Finally got myself the TDI....

mat111 · Mar 25, 2009

Hello all,

Today I got my manual 02' Jetta TDI with 244K for 7K. It is an amazing experince to drive a diesel and a Jetta. I love it. It is like a truck especially when it starts up...

.... but nice.

Couple of questions,

- it is impossible for me to put the gear in reverse? dont know why - tried in every which way I could, but no luck ! Am I missing something? I used to drive a manual Honda Civic and there was no problem whatsoever.

- the dealer guy told me that I need to change the TB after 45-50K KMS, after I inquired whether it has been changed already.

- the dealer guy told me that WP was also changed. Is there a way to find out whether this is the case? I think the best bet is to go to the VW mechanic.

- Thanks for reading.

cheers,

Mat

SDMFer · Mar 25, 2009

Hey there just make sure you push the stick down from the top then into reverse. Tb and water pump should be changed every 100k. More wi chime in here with more details ....hard to type with iPhone

mat111 · Mar 25, 2009

And btw - the car drives smoothly and I could hardly hear any sound apart from when it takes the time to start up....

- when I insert the key to start the car, I observed there is the indicator of a shape of a coil !, which comes for a few seconds and disappears - first time I ever saw it in any car....what could this be? I took the owners manual to find out what that indicator was but sadly all the manual was in French language and the car was initially sold in Quebec in '02. The warrantly certifcate is still there intact with dealers stamp. I think the English version of the manual is either lost or was never there! I will visit the VW showroom tomorrow to find more about how to take care of this wonderful car....

-any suggestions will be appreciated,
-ciao

mat111 · Mar 25, 2009

Hey SDM - thanks for the tip... will try tomorrow to reverse again...thanx

ymz · Mar 25, 2009

mat111 said:
I think the best bet is to go to the VW mechanic.

Depending on which "VW mechanic" you're thinking about, that's either a safe or a sucker bet...

On the 2002, the timing belt system is scheduled for replacement every 128,000 km... If you're not sure of when it was done, or aren't absolutely certain that all the components in the timing belt system were properly replaced (belt(s), tensioner, water pump, 3 idlers (rollers) and at least 5 "stretch" bolts), you should think about having it done properly very soon. (Please note that you can use 2003-model-year parts that are rated at 160,000 km).

Where in town are you?? You should at least try to meet some of the local TDI-heads... A recommended mechanic is in the 400 and Finch area, if you need someone to look over the car...

All the best,

Yuri.

mat111 · Mar 25, 2009

Hi Yuri,

Thanks for that. I live in Scarborough - exactly at Markham Rd and Sheppard Ave.

- Any more suggestions on how to put the gear in the reverse?
- And the "coil" type of icon that appears briefly on the instrument panel while I start the car?

-Thanks again.

Mat

mat111 · Mar 25, 2009

I will try to find some local TDI vets and meet them ASAP....

Ducktape · Mar 25, 2009

The coil type light indicates that the glow plugs are active.

The glow plugs heat up the heat up the cylinder to help start the car.

In the summer you do not have to worry about it because it is hot enough outside.

However in the winter time, this light will stay on for about 7-8 seconds, start the car only after the light has gone out. Some even cycle the glow plugs 2 to 3 times to make for an easier start.

As for reverse, it was already mentioned but I will repeat. Make sure you press the stick downwards from the top in order to be able to put it into reverse.

That should help you

sidshock · Mar 26, 2009

I believe your reverse is the UPPER LEFT ( beside 1st gear ) are you pushing in the right direction?
before you do, make sure you push down, and "feel" the stick go down a bit, then you will notice it will go FURTHER to the left than usual past 1st gears location, and then push up ( while still pressing down ).

For the coil light, when you turn the key, do not turn the engine over, just the car on so you see the light..
when it disappears, THEN turn the car over...
it is the glow plugs warming up the engine. If you have REALLY cold winters, and your car has a block heater and it is easy for you, you should plug it in for hassle free starts.
I hope that was pretty straight forward and it all works for you.

mat111 said:
And btw - the car drives smoothly and I could hardly hear any sound apart from when it takes the time to start up....

- when I insert the key to start the car, I observed there is the indicator of a shape of a coil !, which comes for a few seconds and disappears - first time I ever saw it in any car....what could this be? I took the owners manual to find out what that indicator was but sadly all the manual was in French language and the car was initially sold in Quebec in '02. The warrantly certifcate is still there intact with dealers stamp. I think the English version of the manual is either lost or was never there! I will visit the VW showroom tomorrow to find more about how to take care of this wonderful car....

-any suggestions will be appreciated,
-ciao

Windex · Mar 26, 2009

mat111 said:
I will try to find some local TDI vets and meet them ASAP....

I'm at Warden and Eglinton during the day, I'm more than happy to spend some time going over your car.

OmegaRenegade · Mar 26, 2009

welcome to the club and grats on the purchase.

As stated, if your unsure about the health of your timing belt you should plan to have this replaced ASAP. You are driving an interferance engine which means that if that belt snaps or skips a few teeth ure pistons will smash the valves and ure looking at an very hefty repair bill.

