First TDI (ALH) Starting Points?

lowo88

Member
Joined
May 17, 2020
Location
Vancouver BC
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Hey everyone!,
First off, apologies if a new one of these threads gets posted frequently.
I tried searching for one but couldn't find anything recent, maybe because of word usage?
I picked up a pretty clean, one-owner, 2003 Jetta TDI this week and I'm excited to get to know it.
Coming from a world of 22R Toyotas (and never having owned a car newer than 1990)
this more modern diesel and German engineering feels
very foreign to me, but so far I'm digging it.
Hoping for some advice on some first up things to check for, tinker with, look over, replace, clean, etc.
285,000 kilometers
no maintenance records
word of mouth ("oil done every 6k, timing belt/pump done every 100k")
intake was cleaned last year (shown photos)
bit of rust bubbles starting at top of front fenders
no mods or tunes as far as i know
A/C does not blow cold, was told it needed recharge
passenger seat heater does not work, was told it "got unplugged"
rear window spray hose broken somewhere in rear door
I've only driven a couple of hours so far but everything seems pretty solid.
Was expecting a bit more torque but have nothing to compare it to.
no visible smoke, but kind of a strong exhaust smell until its warmed up, maybe normal for diesels??




 

STDOUBT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Location
Portland, effing Oregon
TDI
dos jettas
Welcome to TDIclub!

You're coming up on a timing belt. I'll give you some broad strokes regarding these cars.
Congrats BTW!
1. They are different. Only trusted TDI mechanics should work on them. Maybe the prior owner's guy could keep servicing it. A mechanic who does not know these cars can easily destroy them. Experience with 10,000 gassers means nothing.

2. Timing belt change out: critical to get right. Do not skimp on parts. High-quality parts, recommended here only.

3. You should buy VCDS if you plan on doing anything yourself beyond minor maintenance. It will pay for itself after just a few uses.

4. Read as much of this site as you can, especially the stickies and the How-To threads.

5. When in doubt ask in the forum specific to your model.

The best way to search this site IMO is a good search engine; search terms tdiclub topic

Again welcome. Looks like a well cared-for wagon!
 
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ToxicDoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2018
Location
Virginia, US
TDI
2001 Jetta, S7, .216
AC - does not need a recharge. If it has no refrigerant, it needs a leak fixed. The AC system is complex (and stupidly designed imho). Read here for starters as the fan circuit affects AC operation: https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=242699

Power being low can be so many things. I'd have the injection timing checked by a guru. If the vehicle checks out ok, a simple tune makes a world of difference.

Take nothing for granted. I'm no professional, but I've wrenched on many vehicles for years, rebuilt engines, a few transmissions, do my own repairs time permitting, and I've been tripped up by this VW on every turn. Read first, then act.

Welcome TDI brother
 

STDOUBT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Location
Portland, effing Oregon
TDI
dos jettas
One more thought, since the intake was cleaned out and you saw pictures, did they happen to show whether or not the intake ports on the head were also cleaned? If not, best have that looked at, as it's possible for left over chunks to get blown off, worse case get stuck disallowing the intake valves to seat....leading to carnage. Unlikely after a year, but still possible.
 

lowo88

Member
Joined
May 17, 2020
Location
Vancouver BC
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
wow ok thanks for all this.

will ask previous owner about the intake, I have a feeling they didn't do the head side.

could tell p.o. didn't know or just didn't want to say what was actually wrong with AC.

will read through that thread and do the tests, thanks.

question about those VCDS things. do you really need a windows cpu to use them?

I only have macs in this house but noticed the site says its not compatible.

what do most people do?
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
no matter what any previous owners say
assume 100% of all maintenance was neglected
Change timing belt as a full service coolant/pump/ tensioner, ect.....
change/ flush all fluids properly with spec compliant fluids
inspect the following Brakes, DOT# and tread of tires,
other than that, it just needs some TLC over time but IMO i would not drive that car until those 3 things are done
 

JesseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2018
Location
Missouri
TDI
2012 Golf TDI, Premium package
question about those VCDS things. do you really need a windows cpu to use them?

