Limp Mode?!?!?

Crash0006

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Location
Belleisle Creek NB
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
Okay so i have been going for about 6 - 7 months straight without getting limp mode. Recently I was noticing something that seemed like limp mode was coming back.. Starting out in 1st it would feel like i am towing a trailer behind me hit 2nd and it would start with the same thing then snap out of it. After snapping out of it would be normal as if limp mode never happened. If i restart the car before it goes back to normal will not fix it like i used to be able to while in limp mode. So first thing i tried was cleaning the air filter which i negleted alot. so cleaned nothing changed. I have no idea what i else i can do. I have thought about changing the fuel filter where as the original owner did that once since it was bought in 2001. other then that the only other things i can think of is a bad turbo get a new one or a used one or dirty intake and egr which needs to cleaned go to junk yard and get spares clean them and replace. So seeing how other people on here are smarter then me in this stuff i need ideas. I am a volunteer firefighter and need to be able to get to a scene fast not take 10 minutes to get up a hill.
 

pozi240

Veteran Member
Joined
May 3, 2004
Location
Halifax
TDI
2001 Jetta GLS Galatic Blue
The fuel filter was only changed once since 2001??!:eek: Your poor injection pump! I do not know how much mileage you put on annually, but fuel filters really should be changed yearly.... its very cheap insurance. I once let mine go for longer than a year, and while the cars performance did not suffer, the crap (black gunk) that came out of it when I finally did change it convinced me that it was bad to neglect changing it. I would start there asap, then clean your intake/EGR, before worrying about your turbo....for now anyway.
 

cleaver

Veteran Member
Joined
May 8, 2006
Location
Berwick, Nova Scotia
TDI
None - did own '01 and '02 Jetta TDI
I had very similar issues and I fixed it by replacing the VNT actuator. $125+ from Roseland in Stewiacke (Brian is awesome). $240+ from VW dealership. Easy install. I also had to replace all the vaccuum lines to get "all" the gremlins out.
 

dellwas

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2004
Location
Chester Grant, NS
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Going through that right now, but my VNT is stuck so I'm trying the Easy Off trick (do a search on "cleaning turbo") Mine only had about 1/8 inch travel, put the Easy Off in about 4 hours ago, and up somewhere around 1/4 to 1/2 (3/4 is normal) inch travel. Will keep you all posted on how it goes. Hope I don't have to pull the turbo, furbarred (beyond recognition) one of the nuts. Only hope wil be to cut the stud then either weld a nut on and back the stud out, or cut it flush, drill it out, and put a bolt on, if I have to pull it. Still got threads and got most of the bolt off by grinding with a dremel, so hopefully a new nut will hold it. Not something I'm looking forward too if I do have to pull it!

cleaver said:
I had very similar issues and I fixed it by replacing the VNT actuator. $125+ from Roseland in Stewiacke (Brian is awesome). $240+ from VW dealership. Easy install. I also had to replace all the vaccuum lines to get "all" the gremlins out.
 

dellwas

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2004
Location
Chester Grant, NS
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Well, here's a report for those that are interested. Let the Easy Off soak in the turbo overnite. Pulled the intake manifold and intercooler and cleaned them up with brake cleaner. Man they were nasty, and probably a main contributor to my being in limp mode, along with the VNT actuator. Meanwhile, kept moving the VNT arm gently back and forth and got it to move 100%. Re-assembled and took it for a long, hard drive. No error codes on my VW scanner, and it pulls like a new car. :)
 

Crash0006

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Location
Belleisle Creek NB
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
OKay so i guess i am going to bite the bullet and start cleaning things up.. First thing is the EGR never cleaned since 2001. original owner nice but not to car. So i have looked around and still am I would love easy step by step insturctions to get the intercooler and egr off.( i imagine the egr is very straight forward i can see it) but not the intercoller. Manifolds will be done later i am going to get a spare intake manifold from a junk yard and clean it then just do a swap then clean that one and swap out down the road
 

Crash0006

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Location
Belleisle Creek NB
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
Okay so hours of looking this up on the net and this is all i could find on removing the EGR pretaining to tdi jetta's
1.Remove the top engine cover.
2.Remove the top of the air filter box or the entire air filter box.
3.Disconnect electrical connector.
4.Remove the 3 5mm hex socket bolts.
5.Remove EGR valve from the intake manifold.

Seems pretty straight forward to me but i would like to know if steps 2 and 3 are really necessary.

Back to looking
 

Crash0006

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Location
Belleisle Creek NB
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
Thanks fryman I am stopping by a local parts place tonight to get new gaskets the EGR. Those pictures though make me wonder what mines like not being cleaned for 240,000 km..
 

dellwas

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2004
Location
Chester Grant, NS
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
I followed this, and a couple of others when I got stuck, but generally I disassembled most of it as I went.

Here is one, there is at least one more in the Articles section:
http://pics2.tdiclub.com/gwillie/VW/Sballintake/INTAKEMAN101b.htm

Crash0006 said:
Okay so hours of looking this up on the net and this is all i could find on removing the EGR pretaining to tdi jetta's
1.Remove the top engine cover.
2.Remove the top of the air filter box or the entire air filter box.
3.Disconnect electrical connector.
4.Remove the 3 5mm hex socket bolts.
5.Remove EGR valve from the intake manifold.

Seems pretty straight forward to me but i would like to know if steps 2 and 3 are really necessary.

