Pop sound, car died and won't start

2004 Jetta, BEW PD engine.

I was taking off from a stop, got half way through the intersection and just as I was shifting into 2nd I heard a pop and then dead. Pulled over and tried to start it, seems like it wants to start, almost like it fires once and then dies.

Towed it home, checked a bit, asv is not stuck closed, timing belt looks intact and tension seems normal. Only errors on VCDS are glow plug circuit and O2 sensor.

Thought I'd ask the forum while I'm waiting to get off work for ideas to check. I'm thinking maybe the timing belt skipped? Can I check without the tools?

Anyone got any other ideas to check?

Unplug the MAF and try starting. If a hose popped off or burst there will be a huge amount of unmetered air. Some ECMs won't run or idle that way. Unplugging the MAF forces a replacement value.

Fingers crossed it's that simple.

Jason

Turbo broke and jammed choking the exhaust?

Check all your turbo hoses

Thanks for the replies, just got home and did a quick test by removing the elbow pipe going into the asv. Started right up and I can see smoke coming out of the intake pipes... Got some things I need to do but I'll pull the rest of the piping tonight, I'm guessing Carlos_TJ called it.

Sorry to hear. At least you were among the lucky ones who didnt get an engine runaway..

Yep, definitely turbo. Pulled off the pancake pipe and found this.

Looks like it grenaded and blocked the intake.
I'm actually pretty happy with this result, now I have an excuse to upgrade lol. I'm sure glad it wasn't the timing belt, which is due soon too .
Any upgrade suggestions?

Wow.

I recently put a VNT-17 on my Golf and I'm very happy with it.

There was nothing wrong with my old KP-39 when I pulled it off, so if you're interested I think I'd part with it for a couple hundred (Canadian dollars), shipping included. My car is also a 2004, so it should be exactly the same turbo.

I will point out that it's quite a bit of work to change it, so you might want to put in a new one. Particularly if you're paying for labor. However, if you don't mind a bit of risk and you want to save a few bucks, used might be worth it.

My turbo was working perfectly when I upgraded. There's no axial or radial play in the turbo shaft and my car didn't consume any oil to speak of, so I'd say there's nothing wrong with it.

One small issue, when I removed the oil feed line I had to break it off and I couldn't get the connection to unthread from the fitting that feeds oil to the turbo. You might have to salvage the one from your old turbo, or you might have better luck getting the line off. It's stuck on there real bad.... The fitting unthreads from the turbo, it's just the piece with the broken off feed line that I can't remove.

Bottom line, I recommend a new one, but the offer is there if you're looking for used.

Thanks for the offer Mike_04 I will definitely consider it. I'd like to ask your opinion of the vnt17 though, is it noticeable difference, particularly without a tune? I was thinking of going with that myself but I wasn't sure if it would be better or at least the same before tuning.

I never tried the VNT-17 without a tune. I loaded a stage 4 tune before starting the car because I also have a 3 bar MAP sensor which won't work with the stock tune.

It's a huge difference!

The stock turbo, the Borg-Warner KP-39 goes for around $900 US, but you can get a new Garrett GT1749VB (the VNT-17) for under $800. The VNT-17 will work with a stock tune, but there might be more lag.

If you think you might want a tune anyway, you might as well get a VNT-17 as a replacement because it's cheaper than a stock turbo, it'll get your car running, and you can tune it and get a new clutch in the future.

If my VNT-17 blew up, I'd get another new one, so I don't expect to ever use my KP-39.

Awesome, although I really can't afford a new turbo right now and I'm really tempted by your used one I think I'll go with a new vnt-17 since I can't afford to gamble with my daily driver either. Hopefully it works ok with a stock software until I can save up for a tune.

Thanks for the input

Yes when I saw pop I thought yup turbo as I failed a turbo on my car. But pop is better than clang clang clang which is the rod pounding itself through the block. Just happened to me.