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[yetiboy]

Hello club members, my name is Tom- yeti boy- I live in Tom’s River, NJ. I own a 2003 VW TDI 1.9 ALH, 5 sp automatic, 256k miles. Had timing belt changed twice. The car is very reliable. Acceleration is slow, 0-60 in 30 seconds next timing belt scheduled at 280k mi. I have a check engine light on, had it skanned and they determined it was a bad glow plug. Scheduling to have them all changed out. Hoping this will give me faster pick up. Open to Any suggestions . I have a certified VW guru that is my mechanic

 

[STDOUBT]

Welcome Tom!

I have a certified VW guru that is my mechanic

Is your mechanic on the Trusted TDI Mechanics list?
Point of interest, back in 2013, before I took to working on my own car, a fancy-boy shop that works on Porche, Audi, VW replaced my GPs and harness and charged me ~ $700 (yes, I got burned hard).
Today, I could spend maybe $120 and an hour of my time to do it all myself.

Scheduling to have them all changed out. Hoping this will give me faster pick up.

Nope. Not going to result in any kind of performance increase. Ever had the intake manifold checked for coking/clogging?
I can see by your avatar you're pretty well-off (nice landscaping!). I am all in favor paying professionals for their work. Those guys generally earn their pay - it's tough work. Just realize you can save a lot of money doing your own work, and learn a lot in the process.
Seems there are a few different "Gurus" in NJ. That is great!
BTW, for how many miles have you owned the car?

 

[MrCypherr]

Welcome! I would for sure pull the intake piping off and check that manifold for clogging if its never been done. Common for them to have clogged up and have just a tiny hole for air to flow through.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

If it's an '03 Automatic it's a 4 speed, not a 5 speed. And if you're taking 30 seconds to get to 60 something's not working right. Without any info I'd look at the intake manifold for clogging and see if the turbo is making boost. These cars aren't fast, but they feel pretty responsive when working properly. I suspect yours isn't.

Your "certified VW guru" should have identified these issues. You might want to give him some specific instructions (see above) and have him check turbo actuator function and whether or not the car is in limp mode. If he can't or won't figure it out you may want to make a trip to Mike Hevner at M&M Auto and Cycle in Montague NJ. Mike can diagnose and repair the car properly.

 

[CanadianALH]

Hello club members, my name is Tom- yeti boy- I live in Tom’s River, NJ. I own a 2003 VW TDI 1.9 ALH, 5 sp automatic, 256k miles. Had timing belt changed twice. The car is very reliable. Acceleration is slow, 0-60 in 30 seconds next timing belt scheduled at 280k mi. I have a check engine light on, had it skanned and they determined it was a bad glow plug. Scheduling to have them all changed out. Hoping this will give me faster pick up. Open to Any suggestions . I have a certified VW guru that is my mechanic

There is an other point I’ll make VW gurus can be really good with gasser VW’s but struggle with the diesel ones. He should have been able to tell you that fixing the glow plugs would do nothing for up and go. I bet your intake is packed full of carbon. Also go over the sanity checks with the N75 and make sure the turbo actuator is working well. If you or your guy has VCDS I would also run the actuator test on there and watch movement with an inspection mirror.

 

[oilhammer]

There's an 01M somewhere still kickin'????

 

[GlowBugTDI]

There's an 01M somewhere still kickin'????

Are they really that rare down by you? Have you swapped all the ones in MO already??
At pretty much any given time I can find 3+ for sale on FB, or craigslist. Seen a bug with 415k last fall with a 01M, and a guy in my area has one with 260k+ on the original. He said he can't believes it hasn't failed as it gets floored daily, but he changes the fluid every 40k miles.

 

[oilhammer]

I've not had any 01M-equipped Volkswagen, gas OR diesel, come in this shop in probably three years now. None of my "regulars" have them anymore. I still have a few ALH+manual cars come through here, two here today.

But I could say the same about a lot of things I guess. I'm just getting old. I remember years ago we took a picture with THREE maroon Taurus wagons in the shop at one time. Used to be a lot of those on the road, too.

 

[TomJD]

You see them on the rare low mileage ones that pop up every month or so.

I’ve been eyeing this one but that 01M…

Volkswagen Jetta GLS for $7995 on Autotrader with 72k miles. 1 owner. Wagon. Florida car.

Autotrader - page unavailable

.

 

[oilhammer]

Buy it! BUY IT!!!

 

[GlowBugTDI]

For $4,500 I'd fly to Florida and pick it up tomorrow. I need a wagon like that. That right there is my dream TDI.
Dq250 swap (maybe manual trans since I'm bias) and another $4k in upgrades over the next 5 years and it would be ultimate!

 

[Rob Mayercik]

I've not had any 01M-equipped Volkswagen, gas OR diesel, come in this shop in probably three years now. None of my "regulars" have them anymore. I still have a few ALH+manual cars come through here, two here today.

But I could say the same about a lot of things I guess. I'm just getting old. I remember years ago we took a picture with THREE maroon Taurus wagons in the shop at one time. Used to be a lot of those on the road, too.

