Odd noise from engine

MichaelGolf613

Active member
Joined
Mar 5, 2020
Location
Ottawa
TDI
2003 Golf TDI
Odd noise coming from left side of engine near the belts


No ideas need suggestions / advice

2003 VW Golf TDI
 
Last edited:

300D

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2018
Location
New England
TDI
Mk6
That’s not a good sound. I would turn it off immediately. Then pull the top half of the timing belt cover off with the three clips.
It sounds like you have fried your timing belt and rubber strips are flapping around in there.
 

MichaelGolf613

Active member
Joined
Mar 5, 2020
Location
Ottawa
TDI
2003 Golf TDI
That’s not a good sound. I would turn it off immediately. Then pull the top half of the timing belt cover off with the three clips.
It sounds like you have fried your timing belt and rubber strips are flapping around in there.
Is a timing belt replacement the fix here?
 

STDOUBT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Location
Portland, effing Oregon
TDI
dos jettas
The fix will be known when the problem is discovered.
Like 300D says, don't run it until you have examined everything that moves in both the TB track, and the serpentine belt track. All rollers... everything that moves is suspect.
If it were mine, I'd raise the front end, take off all covers, eyeball every inch of the TB, remove the serp belt and play with all the rollers there too. Look for anything abnormal. Any radial play in anything that rolls - it gets replaced.
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
Oh good lord no.
Please no
Please
Pleeee..............................

Ok, no seriously. Dont run it. High chance the engine is totalled but just incase it's ok, put the engine into TDC. Take a look at the timing belt as mentioned.
If you cant do that, (you should be able to) then just forget working on it until you know exactly whata going on.
Do not become a random parts change please.
 

MichaelGolf613

Active member
Joined
Mar 5, 2020
Location
Ottawa
TDI
2003 Golf TDI
Oh good lord no.
Please no
Please
Pleeee..............................

Ok, no seriously. Dont run it. High chance the engine is totalled but just incase it's ok, put the engine into TDC. Take a look at the timing belt as mentioned.
If you cant do that, (you should be able to) then just forget working on it until you know exactly whata going on.
Do not become a random parts change please.
TDC? & How
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
Yea. No offence. You can google any of these terms or do a search here or look up a guide on whatever task your asking about.
It's not that we dont want you to learn, we do. Just it's a level of mechanical work that is risky with out any mechanical knowlage or skills. Please. Go ahead and try. But if this car is important to you getting to worker your not willing to take the risk, have somone who is qualified to work on TDIs take care of this for you.
TDC is top dead center and refers to the timing marks on the engine.

There is only a few ways to learn how to do this stuff and they all require that you try and do the work weather you got a $education or the school or trial and error.
I would love to hear that you tried doing the work but if this is important to you and you cant take the risk of it not running, have a pro do it. There is a page here on our forms on trusted tdi mechanics in your area. Please do not go to the dealership or some shop that is not qualified.
If uou do want to learn and take the risk of destrying the engine( you wont if you ask before breaking things and listen to our guides) by all means lets have you do a timing belt job. You need a few speciatly tools (most can be made) you dknt need fancy sockets and wreches but you do need a very $$$ cable. Its called a VAG-COM cable and you an buy them from rosstech or used on ebay. Look for an old one that has no VIN limit. Usually about $120 is a good sale price, 95 is a deal. 300+ otherwise for newer stuff. You need a laptop for this as well.
If your up for doong this job and you have no tools, about $700 should be enough for cheap tools, a cable, the belt kit, and a few beers when your done. Probably less. Tools are an investment so.......
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
I would highly encurage you to at least look for the issue yourself
Look up how to out your tdi into tdc, follow the guid, do not rotate from anytjing other than the cranksaft, by hand. Inspect the timjng belt. If its not missing any teeth, and all the marks lign up and there is no sign of wear on the timing belt, its probablu ok to run it. But not drive it. Reguardless, do not drive it till hou sort out what the noise if from.
 

Tdijarhead

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 10, 2013
Location
Lawrenceville PA
TDI
2003 TDI Jetta Daughters Car, 2001 TDI Beetle, Wife’s car, 2005 Golf TDI Mine, all 5 spds
Here’s the timing belt replacement guide. It shows how to set the engine at TDC. Touch the download button the document is a pdf. About 150 pages many of them huge pics so if you have slow internet grab a cup of coffee.

 

JB05

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Location
Il.USA
TDI
Golf,2005,anthracite blue
Thanks for the update. Did you determine this yourself? If so, kudos to you.
 

300D

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2018
Location
New England
TDI
Mk6
Turned out to be the belt and the alternator was faulty
Good news. The serpentine belt? Nice and easy fix. I actually think the serpentine belt and it's system is pretty nifty. All the accessories perfectly aligned to use one belt in a crazy serpentine layout that are all tensioned perfectly by one hydraulic piston. Compare this to my 1995 Toyota T100 (Which I love) that has three different belts all with the bolts to hold the accessory on that are hard to reach, and then the bolts that tension, which all get rusty as hell and never seem to hold the right tension in the belt. Probably some great technical drawings during the VW design process to get everything perfectly aligned.
 
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