2002 Golf - I'm back in a TDI!
- Thread starter spifflifkin
- Start date
spifflifkin
Veteran Member
I was poking around the engine today and found that the clear fuel tube was nearly empty. I turned on the key but there was a semi idling near me so I couldn't hear anything. But, I saw that there was no movement in the clear fuel line. The car started fine.
Once I got home I found that the lift pump wasn't turning on. All the cables were connects, the fuse wasn't blown. I found that the relay was lose in the socket. The relay receptacle I used from the junk yard appears to be for a relay with larger lugs. When I wiggle it, the pump starts and stops. I'll look around to find a different receptacle.
Once I got home I found that the lift pump wasn't turning on. All the cables were connects, the fuse wasn't blown. I found that the relay was lose in the socket. The relay receptacle I used from the junk yard appears to be for a relay with larger lugs. When I wiggle it, the pump starts and stops. I'll look around to find a different receptacle.
P2B
Top Post Dawg
wonneber
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2011
- Location
- Monroe, NY, USA
- TDI
- 2014 Jetta Sportwagon,2003 Jetta 261K Sold but not forgotten
I was poking around the engine today and found that the clear fuel tube was nearly empty. I turned on the key but there was a semi idling near me so I couldn't hear anything. But, I saw that there was no movement in the clear fuel line. The car started fine.
Once I got home I found that the lift pump wasn't turning on. All the cables were connects, the fuse wasn't blown. I found that the relay was lose in the socket. The relay receptacle I used from the junk yard appears to be for a relay with larger lugs. When I wiggle it, the pump starts and stops. I'll look around to find a different receptacle.
The ALH does not have a lift pump in the tank.
That's why you didn't see movement or would hear anything even w/out the truck running.
P2B
Top Post Dawg
The OP has a lift pump. He didn't hear it until he wiggled his flaky relay socket.
wonneber
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2011
- Location
- Monroe, NY, USA
- TDI
- 2014 Jetta Sportwagon,2003 Jetta 261K Sold but not forgotten
spifflifkin
Veteran Member
I'm a bit burned out on this project. I'm going to fix a few more small things then put it up for sale. It's been fun!
spifflifkin
Veteran Member
P2B
Top Post Dawg
Whoa now not so fast! Lol.
Seriously though I can’t believe you’d want to part with it after all you’ve done to it!
spifflifkin
Veteran Member
I got out of it what I wanted. It was more about the journey. I brought a car back from the dead and got it to where it's pretty solid. Hopefully the next owner is mechanically inclined and keeps it going. It should have a long life ahead of it!
Now I just need to figure out a reasonable asking price. It'll come with a lot of spare parts too.
Now I just need to figure out a reasonable asking price. It'll come with a lot of spare parts too.
Shucks I sure hope you find an enthusiast to sell it to. I’ve seen too many of these poor cars just destroyed by people who don’t care.
spifflifkin
Veteran Member
What do you guys think a reasonable price that I could ask would be?
KrashDH
Top Post Dawg
The internet can't tell you that. You need to gauge the going rate in your area. I usually price stuff out within a couple hours drive of me. Ex: stuff is stupid expensive out where I'm at, most members would grumble at the prices these ALHs go for here
JonA
Veteran Member
No input on price but loved following your journey, hope it's not the last for you!
spifflifkin
Veteran Member
Good point. I checked Craigslist and there's only 1 MK4 TDI for sale "near" me. It's in Canada! It's a sedan. they want $8200. Cosmetically it looks better than mine.
Recently, I added all the receipts up and I have over $20k in the rebuild! Before anyone says it, I know I won't get anywhere close to that. My original plan was to keep this for a long time, but things have changed and it's time for this to go.
spifflifkin
Veteran Member
I hope so too! Maybe someone in this forum will buy it.
P2B
Top Post Dawg
Given the money and time you have put into this, it would be worth the effort to document everything and advertise widely. People who like these cars really like them, and some will travel long distances to pay silly money for a good example.
spifflifkin
Veteran Member
tl;dr
I've been dragging my feet on selling it.
In preparation for selling it, I removed the EGR delete, removed the .260 injectors and put the .205's in. And, I swapped the 11mm pump for the 10mm. it's close to stock now.
I fixed a weird noise in the engine. It was the 10mm IP I rebuilt.
There's another potential wiring or CCM problem I need to figure out.
IP
When I put the engine together I installed the 10mm IP I rebuilt. Shortly after getting it running I was troubleshooting bubbles in the fuel line so I installed the 10mm pump that came with the replacement engine. I ran that most of the time since then.
A while later I installed an EGR delete, PD150 intake manifold, MAF delete, a 3bar MAP, .260 injectors, 11mm pump and a @burpod tune. I also installed a lift pump.
When I swapped things back to stock-ish, I wanted to put the 10mm IP that came with the replacement engine since it had a great track record. But, the nut on the fuel shutoff was stuck to the stud so I installed the IP I rebuilt so I could hook up the lift pump signal to the IP.
