Looking at alh need help!

Twitch

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Location
New jersey
TDI
2003 gls jetta tdi 5 speed
Hello new to the forum i have been commuting a lot for work and started looking at the 1999-2003 jetta tdi 5 speed i narrowed it down to a 2000 with minor rust with 250k miles and had the timing belt done at 208k that needs minor repair work axle brakes ext and a 03 with 190k miles clean for around the same price and its going to need a timing belt soon but looks turn key ready to drive what else should i look out on these cars thanks in advance
 

csstevej

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 12, 2004
Location
north nj
TDI
2001 golf tdi 4 door auto now a manual, mine, 2000 golf 2 door M/T son's,daughters 98 NB non-TDI 2.0, 2003 TDI NB for next daughter, head repaired and on road,gluten for punishment got another tdi 2001NB,another yellow tdi NB
First Welcome!
Chances are the suspension will need to be refreshed.
Brakes will probably needed to be replaced.
Definitely drain and reservice the transmission.
Have someone with a VCDS run a full scan for issues.
Take car for a test drive and see if it goes into limp mode.
Chances are the intake will be clogged.
Best bet would be if they had a full service records.
This just off the top of my head.
 

BleachedBora

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Location
Gresham, Oregon
TDI
'81 DMC-12, '15 GL350 CDI 275 hp/448 tq - '81 Caddy CJAA, '05 E320 CDI 250hp/450 tq, '23 ID4 AWD Pro S Plus
That is a good list! Depending on condition turbo and injection pump may need replacing as well… they can go over 500k but you are within the average lifespan I see.

Vacuum hoses and possibly N75 valve too.

When well maintained the ALH is pretty much the best diesel VW ever made.

-BB
 

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
Best investment is to have a guru go over a prospective car for you.

Note that just because you cannot see any rust that that don't mean that there isn't rust lurking. Folks who know these cars (MKIVs) know about fender and rocker rust. Rust on rockers is an expensive proposition. If you don't care about rust (and your department of motor vehicles doesn't care) then a car with rust should be available for a good price.

One can generally expect to shell out $1k at a minimum unless it's a top-notch car (which has been fully maintained). If a timing belt is required then expect to shell out another $1k. Cars that are selling in the $2k range generally are going to look to need $2k to $3k in parts and work to get them in to the "reliable" category. I was extremely fortunate in obtaining my spare Golf for only $3k: it was very well maintained; tuned, new nozzles, AND, a 6spd (and no rust).

Any claims of maintenance MUST be backed by paperwork (if the vehicle is not from a known trusted seller). MANY stories of folks buying one of these cars with "recently changed timing belt" and finding that that was not the case or shortly encountered a timing belt failure (one of these can approach $3k in repair costs).

If you could find someone with a well maintained copy of these cars then that would be very instructive. That would give you a standard with which to compare against.
 

Schoust

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2013
Location
Litchfield County
TDI
00 Jetta Alh 5spd
Well having done the 00 route that had 230k and also needed the timing belt and clutch done plus a few other things....
My thoughts are always try to buy the lower mileage car assuming that both vehicles are in similar shape. My 00 ended up basically needing all sorts orf work. I ended up doing the T- belt,a clutch the turbo and basically the entire suspension refresh. I probably could have gotten away with a little less on the suspension but I figured what the hell Im into it now I want it perfect. I drive a lot of miles and spend a great deal of time behind the wheel so if your after one of the best commuter cars ever made,(IMHO).. Buy the lower mileage car and go through it until you are satisfied with its ride reliability and performance then ENJOY����������
 

Twitch

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Location
New jersey
TDI
2003 gls jetta tdi 5 speed
I picked up the 2003 vw jetta tdi has 190xxx From what i could tell from the test drive quick 5 min test drive suspension is tight shifter bushings are tight steering is tight engine heated seats all windows worked glove box is broken didnt have any any leaks i am going to put my car on my lift �� yea after working on a lift ill never go back to working on the ground again and will do a more through check but after driving 3 hrs didn't want to return home empty handed shook all the wheels wheel bearings seem good put the car in 3rd gear and floored it no clutch slip no body rot but couple digs PO said a hammer fell on the roof and the trunk has a nice size dent im going to try and pop out from hitting it on the inside the windshield washer fluid light is on and the check engine light was on but went off seems like a internitten thing i plan on doing the timing belt at 195,000 so i know its done also with the manual transmission fluid is it a volkswagon specific or can i just go to wally world and pick up mobile one mtf and dump it in? Sorry for the run on post and thank you for all the help also with cleaning the intake is it a hard job to do i am familar with diesel have a 2009 6.7 cummins which is plauged with egr cross over tube and intake horn becoming clogged not mine tho ��
 

Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
The MTX will use any GL-4 MTX fluid and be ok; I use the VW stuff, but I like Redline MTL too although it's harder to find. Do not EVER use any gear oil that has "GL-5" on the label ANYWHERE in an MTX (from any manufacturer) unless it is SPECIFICALLY stated to be ok by the manufacturer of the gearbox; it will destroy the synchros VERY reliably.

