2002 Golf - I'm back in a TDI!

Zak99b5

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2021
Location
Albany NY
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
@Zak99b5 might want to think about different ones. The first time I pulled these off to put on my new tires, the tabs on three of them were broken.

Yes! I hate those big Avus caps. Tabs break, logo gets dented when trying to pop them on, and they are not cheap to replace.

Ones that cover just the center hole are what I’m looking for. I think 60mm outer size would be good, and the skinny part of the clips is like 57mm. The ones I ordered from Europe got cancelled & refunded. So looking for more.
 

spifflifkin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Location
WA
TDI
2002 Golf
The felt and thin board was getting kind of weak. So today I cut out a piece of plywood to fit in there underneath of it. Now when I'm carrying my toolboxes I'm not worried about it destroying that sparetire cover.

 

spifflifkin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Location
WA
TDI
2002 Golf
Weren't hardwood floors inside trunks & hatches a thing in like the early 2000s? But this is functional (y)
I think you're right! I did find a bunch of posts of people put nice looking floors. I put the felt cover and my WeatherTech on top of it so you can't see it. Loaded about 30 lb of tools back there this morning and it was nice and solid :)
 

spifflifkin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Location
WA
TDI
2002 Golf
I got a new OEM valve cover from Cascade German today. Hopefully that won't leak like the 2 aftermarket one's I got from IDParts. I'll put that on this weekend if I have some time.

tl;dr Can anyone give me tips on troubleshooting error code 00771? Details below.

Since I've been driving it a while I thought it's be good to check for error codes. I have no CEL.

I'm still getting these:

01304 - Radio
49-00 - No Communications
01336 - Company Data Bus for Comfort System
80-00 - Single-Wire Operation
00771 - Fuel Level Sensor (G)
30-10 - Open or Short to Plus - Intermittent

Correct me if I'm wrong here.

01304 - I have an aftermarket deck so this one is expected.

01336 - I know there is something wrong with one of the rear doors (I can't remember which one it is) wiring or door latch. I can lock the car and get the alarm beep with the door open. That might cause this one.

00771 - I'd like to figure this one out. I noticed the gas gauge would move close to 1/8th of a tank for a while the revert back. Maybe it's wrong most of the time and the ~1/8th movement is correct.

Troubleshooting:
  • I put in a new sending unit and seal from Cascade German. That didn't fix the movement or remove the code.
  • I removed the cluster and checked the pins for damage. They all looked good.
Next steps:
  • The Ross-Tech site suggests a possible wiring problem between the fuel level sensor and the instrument cluster. I'll check that this weekend if I have time.
  • It also says to check the measuring block value. I need to check out the Ross-Tech site to find which one. Just found this in VWVortex* "Measuring values for the fuel sender are in Group 002.3 = Fuel Sender Resistance"
Can anyone give me any troubleshooting tips for the 00771 error code?

Thank you!

Edit: Added info from VWVortex*
 
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spifflifkin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Location
WA
TDI
2002 Golf
Installed the new OEM valve cover over lunch today. Hopefully that'll stop the leaking.

 
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burpod

teh stallionz!!1
Joined
Nov 27, 2004
Location
cape cod, ma
TDI
82 rabbit vnt ahu, 98 jetta vnt ahu, 05 parts car, 88 scirocco.. :/
should have put the $$ of a sending unit towards a lift pump :p rockauto has a made in germany VDO one for $190, then a few bucks in wiring supplies :). lift pump is a big help and eliminates the issue of air bubbles forever
 

spifflifkin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Location
WA
TDI
2002 Golf
should have put the $$ of a sending unit towards a lift pump :p
Good point! I totally forgot about a lift pump as an option. I get that pesky little bubble in the fuel line from time to time. That'll be a good summer upgrade project!
 

csstevej

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 12, 2004
Location
north nj
TDI
2001 golf tdi 4 door auto now a manual, mine, 2000 golf 2 door M/T son's,daughters 98 NB non-TDI 2.0, 2003 TDI NB for next daughter, head repaired and on road,glutton for punishment got another tdi 2001NB,another yellow tdi NB , added an 06 NB DSG
Well worth it ….
 

spifflifkin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Location
WA
TDI
2002 Golf
Troubleshooting the fuel gauge tonight. The connector looked good. There was no short on on the lilac/black wire. The brown/white had a good connection to ground. I couldn't figure out the measuring block to check though.


I know that people are getting more than this, but I got 600 miles on a tank! The fuel warning light came on at 596 miles. I read that means that there should be about 1.8 gallons left. Since the fuel gauge is a little weird I though I better fill up. I got 15 gallons in it. That's 40 mpg for that tank. This tank was almost evenly split with city and freeway driving. 300 miles was a 1 day round trip to eastern WA about 70mph most of the way. The other 300 was stop and go local streets.
I got a bit of a scare at the gas station. I had to pull the fuel door release about 10 times before it opened. Yikes!
 

spifflifkin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Location
WA
TDI
2002 Golf
The rear driver door door lock module seems to have a problem. The alarm will beep when the door is open. So, today I tackled changing that.
I got it all apart then found that the new door lock module I bought didn't have that plastic bracket with it. All of the mount pins are broken and the bracket is broken off by the rivet that holds it to the door lock module...

Is that bracket necessary? I wasn't sure, so I put the old door lock module in. I've seen some of these at junk yards but they were all broken.

New one on the right. The bracket is just sitting there.


