]

I've heard dealerships will do it. The billet housing is simply because the seal is thicker. The oem seal is paper thin, so is the plate it attaches to.

 

[PghDan]

I've heard dealerships will do it. The billet housing is simply because the seal is thicker. The oem seal is paper thin, so is the plate it attaches to.

When I spoke to a local VW dealer today they gave me a rough estimate of $1,800 (parts + labor) if I have them replace just the rear main seal, or roughly $2,700 (parts + labor) if I have them replace the rear main and the clutch. Of course that's with them use factory parts. Yikes. That's roughly what I expected from a dealer but it still hurt to hear it out loud.

I'm checking with a couple independent shops too, but this may be too much.

My car is 10 years old, with over 130,000 miles on the odometer. The engine was partially rebuilt at 98,000 miles and the car runs and drives great, so it has plenty of life left, but I don't know if it's a wise move to put so much money into repairing a car that, at best, is worth $10,000. Again, that's at best.

If I'm looking at potentially $3k to fix my car that may be money better spent on payments on a new car.

 

[zrickety]

It's definitely a lot of money. Me and a friend did his clutch and RMS in an afternoon on the floor. Harbor Freight transmission jack $99. Keep shopping for estimates, buy your own parts.

 

[BudgetPhoenix]

It's definitely a lot of money. Me and a friend did his clutch and RMS in an afternoon on the floor. Harbor Freight transmission jack $99. Keep shopping for estimates, buy your own parts.

That jack saved my butt lol. But yeah I agree, buy the parts online youll save a bit and you should be able to find a place to do it cheaper.

 

[PghDan]

Yeah I'm considering all options at this point, including how I may be able to manage doing the job at home with a friend or relative. I have a two car garage, but have two 1960's classics inside. Even if the weather were a little rough I could pull one of them outside for a day, but would need to have absolute confidence in completing the job in one day. With my work schedule of Sun-Thu, if something were to go wrong while working on the car Saturday (my only day where a friend could help) I wouldn't have the option to rent a car to get to work the next day so I'd be SOL.

From what I've seen, in addition to the rear main and possibly a new clutch, I'd need a transmission jack, engine support bar, plus the alignment and installation tools for both the rear main and clutch. May as well replace the gear oil in the transmission too, I assume.

 

[vw1300]

Yeah I'm considering all options at this point, including how I may be able to manage doing the job at home with a friend or relative. I have a two car garage, but have two 1960's classics inside. Even if the weather were a little rough I could pull one of them outside for a day, but would need to have absolute confidence in completing the job in one day. With my work schedule of Sun-Thu, if something were to go wrong while working on the car Saturday (my only day where a friend could help) I wouldn't have the option to rent a car to get to work the next day so I'd be SOL.

From what I've seen, in addition to the rear main and possibly a new clutch, I'd need a transmission jack, engine support bar, plus the alignment and installation tools for both the rear main and clutch. May as well replace the gear oil in the transmission too, I assume.

PghDan:
Did you end up replacing the RMS? How did it go, and did it take care of the engine codes regarding the air leak? I ask because I'm in the same place with my 2010 GTI/150K miles.