252000 mi performance upgrades

[Myco]

Hey guys, I just completed the mufflerectomy and ventectomy, I don't know why I didn't do these long ago. Now I'm kicking around the idea of possibly upgrading nozzles and getting the RC2 for my 99.5 5 spd.

However...at this point it has a little over 252,000 miles on it. It runs like a champ, mileage is great (better than my '06 5 spd by a long shot), no complaints other than 3 second crank time on start up (hot or cold)???

Anyway, other than the expected clutch replacement, any additional issues I should consider with increased power on a driveline with those kind of miles? I'd like a little more GO, but I don't want to cause more problems than what its worth!

Myco

 

[cheeba]

Oh man, I love TDi's . . . only here would you see someone wanting to start modding at over 400,000KM.

Although, I would say hold off until you figure out why the engine takes 3 seconds to turn over. Low compression, perhaps?

 

[oldpoopie]

How old is your battery and starter? I'd guess the starter is tired.

 

[LNXGUY]

I am dropping a vnt20 into my car and it's got 267,000 miles on it

Not to worried. All depends if the car has been taken care of, if it has you should be good to go.

 

[dabear95]

I dunno, at that many miles I would be easing up on things. Obviously, LNXGUY disagrees. We are crazy!


Jason

 

[LNXGUY]

I just think that this car has given me a ****load of reliable miles, it doesn't owe me anything It blows up, it blows up.. I'll find a low mileage '03 for my daily and have fun with this on the weekends!

 

[peterkin]

I was wondering the same thing this guy was about my car. I have an '01 Jetta with 217k miles on the clock and was wondering if I should be adding nozzles. It's been chipped since 90k according to the original owner. We shall see though because the nozzles are on the way.

 

[Myco]

252,000

I just think that this car has given me a ****load of reliable miles, it doesn't owe me anything It blows up, it blows up.. I'll find a low mileage '03 for my daily and have fun with this on the weekends!

That is exactly what I was thinking! It has been great to me and I'd hate to mess it up, but if I do then maybe its time to find a suitable replacement and have some fun with it.

Regarding the Slow start...I had the compression checked about 40000 ago and while I can't remember the numbers, I do remember they were all "okay" (not outstanding, but not bad either). The Starter is original, and the battery is about 2 years old. It still cranks over at a good clip, but always takes 3-4 seconds to pop.

I have the Vag-com, but I haven't used it extensively, anything I should be looking at their for clues?

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Souzafone]

Nozzles first then chip. That way the chip is programmed considering the larger nozzles.Your clutch is strong enough stock, unless it's already worn. I'd be more concerned with cam followers at that mileage.My hard start when hot condition went away with RC3. The plan here is to replace anything that craps out in the future with bigger, better, faster, miles be damned.

 

[LNXGUY]

Myco, the hard starts are software related in the 99.5's. Mine suffers from the same thing, most 99.5 owners do. Best thing I can tell you is to make sure the starter is in good condition (Taking it apart and greasing it helps) and the battery is nice and strong.

I noticed that my car only takes a while during hot starts, the problem has decreased after I installed my 11mm pump. Another trick I noticed was NOT to wait until the glowplug light went out. As soon as you turn the key, start the car. Maybe it's all in my head, but it seemed to help.

People have that got chipped with Rocketchip, running the original European software have had the problem disappear. I am sure Jeff can elaborate some more.

 

[Darkhrse99]

Won't you ruin the glow plugs if you don't wait for the light to go out?

 

[cheeba]

I've got a question for you guys with the hard-starting: Do your cars smoke at all after it finally fires up?

 

[LNXGUY]

Won't you ruin the glow plugs if you don't wait for the light to go out?

Why would you ruin the glowplugs? At any temp above 40degree's they don't even function.

 

[Myco]

I've got a question for you guys with the hard-starting: Do your cars smoke at all after it finally fires up?

Mine gives me one nice puff of smoke, more so when it's cold.
---Ahhhh, I love the smell of diesel in the morning---

Is that a bad thing??

 

[n1das]

Do a search on "warm start problem" and you'll find a ton of info from previous threads over the years.