You need someone with VCDS to find the CEL; a common and annoying cause is a glowplug problem and that's not a "must fix now" sort of thing as long as one or two of them are working, even in cold weather, but there's no way to know without scanning the car.
 

csstevej

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 12, 2004
Location
north nj
TDI
2001 golf tdi 4 door auto now a manual, mine, 2000 golf 2 door M/T son's,daughters 98 NB non-TDI 2.0, 2003 TDI NB for next daughter, head repaired and on road,gluten for punishment got another tdi 2001NB,another yellow tdi NB
Congrats on the car buy.
It's not hard to do an intake manifold clean, just takes time.
I personally did an egr cooler delete and had it tuned out so I don't get the CEL.
Makes getting the manifold and turbo out easier if need be.

You can look for a used cleaned out manifold in the classified section and then just do a swap, when you do this I highly recommend you pull the lower intercooler and drain the pipe and soak up any oil in the intercooler before you start it and drive.

Some people use synthetic synchromesh in The manuals. I did this to my daughters car and works great.
Before you drain the M/T make sure you can get the fill plug off first..... go, ahead and ask me why��.
 

Nevada_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Location
Reno, sort of...
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
Hey Twitch, congrats on your purchase; when owning an TDI, VCDS is really your friend as it is extremely informative about what is going on with your car when the CEL turns on. I do own VCDS and I also own Torque Pro and am very happy with both of them. I really don't like driving around with my laptop connected as it causes distracted driving.IYDK, Torque Pro is an app for Android that will properly read most any CEL code an ALH will display as well as clear them, and Torque Pro uses a Bluetooth OBDII plugin that turns itself off when not in use. The OBDII adapter and the app cost less than $20.00 in total. Depending on what the CEL is for you can also go to your local Auto Parts store and get them to read the code and clear it for you; the only issue is most generic code readers don't put out VW specific codes but it will generally still point you in the right direction. If it is something as simple as a glow plug code a generic OBDII reader will tell you that much.
 
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Twitch

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Location
New jersey
TDI
2003 gls jetta tdi 5 speed
I have a buddy with vagcom that is going to scan the car for me and is a vw guy and knows decent amount on them for any other things i dont know i have auto enginuity so i can scan codes if i want i can get the vw oem software for 200 bucks and see what that does. Been reading up on the alh and am use to big diesels (cummins) where there happy around 2k i read these things like or need to be ran hard to keep everything cleaned out in them like do couple 4k shifts every couple days or something thanks for all the speedy replies im use to cumminsforum ans takes days to get a single non informative post. Also if i can get access to WVO and do a 50/50 blend of WVO and diesel can i run that to save more money on fuel or just stick with D2 thanks for all the help looking forward to being on this forum
 

maxmoo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Location
Lakefield, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2000 golf, 2001 golf, 2000 beetle, 2003 wagon, 2004 golf, 2004 jetta, all diesels
I have a buddy with vagcom that is going to scan the car for me and is a vw guy and knows decent amount on them for any other things i dont know i have auto enginuity so i can scan codes if i want i can get the vw oem software for 200 bucks and see what that does. Been reading up on the alh and am use to big diesels (cummins) where there happy around 2k i read these things like or need to be ran hard to keep everything cleaned out in them like do couple 4k shifts every couple days or something thanks for all the speedy replies im use to cumminsforum ans takes days to get a single non informative post. Also if i can get access to WVO and do a 50/50 blend of WVO and diesel can i run that to save more money on fuel or just stick with D2 thanks for all the help looking forward to being on this forum[/QUOTE]

My thoughts on this is ...since these cars get such excellent reliable milage from D2 already.....why risk gumming things up just to save a few pennies?
It's been shown again and again around here, wvo will cause problems sooner or later.
You can buy a lot of D2 for the cost of rebuilding an injection pump.
 