I didn't drive it a lot after this, but one day driving to work the car barely got up to operating temp after 10 miles. It was about 35° F. burpod suggested that the thermostat might be stuck open. So, I checked the upper and lower radiator hoses to make sure the upper was getting hot before the lower. It seemed like things were OK so I drive home. At home I popped the hood just to take a look and I discovered a new noise.
It only happened when the engine was warm and wasn't noticeable while in the car.
To troubleshoot this I removed the accessory belt to see if the noise persisted. It did. It sounded ilke it was coming from the IP.
Today I installed a new fuel shutoff, fuel temperature sensor and seal kit on the IP that came with the replacement engine. I got that installed and the noise was no longer there. Maybe someday I'll take it apart and see what's wrong.
Wiring/CCM
Next (I'm not sure when) I'll check out the wiring in the doors to see if there are any problems.
I have 01336 and 01314 codes to sort out.
253958 miles
I've been dragging my feet on selling it.
In preparation for selling it, I removed the EGR delete, removed the .260 injectors and put the .205's in. And, I swapped the 11mm pump for the 10mm. it's close to stock now.
I fixed a weird noise in the engine. It was the 10mm IP I rebuilt.
There's another potential wiring or CCM problem I need to figure out.
IP
When I put the engine together I installed the 10mm IP I rebuilt. Shortly after getting it running I was troubleshooting bubbles in the fuel line so I installed the 10mm pump that came with the replacement engine. I ran that most of the time since then.
A while later I installed an EGR delete, PD150 intake manifold, MAF delete, a 3bar MAP, .260 injectors, 11mm pump and a @burpod tune. I also installed a lift pump.
When I swapped things back to stock-ish, I wanted to put the 10mm IP that came with the replacement engine since it had a great track record. But, the nut on the fuel shutoff was stuck to the stud so I installed the IP I rebuilt so I could hook up the lift pump signal to the IP.
I didn't drive it a lot after this, but one day driving to work the car barely got up to operating temp after 10 miles. It was about 35° F. burpod suggested that the thermostat might be stuck open. So, I checked the upper and lower radiator hoses to make sure the upper was getting hot before the lower. It seemed like things were OK so I drive home. At home I popped the hood just to take a look and I discovered a new noise.
It only happened when the engine was warm and wasn't noticeable while in the car.
To troubleshoot this I removed the accessory belt to see if the noise persisted. It did. It sounded ilke it was coming from the IP.
Today I installed a new fuel shutoff, fuel temperature sensor and seal kit on the IP that came with the replacement engine. I got that installed and the noise was no longer there. Maybe someday I'll take it apart and see what's wrong.
Wiring/CCM
Next (I'm not sure when) I'll check out the wiring in the doors to see if there are any problems.
I have 01336 and 01314 codes to sort out.
253958 miles
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spifflifkin
Veteran Member
Last Friday my wife got sideswiped on her way home.
Until we get a rental (dragging me feet), she'll drive my EV6 and the kid will drive my truck. I'll put some more miles on the Golf in the mean time.
First I need to resolve the fuel smell. The kid says it gives him a headache. It is pretty strong.
Until we get a rental (dragging me feet), she'll drive my EV6 and the kid will drive my truck. I'll put some more miles on the Golf in the mean time.
First I need to resolve the fuel smell. The kid says it gives him a headache. It is pretty strong.
79TA7.6
Veteran Member
- Joined
- May 8, 2006
- TDI
- 2003 TDI Jetta, 2002 TDI Golf, 2005 TDI Golf
That sucks. Hope the wife is fine. As for the fuel smell, if you are talking about your alh, check the return lines to make sure they are not cracked. Had an issue with the caps I had purchased cracking on #1.
JonA
Veteran Member
Did not mean to like that post, very sorry to hear that. Hope everyone's just fine and you don't have too much insurance BS to deal with.Last Friday my wife got sideswiped on her way home.
Until we get a rental (dragging me feet), she'll drive my EV6 and the kid will drive my truck. I'll put some more miles on the Golf in the mean time.
First I need to resolve the fuel smell. The kid says it gives him a headache. It is pretty strong.
spifflifkin
Veteran Member
Thanks! She's OK. Just bumbed. She loves that car!
Thanks for the tip! I should have been more specific. It smells when it's running. Smokes when I stand on it too. Light gray smoke.
I will take a look at the fuel lines just in case.
Thanks!
CanadianALH
Veteran Member
Why are you selling the golf? You put a lot of work in and it’s a nice example.
spifflifkin
Veteran Member
No problem!
The wife is fine. Just bumbed. I hope the repair goes smooth. I had an appointment to take it to a shop near me on Monday, but they called yesterday and said they can't work on aluminum cars. A bunch of that car is alum. We have an appointment on the 6th at a different shop. Fingers crossed! 
spifflifkin
Veteran Member
I'm not sure when I'll sell this. I'm still enjoying working on it.
Today's job was to inspect the condition of quarter panel vents. When taking apart the trunk interior in preparation to remove the bumper I found some water in the 2 cavities under the tail lights.