How's the injection timing? Could be starting a little hard due to retarded timing.

I can relate to modding at 252k miles....because that's how many miles I currently have on my 02 Golf TDI! My 02 Golf got chipped w/RC3 at 147k miles back in 2005. A clutch upgrade (VR6) and bigger nozzles (Sprint 520) soon followed. Then another nozzle upgrade (PP520's) later on and then an FMIC and mufflerectomy after that. Had I known what the PP520 nozzles would do, I would have gone straight to the PP520s the first time around. I simply went with what was recommended with what other mods I had at the time.

I've gone about as far as I want to go with mods except I've got a new VNT-17 turbo waiting to be installed if the stock turbo (VNT-15) has to come off for any reason in the future. Modding is a slippery slope and I've already traveled farther down that slope than originally intended.

If your TDI is in great running shape at 252k miles, don't worry about the miles being a factor in deciding whether to mod or not. Our engines take 60k to 100k miles just to fully break in properly and they're just entering their prime of life at 252k miles.

Good luck.

 

[Myco]

How's the injection timing? Could be starting a little hard due to retarded timing.

I will try to check it out tonight (this damn job keeps interfering with my wrench time).

I'm sure I could find it in the VAG forum, but if anyone knows off the top of their head and wants to tell me what module / # I should be checking out it would save me a little time.

 

[jayfrigginjones]

Won't you ruin the glow plugs if you don't wait for the light to go out?

I know that starting older and crappier diesel engines (like the international 6.2L) while the glow plugs are cycling is bad news. This makes them mushroom out and stop working and possibly even break off. I have never read anything about mushroomed glowplugs in this forum so i suppose it's not an issue witht the Tdi's. The 6.2 has a pre-combustion chamber in which the glowplug resides---this may be part of the reason, but i don't know for sure.

 

[lord_snot]

Got pp520 nozzles ~ 300K miles. Upgraded to Rocketchip Stage 3 ~330K miles. I'm @ 338K miles right now and my car is running fantastic. turbo upgrade is next.....

 

[Myco]

Got pp520 nozzles ~ 300K miles. Upgraded to Rocketchip Stage 3 ~330K miles. I'm @ 338K miles right now and my car is running fantastic. turbo upgrade is next.....

No clutch issues??

 

[BrianCT]

• Nozzles first
• then chip. That way the chip is programmed considering the larger nozzles.
• Your clutch is strong enough stock, unless it's already worn.
• I'd be more concerned with cam followers at that mileage.
• The plan here is to replace anything that craps out in the future with bigger, better, faster, miles be damned.

Great Advise!

 

[lord_snot]

I lost 5th gear on my transmission near 300K miles (before any upgrades). I got a new performance clutch (and the nozzles) when I had the transmission replaced. Lifters were also replaced at this time. Something I know I'm overdue to replace is my camshaft. Timing belt is due in about 20K miles. I'll be doing the camshaft then.

 

[oldpoopie]

snot, are you running a mk3 or mk4?

 

[MPLSTDI]

Mine gives me one nice puff of smoke, more so when it's cold.
---Ahhhh, I love the smell of diesel in the morning---

Is that a bad thing??

I have a 06 with 20k miles, and it's always done that when cold. I agree I love the smell!

 

[lord_snot]

snot, are you running a mk3 or mk4?

MK4.....

 

[marcusku]

With the 3 second crank time, my mother's 99 beetle has always been that way from day 1.

 

[lord_snot]

With the 3 second crank time, my mother's 99 beetle has always been that way from day 1.

My 99 beetle had the hard start issue ever since I bought it. Just got rocketchipped a couple months ago and now it starts right up. It was worth getting chipped just to cure the hard start issue......

 

[Myco]

Hard Start issue

Well, I appreciate all the info. The hard start issue isn't all that bad, it's just that with my wife's 2006 Jetta TDI you can barely get the key in the switch before it fires right up. It's amazing, and considerably different than what mine does. But in the big picture, not anything I probably need to worry about at this point.

 

[LNXGUY]

There is nothing to can do about the hard start anyhow, unless you get chipped. More annoying then anything...