Built PD Longevity

[pandur.zoli]

Hello Guys!

I have a 2002 Audi A3 PD130 ASZ with a GTB2260VK mapped to 2.4 bar of boost, AL injectors, stock cam, fmic, catch can, kevlar clutch, and open exhaust.
This config has about 37000 km-s on it, the car is at 273000 km, but I don't think that's real.
My question is, if the car doesn't burn oil or water, runs and drives perfectly fine, should I be worried about engine health, or I'm good for another 10-20 thousand km-s? My only concern is below 5 degrees Celsius, on a cold start, it idles rough for about 10-15 seconds after 3 glow cycles, any ideas?

Thank you for your answers in advance!

 

[TDIMeister]

I think you should just leave it alone if it's working otherwise fine. You might need new glow plugs and while you're at replacing them, you can perform a compression test and also pass a borescope camera through the glow plug hole of each cylinder to check the condition of the bores and look for cracks on the pistons.

 

[pandur.zoli]

Are you sure? I put about 2500 km-s on it in a month, and on weekdays it's just a normal commute, but on weekends, I drive it like I stole it, basically a lot of redline, a bit of popcorn, and high speeds, above 200 km/h... How long do you think it will hold together? I know it's a silly question, but I just want to see people's opinions and answers.

 

[KERMA]

Camshaft and injectors.
That's it. That's the post.

 

[pandur.zoli]

What do you mean?

 

[KERMA]

those are the things you need to worry about

 

[pandur.zoli]

And the internals of the engine and the transmission?

 

[crazyrunner33]

Why are you concerned about the internals, did you run it low on oil? Your build is pretty typical for a PD130, there's nothing unusual to suggest that it only has another 10-20k km when plenty of people push similar builds pass 400k km on the regular.

As far as the transmission is concerned, that's completely driver dependent. If you roll into the throttle and make proper shifts, it'll be fine. But if you speed shift it, drop the clutch for burnouts, or introduce lots of harsh shock forces, it'll be a roll of the dice.

 

[pandur.zoli]

Hell nah, I maintain it regularly, change oil every 8000 km-s.
You mean people run hundreds of thousands of km-s with 250hp pd engines, and they don't break?

 

[lemoncurd]

You mean people run hundreds of thousands of km-s with 250hp pd engines, and they don't break?

... yes. thats exactly what he means.

 

[turbobrick240]

You said that you don't think the mileage on the odometer is accurate. Do think it might be rolled back, or have a swapped motor? If the car/engine actually has like 500k km, it may be getting tired.

 

[lemoncurd]

You said that you don't think the mileage on the odometer is accurate. Do think it might be rolled back, or have a swapped motor? If the car/engine actually has like 500k km, it may be getting tired.

thats only 310k miles... with proper maintenance it should see 500k miles easily. like kerma said camshafts + injectors

 

[pandur.zoli]

Well no, it still has the original engine code and number, so it might be rolled back. 273k km for a 2002 PD is nothing, although the car was first registered in my country and hasn't left ever since, I still don't think that's the original number. The climate control panel is worn, so was the mirror adjuster, and the headlight switch. I don't know, I just really like this car, and I don't want it to fall apart. There are no signs of the engine being unhealthy, it doesn't consume water at all, it has some minor oil leaks but nothing to be worried about, it doesn't smoke white or blue, only black, and it pulls like a train. My only concern is below 5 degrees Celsius on a cold start it has a rough idle and spits out some blue-ish smoke. But other than that, it feels healthy.

 

[pandur.zoli]

thats only 310k miles... with proper maintenance it should see 500k miles easily. like kerma said camshafts + injectors

The injector duration is set to 45 degrees. The correction values at operational temp are between 0 and 0.3, I've been told that's normal. It idles beautifully. The BIP-signals are between 10 and 40 if I recall correctly.
I don't know how I can take a look at the cam, but the previous owner said it's been replaced, along with the lifters and some other stuff.

 

[turbobrick240]

If there are no signs of the engine being unhealthy, I wouldn't worry much about longevity. Just keep up with the maintenance, and look out for cam wear.

 

[pandur.zoli]

If there are no signs of the engine being unhealthy, I wouldn't worry much about longevity. Just keep up with the maintenance, and look out for cam wear.

Thank you.
Any tips on how I can spot cam wear without taking off the valve cover?

 

[turbobrick240]

Thank you.
Any tips on how I can spot cam wear without taking off the valve cover?

The easiest way would probably be to start sending in oil samples for analysis. If you start to see an iron spike in the results, the cam is a likely culprit. Or if you feel a noticeable decline in power.

 

[lemoncurd]

Camshaft lobe lifter wear on VW Audi TDI PD engine and replacement DIY

camshaft lobe wear, bearing, and lifter inspection and replacement for VW and Audi TDI

www.myturbodiesel.com

I'll leave this link here.
Like turbobrick said, if you see a decline in power or MPG's drop off then investigate the cam

PD's are notorious for having the camshafts go bad due to owner neglect... IE, putting the wrong oil into the car, not changing it enough, etc

 

[pandur.zoli]

The easiest way would probably be to start sending in oil samples for analysis. If you start to see an iron spike in the results, the cam is a likely culprit. Or if you feel a noticeable decline in power.

Thank you, gonna do that!

 

[pandur.zoli]

Camshaft lobe lifter wear on VW Audi TDI PD engine and replacement DIY

camshaft lobe wear, bearing, and lifter inspection and replacement for VW and Audi TDI

www.myturbodiesel.com

I'll leave this link here.
Like turbobrick said, if you see a decline in power or MPG's drop off then investigate the cam

PD's are notorious for having the camshafts go bad due to owner neglect... IE, putting the wrong oil into the car, not changing it enough, etc

Yeah, the cams are made out of chocolate.. fuel economy has actually got better since I got it remapped, went from 7l/100km to 6.3l/100km.