HELP, no power, rough idle, knock

So I'm new here and hope this is the right place to post but I need help.

I have a 2002 Jetta 5 speed (auto converted) alh.

I had this car for a few months driving back and forth from Arkansas to new Mexico for work. I drove about 700 miles to work, didn't notice anything out of the norm. parked for 2 weeks like normal and when I went on days off it would crank but not start. I just changed the fuel filter, tried priming it, loosened a injector line and no fuel, so I had a mechanic change the IP and upgraded to an 11mm. I had them change the TB, rollers, pump with a 100,000 mile kit from Kermatdi. I got it back and it had the P1248 code. smoked A LOT more than normal and very, very sluggish on the bottom end, basically didn't make any power until 2,000 ish RPM.

I figured I needed to tune it for the larger pump so I drove about 1.5 hours then it lost all power, couldn't maintain any speed on flat road. so I pulled over to check fluids which were good, but noticed it idled rough and had a knock. I tried to limp it the last 10 miles since I was in the middle of nowhere, but it didn't have enough power to take off in first gear on level ground. mechanic told me I had two cracked injectors so I got sprint 520s from Kerma with the hot swap, mounted and balanced. that didn't fix anything.

from some quick reading on here, I'm thinking possibly case pressure too low and maybe hammer mod??? but I'm not throwing out the possibility that they didn't time it right from the start, but I had them double check and they said all their marks where still lined up.

I don't have VCDS.

Mechanics aren't familiar with TDI, they are oilfield mechanics, but I'm in Jal, NM for anyone who knows where that is, its literally nowhere lol.

everything is stock except for EGR delete, intake was cleaned when I bought it.

First off, welcome to the forums! We'll do our best to give you a hand.



Secondly, if your car was already an auto then converted manual, you already had a 11mm pump. So between that and getting the sprint 520's installed, you don't have to run a tune, your stock ECM mapping will run it just fine.


There are some things I'm concerned about though. These guys who did the work, if they aren't familiar with these TDI's, the timing belt may not have been set correctly, so crank/cam timing might be off slightly, but not enough to cause mechanical interference. Same with the fuel pump. You need VCDS or some sort of program to read timing to set it correctly.


I would suggest reading up about the fault you have here:
http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/17656/P1248/004680


First step says to check start of injection. This is something you will need VCDS or equivelant to set properly. Too advanced or too retarded in timing can cause all sorts of goofy issues. It might even be that they left the bolts loose for the injection pump sprocket and that's what caused it. I would also suggest reading the Timing belt DYI, set your crankshaft at TDC, and use a mirror to see where your pump is on injection timing. You can find the guide here: http://pics3.tdiclub.com/articles/pdf/a4timingbelt.pdf
If the bolts are loose, leave the engine at TDC, use a 22mm wrench to mechanically turn the big nut of the pump to get the slot lined up with the hole, then torque the 3 nuts to 18ftlbls. Do not loosen the 22mm nut, it does not take much effort to turn the shaft.

I would suggest trying to get VCDS, or find a shop that has a Snap On scanner that can view the advanced data for setting the injection timing. You will also need to adjust your injection quantity (probably via hammer mod) which you'll need the fancy device for as well.


Good luck!

okay, so sounds like I personally need to verify the timing . do I need the cam holding tool and IP alignment pin to do it right?

Jakeq said:

okay, so sounds like I personally need to verify the timing . do I need the cam holding tool and IP alignment pin to do it right?

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If you are just checking it, you can eyeball it pretty easily. I would suggest getting the tools though. The bigger thing that I would suggest checking is injection pump timing, along with injection quantity. If the injection quantity was not adjusted for your car, it'll run poorly. There isn't really a spec for what it should be, as each car is different. But with your nozzles, I'd probably start around 3.

Jakeq said:

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<snip>>>>>>>>>>>>and they said all their marks where still lined up<<<<<<<<<<<<<<snip.>>>>>>>>>>>>.

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This is a bad sign, do redo basic time and dial in with VCDS, get your IQ dialed in as well.
But I don't follow your initial assessment. Loss of prime, new IP? Then cracked injectors, I might guess there are still outstanding repairs to be done. Test fuel system components for integrity, eg, the whole issue could have been simple filter o-rings.

Update:

I towed my car back and pulled the valve cover and 2 valves got smashed. I’d upload photos but don’t know how. The camshaft is chewed up also. I’m believing that the problem the whole time was that they didn’t have it timed and tensioned right. The TB had about an inch of play between the cam and IP pullies and I could easily turn the upper idler.

Is this an expensive fix to redo the head and pistons?

Welcome, and yes your at the right place, sorry to here about your issue.
People here will help you.

You definitely need a head, and need to check piston height .
Chances are pretty good that the pistons are fine but you need to verify.
Look in the for sale section to see if anyone is parting a car to get a used head.
Stay away from Chinese knock offs on eBay, you want and OEM head.
There is a vendor on here that is highly recommended goes by Franko6.
His work with theses heads is untouchable and his knowledge is priceless.
He usually has spare heads that he can swap for yours. If yours is salvageable he will repair it and put it into his pool.

Sounds like last shop didn’t know how to work on vw diesels and messed up your engine, but that’s water under the bridge now.
I would look for a guru in your area or another member that could help......

Here is his info.

Frank's VW TDI's, LLC
1007 Olive St.
Lockwood, MO 65682
417-232-4634
FranksTDIs@sbcglobal.net

Jakeq said:

Update:

I towed my car back and pulled the valve cover and 2 valves got smashed. I’d upload photos but don’t know how. The camshaft is chewed up also. I’m believing that the problem the whole time was that they didn’t have it timed and tensioned right. The TB had about an inch of play between the cam and IP pullies and I could easily turn the upper idler.

Is this an expensive fix to redo the head and pistons?

Click to expand...

Indeed, botched timing belt job is expensive, especially this one. Evaluate the lower end, pistons, connect rods, etc. If all is well you can send the head to Franko6 for refresh. Seems your "mechanics" just dove right in without benefit of instructions or knowledge.