When I had the car torn apart during the original rebuild, I cleaned and sprayed some cosmoline in both sides. The original cosmoline was in decent shape. Not too melted. I'm glad I sprayed some more in there to prevent rust.
On the passenger side the 40mm body plug was pretty rotted. The driver side was OK. but I cleaned up the holes and replaced them both.
It looks like someone cut the undercoating off to replace them. The passenger side was inserted from the top and the driver side was inserted from the bottom.
I have a can of undercoating coming. I'll spray both plugs when I get it.
The quarter panel vents weren't in too bad of shape for their age. Water was leaking in though the gasket on the driver's side. The passenger side looked like it hadn't leaked yet.
Some of the flap were deformed and weren't closing. Some flaps were stuck closed.
I ordered a couple to replace these.
It looks like the main culprit behind the leaks was the tail light gaskets.
The passenger tail light was split open. Looks like someone might have been a bit rough removing it in the past.
I got everything cleaned up and taped closed to keep things dry until the quarter panel vents show up. I might just buy a new pair of tail lights.
I inspected both sunroof drains and they look good.
Hopefully I'll get all the parts I need before the duct tapes turns nasty!
Today's job was to inspect the condition of quarter panel vents. When taking apart the trunk interior in preparation to remove the bumper I found some water in the 2 cavities under the tail lights.
When I had the car torn apart during the original rebuild, I cleaned and sprayed some cosmoline in both sides. The original cosmoline was in decent shape. Not too melted. I'm glad I sprayed some more in there to prevent rust.
On the passenger side the 40mm body plug was pretty rotted. The driver side was OK. but I cleaned up the holes and replaced them both.
It looks like someone cut the undercoating off to replace them. The passenger side was inserted from the top and the driver side was inserted from the bottom.
I have a can of undercoating coming. I'll spray both plugs when I get it.
The quarter panel vents weren't in too bad of shape for their age. Water was leaking in though the gasket on the driver's side. The passenger side looked like it hadn't leaked yet.
Some of the flap were deformed and weren't closing. Some flaps were stuck closed.
I ordered a couple to replace these.
It looks like the main culprit behind the leaks was the tail light gaskets.
The passenger tail light was split open. Looks like someone might have been a bit rough removing it in the past.
I got everything cleaned up and taped closed to keep things dry until the quarter panel vents show up. I might just buy a new pair of tail lights.
I inspected both sunroof drains and they look good.
Hopefully I'll get all the parts I need before the duct tapes turns nasty!
spifflifkin
Veteran Member
I cleaned up both tail lights. The driver side seems to be OK.
If they don't come with rubber washers, I'll get some of McMaster. Scratch that. I ordered a rubber sheet and a punch set from Amazon. I got gaskets and plastic epoxy off Amazon too.
I'll repair the passenger side with some JB weld plastic epoxy.
Tail light assembly insulator (the grommet that the passenger tail light pin pops in to): 1J6945299
I'll repair the passenger side with some JB weld plastic epoxy.
Tail light assembly insulator (the grommet that the passenger tail light pin pops in to): 1J6945299
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spifflifkin
Veteran Member
Hello!
A couple years ago I wanted to get a commuter car. I wanted an EV6, but the wife didn't like it. Ironically I got one in the end.
After she said no on the EV6 I told her I was getting a commuter car anyways. I picked up the Golf in Sep 2023. I think I brought it home around March 2024. She did not and still doesn't like it. I could keep it, but we don't need 5 vehicles. It's a fun car and I've enjoyed rebuilding it. I'll probably keep it for a while because it's fun to work on.
CanadianALH
Veteran Member
How do you like the EV6? They look pretty cool and have some impressive numbers. When it came out I thought maybe one day I could have something like that. Did you get the GT?
spifflifkin
Veteran Member
So far I'm liking it! So does the kid and the wife. She wanted a grocery getter so she doesn't have to hear me complain about parking and crowds when she drags me to Costco in the truck. She also wanted an AWD vehicle for when it snows.
And the kid likes driving it more than the truck. This fits the bill perfectly.I like the look of it too. It's a little sporty and it doesn't stand out.
The range is OK. Kia claims 252 miles. So far I've only done 1 road trip to our main office in OR. When I charged up to 100%, it said I had 232 miles. It was about 37°F when I started and was about 32°F when I got to OR. It's a 180mi trip and I had 14 miles to spare! The cold really affects batteries. So does heat.
At public charging stations it was $.56/kWh in OR and $.59/kWh in WA. It cost about $45 to get back home and about $10 to get there (charged at home). It's about $.12/kWh charging at home. Usually I charge at work though. For comparison, it costs about $40 each way in the Duramax and about $15 in the Golf @$4.40/gal.
I think most of the range anxiety will come from not knowing if a charging station is occupied or broken.
I got the AWD GT Line. The GT sounds like a lot of fun though. I've only used the sport mode a couple times. It's fast enough for me.
On the down side, I really can't do much if something goes wrong. If you can't charge at home, it's expensive to drive! It's probably not something we'll drive on our summer road trips. I'll probably stop for 20 minutes on the way to OR to get a little extra range, which sucks. For daily commuting it's great.