Twitch

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Location
New jersey
TDI
2003 gls jetta tdi 5 speed
Thank you for your input about the WVO also since these cars were made before ulsd should i stick a couple oz of 2 stroke oil or anything to help with the injection pump i know on the vp44 pump from the 98.5 to 2002 cummins they were not made with the intent of running ulsd and along with a crappy lift pump there prone to failing. are there any lift pumps on these cars or just regular fuel pump in tank then the injection pump. Just like learning as much as possible when i get a new vehicle thanks in advance for all the help
 

maxmoo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Location
Lakefield, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2000 golf, 2001 golf, 2000 beetle, 2003 wagon, 2004 golf, 2004 jetta, all diesels
There are no other fuel pumps on the pre 2004 engines only the injection pump itself.
Some of us add a lubricant to the fuel, vw only recomends stanadyne...I use "Howes meaner cleaner" and a few probably do use 2 stroke oil....but it is not necessarily needed......they seem to last even without adding anything.
 

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
There are no other fuel pumps on the pre 2004 engines only the injection pump itself.
Some of us add a lubricant to the fuel, vw only recomends stanadyne...I use "Howes meaner cleaner" and a few probably do use 2 stroke oil....but it is not necessarily needed......they seem to last even without adding anything.
Yes and I'll 2nd that, use of an additive for lubricity.
Also, you can dial back the EGR involvement whith the vag-com.
 

Rob Mayercik

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2001
Location
NJ, U.S.A.
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS, Baltic Green/Beige
You can also use PowerService - been running 8oz. of PS per tank for years now in mine just to ensure good lubricity.

Nice to see another NJ TDIer pop up. Welcome aboard.
 

Twitch

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Location
New jersey
TDI
2003 gls jetta tdi 5 speed
Finally got the car reg’d and insured yesterday and was driving it around town. whats the operatoing temperature on these cars it got above the fist 3 lines for the coolant temp and that about it and scanned the code which was P0128 which was something with coolant temps being to low when i get home today going to take it for a good highway run and see how it is on the highway
 

Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
Check with VCDS and see if the number it shows at the ECU is similar to that shown on the gauge (which isn't labeled, but "normal" is in the ~190F range.)

The CTS has two separate sensors in it; one feeds the ECU, the other feeds the cluster display. If they are not reasonably identical change it.

If they ARE the same odds are your thermostat is stuck open partway. This is pretty-common on these cars as they age; change both the themostat and the housing pipe and O-ring (the pipe is cheap, it's plastic, and if it warps it will leak. In addition pay attention the the torque spec on those bolts -- it's sealed by an O-ring, NOT brute force, and you'll warp or crack the pipe if you crank on it beyond specs.) I strongly recommend popping for the OE thermostat even though it is quite a bit more expensive; the aftermarket ones sometimes are fine, sometimes not, and for the difference in money it's not worth having to do the job twice. You'll probably need some coolant (get the correct stuff; you CANNOT mix parts-store coolant with what is in there) as it's nearly impossible to get enough out of the block to prevent a fairly material mess when you remove the thermostat feed pipe to change the thermostat.
 

Twitch

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Location
New jersey
TDI
2003 gls jetta tdi 5 speed
Thank you for a quick reply today when i get home i will hook up my auto enginutity to the car which reads generic codes and will display live data and take the car for a drive and see what it shows and will go from there but drove the car about 15-20 mins and had it idling for another 5 or more putting air in my tires at the gas station and only reached above the first 3 lines and my cluster does show the 190F temp right in the middle i heard the 205F termostate gets better mpg or should i stick with the 190 thanks for the quick reply
 

Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
Buy the OE thermostat. IDparts has it, along with most of the other reputable places. Do not use a generic "parts store" one unless you want to do the job twice -- the parts store won't have the correct coolant either.

Note that when the cluster says "190" on the gauge what it really means is that it is somewhere between 175-205ish; the cluster is intentionally coded to lie to you and pin the needle right up the middle for coolant temperature anywhere in the "normal" range. This makes the "gauge" worthless for monitoring the cooling system when it's under heavy stress (e.g. while pulling a hill and heavily loaded), which is unfortunate; it's basically the same as an idiot light ("heh fool, you're either real cold or overheating!")
 

Twitch

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Location
New jersey
TDI
2003 gls jetta tdi 5 speed
Genesis thank you for the very helpful information defiantly a deaign flaw from volkswagen but if i can get 40 mpg compared to my trucks 13-15 ill be happier then a pig rollin in mud im use to coolant temp gauges being pretty accurate when i plan on doing the timing belt at 195k miles i want to change every fluid in the car engine oil coolant transmission and brake fluid so i know everything is fresh. I also topped the fuel off and the gauge did not go 100% to full line went like one line below fuel so are these clusters just not very accurate. Sorry for a run on post also when i got on the car alil i did not hear the turbo at all is it just very quiet use to the turbo on my cummins were you can hear the turbo scream while roling into throttle. Thanks for all the help in advance
 

Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
Naw, the cluster is fine it's just how it's programmed. Your fuel gauge issue is probably the sender in the tank.....

