Second Turbo
Veteran Member
The car still runs, and at 253,000 miles, I have no real complaints, but decisions probably need to be made, and soon.
The point of starting this thread is to ensure I understand the situation, and the alternatives. Meanwhile, the TDI is has now been demoted from primary commuter (24K miles per year) to being our backup vehicle, and we keep it at or below 55 mph when we have to run it.
This is an original-owner Jetta GLS TDI Wagon, bought in July 2002. Engine code is ALH (this is not a PD, as I has supposed in some other threads). Transmission code is FDB, the "legendary" 01M.
Although P0811, Excessive Clutch Slippage, is not in my Bentley manual, I understand that it implicates the transmission, and not the torque converter. The car could be, and probably is, throwing other codes, but the now-frequent P0811s are evidently pushing them off the stack.
In addition to the recent MIL illuminations during acceleration, the symptoms are RPM slips in all higher gears. On our mild hills, at 55 mph, I see rpms anywhere from 1600 to 2900. MPG, somewhat surprisingly, is not obviously affected yet.
The drive train has been hinting at failure for a very long time. After about 100,000 miles, I started seeing little 100 rpm blips every 15 seconds or so, while running on level ground - no codes. This may be an entirely different problem.
The choices appear to be:
1. Replace the car entirely.
Repair:
2. Stick conversion.
3. Aftermarket reman tran.
4. VW "factory" reman tran.
5. Recharge fluid. Consider valve body.
Replace?
Were it not for the festering HPFP problem, we'd have a 2012 SportWagen TDI on order already. But, as I've said on the HPFP thread, I have zero confidence that current CRs will make it to 250K without at least one $9K repair, or if sold earlier, that TDI resale values will remain elevated once the general public comprehends VW's "Pinto moment" on this matter.
We're surveying the market, but in the U.S., I've so far seen nothing with specs comparable to a Jetta TDI SportWagen. I want 42+mpg diesel (or 35+ RUG), 0-60 under 10 sec, carries 4 adults and their luggage, has roof rails that adaptable to support 12-foot long objects, has reasonable comforts, is priced well under USD$30K, and isn't hideously ugly. Detroit seems to be near rediscovering diesel and/or small block turbo, but probably not soon enough.
Repair?
Any further investment in this machine is a gamble. It's going to need all new tires in addition to any other work. The turbo is fixin' to fail, and the TC is a big unknown. See my next response for the full rap sheet. The car is, however, cheap to tag and insure, and if one budgets the equivalent of new car payments per year, that could cover a lot. Of course, the book value is dirt, and the next deer strike could result in an insurance "total" that is far less than what the car is worth to us.
As forum users have pointed out, even if you could get a brand new 01M, you'd still only have an 01M. I'm willing to consider installing a 5-speed. I don't have the time to locate and pull one, so I'd need to be able to order one (or better yet, a kit). I also need someone equipped for and experienced in performing the swap, located within 200 miles of Zip 67431. I suspect that both a kit supplier, and a regional installer can be found.
I presume that a stick conversion causes the TC itself, and any unknown failure risks therein, to simply vanish.
Our dealer is estimating $3500 for a 3rd-party remanufactured 01M (12M/12K warranty), and over $5K for a VW (which I think was 24M/24K). Problem is, driving 24K miles per year, those are really only 6 month and 1 year warranties. The dealer doesn't do stick conversions (and didn't even understand the question when I asked).
The dealer hasn't seen the car since the P0811 appeared, but has suggested checking the transmission fluid, and possibly replacing the valve body. From what I've read on this forum, even if one or both of those steps appears to fix the problem, it's likely to be surprisingly temporary.
Is that about it?
The point of starting this thread is to ensure I understand the situation, and the alternatives. Meanwhile, the TDI is has now been demoted from primary commuter (24K miles per year) to being our backup vehicle, and we keep it at or below 55 mph when we have to run it.
This is an original-owner Jetta GLS TDI Wagon, bought in July 2002. Engine code is ALH (this is not a PD, as I has supposed in some other threads). Transmission code is FDB, the "legendary" 01M.
Although P0811, Excessive Clutch Slippage, is not in my Bentley manual, I understand that it implicates the transmission, and not the torque converter. The car could be, and probably is, throwing other codes, but the now-frequent P0811s are evidently pushing them off the stack.
In addition to the recent MIL illuminations during acceleration, the symptoms are RPM slips in all higher gears. On our mild hills, at 55 mph, I see rpms anywhere from 1600 to 2900. MPG, somewhat surprisingly, is not obviously affected yet.
The drive train has been hinting at failure for a very long time. After about 100,000 miles, I started seeing little 100 rpm blips every 15 seconds or so, while running on level ground - no codes. This may be an entirely different problem.
The choices appear to be:
1. Replace the car entirely.
Repair:
2. Stick conversion.
3. Aftermarket reman tran.
4. VW "factory" reman tran.
5. Recharge fluid. Consider valve body.
Replace?
Were it not for the festering HPFP problem, we'd have a 2012 SportWagen TDI on order already. But, as I've said on the HPFP thread, I have zero confidence that current CRs will make it to 250K without at least one $9K repair, or if sold earlier, that TDI resale values will remain elevated once the general public comprehends VW's "Pinto moment" on this matter.
We're surveying the market, but in the U.S., I've so far seen nothing with specs comparable to a Jetta TDI SportWagen. I want 42+mpg diesel (or 35+ RUG), 0-60 under 10 sec, carries 4 adults and their luggage, has roof rails that adaptable to support 12-foot long objects, has reasonable comforts, is priced well under USD$30K, and isn't hideously ugly. Detroit seems to be near rediscovering diesel and/or small block turbo, but probably not soon enough.
Repair?
Any further investment in this machine is a gamble. It's going to need all new tires in addition to any other work. The turbo is fixin' to fail, and the TC is a big unknown. See my next response for the full rap sheet. The car is, however, cheap to tag and insure, and if one budgets the equivalent of new car payments per year, that could cover a lot. Of course, the book value is dirt, and the next deer strike could result in an insurance "total" that is far less than what the car is worth to us.
As forum users have pointed out, even if you could get a brand new 01M, you'd still only have an 01M. I'm willing to consider installing a 5-speed. I don't have the time to locate and pull one, so I'd need to be able to order one (or better yet, a kit). I also need someone equipped for and experienced in performing the swap, located within 200 miles of Zip 67431. I suspect that both a kit supplier, and a regional installer can be found.
I presume that a stick conversion causes the TC itself, and any unknown failure risks therein, to simply vanish.
Our dealer is estimating $3500 for a 3rd-party remanufactured 01M (12M/12K warranty), and over $5K for a VW (which I think was 24M/24K). Problem is, driving 24K miles per year, those are really only 6 month and 1 year warranties. The dealer doesn't do stick conversions (and didn't even understand the question when I asked).
The dealer hasn't seen the car since the P0811 appeared, but has suggested checking the transmission fluid, and possibly replacing the valve body. From what I've read on this forum, even if one or both of those steps appears to fix the problem, it's likely to be surprisingly temporary.
Is that about it?
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