Tdi problem

I'm having a problem that i can't figure out. 2002 jetta alh 5 speed. Will start and idle for a long time then will shut off. Very hard to restart,have to hold the throttle wide open then hold it above 1k to keep it running, will not idle. If you try to drive it, it seems to have no power, no cel. New fuel filter, new air filter, disconnected egr and shutter to see if any difference, made none. Any help will be appreciated

Seeing any smoke? Soot in the coolant overflow? Timing good? Best to scan it for codes. Not all codes throw a CEL. How long have you had it? Some history on it would help too.

A guess is the pickup assembly in the tank is full of junk.

No smoke, coolant is clean, not really sure about timing. I have a scanner that shows it to be clean. I have no history on it though, i just got it.

Oilhammer is suggesting you get into the tank. Take out the bottom of the backseat, and you can see the fuel pickup.

scooperhsd said:

Oilhammer is suggesting you get into the tank. Take out the bottom of the backseat, and you can see the fuel pickup.

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Pop the back seat up, flip up the carpet section on the passanger side of the car and remove the four fasteners holding the plate down. Remove the plate, you will see the top of the sending unit. Remove it and clean it and the tank as needed. Replace the sending unit if needed.


Also you might check the snow screen in the air intake. It's located in the air intake tube that leads to the front of the car, you'll need to remove the battery to remove that plastic tube. Remove the screen if its still there.

Ok, I'll give these a try and check back in, thanks.

Got into the tank, no junk in it. Will Only run if you keep it above 1k rpm. Egr delete, cleaned intake, very low power of you can get it to drive.

How many miles do you have? Fuel pickup might be on it's last leg, I had mine rebuilt once when i was having those issues. Same for air intake, did you check the snow screen and air filter is ok?

I had a very similar problem with the Mazda in my signature. The fuel supply system on it and our TDI's are very similar. Both suck the fuel from the tank, through the fuel filter via the rotary pump in the injector pump.

In my situation, it turned out to be an air leak in the filter head/primer pump. It would only allow air in the fuel while the engine was running. I guess the negative pressure in the fuel created by the injector pump sucking fuel from the tank caused the air leak to show up.

Anyways, my symptoms were just like yours. If I let it idle for a while, the air would build up enough to starve the engine of fuel. If I kept the RPM's up by driving or some other means, I guess the faster moving fuel would pass the bubbles through instead of letting them build up.

If everything else checks out, I'd break out the Mity-Vac and check the fuel system for air leaks. You could also try feeding the injector pump fuel directly from a clean container and see if it still does it. Hope this helps.

Hi
I hope this is the correct thread for turbo problems? I'm posting on a few threads since I got no reply whatsoever.
I have a VW mk4 2002 AHF model.
My problem is turbo delay, the usual full boost has always been at 2000rpm.
Now I only get full boost at about 2500rpm, which is frustrating it changes the way of driving the car.
I have checked all vacuum pipes which is usually the probleem, already replaced them with stronger more reliable fuel pipes.
Checked turbo pipe for leak none found. I found a small leak on the vacuum pump sealed it still same problem. I cleaned my air intake sensor still no joy. I resently changed Cham shaft and valve guides so had to disconnect timing belt and changed water pump while it was striped. I have replaced and worked with the timing belt a lot of times so I doubt it is an timing issue as the engine runs and starts with no issues.
I must also say since the valve guide problem, before and after replacin, there is an sound around the turbo area of air escaping when the engine is switched off only for a short period and I'm still trying to find the location.
Sorry for the long post hope someone has some idea where to go next.
Thanx in advance.

did this start when you put a new fuel filter in?
did you prime filter well enough. also sounds like a restriction(fuel).
like mentioned purge filter and inlet line, a mityvac is best at this.
is air in clear inlet line?