Help regarding my 2003 Jetta TDI ,

Hi guys,

I am new on this forum , so please excuse me if my post goes in the wrong location .
Here are my few questions
11 DAYS ago i bought a 2003 Jetta TDI with 80631 miles on the dashboard. I did a car history check on it. Back in 2009 car had 63.000 miles. As of today, May 15th, 2019 car has 80836 miles on it. It was bought at an estate sale. Car runs fine, it had a bunch of blown fuses that were replaced. Check engine comes on and goes off out of nowhere.
Car wont go over 85mph.
This is my first diesel car.
Any thoughts about what should i do , maintenance related. ? i took it to the dealer, oil replaced, coolant replaced, fixed the lights on the dashboard that were related to the fuses, they fixed the check engine light also , but it showed up again after few days.

I did not check yet the air filter, neither the MAF, ( which i was reading about. ) Car feel damn good on the road, suspensions still strong, starts almost instantly, handles right. Another light showed up on the dash , like a triangle surrounded by a round arrow. Is that something i should worry about ?
I do know that car was most likely sitting on the farm for at least 6 months to 1 year. I am running the diesel fuel that was in the tank, would that go bad ? I still have almost half tank in there.
Should i use some additives, like fuel injector cleaners ? Any recommandations ?
Any ideas are welcome.
Appreciate all the help. Thanks.

Sorry for all these questions.

Did the dealer give you the error code? that would be a nice start. If not, you'd get VCDS and check for codes. However, you can disconnect the MAF and see if it runs better.

No they did not gave me the codes, but i will go to Autozone in couple hours and have them read the codes. I will put them up here as soon as i get them .
Would that be ok to run without MAF ?"

You are going to need a real scan tool to allow us to give you much help with this. Autozone isn't the source.

www.ross-tech.com

Sounds like you got a nice find, though!

Seems the car sat for a long time. I'd go over everything, little things like vacuum tubes, frozen turbo actuator or vanes can cause your symptoms.
https://www.tdiclub.com/TDIFAQ/TDiFAQ-1.html

Bet it has the original timing belt. At 16 years old, replace it NOW.

I got a 03 in January with 135k first thing i did was remove the intake and turbo for cleaning becuase i kept going into "limp mode"

Wel, it is my first diesel, i have no clue how much it is to replace the timing belt. Autozone gave me PO234 if i remember correctly , and it says soemthing about turbo oberboost condition . I looked at the vacuum lines, they look pretty loose, and easily removable by hand.
The second code was about the thermostat , but i have not seen the coolant going over 190degrees. But to change the timing belt i have to take it to the dealer, or some good diesel mechanic.
i have just seen the list with the trusted mechanics. Thank you .

I have been to the delaer last week and i told them that the car doesnt go over 85 mph and i believe that all they did was to turn off the engine light . They did not do nothing most likely , because after i took the car out on the road, i took it to 85 mph and the light showed up again .and the same symptoms.

Any estimates about how much is to replace the timing belt ?

I have the paperwork from the dealer , i have to look in there to see what they were saying about being faulty related to the check engine light.

If this car sat for a long period of time you've got some catch up work to do. More or less depending on the environment (inside or outside, dry or wet). We could speculate on why it won't go over 85, but as oilhammer said, you need to have it scanned by a VW-specific tool to determine why.

But in the absence of any data that shows a recent (within the last 5 years) timing belt service, you should replace it immediately. By immediately I mean don't drive the car until you do. If it fails (and there's a variety of ways it can fail), you'll most likely destroy the cylinder head as this is an interference engine.

The thermostat fault is most likely a thermostat stuck open. Not a big deal, and easy to replace during the timing belt service. Parts for the timing belt service are about $270, and you need special tools to complete the job. I believe most shops charge $800-$1000+ for the service including parts.

You probably should also replace all the vacuum lines. And of course filters and fluids, including the gear oil. After that I'd get codes read and see where you stand. You'll need VCDS to check the timing after the belt replacement anyway.

Fluids were replaced. Hoses is something i can replace. It will cost me an arm an a leg to do it, feels like that. I will look into the papers i have from dealer, i am wondering what they are saying about the check engine light.

dacianus said:

Any estimates about how much is to replace the timing belt ?

Click to expand...

Parts about $300, labor another $500. of course it can vary a little. It would be super important to go to someone who knows what they're doing with a TDI engine. Correct installation is critical.

As for your code, (if your memory is correct) check here - http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/16618/P0234/000564

I'd check vacuum hoses very carefully (all of them) and then look at the rest of the suggested diagnostics

Here's all you need for the vacuum hoses: https://www.idparts.com/vacuum-hose-kit-a4-alh-p-5660.html. Just replace one at a time so you don't lose track. Use a razor blade to cut the hoses off the plastic parts so you don't break anything. Only takes an hour or so.

Spend some $$$ on that car and it will be good for another 200k easily.

oldpoopie said:

Spend some $$$ on that car and it will be good for another 200k easily.

Click to expand...