Rather then contact a dealership directly i would take Windex up on his offer to give your car a once over. It'll prolly be a lot more informative and give you better piece of mind on what to expect in the upcomming months.

While u have his attention get him to show you how to do a ventectomy... nothing better then being able to toss that extra 10L of fuel into your car and pushing over 1000km's on a tank!

Windex · Mar 26, 2009

OmegaRenegade said:
...While u have his attention get him to show you how to do a ventectomy... nothing better then being able to toss that extra 10L of fuel into your car and pushing over 1000km's on a tank!

Without having to press on the little button in the filler neck every time...

unL33T · Mar 26, 2009

Coil light is glow plugs. Put the key in the ON position until the light goes out then start the car. As mentioned, if it's really cold you might want to let the plugs cycle 2 or 3 times to help the car start a little better.

Reverse is in the same position as first but you have to push the knob down (into the floor) to get there. I had the same problem with the first Jetta I ever test drove. I made the mistake of driving into a lowered loading bay thinking I could reverse out only to realize that I had no idea how to get the car in reverse. I ended up having to push it up hill out of the loading bay. It was a VR6 too (I think they're a little heavier).

Replace your timing belt and ALL related hardware if you're not sure about its condition. A destroyed engine is not fun and expensive. Even if the belt has been replaced recently if the other hardware (rollers, etc) has not been replaced then those parts can fail and have the same result as if the timing belt broke.

Silver02TDI · Mar 26, 2009

OmegaRenegade said:
nothing better then being able to toss that extra 10L of fuel into your car and pushing over 1000km's on a tank!

1000kms to a tank? What's dat? Oh yeah, there's a reason I didn't like the DieselStink anymore

Now I'm getting 400kms to a tank w00tw00t

mat111 · Mar 26, 2009

Thank you all....yes the reverse is working just fine after I pushed the gear down and then reverse....

-Windex, thanks for that wonderful gesture.....please see my private message to you....

-Thanks to one and all,

-cheers

Mat

amit9 · Mar 26, 2009

mat111 said:
I live in Scarborough - exactly at Markham Rd and Sheppard Ave.
Mat

I'm in your neighbourhood at Morningside and Sheppard. I have an '03 TDI. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll try and help out.

Cheers,

Amit.

Toronto_Vento · Mar 26, 2009

With that many miles, I would suggest that you look into changing the transmission oil. Yeah, VW says that it's lifetime, but myself and a number of other members do not believe this.

If you find that you are having a hard time getting it to line up in reverse, what I sometimes do is put the stick to neutral, let the clutch pedal up. I then blip the throttle...not rev, but just a quick blip. This makes the teeth in the transmission re-align. Then try getting into reverse again. Works on any manual transmission car.

Windex · Mar 27, 2009

Met with Mat yesterday, and found:

A very nice Jetta TDI the runs and drives well, has brand new brakes at all four corners, good power, a little smoke, and timing that is bang on in the middle of the graph.

But it also has:

-Decent snow tires on the rear
-all season tires at the bare minimum spec to pass safety on the front

-Leaking front pipe
-Noisy, over-running starter
-fenders that have been replaced at some point in the past, but the right is starting to peel again
-inoperative A/C

-most concerning is a timing belt that looks well worn, and there is no verification of when it was done and with what parts.

As seems to be usual, the salesperson said something along the lines of "the timing belt is good for another 40k"

So Mat, as we talked about yesterday, get that belt changed properly as soon as you can, and then attend to the other items. Also, the front exhaust pipe is an item that should not have passed safety inspection, so the place you bought it should take care of that for you at no cost, or you do have recourse with the MTO if they refuse to do anything.

mat111 · Mar 29, 2009

Hi all,

Thanks to all for writing back....

It was an amazing experience meeting Windex, he is a through and through gentleman....honest, patient and compassionate - a rare breed these days I did say....

Now coming to the point, Windex, I did go to the dealer on Friday with the list you gave and he has reluctantly looked at the issues and has promised to send me to "his" VW TDI guy ... someone named "Attila", who he admires deeply - the dealer informs me that this Attila is the best in the TDI business in the GTA and was the one who changed the TB on my car. Over the phone, Attila has promised to "grant me audience" next week !

And one more thing, over the weekend I drove my car for about 500 KM's on the 401E. After I came back I observed that the needle of the fuel indicator is right in the middle! I think I will get the proverbial 1K KM's on a single tank of 50 L's.

I drove mostly cruising around 100-110 kms/hr but I did also do some speeding from time to time to get past monotonity, easily touching 140 km/hr on instances.

The more I drive this car - the more respect I have for it and the VW engineers. There is nothing like driving a TDI. And I absolutely love it - dont know why I never did it earlier in my life.....

-anyways cheers,

Mat

ymz · Mar 29, 2009

I believe that we've heard about 2 local mechanics named Attila...

One of them was to be avoided at all costs...

(Sorry, but I don't know either one of them, so I can't point out the one that takes too many shortcuts...)

Good luck,

Yuri.

TDIFred · Mar 29, 2009

ymz said:
I believe that we've heard about 2 local mechanics named Attila...

One of them was to be avoided at all costs...

