Power loss...... My alh engined 2000 jetta has less power than before

highender

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Location
Northern California
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI
Hi all

My 2000 Jetta ran with little problems for a long time......just regular maintenance.

But recently it has less power. Going up hills or accelerating onto freeway seems anemic. You can tell its less power.
But its not in limp mode. I have driven my other jetta in limp mode before....and it barely goes about 55 mph.
This jetta will go up to 80 or 100 mph on freeway........ but in second gear and third going up the hill, seems like a old man......no boost ? Even downshifting to 4th still makes climbing hills difficult. It was not like this before.

Now I did use some old diesel and kerosene before ,.,,, a few months ago...... and a clear prefilter before the fuel filter seemed to catch gunk..........which i changed out.

Could this issue be the air filter, fuel filter, mass aiflow sensor >? Gunked up intake manifold ? intercooler ? N75 ?

Car hasPD 205 injectors, FMIC, EGR delete, VNT 17 turbo....

What should I check or do > Diesel purge the injectors ?

Help apprecciated >>>>>>>>
 

STDOUBT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Location
Portland, effing Oregon
TDI
dos jettas
IMO if your pre-filter is catching crap that you can see, it means you have crap growing in your fuel tank.
I would take a really good flashlight and peer into the tank ( have to remove the fuel level sender / pickup column ).
How does the fuel look in the clear feeder line pre-pump?
 

highender

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Location
Northern California
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI
after clearing it, the fuel looks good now before going into the fuel filter.

I may need to change out the fuel filter ? That clear fuel prefilter had crap filtered out, so maybe the fuel filter is also crapped full ??
 

ToxicDoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2018
Location
Virginia, US
TDI
2001 Jetta, S7, .216
I'd change the fuel filters and purge air from the lines when you're done (not sure why you need an extra filter, factory setup works very well) and take a look at the EGR valve and intake. Assuming you don't have a way to scan or check for codes, etc, you can unplug the MAF sensor and see if it runs better (that would imply a bad MAF). You'll need to scan it if those steps don't help.
 

03TDICommuter

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2016
Location
So. Cal
TDI
01' NB, 5spd
Watching this thread as my '03 had the same problem that I never figured out. (I also didn't run logs, which I should have done)
 

highender

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Location
Northern California
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI
Tomorrow I will change out the fuel filter and airfilter.... and Already I am not using old fuel.....which i got free. Past 3 fill ups were all good diesel from good busy fuel stations. WIll report if I get any improvements.
I should clean out the MAF sensor.... lol
 

Mozambiquer

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Location
Versailles Missouri
TDI
2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
Are you running a stock air filter, or an "upgraded" one?
 

highender

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Location
Northern California
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI
Damn................
Changed out the fuse for the side lights...........but the stupid dash lights still off.

And car drives ........... and can slowly get up to 90 mph.... but hill climb and overall power is lost. Climbing hills, I am as slow as some semis trucks....

No......the car is not in limb mode . Something is causing the car to not have power. INtake manifold is the PD150 european one,.... so exhaust flow is better than stock.

I have upgraded turbo, Front mounted intercooler, Fuel pump 11 mm.... .205 injectors,

What the heck ????
 

Mozambiquer

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Location
Versailles Missouri
TDI
2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
Damn................
Changed out the fuse for the side lights...........but the stupid dash lights still off.

And car drives ........... and can slowly get up to 90 mph.... but hill climb and overall power is lost. Climbing hills, I am as slow as some semis trucks....

No......the car is not in limb mode . Something is causing the car to not have power. INtake manifold is the PD150 european one,.... so exhaust flow is better than stock.