Exactly. It's cheaper to spend the money up front on maintenance than it is to fix a failure due to lack of maintenance.
Eric

It turns out the turbo was stuck, dealer was able to have it going. VAcuumm hoses were all loose really bad, replaced the 3 mm ones, it works alot better, pulls faster.
I still have to replace the 5 mm ones.
But now it turns out there is no AC in it at all. And the other issue i have with it is the following: I can set the time in the dashboard, and the daily trip check is recording the miles driven daily. But every time i stop the car and restart the car the time is resetting to 12:00 and the daily trip check to 0 !!!

Any thoughts on that ?

I have searched on the forum some info about AC, found this : A/C Pro R-134a PAG 46 Refrigerant Oil With ICE 32 (8 fl. oz.)

This is what this car takes to refill the line ? Is this something i can do at home ?

Little update: After watching all these videos showing people with stuffed EGR`s i have decided to look into mine. It looks perfectly clean , just some oily substance, might be oil or just a thin layer of diesel.



Thank you

This might sound silly , but what is the recommended tire pressure for the 2003 jetta tdi ? Only Info i was able to find it was on the gas ( diesel) cap. That info got me more into confussion.

Also i am replacing the old tires from 195/65/15 to a 205/60/15
What you guys think about that ?

205/60-15 are smaller diameter than the stock tires. If you want something larger and are using stock (6") rims I'd go with 205/65-15s. If you want something wider, 215/60-15s are the right diameter.

People have a lot of opinions about tire pressures here. I run 36F/34R. But that's me.

According to https://tiresize.com/comparison, 205/60 is about a quarter inch smaller in diameter - not enough to by concerned about, IMHO.

I've run 205/60s on my car for most of its life.

That probably turns the 3 MPH speedo error into a 5 MPH error. I know some wouldn't worry about that, but it would drive me nuts.

I found my first 2 sets of tires worn on both outer edges as time went on.
I raised the pressure and checked the depth across the tire & a few times & found 40 gives me the best wear.
I'm still below the max recommended pressure.

dacianus said:

It turns out the turbo was stuck, dealer was able to have it going. VAcuumm hoses were all loose really bad, replaced the 3 mm ones, it works alot better, pulls faster.
I still have to replace the 5 mm ones.
But now it turns out there is no AC in it at all. And the other issue i have with it is the following: I can set the time in the dashboard, and the daily trip check is recording the miles driven daily. But every time i stop the car and restart the car the time is resetting to 12:00 and the daily trip check to 0 !!!
Any thoughts on that ?
I have searched on the forum some info about AC, found this : A/C Pro R-134a PAG 46 Refrigerant Oil With ICE 32 (8 fl. oz.)
This is what this car takes to refill the line ? Is this something i can do at home ?
Little update: After watching all these videos showing people with stuffed EGR`s i have decided to look into mine. It looks perfectly clean , just some oily substance, might be oil or just a thin layer of diesel.
Thank you

Click to expand...

A common cause of the AC not working is the radiator fan(s) and/or control module.
The fans have to come on for the AC to work.
Another common problem is a valve that is in the AC compressor. It is replaceable.

I have had the instrument reset happen and it was a bad ground or loose connection.
It is pretty easy to trace and fix.
Another possibility is the ignition switch.

So, little update:
I have dropped in some r134A coolant but it went straight on the ground after the first can went in , it was leaking on the left side, near the bottom corner of the radiator.
It was leaking pretty bad so i can assume that there is a big hole in the line? some hose ?

What is the box that sits on top of the battery ?

Thank you !!

> It was leaking pretty bad so i can assume that there is a big hole in the line?


There are lines to the condenser there. I would inspect the A/C lines and the condenser for leaks.



> What is the box that sits on top of the battery ?


Fuse box.

It leaked pretty bad, i had a puddle of coolant under the car in less than 30 seconds.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

That probably turns the 3 MPH speedo error into a 5 MPH error. I know some wouldn't worry about that, but it would drive me nuts.

Click to expand...

I've honestly not detected a noticeable difference in speedo error. The site I linked shows estimated speedo errors from the size differential, but I don't know if their math checks out (after all, actual sizes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so that's one error bar). Overall diameter change was 0.3 inches, or about 1% per the site.

I did do a "calibrated eyeball" check of the odo on the run to work this morning, and one mile per the mile marker signs seemed to still match to 1 mile on the odo.

I can be a bit OCD too, but seems to me like this is down in the realm of "measurement accuracy". To each their own...

One of those roadside radar things showed my bug to be off by like 8%. But I rarely even look at the speedometer after 45 years of driving.

I am not going to freak out about speed not being exactly shown as the dashboard, but what i am interested is the following: Will the car handle better with 205/60/15 ? Will there be a smoother ride due to the tire being wider ?

One more question to be answered. Thanks in advance.

The factory radio is a Moonsoon in the car . ( I have a feeling that i have posted this question already , but i can not find it )
The unit is dead, some part is shorting the unit everytime when the unit is replaced and turned on.
Are they pretty good , these Moonson units ? I can get one from the a junk yard for few dollars, just to keep the original look. Anyone knows where i can buy those blades called removal DIN tools, from a brick store :? I have found them on amazon . I just dont want to pay money to someone to do it.

It seems also that the 2003 and 2004 models are identical , so most likely they can be swapped around,correct ??
I did some further research , looking to get a double din from a 2006 passat , aftermarket model , and it is using the same wire harness for steering wheel controls, like 2003 or 2004.

Thank you .....