Left door lock module bracket p/n 1J4839767B
 

BoiseTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Location
Texas
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon CURRENT, 2002 Jetta Wagon - SOLD, 96 Golf - SOLD
Do you still have the duramax, how was it? I’ve thought about picking up one of the new 6s but they’re so dang expensive now lol. Nice score on the Golf.

I used to have a 2003 Jetta sedan TDI I bought a new. It had a ton of problems. Dealer sucked (Carter in Ballard, WA). I loved the car, but it was unreliable. Kept it for 5 years then traded it in on a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. Drive that for 8 years then got a Chevy Duramax. I don't tow as much as I used to so a commuter car makes more sense. I bought this 2002 Golf off Craigslist for $1500. Let the fun begin!

It's in decent shape for its age. It's got some dents, scratches and other wear that you'd expect. The only significant problem is the engine is seized. There's a hole in the side of the block by the oil filter housing. Today I'm going to drain the fluids to prepare to pull the engine. I'll post more pics later.





 

spifflifkin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Location
WA
TDI
2002 Golf
Do you still have the duramax, how was it?
Yep, I still have it. It's a great truck. It's had a few problems that are typical to this generation. Luckily the CP4 hasn't died yet. Overall, it's been pretty problem free.

Over the past few years it's mostly been used to tow the University of Washington's FSAE race car for testing and competition. After this year I won't be trailering it anymore as my kid is graduating.

This is on the way back to Seattle from MI last year.


Here's their car after getting 3rd overall at Michigan International Raceway last year.


I’ve thought about picking up one of the new 6s but they’re so dang expensive now lol.
You got that right! That's on reason I'm keeping the truck. It's more than I need, but it's paid off.

Nice score on the Golf.
Thanks! It's been a fun project! I like VW's. Here's my other one.
 

spifflifkin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Location
WA
TDI
2002 Golf
Very nice, love that doka. Im about to bring a mk4 golf wagon back from Germany. Should be fun, its in cherry condition as far as I can tell.
Thanks! I saw your car in one of the threads. I've never seen a Golf wagon. That's pretty cool!
 

spifflifkin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Location
WA
TDI
2002 Golf
Just got through my first tank commuting to work only (no freeway trips). It's 20 miles round trip. In the morning it's local streets plus about 5 miles of freeway. Evenings are local streets only, no freeway. I've done the ventectomy. I don't baby it, but I don't drive too aggressively either.

I filled up when the low fuel warning came on. 15.17 gallons at 537.9 miles, 35.5 mpg.
 

spifflifkin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Location
WA
TDI
2002 Golf
I had to got to Portland for work earlier this week. There is a Pick-n-Pull close to work! I stopped in there and scored a left rear door card. I pulled mine off a couple weeks ago to try and replace the arm rest cloth. I found that it was in pretty bad shape.
I also got some weather stripping.

On the way down I drove the speed limit (mixed 60 & 70 mph) and got 46mpg.
On the way home I drove like I wanted to get home, but was stuck in about 30 minutes of stop and go traffic and also got 46 mpg.

I fill up right before getting on the freeway and right after. It's about 175 miles each way.

 

T1MMBOJONES

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2020
Location
Milwaukee
TDI
2013 CJAA JSW/DSG
I was just gonna ask how you scored a TDI for that price in WA, but makes sense now. Good luck with the swap!
From another WA resident with an 02 Golf
i bought my first fully functioning tdi, an 03 auto wagon, for $1200 in 2019. drove it 30,000 miles until the infamous auto started having issues. its possible it needed a new valve body, consisered a manual swap but it was only supposed to be a commuter for one job that would last about a year. didnt realize how much i would enjoy a car as id only ever owned large diesel trucks and vans prior. decided maybe a $1200 20 year old car wasnt the best choice as a new daily and bought a 2013 jsw/dsg instead...still sold the 03 for $2500 with a bad trans but it did include two new sets of tires, and one set of new steelies with the winter tires mounted to. kid who bought it did the manual swap it deserved and to the best of my knowledge still drives it. long story short $1500 seems about $1000 too much in my opinion but if the op is happy🤷‍♂️
 

spifflifkin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Location
WA
TDI
2002 Golf
@T1MMBOJONES
I wish I could have found a TDI out here for $500! There are slim pickings as far as TDI's go around here. It's been a fun project!
 

T1MMBOJONES

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2020
Location
Milwaukee
TDI
2013 CJAA JSW/DSG
@T1MMBOJONES
I wish I could have found a TDI out here for $500! There are slim pickings as far as TDI's go around here. It's been a fun project!
i also sold mine somewhat inoperable for $1000 more than you paid so honestly you probably did ok but is it really a tdi if the tdi aint tdi'ng???....it did drive but was clearly in need of a trans. i had done full exhaust and new axles, all new door lock assemblies, rust repair and several other things ive forgotten about though so i basically broke even and the buyer was thrilled.
 

spifflifkin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Location
WA
TDI
2002 Golf
I wanted to give recovering the door card on that panel I just got from the Pick-n-Pull today.

I got the door card off okay. It is nasty moldy!


I wore a mask and scraped up as much of that off as I could. It's very gooey. Rubbing alcohol helped get some off but I ran out so this is as far as I got.


The door panel cleaned up very nicely.




Not sure if I should try to salvage that door card. The other side's kind of moldy too.
 

spifflifkin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Location
WA
TDI
2002 Golf
Got back from a 3 week trip and the battery was 12.3V. I'm happy that the battery draining problem is fixed. The car fired right up!
Now I'm on the lookout for a good drivers seat or some new foam. It's pretty worn and there is a constant dust of foam under it.
I've read that seats from later models can be installed. I might look in to that if I can't find some replacement foam.
 
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