I only have macs in this house but noticed the site says its not compatible.

what do most people do?
Yes you need a windows computer for VCDS most people who only run macs and want to have VCDS will buy a el-cheapo windows laptop either new or used (check out Craigslist or pawn shops for used) and use it solely for VCDS/car related stuff. The computer doesn't have to be top of the line or have even close to impressive specs, it just has to be windows os.
 

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
And VCDS is the only 100% solution (other than a VW tool), lots of folks use other devices, some run on Android or whatever. An OBDII device (VCDS) is almost a necessity if you'll have the car for a while.
These cars are pretty simple, but different. I would suggest reading the "How it Works" section of the TDI FAQ
 

bcamp

Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Location
ATL. GA
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
as far as the mac goes bootcamp it and install windows on the partition it will work quite well and is cheaper than a new pc!:cool:
 

BigAndy

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2002
Location
Northern BC
TDI
99 A3
So what everyone else has said - pretend nothing has been done. I played a bit of Russian Roulette with mine - because the belt looked ok when I took the top cover off. The timing belt was on the 'to do', but wheel bearings and struts were bad too. Today it's timing belt, water pump and such. The belt is at the point of imminent failure...so what these folks are saying. Do it!!
 

Problypropylene

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 6, 2017
Location
Grand Junction, Colorado
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon TDI 5-speed manual, '03 Jetta Wagon TDI auto
When I buy a new TDI (We're on our 4th & 5th): Step one is to change out all of the vac hoses. Recently I started getting the silicone ones off Amazon. This is the easiest way to get rid of low power and limp mode problems. One teeny hole in any of those vac hoses will cause issues.

If you feel like it's not making good power I'd suspect the MAF too. They wear out slowly and you'll start to lose power as they do.

Do the timing belt even if PO says it was changed already. You can make sure all the timing is set correctly during this. Replace the cam shaft seal and vac pump seal when you do this (they don't normally come in the kits like the water pump does.)

The vacuum pumps all wear out over time (the hose barb gets loose and leaks vac). You can fix with JB Weld or RTV or replace with a new Pierburg pump. When these pumps start to leak too much the brake pedal will take more and more effort to push and could also cause low power because the turbo needs vacuum to open/close the vanes.

That's all I got off the top of my head. Address each leak you find one by one until you've got a not leaking 100% maintained engine. Most basic parts for these cars are pretty inexpensive like seals, sensors, and coolant fittings that can crack.


Edit: BTW, that silver wagon looks great! Find some factory alloy wheels in the junkyard and it'll be really clean. Wagons are the best!
 
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PB_NB

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
Location
Vancouver, B.C.
TDI
1999 New Beetle
Welcome aboard!

I have the tools for the timing belt if you need to borrow them. That's if you are going to do the belt change yourself. You will also need the VCDS cable to connect to the ECU to dial in some settings including your timing as stated above. I have a limited use cable with 3 VIN's which are used up so I can't help you there.

Check out www.ross-tech.com for these cables. You can try running bootcamp on your mac to make the software work. I have one of the first generation windows surface pro units and it works great. Stay away from the windows surface light versions as they don't work with the software.

When I first got mine TDI, it was like driving a generator. With some time and planning, you can really wake these little engines up.
 

CalvinM

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 3, 2010
Location
North Vancouver, BC
TDI
2003 Golf
Welcome to TDIClub. The best way to search the website is with google. Just enter "site:tdiclub.com what you want to search for" in your google search. Lots of resources here for most things.

Also check out myturbodiesel.com though there are some broken links over there because of a site change. What a shame.

Feel free to join the Vancouver Volkswagen Club on facebook. Some decent info on their for local mechanics including some that offer cheaper services through facebook.

I also have VCDS and timing belt tools as well as suspension tools.

But definitely try and do your research before asking questions.
 
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