Hey guys, my car broke again. I have started troubleshooting but don't know what to do next.
I drive a 2002 Jetta TDI with 380,000 miles on it. I do most of the maintenance and repairs myself. We will find out if that is a good thing or not
Short version: I think the engine was starved of fuel and broke stuff. Please help!
(Skip to the bottom for the questions if you don't want to read the story)
Long Story:
I filled up while on a trip. 34 miles later I started getting black smoke and loosing power. I pulled off at the first exit and checked all fluids. Everything checked out. I pulled out my VAG-COM and computer and checked my timing (within spec) and also not showing any codes.
I limped it 5 miles to the next town and it kept getting worse. Now I realize I really should have just stayed on the side of the road but at the time I didn't realize how bad it was going to get. By the time I got to the shop I was doing 20 MPH with the pedal on the floor, it was running super rough and a fair amount of white smoke. The smoke appeared to be white diesel smoke and not oil smoke. I got to a shop but he was too busy to help so I did some troubleshooting myself. Checked all vacuum lines, actuators, and solenoids. All appeared fine. Only one engine code for under boost. It didn't come back when I cleared it.
At this point the engine was running very rough and misfiring. I called it a day and got a rental car for the 400 miles back home. A couple weeks later I managed to tow it back home again.
I suspected the gas I had purchased so I called the station (well know large chain). They responded promptly and investigate. They had not other complaints and their sensors said that here was nothing wrong with the fuel.
So I started troubleshooting.
First thing was the fuel, so I hooked up some clear lines to the injector pump and primed and ran the engine on some fresh diesel from a place down the road. the engine immediately ran differently. Much more stable but still loud and rough. At this point I was able to hear a clacking sound that I am not sure what it is. Also go an engine code for misfire on cylinder 2. Deduction: fuel or fuel supply was part of the issue.
The next thing I did was tear open the fuel filter. It was quite new as I recently replaced it. There was a fair amount of waxy residue in the filter, not a massive amount but enough to probably clog it. So fuel supply may have been severely inhibited. At the time I was running a summer additive, not a winterizer additive (I live in Texas).
Next thing I tried was running some LM Diesel Purge to see if that would help any. It smoothed the engine out some, but not much. Still loud, running rough, lots of smoke, low power, clacking/ticking/banging sound coming from the engine block. Using a long screwdriver I listened at the injectors and it sounds like there is a physical problem inside the block.
Here is where I hope your wisdom and experience can help point me in the right direction. Also, if there is a thread that I missed, I apologize and please just point me at it and I will go there.
- Can running an engine lean raise EGTs high enough to burn up the valves or pistons?
- How can I test if the valves are shot?
- What else can I test?
I am afraid I may have totaled it this time.
Any advice is appreciated!
Thanks,
Clevenger
I drive a 2002 Jetta TDI with 380,000 miles on it. I do most of the maintenance and repairs myself. We will find out if that is a good thing or not
Short version: I think the engine was starved of fuel and broke stuff. Please help!
(Skip to the bottom for the questions if you don't want to read the story)
Long Story:
I filled up while on a trip. 34 miles later I started getting black smoke and loosing power. I pulled off at the first exit and checked all fluids. Everything checked out. I pulled out my VAG-COM and computer and checked my timing (within spec) and also not showing any codes.
I limped it 5 miles to the next town and it kept getting worse. Now I realize I really should have just stayed on the side of the road but at the time I didn't realize how bad it was going to get. By the time I got to the shop I was doing 20 MPH with the pedal on the floor, it was running super rough and a fair amount of white smoke. The smoke appeared to be white diesel smoke and not oil smoke. I got to a shop but he was too busy to help so I did some troubleshooting myself. Checked all vacuum lines, actuators, and solenoids. All appeared fine. Only one engine code for under boost. It didn't come back when I cleared it.
At this point the engine was running very rough and misfiring. I called it a day and got a rental car for the 400 miles back home. A couple weeks later I managed to tow it back home again.
I suspected the gas I had purchased so I called the station (well know large chain). They responded promptly and investigate. They had not other complaints and their sensors said that here was nothing wrong with the fuel.
So I started troubleshooting.
First thing was the fuel, so I hooked up some clear lines to the injector pump and primed and ran the engine on some fresh diesel from a place down the road. the engine immediately ran differently. Much more stable but still loud and rough. At this point I was able to hear a clacking sound that I am not sure what it is. Also go an engine code for misfire on cylinder 2. Deduction: fuel or fuel supply was part of the issue.
The next thing I did was tear open the fuel filter. It was quite new as I recently replaced it. There was a fair amount of waxy residue in the filter, not a massive amount but enough to probably clog it. So fuel supply may have been severely inhibited. At the time I was running a summer additive, not a winterizer additive (I live in Texas).
Next thing I tried was running some LM Diesel Purge to see if that would help any. It smoothed the engine out some, but not much. Still loud, running rough, lots of smoke, low power, clacking/ticking/banging sound coming from the engine block. Using a long screwdriver I listened at the injectors and it sounds like there is a physical problem inside the block.
Here is where I hope your wisdom and experience can help point me in the right direction. Also, if there is a thread that I missed, I apologize and please just point me at it and I will go there.
- Can running an engine lean raise EGTs high enough to burn up the valves or pistons?
- How can I test if the valves are shot?
- What else can I test?
I am afraid I may have totaled it this time.
Any advice is appreciated!
Thanks,
Clevenger