Not my first guess - engine swap - starter won't turn it over

skidoorider600

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2010
Location
Sturgis, MI
TDI
2002 Jetta 01M, 334,000mi: 2003 Jetta TDI 01M 210,000mi: 2012 Passat TDI DSG, 97,000mi
Picked up an otherwise nice car with an interfered engine to use my spare ALH. This engine was pulled from a car I lost in 2022 due to rollover. For background info- I drove the car half dozen times after the roll over just to make sure it was ok. the engine has been stored/covered and hoses turbo covered for almost 2 years. after getting everything hooked up and ready to turn the key, excitement turned to nervousness. Starter wouldn't budge it. I had turned the engine over a few times to install the torque converter nuts, then again to final torque them so I knew it was free. I figured the previous owner burned the starter trying to turn the damaged engine over. installed a new starter tonight and same result. so the two things that changed from the time I turned the engine over for the torque converter to trying to start it was add coolant and install the serpentine belt. Since I pulled the glow plugs out, you can guess what my first thought was ov why it wouldn't turn over... but not it!!! I know what caused it.. does anyone else. Answer surprised the heck out of me
 

jmodge

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
TDI
2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
Dead rat
 

GlowBugTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2018
Location
Cambridge, MN
TDI
2001 Beetle GLS TDI (BIODSL). 01 original Glow Bug TDI (sold)
Installed serpentine belt incorrectly which caused the engine to not have the ability of turning over. The belt was holding the crank pulley from turning.
 

jmodge

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
TDI
2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
Put the bolts in backward
 

csstevej

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 12, 2004
Location
north nj
TDI
2001 golf tdi 4 door auto now a manual, mine, 2000 golf 2 door M/T son's,daughters 98 NB non-TDI 2.0, 2003 TDI NB for next daughter, head repaired and on road,glutton for punishment got another tdi 2001NB,another yellow tdi NB , added an 06 NB DSG
A/c clutch frozen preventing crank from turning.
 

skidoorider600

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2010
Location
Sturgis, MI
TDI
2002 Jetta 01M, 334,000mi: 2003 Jetta TDI 01M 210,000mi: 2012 Passat TDI DSG, 97,000mi
it was the alternator... I could turn the engine freely counterclockwise from the harmonic balancer end but not clockwise. tonight was the maiden voyage. have a vacuum leak down issue/I suspect at the booster as that semi rigid line has some cracking. speedometer doesn't work either (automatic transmission..).. just half the fun of a new project! drove it for about 3 miles and no leaking fluids so that's a good sign. Cheers everyone!!!
 

Zak99b5

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2021
Location
Albany NY
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
That auto has a plastic gear in the diff that goes bad. My son's old Golf had that tranny, and it underreported speed and miles traveled. After two speeding tickets, I helped him install a GPS-based speedo in the car.
 

GlowBugTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2018
Location
Cambridge, MN
TDI
2001 Beetle GLS TDI (BIODSL). 01 original Glow Bug TDI (sold)
it was the alternator... I could turn the engine freely counterclockwise from the harmonic balancer end but not clockwise. tonight was the maiden voyage. have a vacuum leak down issue/I suspect at the booster as that semi rigid line has some cracking. speedometer doesn't work either (automatic transmission..).. just half the fun of a new project! drove it for about 3 miles and no leaking fluids so that's a good sign. Cheers everyone!!!
Im glad you got it figured out. Surprisingly not super uncommon. My coworker once had his 6.0 chevy not start up one morning before work and it was the same thing. Drove it home the night before and locked up over night. I last year I bought a 2008 pontiac vibe (toyota matrix) that had been sitting for 5yrs. Fired right up in the guys driveway and instantly started screaming and smoking the belt. Shut er down and tried freeing up the alt. I couldn't get it to budge even with a 1/2" ratchet it was rusted so solid. I had to grab an industrial pipe wrench and slowly tweak the pulley back and forth until I could get a whole rotation out of it. Covered the alt in oil and spun the thing around 20 times or so. Put the belt on, started it up, poured more oil over it and drove it home. I put probably 20mi on it that way. I couldn't believe it worked.
 
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