I have upgraded turbo, Front mounted intercooler, Fuel pump 11 mm.... .205 injectors,

What the heck ????
Check what the maf specified vs actual are, as well as the timing. Both of those could affect your performance. You didn't state whether you have vcds, but that's going to be your friend here
 

ghohouston

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2013
Location
Lewisville, Texas
TDI
2001 Jetta Sedan TDI 5 Speed
Check the vacuum line going to the turbo actuator at both ends and make sure it is sealing well, and check over all vacuum lines while you're at it. The large one at the brake booster can crack sometimes. Check the turbo actuator for movement (you should be able to smoothly push it down on a cold, non running engine). Otherwise, m.a.f., n75, etc. Really need to scan it minimally. Would be best to get vcds on it.
 

Franko6

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
May 7, 2005
Location
Sw Missouri
TDI
Jetta, 99, Silver`
There are a myriad of things, including a weak vacuum pump, leaking brake booster hose, leaking turbo actuator diaphragm; all of which are relatively easy to check.

I just ran into another engine that lost it's connection or lost the lift sensor for the #3 injector. Even if the injector is not hooked up or the wire is broken, it will not code, but the engine runs very weak. This fits your scenario.

Check it is to make sure you have continuity in the #3 injector, that it's about 95 ohms at room temp and check continuity from the #3 sensor wiring harness to the ECU.

Other than that, use of WVO or in the States that requires a percentage of bio fuels, one of the tough situations to cure is glycerin in the #3 lift sensor. It's impossible to get out once it has gone through pyrolysis; that is 'burn without air'. I know the Bio crowd will holler 'foul', but it won't be the first or the last we have seen. The lift sensor will stop moving, or in other words, it's like you unplugged it.

First thing to check is to see if unplugging the #3 injector makes any difference at all. If not, you are most likely on the right track.
 

Franko6

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
May 7, 2005
Location
Sw Missouri
TDI
Jetta, 99, Silver`
Actually, Scooper, we have tried several things to 'fix' a MAF. One of them that occasionally works is to take the actual works out of the MAF holder and put them into an ultrasonic cleaner. It's the oil and dirt that can accumulate onto the interior of the MAF device that can cause mis-reads. The air passing over a heated wire changes the resistance. The electronics of the MAF are sealed in epoxy, so cleaning it can do no harm. If it is dirty, that changes how it works. However, they do also just simply quit.

VCDS reading at idle should be around 255 and at full boost, about 850. A starting value of 425-455 is usually a bad MAF and usually requires replacement. If it won't go up to 850, you will get weak power or limp mode.
 

Poor King

Veteran Member
Joined
May 20, 2020
Location
NY
TDI
'91 Jetta, '91 GTI, '04 Touareg
Sub'd... same situation with the donor '02 Jetta for my swap. I figured it was a severely worn out clutch which caused the car to struggle over hills but apparently not.
 

Franko6

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
May 7, 2005
Location
Sw Missouri
TDI
Jetta, 99, Silver`
I have seen the MAF cleaners. CRC makes some that is about $9-13 for a spray can. However, Super Tech at Wal Mart sells Starter fluid for about $3 for the same size spray can. The CRC stuff smells exactly like starter fluid, because that's what it is. I'm not paying 3x as much for starter fluid.

I don't find that it works very often, anyway. Same thing for ultra sonic cleaning. Sometimes, it works, but definitely not always.
 

tdi_my live

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2011
Location
Germany
TDI
Skoda Fabia
Hi all

My 2000 Jetta ran with little problems for a long time......just regular maintenance.

But recently it has less power. Going up hills or accelerating onto freeway seems anemic. You can tell its less power.
But its not in limp mode. I have driven my other jetta in limp mode before....and it barely goes about 55 mph.
This jetta will go up to 80 or 100 mph on freeway........ but in second gear and third going up the hill, seems like a old man......no boost ? Even downshifting to 4th still makes climbing hills difficult. It was not like this before.

Now I did use some old diesel and kerosene before ,.,,, a few months ago...... and a clear prefilter before the fuel filter seemed to catch gunk..........which i changed out.

Could this issue be the air filter, fuel filter, mass aiflow sensor >? Gunked up intake manifold ? intercooler ? N75 ?

