2001 TDI with 225K miles on it....what to do.

O.K., I'm probably opening a can of worms here, but here goes. Last summer I bought a '01 Jetta. Decent body, good interior, but the automatic tranny was dead (Imagine that). The engine ran, some blue/white smoke but very minimal, but it ran smooth. So, this last month we finally around to pulling it in the shop and getting started. We have yanked the motor out, removed the old automatic and torque converter and have the engine on a stand. Here's what I know I'm going to do as a minimum: Order a 5 speed kit from Frans, Order a PD150 intake from Frans, Order a high mileage timing belt kit from Kerma (The one with the tensioner and everything). Now, for the not so sures. I pulled the intake and the soot build up is horrendous. I'm not so much worried about this as I'm going to get the PD150, but there is serious soot in the intake side of the head. There was no indication of head issues before we pulled it, but this soot concerns me. Also, the lobe's on the cam have some discoloration and minor pitting. I never intended to do a full rebuild on this engine, my intention was to get it running so I'd have a vehicle that got decent mileage (My daily driver is a 7.3 diesel F250 super duty, fuel cost's are KILLING me). So, dilemma. Do I just do the high mileage kit and drive it until it dies or do I come off the cash and go through this thing. Seems cost's just keep adding up and adding up. What do you guys suggest AS A MINIMUM I do. I really do not want to do a complete rebuild. But, I didn't want to lose all my hair either and that ended up happening, sooooo.......

Save your money for fuel in the 7.3, part the vw. What color is the interior?

What are you worried about here?

I've never seen an ALH TDI with a clean intake, unless it was cleaned or the EGR was disabled.

Definitely clean the intake tract and do the timing belt. As for rebuilding it, knowing its oil type and change history would help. What about oil consumption? Any history or knowledge of it? The bottom end in these things are pretty indestructible. I wouldn't dig into it unless you have symptoms that suggest problems with it.

Without a pic hard to make any judgment on cam lobe. Look for dished, spider cracked followers also. With the proper oil and change intervals, the heads of these things can go much longer then your current mileage. New OEM grind cam and lifters isn't that horrible and, actual damage dependent, maybe not needed in your case.

I wouldn't dig into the lower end unless oil consumption or low compression is driving the need for a re-ring.

At the minimum, clean out the manifold, ASV, and ports. This should be a lot easier since you have the engine pulled. You should get the opinion of a local TDI guru on the condition of your cam, lifters, and valves. If the lifters and valves are intact, perhaps a new cam is in order (assuming the cam actually needs to be switched out). This would halt future problems with wear. Hopefully, the inspection will just be that, an inspection. Be sure to use the proper oil. With a clean intake, good cam and associated parts, new tranny, and probably a new timing belt kit, your ALH has plenty of life left. Don't give up on it!

The intake can get pretty sooted up especially if the car was driven like a granny, suspect if the tranny puked that may contribute to the soot. Clean it and it should be fine.

I would also check the turbo to make sure that's not sooted up. Better to look at it before you invest which I'm sure you know. I would probably plan on replacing the cam. I would send the head out to Frank06 to have him inspect it to make sure there isn't any issues. Frank is reputable and give to you straight.

If it were me I would put the manual trans in and rebuild, with proper maintenance the car will last you a long time.

just drop in another trans and clean out the intake and drive the thing. If your bought it to save money on fuel then why invest TONS of money in it. (where are your savings that way?)