# 2006 2.5L Idle Problems P2279 and P0507



## dixie600mhz (Jan 17, 2010)

My wife's 2006 2.5L new beetle convertible started to idle erratic yesterday. The car would almost stall then idle up to 1500rpm then almost stall. It only happened when sitting still at idle. Drive-ability at speed and acceleration felt flat but it was still driving. On the first day there was no engine error code but this morning I managed to pull two. 

The codes were 
P2279- Intake air leak detected 
P0507- Idle speed faster than normal 

After some troubleshooting tonight I managed to nail the problem to a ripped diaphram inside a psuedo PCV valve on the front of the valve cover. The part is called the pressure regulator valve for crankshaft housing ventilation. The down side is that I can't seem to buy it separate from buying a complete valve cover. A new valve cover is $136 plus shipping. Check out the rubber piece that's causing all the headaches. 

engine bay 
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/2055/enginebayp.jpg 

cover diagram 
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4679/coverdiagram.jpg 

parts 
http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/5138/componentss.jpg 

rip 
http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/7213/ripb.jpg 
FYI, I could hear this thing leak and could feel air sucking in the little hole in the bottom of the outer cover of the valve. I had the classic air leak symptoms where I couldn't pull the oil cap off with the engine running. When I shut the motor off I could still hear it suck air in for about 5 seconds through the faulty diaphram. 

Hope this helps others that might suffer from this problem. The car is just over 3 years old with 62k miles. I can't believe this rubber part might end up costing $150???


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## flip2jetta (May 1, 2007)

I'm experiencing the exact same issue, same codes, symptoms and I found the rubber gasket to have a similar tear. 

Did you ever figure out if this really was the cause and did you have to replace the entire valve cover??? I have the valve cover off but I also separated the pieces in question just in case I'm able to find the part numbers for them. Let me know how your problem turned out, I need the car running again if I wanna get my balls back from my wife  

EDIT: just fixed the problem. For future reference, in case anyone else runs into this problem, the entire valve cover has to be replaced because the rubber diaphragm cannot be purchased separately :screwy:


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## milkplus (Feb 21, 2013)

For future reference:

I googled the same trouble codes and ended up at this thread and indeed the diaphragm was torn on my wife's 2005.5 2.5L jetta. HOWEVER, instead of buying a new valvecover from VW for $225  I ended up getting a Dorman Solutions kit 917-064 which is a new diaphragm, spring and cover kit. 

Simply bust the old diaphragm cover off (so as not to damage the tangs on the VC) and install the Dorman kit. Make sure it's lined up correctly before you snap it on since you get one shot. Otherwise you'll end up busting this cover off too and have to hold it on with a large hose clamp till you can order a replacement. 

It took a while to "seat" itself (probably because the dorman spring is twice as strong as the VW spring) but it fixed the problem for under $20.

Sorry for the zombie thread but VW not selling the diaphragm separate is a complete rip off.


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## Mudbucket (Mar 12, 2013)

*Chang diaphragm only now.*

Parts geek now sells just the diaphragm and spring to fix this . 19.95 .if you can not get your oil cap off while the car is running. And it revs up on its own at an idle this is what you need. And it's super easy to change. Remove the engine cover. Look for the round cap on the valve cover. Use a small flat screwdriver to pry the round cap off. There is your ripped diaphragm .replace and put engine cover back on. Worked great on my 2005 Jetta 2.5. Quick and cheap.


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## Team Aztec (Jun 5, 2011)

hello everyone i am glad i found this post, my 2006 jetta2.5 its having this problem..

Mudbucket .. do you mind posting the part number, i looked all over the parts geek website but 
i could not find it..

just one more question once i remove the valve cover do i have to replace the gasket??
or is this optional?

also is there a tightening sequence for the valve cover screws??

thanks in advance


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## vwluger22 (Jan 25, 2005)

Yes I would replace the gasket. There also is a sequence to remove and install the valve cover bolts with proper torque. 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4


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## Team Aztec (Jun 5, 2011)

Mudbucket said:


> Parts geek now sells just the diaphragm and spring to fix this . 19.95 .if you can not get your oil cap off while the car is running. And it revs up on its own at an idle this is what you need. And it's super easy to change. Remove the engine cover. Look for the round cap on the valve cover. Use a small flat screwdriver to pry the round cap off. There is your ripped diaphragm .replace and put engine cover back on. Worked great on my 2005 Jetta 2.5. Quick and cheap.


i read this post over and noticed that i may be able to change the diaphragm, is this correct?
thanks


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## Team Aztec (Jun 5, 2011)

Team Aztec said:


> i read this post over and noticed that i may be able to change the diaphragm, is this correct?
> thanks


 i am sorry i meant to say, i may be able to change the diaphragm without taking the entire valve cover off, is this correct??