Car hasPD 205 injectors, FMIC, EGR delete, VNT 17 turbo....

What should I check or do > Diesel purge the injectors ?

Help apprecciated >>>>>>>>
Have you VCDS? Look in ideling the falues in 013 and 023.
And make a WOT log from 3-8-11. So we will see wath the MAF say.
 

highender

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Location
Northern California
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI
Ok, ... I went out, and saw that I had exposed wires from the sensor on the big air iintake before the 90 deg turn into the intake pipe....... Must measure airflow ? Apparently the electrical lines from this sensor was touching a pulley on left side ( when you are facing the engine)......I think timing belt ? Anyways.......... I isolated both exposed copper wires....and re wrapped in electrical tape........Changed a shorted fuse.

Willl test drive soon..........as waiting for my odyssey van filter to be changed as it is blocking the drive way.

Will see..............
 

Franko6

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
May 7, 2005
Location
Sw Missouri
TDI
Jetta, 99, Silver`
Is it possible that you got the wiring from your Mass Air Pressure sensor (MAP) grounded? Terminology sure helps... The passenger side of the engine has a boost pipe that goes from the intercooler to the boost hose. On the intercooler, there is a connector for the MAP. Is that where the damaged wiring terminates? Since the two devices, MAF and MAP work in tandem, if one doesn't work, neither does the other. There is a channel built into the boost pipe that holds wiring. I'm thinking the MAP wires might be poorly routed in order to get into the power steering pulley or ?
 

highender

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Location
Northern California
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI
Hi Franko. Yep. .... It is a sensor on the tube that got grounded and shorted.....You are correct...... it was got pushed onto the pulley on the lower front part of engine. ;

Now That I isolated the wires, I re wrapped the wires ( 2 of them which were worn and exposed by the pulley,...) and placed electrical tape on them..............and rewrapped again. Some wires were frayed/ cut....but not alll. IS that ok ?
also... I imagine a fuse might have tripped .... but where. ?


THanks
 

MukGyver

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2020
Location
Sierra Ca
TDI
2004 Jetta PD
I didn't see plugged CAT mentioned but sounds similar to a thread recently where the culprit was the cat.
 

highender

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Location
Northern California
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI
plugged catylitic converter......?

HOpe not. Damn I got a used one installed , cause this one was bought from Ohio........and california emissions is strict and they wanted me to install a catylitic converter.... which a used shop installed for me.............. only 100 biucks... but damn.

Today, I checked and cleaned air filter....which was near new clean..............vacuumed some dust off.... No snow screen.

COuldnt get the MAF sensor off due to thoose peskey special hex screws.....

How to check if the CAT is plugged ?
 

Nevada_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Location
Reno, sort of...
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI
I am just going to throw this out there, have you physically checked fuse #34?
Another long shot:
Have you ever checked the voltage going into the N75?
 

MukGyver

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2020
Location
Sierra Ca
TDI
2004 Jetta PD
plugged catylitic converter......?

HOpe not. Damn I got a used one installed , cause this one was bought from Ohio........and california emissions is strict and they wanted me to install a catylitic converter.... which a used shop installed for me.............. only 100 biucks... but damn.

Today, I checked and cleaned air filter....which was near new clean..............vacuumed some dust off.... No snow screen.

COuldnt get the MAF sensor off due to thoose peskey special hex screws.....

How to check if the CAT is plugged ?
there's basically two ways to check it differential oxygen sensor voltage test or take inferred thermometer and check inlet and outlet temps of at the cat. Thermometers are inexpensive.
 

highender

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Location
Northern California
TDI
2012 Jetta TDI
Hi Mukgyver.
I have a hand held infrared thermometer. So I point it at the intake side of the Cat....and then the exit...? WHat should the temps be... >
I imagine a normal one would be equal, and a plugged one will show higher temps on engine side, compared to exhaust side >>
 
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