The turbo is not real loud on these either with the stock plumbing. You can hear it, but not loudly.
 

Twitch

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Location
New jersey
TDI
2003 gls jetta tdi 5 speed
I plan on doing a 2.5in exhaust or 3in and maybe a cold air intake just for the sound going to check the snow screen out at my shop tonight and see if thats plugged up. When i was driving i went in a dirt parking lot going down my road and the car wouldnt even spin the tires in 1st gear putting the pedal to the floor are they really just that slow stock or should i be looking into something once again thank you everyone for the speedy replies and all the help
 

Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
You need to get a log on the engine and see what's up. Specifically, are you making boost properly, etc. Intake may be clogged, MAF sensor bad, vacuum not getting to the actuator, etc. Right now you're guessing; find someone with VCDS or buy your own unit (if you're going to keep the car, it's almost-certainly a good investment over time.)
 

Twitch

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Location
New jersey
TDI
2003 gls jetta tdi 5 speed
yes i plan on keeping the car since i got it for such a good price and will be saving me money compared to my truck or mustang commuting 100+ miles a day. 5-6 days a week for work. Hopefully this weekend i can meet up with my buddy and hook up vcds and see exactly what the cars doing and thanks for all the info and help. are there electronics on these turbos and if i ever do need a new turbo down the road are there any plug and play turbos that are slightly bigger
 
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wonneber

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 12, 2011
Location
Monroe, NY, USA
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagon,2003 Jetta 261K Sold but not forgotten
Genesis thank you for the very helpful information defiantly a deaign flaw from volkswagen but if i can get 40 mpg compared to my trucks 13-15 ill be happier then a pig rollin in mud
I definitely would not call it a design flaw.

If I saw my temp gauge going up & down as I drove in cold weather it would make me worry something's wrong and it was not reliable.

When I bought mine in late 02 I did a quick spread sheet to compare costs of gas in my Ranger or Wrangler (both about 20MPG on the road) to the 50MPG with the diesel I figured it would save me $1800 to $2000 a year.

After using it since then through June of last year the car actually paid for itself in fuel saving.

I did get rid of the Wrangler at that point. It was fun while I had it.
 

Twitch

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Location
New jersey
TDI
2003 gls jetta tdi 5 speed
I am just use to my truck cummins where while driving i can see the t-stat open at 200 and drop to 180-175 and then if its a hot day creep passed 200 if im puling a grade with a trailer. Was able to hook up my scan tool (auto enginutity) and watch the temps and from the ecu hottest it got while driving was about 130 which in my guess means t stat is stuck wide open or PO removed it so will get one from the dealer also noticed my speedo is about 5mph off my speedo was reading 75 and ecu was reading 70 can vcds fix that? Also the rpms seemed alil high sitting at 75mph ecu indicated the rpms were sitting around 2800 is this normal?
 
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Nevada_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Location
Reno, sort of...
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
Twitch, a couple of things here: VW has the odometers correct if the correct size tires are being used, the speedo is a different issue. VW has the speedo intentionally read high so no driver can use the "Officer, my speedometer must be reading too low..." and blame their speeding ticket on VW. At 72 MPH, my tach reads 2500 RPM, but I don't know what 75 MPH is off the top of my head. Are the tires on your car smaller diameter than the door plate recommends?
 

UhOh

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Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
I tend to see that, with everything stock, speedo shows about 3mph higher than actual.

Get the car operating at it's maximum condition before making any mods.

Don't tweak EGR via VCDS. This is pretty much an old-wives' tale. ONLY real way to mess with EGR is via tune: either remove and tune it out, or have a tune that reduces it- I am perfectly happy to keep it all working on my cars- [five of them in the family] I have it mitigated via tune.

Brakes. Suspension. You may think that things are good, but until you actually drive one of these cars with a tight suspension you're not really going to know for sure.

Forget altering the air-intake unless you're going to be pushing 175hp (150hp?) or above. Stock airboxes flow a lot of air.

Once you start pushing 120hp+ a stock clutch is going to start failing. Figure $500 (w/o labor).

Nozzles/injector work... lots of things to consider.
 

Twitch

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Location
New jersey
TDI
2003 gls jetta tdi 5 speed
Thank you for all the info as of right now just want to get the car reliable and driving properly been busy with work and a million other things make sure all the suspension and everything is tight and then get the timing belt done before i start messing around with anything else also i was reading you can swap out 5th gear for a taller gear is i do lots of driving at 75+ And still get passed like im standing still running 2800rpm is fine for these engines or should i slow it down alil? I read with the .658 gear it drops your rpms roughly 600rpms which would result in better mpg and a quieter ride or is a mod not worth doing thank you for all the feed back
 
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