Interesting - my current 01M (the car's 3rd) is still going with nearly 200K on it. I wonder if that makes me dedicated or just nuts that at 494K I still haven't

Yetiboy - your profile says you're in Toms River - Montague (location of M&M mentioned above) is about as far NW in NJ as you can get without leaving the state. It'd be at least 2.5-3 hours, I'm near I-78 and NJ-31, and it was a 90-minute haul the last time I was up to have Mike work on my car.

Mike's a great guy and does quality work, but with my resources for getting a ride to drop off/pick up the car with him it was too far for me to keep going up there. Fortunately, I found someone just as good just a couple minutes from home - John Bosco at Cregar's Garage in High Bridge. Great guy, does good work, and is a big fan of the ALHs like yours and mine. I stopped in to talk to him when I was coming due for the 280K timing belt job, and been going to him ever since.

For the slow acceleration, one easy thing you can check yourself would be to pick up a "mityvac" or equivalent hand vacuum pump kit at Harbor Freight, connect it to the turbo actuator vac line in place of the N75 solenoid on the firewall, and see if when you pump you can get it to hold vacuum. If you've never had the turbo replaced, the diapraghm in the actuator might have failed (in which case, the ECU can call for boost all it wants, nothing will happen)...

 

[BobnOH]

.................................snip......................................If you've never had the turbo replaced, the diapraghm in the actuator might have failed (in which case, the ECU can call for boost all it wants, nothing will happen)...

Especially if the lower engine cover is gone, the actuator may be your issue. Believe you can still purchase those in lieu of a new $2k turbo.

 

[Rob Mayercik]

Good point, Bob - except for the (about) 2-3 weeks surrounding the '06 TDIFest, mine's always had either the stock cover or an Evolution Atlas skidplate on it. The HF version of the MityVac is maybe $30 or so, and I've found more than enough uses besides testing the actuator to justify having bought it (bled brakes, checked overall vac system health, prime fuel filter, etc.)

 

[GlowBugTDI]

Especially if the lower engine cover is gone, the actuator may be your issue. Believe you can still purchase those in lieu of a new $2k turbo.

That is correct. Even amazon sells off brand ones that are fully functional. I think I payed like 20$ for mine 6years ago or so. Worked great.

 

[yetiboy]

Hello club members, my name is Tom- yeti boy- I live in Tom’s River, NJ. I own a 2003 VW TDI 1.9 ALH, 5 sp automatic, 256k miles. Had timing belt changed twice. The car is very reliable. Acceleration is slow, 0-60 in 30 seconds next timing belt scheduled at 280k mi. I have a check engine light on, had it skanned and they determined it was a bad glow plug. Scheduling to have them all changed out. Hoping this will give me faster pick up. Open to Any suggestions . I have a certified VW guru that is my mechanic
[/QUOTE

I brought my car into the shop today. Below is their initial analysis. Note. The shop is a top notch German car repair facility .They specialize in VW TDI, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Mini Cooper.


Notes: Troubleshoot system faults:16486, 17056, 17057


Technician requires testing time that includes disassembly as needed to access sensor and/or connector to inspect for corrosion and/or physical damage.
Confirm correct power, ground and signal to and from the sensor. Use scan to check for correct signal/voltage out of sensor.
Smoke test intake system to inspect for boost/vacuum leaks.
Check turbo-charger for proper boost pressure output.
Check catalyst system for blockage.

Testing time to access glow plugs to check for proper resistance measurement
Once testing complete, will be able to provide estimate for repair(s)
Recommendation: Check engine light testing ($680 plus tax)

I learned that the sensor is the mass flow sensor.

 

[yetiboy]

Interesting - my current 01M (the car's 3rd) is still going with nearly 200K on it. I wonder if that makes me dedicated or just nuts that at 494K I still haven't

Yetiboy - your profile says you're in Toms River - Montague (location of M&M mentioned above) is about as far NW in NJ as you can get without leaving the state. It'd be at least 2.5-3 hours, I'm near I-78 and NJ-31, and it was a 90-minute haul the last time I was up to have Mike work on my car.

Mike's a great guy and does quality work, but with my resources for getting a ride to drop off/pick up the car with him it was too far for me to keep going up there. Fortunately, I found someone just as good just a couple minutes from home - John Bosco at Cregar's Garage in High Bridge. Great guy, does good work, and is a big fan of the ALHs like yours and mine. I stopped in to talk to him when I was coming due for the 280K timing belt job, and been going to him ever since.

For the slow acceleration, one easy thing you can check yourself would be to pick up a "mityvac" or equivalent hand vacuum pump kit at Harbor Freight, connect it to the turbo actuator vac line in place of the N75 solenoid on the firewall, and see if when you pump you can get it to hold vacuum. If you've never had the turbo replaced, the diapraghm in the actuator might have failed (in which case, the ECU can call for boost all it wants, nothing will happen)...

Hi Rob, I appreciate the great info. I replaced the turbo about 3 yrs ago (15k miles ago) very familiar with the High Bridge, NJ. Area. Beautiful part of the state. I had the new turbo installed at Autobahn Automotive, Sea Girt, NJ. They are working on the car now. I am very confident in their expertise. The owner loves the ALH personally. Check out their website. They also provide loaner cars while your car is in the shop. They specialize in GMBH , VW-TDI, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Audi etc.