"Engine Overboost Condition"

funkmaster · March 22nd, 2010, 18:56

hey guys,
I'm rather new to the whole TDI world, and am curious about the engine code i collected from my 2003 VW Jetta GLS TDI, reading "engine overboost condition" now what i have gathered so far is that a mechanic told me that the wastegate on my turbo charger is stuck in the open position. at this time my turbo charger has not been engaging at all in the past two weeks since the check engine light came on, and when it came on it was day one of my ownership of the vehicle and i really had no idea that the cars turbo wasnt working till my brother pointed it out.
anyway, questions are as follows...

1. do you guys think thats an accurate diagnosis
2. im pretty sure i know what the wastgate is on my car, but no idea how to remove or repair it.
3. any other ideas on what the problem could be?

Thanks a lot guys
~Josh

Joester · March 22nd, 2010, 19:42

there is no wastegate on the ALH engined TDIs (yours) what you have i believe is a sticky turbo. where soot builds up in the variable vanes that control boost (the vanes take the place of a wastegate on a "regular" turbo)

read these

Cleaning a VNT turbo: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=140910

And because you MIGHT have a myriad of other problems, check this out

Diagnosing limp mode: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread...sing+limp+mode

good luck

puter · March 22nd, 2010, 19:46

Please see the link in my sig about troubleshooting limp mode / low power.

There are other things that can cause this condition than the turbo vanes sticking as Joester describes. There are troubleshooting techniques that will narrow this down without having to go through the effort of cleaning the turbo. The link has a step by step troubleshooting guide to walk you through these steps.

funkmaster · March 22nd, 2010, 20:58

you mentioned that often the cause is from people switching gears too early.... my car is auto trani, and was driven agressively i think... based on the previous owner from CT.. does that mean i should look out for anything??

Joester · March 22nd, 2010, 21:03

Not anything with the turbo, but I hope you are up to date on the 02M because if you're not then you're in for a sweet treat around 150k.

funkmaster · March 23rd, 2010, 11:08

uhmm.. 02M?

puter · March 23rd, 2010, 11:10

He meant 01m.

Joester · March 23rd, 2010, 13:54

lol, oops. yeah 01m. i got my 02j and 01ms mixed... theres just soo many codes, lol. ALH BEW 02j 01m A4 A3 B5.5 1Z etc.

=)

funkmaster · March 23rd, 2010, 22:02

lol, my issue was i havent any idea what either of those codes mean...

puter · March 23rd, 2010, 23:34

01m is the type of automatic transmission you have.

They tend to die sometime around 120-150k and cost about $5000 to replace.

Comparatively, it costs a little bit less to swap over to a manual, and the manual transmission tends to last the life of the car (400k).