Barn Find 04 TDI Jetta! Sort of....

GIDDY_UP_GO

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Location
Indiana
TDI
10 Jetta 13 Beetle Convertible 15 GSW
2004 TDI Jetta GLS, 5 speed manual, Reflex Silver with 175,000 miles on it.

Well, it was parked beside a barn for 2 years!

I have been keeping my eye on this car ever since I seen the guy park it beside his barn about 2 years ago. Last year I decided to stop and talk to him about it since it hadn't moved and the weeds were almost as tall as the car!

He told me that he was driving it to work one day and it just quit running, and I thought timing belt! But he said it turns over and the timing belt had been done 40k miles ago and he thought it wasn't getting fuel.

Well, I made him an offer and he didn't bite so we parted ways and I watched it sit there another year and the weeds got even higher!
As luck would have it, I bumped into this guy at a party a couple weekends ago and asked him about the Jetta and he stated that he was ready to sell it for what I had offered him a year ago. (You guys will kill me if you knew what I got it for!)

Well, today my son and I made the 10 mile journey over to his farm and pumped up 3 tires, put the tow hook into the front bumper, put the jumpers on the battery just long enough to get the front windows down and we towed it home.

Spent the last 5 hours blowing dirt off, washing it, vacuuming and cleaning out the interior.

Now we got to figure out why she won't fire! I am hoping that its the lift pump in the fuel tank.

Updates to come!






 
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GIDDY_UP_GO

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Location
Indiana
TDI
10 Jetta 13 Beetle Convertible 15 GSW
175,000 miles

Currently it is not running. It will turn over but no fire. I am thinking its the lift pump.

I turn the key switch one click and hear the lift pump run for 3-4 seconds, then it stops....

Looking for suggestions!
 

GIDDY_UP_GO

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Location
Indiana
TDI
10 Jetta 13 Beetle Convertible 15 GSW
Any pictures from before the clean up? Or all overgrown?

Unfortunately, no, we didn't take a picture of it before towing it home.

Just picture this poor TDI sitting with flat tires by the side of a dairy barn for 2 years and the grass, weeds and small brush growing all around it.

There was about a half inch of dirt on the roof and all the door sills were filled with dirt and sand from sitting outside next to a farm.

Its a shame really how some people treat their cars.

I try to keep my cars in the garage or a shed. You got to protect them from the elements!
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
From what you describe it sounds like the lift pump is working properly. Despite the timing belt change 40K ago, I think I'd look there next. Belt may have slipped a tooth or two, enough to keep the engine from firing. And I wouldn't turn it over any more until you know the timing is correct, although at this point if there's piston to valve contact the damage is done.

Nice looking car, btw. I'd worry about underside rust if it was sitting outside all that time. For sure it's going to need the brakes looked at.
 

pruzink

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2004
Location
Granbury, Texas
TDI
GLS, 2004, silver
An easy way to test the lift pump & tandem pump for fuel delivery is to do a diesel purge procedure. Remove fuel filter, insert can of diesel purge in its place, jumper line to fuel filter from lift pump to line leaving thermostatic T valve on filter with clear tygon hose (lift pump will just recirculate through tubing). Line that supplies tandem pump with fuel gets short piece of cleaer tygon into can of diesel purge, return from from PD injector fuel rail gets clear piece of clear tygon into can of diesel purge. The car will run off of the full strength diesel purge for about 2o minutes (it will get hot). It is very easy to remove the upper timing belt cover to get a look at it.
 

GIDDY_UP_GO

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Location
Indiana
TDI
10 Jetta 13 Beetle Convertible 15 GSW
Lift pump was replaced by previous owner and also one injector was replaced. I really don't think the timing belt is the issue, because its putting fuel into the crankcase. I got it to fire for about 5 seconds pull starting it and then it died.

Saving my money for injectors, Im just going to replace all 4 off them. Unless there is a way to check them to see which one is dumping the fuel into the crankcase.
 

Electrodynamic

Veteran Member
Joined
May 15, 2013
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2003 Jetta/Bora TDI
Wow, nice find! Hope you get it running pretty soon. This forum is awesome with help and tips - tdiclub recently helped me find out that the previous owner of my car had the aftermarket catch can plumbed backwards which was the reason it was spitting oil into the air intake.
 

GIDDY_UP_GO

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Location
Indiana
TDI
10 Jetta 13 Beetle Convertible 15 GSW
Finally got around to taking the Jetta to my TDI guy. Told him I was in no hurry because I am waiting to get my moneys from the 2015 Jetta I am selling back to VW for the TDI buyback.

Hopefully he can get it running for me and this car will replace the one I am selling back to VW!
 

hughesjasonk

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2013
Location
New York
TDI
2002 Jetta MK4;
I'm with everyone else. I would make sure that the thing is timed. if not then look at normal culprits showing a damaged head. if that checks out then start looking at fuel. since it sat for so long I would definitely reprime the fuel system.
 

GIDDY_UP_GO

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Location
Indiana
TDI
10 Jetta 13 Beetle Convertible 15 GSW
Just got a call from my mechanic. He hooked it up to VagCom and it had 30 codes. Main culprit seemed to be the cam position sensor. So, that's where we are starting.

Would that keep car from firing? Also, would it somehow also be responsible for the diesel in the oil pan?
 

TDIMeister

Phd of TDIClub Enthusiast, Moderator at Large
Joined
May 1, 1999
Location
Canada
TDI
TDI
Cam position sensor could certainly prevent the engine from starting. If there's Diesel in the oil pan (like how much??) - there are fuel galleries in the head with O-rings sealing the injector bodies from the cylinder head. Lift off the valve cover and describe the condition of the cam lobes and lifters under them.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Keep in mind that when you crank a TDI and it doesn't start it will throw a lot of codes. Some are meaningful, some are symptoms of the cranking. I trust your mechanic knows enough to discriminate between codes.
 

GIDDY_UP_GO

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Location
Indiana
TDI
10 Jetta 13 Beetle Convertible 15 GSW
Took it to my TDI guy and he put a new cam position sensor on it and found out that when the previous owner installed a new injector in #3 cylinder he either stripped out the hold down bolt or the bolt came out on its own. (I will know more Monday when I go down and look at it myself)

Anyway, here is my question: Should I have him try to run a thread chaser down the hole and get a new hold down bolt? Or should I get an insert and go that route?

I really don't want to purchase a new head. Could I JB weld a threaded rod in the hold down hole and use a lock nut or double nut the injector hold down? I am just throwing ideas out there.

If anyone has any good ideas, or past experience, please throw em out there!


By the way, the previous owner had a non-tdi mechanic replace the #3 injector not long before the car quit running. I am assuming that he over-torqued the bolt or didn't use a new hold down bolt (I believe these are stretch bolts and one time use only if I remember correctly)
 
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