Back to looking
 

ve9aa

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2006
Location
Fredericton, NB, Canada
TDI
02 Golf GLS TDI 271,000kms
Where does this easy-off oven cleaner go into exactly?
My turbo gives me the underboost error code a lot and goes into limp mode.
 

dellwas

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2004
Location
Chester Grant, NS
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon

pozi240

Veteran Member
Joined
May 3, 2004
Location
Halifax
TDI
2001 Jetta GLS Galatic Blue
Do NOT put Easy Off oven cleaner, or any other liquid chemical into your turbo when its still on the car, ever. It may work in the short term, but (depending on your mileage) in a few short weeks to months you WILL be looking for a replacement turbo due to your oil seals being toast now, and your oil consumption will be through the roof. Was talking with my local diesel mechanic just yesterday on this very issue, and he has replaced 2 turbo's recently on cars who's owners had done this very thing with poor results..... YMMV, but just do a search online, most have had bad outcomes. These turbos need to be disassembled completely if you are going to clean them, and then you may as well just rebuilt them anyway (or buy a rebuild to save the headaches). If the chemical/easy off trick actually worked, everyone would be doing it......
 

dellwas

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2004
Location
Chester Grant, NS
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Was this the VW guy you go to? It was my understanding that the bearings/oil seals were on the inner chamber and the Easy Off was working on the chamber, exhaust side, and there was little chance of it causing issues. Not that I doubt what you say, just saying what I read here and elsewhere.

Actually, it was my intention to pull it, when I foobarred the nut, so I figured I might as well try it anyway, cause I'm going to have to cut at least one of the turbo studs off to get it out anyway.

Thanks, I'll keep an eye on it and report back what transpires.

pozi240 said:
Do NOT put Easy Off oven cleaner, or any other liquid chemical into your turbo when its still on the car, ever. It may work in the short term, but (depending on your mileage) in a few short weeks to months you WILL be looking for a replacement turbo due to your oil seals being toast now, and your oil consumption will be through the roof. Was talking with my local diesel mechanic just yesterday on this very issue, and he has replaced 2 turbo's recently on cars who's owners had done this very thing with poor results..... YMMV, but just do a search online, most have had bad outcomes. These turbos need to be disassembled completely if you are going to clean them, and then you may as well just rebuilt them anyway (or buy a rebuild to save the headaches). If the chemical/easy off trick actually worked, everyone would be doing it......
 

pozi240

Veteran Member
Joined
May 3, 2004
Location
Halifax
TDI
2001 Jetta GLS Galatic Blue
I personally have not done it (I replaced mine with a larger unit :D when the opportunity presented itself), nor have I known anyone who has tried it. I was just going off of what a trusted and experienced VW mechanic told me. In theory you could be safe (depending on the method used, etc.) leaving the turbo on, but why risk it? Yes, I suppose if the vanes were stuck and one was not getting any boost, so, if this method didn't work, you would need to replace anyway....... I do know that industrial turbo's on large diesels (very large 16 cylinder Peilstick units on ships) undergo "turbo washes" every so many hours, where they literally dump detergent into the exhaust side of a running turbo to "de coke" the inside of the unit. This works very well with no ill side effects, have no idea if one could do that on ours are not.... :confused:
 

Crash0006

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Location
Belleisle Creek NB
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
Okay guys i am totally foobarred here. I was just out looking at my EGR so i could see what i had to take off and how long i thought it would take. So the egr has the bolts two on top 1 on bottem( as seen in all the pics of that people have been providing me with which i am grateful for.) but the bottem bolt is blocked by the egr cooler pipe. So wow this looks harder then i thought. As well i went to the VW dealer and told them what i needed the EGR gasket. He provided me a little O ring seal. thats it nothing else can someone give me help.
 

JASONP

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 24, 2008
Location
Guelph
TDI
2015 Golf TDI Comfortline 6spd
Dude seriously not that hard.
Remove the EGR pipe that comes from the cooler first, 4 bolts, and THEN take off EGR , 3 bolts , 20 mins tops
 

dellwas

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2004
Location
Chester Grant, NS
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Thanks Pozi...

That was my issue, VNT was sticking but I suspected other issues as well. I then foobared a nut on the downpipe when trying to get the Turbo off to clean by ripping it down, and the only way I was going to get it off was to cut the stud, so the Turbo was going to be toast anyway (unless I could drill out the stud and put a new one in).

I've heard of the Turbo washes, and the thread I posted also lists a product by Innotec?, that is used to clean our turbos.

Also, on gas cars, some use water, and still others use ATF poured down the carb while reving the hell out of it. Key is to not stall. Both methods are SUPPOSED to clean any crap in the engine out. Me, I've never been a believer, but others swear by it...

As promised, I'll keep everyone posted as to how mine does....

pozi240 said:
I personally have not done it (I replaced mine with a larger unit :D when the opportunity presented itself), nor have I known anyone who has tried it. I was just going off of what a trusted and experienced VW mechanic told me. In theory you could be safe (depending on the method used, etc.) leaving the turbo on, but why risk it? Yes, I suppose if the vanes were stuck and one was not getting any boost, so, if this method didn't work, you would need to replace anyway....... I do know that industrial turbo's on large diesels (very large 16 cylinder Peilstick units on ships) undergo "turbo washes" every so many hours, where they literally dump detergent into the exhaust side of a running turbo to "de coke" the inside of the unit. This works very well with no ill side effects, have no idea if one could do that on ours are not.... :confused:
 

Crash0006

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Location
Belleisle Creek NB
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
Does anybody know if there is a technical name for this gasket? I don't want to go in there and wait another 10 minutes for an O ring again. I said the egr gasket. Does that make it the Egr cooler gaskets where as there are two ends?
 

JASONP

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 24, 2008
Location
Guelph
TDI
2015 Golf TDI Comfortline 6spd
Crash0006 said:
so questioned answered. the pipe must come off which i will need gaskets for. back to vw again.
No need to go to dealer, they are stainless gaskets that can be re-used time and time again
 
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