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## Team Aztec (Jun 5, 2011)

got it ( DORMAN 917-064 PCV Valve-PCV Valve Diaphragm)
parts geeks or flee bay 20.00
thanks everyone...


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## hoobafrank (Feb 22, 2006)

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone that posted here. I'm having the same issues and pulled out the diaphragm and sure enough, it was torn in the same place as the pictures. Auto Zone can get the part for $27. Thanks again! I'm very thankful for this forum. 182k+ on my 2005.5 Jetta and still runs great. Solid cars.


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## Distortlife (Sep 27, 2013)

I purchased the Dorman pcv diaphragm online after I found a hole in mine. After replacing there was an improvement, but it still had intake leaks. After driving it and looking for other leaks over about 10 days, I decided the dorman just wasn't sealing right. Ponied up for the whole valve cover and now it runs great.


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## Black25 (Mar 26, 2012)

Just to let you guys and gals know, the diaphragm is on rockauto.com. $15.94 +shipping.


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## chaos12 (Aug 10, 2013)

*anything else that causes this symptom?*

I replaced this diaphram with the dorman one months ago, now the problem is 10 times worse, anything else that causes this?


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## deluxman (Jul 21, 2011)

Guys, 

I replaced mine with the Dorman PCV Diaphragm kit back in Oct'14 and now as of 1/1/15, the CEL is back on again with P2279 code and erratic idle. It seems like the membrane is failing again. At the time I installed it, I kind of suspect that it is not going to last long as the rubber seems very thin. In fact, it only last me about 2,000 miles before the problem persists again. Hence, I recommend that you replace with original VW parts that include the whole cover assembly, unless there is a better after market brand than Dorman. If anyone knows, please chime in. Thanks!!


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## Salim Jeizan (Jan 10, 2015)

*Thanks*

Hi All,

Thanks a million as i was about to "torch my Golf MK 5 2008 Model today and warm up myself" as i was so pissed offAt least now i have the confidence to know where the actual problem is and am ordering the entire valve cover with the membrane,anyone has a clue how much it might cost?


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## deluxman (Jul 21, 2011)

Salim Jeizan said:


> Hi All,
> 
> Thanks a million as i was about to "torch my Golf MK 5 2008 Model today and warm up myself" as i was so pissed offAt least now i have the confidence to know where the actual problem is and am ordering the entire valve cover with the membrane,anyone has a clue how much it might cost?


The part I bought it from Amazon (Valve cover).

It took me about 1.5 - 2 hours to install it. When you first do it, you might have problem taking out the ignition coil but just take your time. Follow this guides and you should be good. Good luck and let me know if you have any issue.


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## bent_rod (Jan 2, 2015)

deluxman said:


> Guys,
> 
> I replaced mine with the Dorman PCV Diaphragm kit back in Oct'14 and now as of 1/1/15, the CEL is back on again with P2279 code and erratic idle. It seems like the membrane is failing again. At the time I installed it, I kind of suspect that it is not going to last long as the rubber seems very thin. In fact, it only last me about 2,000 miles before the problem persists again. Hence, I recommend that you replace with original VW parts that include the whole cover assembly, unless there is a better after market brand than Dorman. If anyone knows, please chime in. Thanks!!


The Dorman PCV diaphragm kit is covered by the DORMAN LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY.
Take it back to the place you got it at and get a replacement. 
If they get a lot of returns then they should make adjustments to the materials used in the product.


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## deluxman (Jul 21, 2011)

bent_rod said:


> The Dorman PCV diaphragm kit is covered by the DORMAN LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY.
> Take it back to the place you got it at and get a replacement.
> If they get a lot of returns then they should make adjustments to the materials used in the product.


I think it is too much hassle especially when the part is only like $17. I would just replace with original part right away.


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## Fauxre (Jul 18, 2011)

Gotta love this forum. Had all these symptoms with my son's '06 Jetta. 

Five minutes to search and find this thread. Five more to order the PCV diaphragm online and less than five minutes to install. $28 and less than 20 minutes of my time... dealer wanted car for a day and $400 to replace valve cover.


Between my wife's Eos, my son's Jetta and our nieces GTI, I've spent less than $300 on repairs that the dealer would have charge well over $6000 to preform.

A big *Thank You* to the entire VW Vortex community.


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