(Sorry, but I don't know either one of them, so I can't point out the one that takes too many shortcuts...)

Good luck,

Yuri.

is he in the Keele and Finch area?

Windex · Mar 29, 2009

Mat,

I have seen a timing belt of one of the "Atillas", and it was done using the wrong methods (do a search on "mark and pray").

If you consider doing a timing belt with this person, see if he is going to include all of the following parts:

All of the proper parts for an ALH timing belt change said:
038 121 011 A, Water Pump, with metal impeller
VWN 905 969 02, Bolt, M10 x 55 mm Grade 8.8, for Large Idler pulley near Water Pump
038 109 244 M, Idler Pulley, Large, INA
038 109 244 E, Idler Pulley, Lower Small, INA
058 109 244, Idler Pulley, Upper Small, INA
VWN 011 558 11 Washer, M8, includes 6
VWN 900 744 01, Lock Nut, M8, includes 2
VWN 019 531 3, Bolt, M8 x 40 mm Grade 8.8
MNM8SHORT, A4 Harmonic Balancer Bolts M8 x 35 mm Grade 12.9, set of four bolts
038 109 119M, Timing Belt, Gates, Dayco or Continental, longer life version
038 109 243N, Tensioner, Litens 979592
038 145 345, Vacuum Pump Seal, RTS, oem
038 103 085C, Camshaft Seal, directional, PTFE ( Teflon® ), 47 x 32 x 10 used on later ALH engines or
068 103 085E, Camshaft Seal, bi-directional, 47 x 32 x 10 for early ALH engines
VWN 903 285 04, Injector Pump Bolt, M8 x 16 mm Grade 8.8, includes 3
VWN 102 096 03, Engine Mount Bolt, M12-1.5 x 65 mm Grade 10.9, includes 2
VWN 105 167 01, Engine Mount Bolt, M10 x 55 mm Grade 10.9, includes 2

PICTURE: http://www.worldimpex.com/parts/german-deluxe-timing-belt-kit-tdi_272109.html
http://worldimpex.com/parts/german-d...di_272109.html

And ask how he plans to ensure the proper timing between the crank and cam - if he mentions something about marking a pulley and installing the new belt in the same place, then don't let him touch the car.

Give me a call if you want to discuss further.

-Adam

mat111 said:
Hi all,

Thanks to all for writing back....

It was an amazing experience meeting Windex, he is a through and through gentleman....honest, patient and compassionate - a rare breed these days I did say....

Now coming to the point, Windex, I did go to the dealer on Friday with the list you gave and he has reluctantly looked at the issues and has promised to send me to "his" VW TDI guy ... someone named "Attila", who he admires deeply - the dealer informs me that this Attila is the best in the TDI business in the GTA and was the one who changed the TB on my car. Over the phone, Attila has promised to "grant me audience" next week !

And one more thing, over the weekend I drove my car for about 500 KM's on the 401E. After I came back I observed that the needle of the fuel indicator is right in the middle! I think I will get the proverbial 1K KM's on a single tank of 50 L's.

I drove mostly cruising around 100-110 kms/hr but I did also do some speeding from time to time to get past monotonity, easily touching 140 km/hr on instances.

The more I drive this car - the more respect I have for it and the VW engineers. There is nothing like driving a TDI. And I absolutely love it - dont know why I never did it earlier in my life.....

-anyways cheers,

Mat

ymz · Mar 29, 2009

Better yet: if you're going to have the timing belt system replaced, go to Brandon (UserID "VDub Tech" here) or Adam (Windex) and have it done properly...

Yuri.

PS: possibly the reason a dealer may "admire" Attila is that he does a quick turnaround for not much money...

RichDiesel · Mar 29, 2009

mat111, I urge you to listen to these gentlemen when they tell you about your timing belt. It is VERY important to maintain that properly. If that belt breaks... well ask Mark (AKA MJHANDY) he'll tell you all about it.

SDMFer · Mar 30, 2009

Hmm you guys got me worried now. I had my TB done by "Atilla" located at Keele and Finch area...I think the name of the place was VIN Tech, or VIN Test or something like that. Anyways, car has been fine, TB replacement was done almost 70 Thou kms ago.

Wingnut · Mar 30, 2009

I have no experience with either of the Atillas, but to make you feel better SDMFer, it was not your Atilla that I have heard bad things about., It was another one further west. Again, no personal experiences, just hearsay. PM Silver02TDI for more details.

Marchmen · Mar 30, 2009

If you want a mechanic closer to where you live, send me a PM and I'll refer you to the mechanic I've been using for over 5 years. He's in the Kennedy and Ellesmere area, and has completed 2 timing belt replacements for me (TDI Beetle, and TDI Golf).

I purchased the full kit from Perjad on these forums (Precision Tuning) and had him install the kits.

Silver02TDI · Apr 8, 2009

Wingnut said:
I have no experience with either of the Atillas, but to make you feel better SDMFer, it was not your Atilla that I have heard bad things about., It was another one further west. Again, no personal experiences, just hearsay. PM Silver02TDI for more details.

Werd.

SDMFer · Apr 8, 2009

waah haaapenn

Finally got myself the TDI....

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