Pumpe Duse?

peety45rip

New member
Joined
Nov 1, 2013
Location
maine
TDI
none yet
I'm looking to buy my first TDI and I read that in 2003 VW changed the type of engine in the TDIs to a Pumpe Duse. Is there anything different about the PD engines than the previous years' engines as far as repairs/longevity/etc? I read somewhere that the PD tends to have more issues. Any truth to this that anyone knows of? Thanks a bunch.
 

jettawreck

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Location
Northern Minnesota-55744
TDI
2001 Jetta and 2003 Jetta
An '03 is still a VE injection system and the '04 were the PDs (in North America).
Several differences, mostly in the cam/valve train for the unit injectors driven by the cam lobe and the injection and fuel system, of course.
A bit more power from the PD engines in stock form. Early PD engines had cam wear issues due to the cam lobes being narrower (less wear surface and increased pressures) to make room for the extra injector lobe. Required special spec oil, which didn't really seem to help.

Keep reading and researching,
 

BeetleGo

TDIClub Enthusiast, Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 21, 1998
Location
Cambridge, MA
TDI
5-door, 5-speed Golf GLS replaced BeetleGo.
Peety,

The first year for the PD is '04. You can do a search (use the link at the bottom of my signature) to find way more information about the difference between the two. Really. There is a ton of information already on this site. Make a pot of coffee, and dig in! ;)
 

RT1

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2006
Location
Central New Jersey
TDI
2005 Golf 1.9 TDI w/tiptronic 09A
The "Issues" tend to get blown out of proportion. The main one for the PD engine, the camshaft, pops up over and over but if you dig into it you'll find it happens more often with the PD engine in the Passat (thinner profile in the lobes) and almost always involves using an engine oil that can't deal with the pressures exerted on the cam. The other issue that pops up is the in-tank fuel pump failure. Its a pricey item but a fifteen minute repair. Diesels in general require more maintenance, using quality parts, specific fluids and extra care in doing that maintenance. You shouldn't take them to any old shop that services gassers (including VW dealers) especially for a timing belt change, which is why most of us do a lot of it ourselves.

In the 7.5 years I've been running my Golf with the PD I've had only two glitches that would be off routine wear and tear/preventative maintenance; that's the transmission solenoids and fuel pump. Solenoids will only affect an autotrans so if you find a vehicle with the manual transmission it's a non-issue. I've had wheel bearings go, the battery, the fuel pump, changed the timing belt twice, changed the transmission solenoids, shocks and struts, pulley on the alternator, upper charge tube. Yeah, it adds up but I'm not paying for labor. I'm no master mechanic but with the info and experience you can tap on this site, even a driveway mechanic can keep a PD running. I think the simple design of the PD makes it easier to service with fewer specialized tools but some people prefer the earlier models that have more options for modification. PD's have a bit more power. Just be cautious. A poorly maintained diesel can cost some money to bring back to good condition. And don't be shy about lifting the valve cover to inspect the cam and followers if you go for a PD. It's a deduct from the sale price if it's worn. If the seller tells you the t-belt broke assume you need to have the head rebuilt. Good luck in the search.
 

Corsair

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Location
Weedsport, New York
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS TDI 5M
welcome!
And.... The 2003 and older automatic transmissions don't enjoy a very good reputation, and are known to be very expensive to replace if / when they do fail. Starting 2004, the automatics are better. And / but... 2003 and older, the manual transmission typically gives almost 10MPG better.
 

halocline

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Location
San Antonio
TDI
04 Jetta Wagon
Probably the best explanation of the differences I've seen is at myturbodiesel.com. It's a different engine altogether. Both the VE and PD engines last a long time, usually longer than the car, and both require a mechanic who really understands them. In general, the VE engines seem to get better fuel mileage and the PD engines seem to have a bit more zip.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
PD engines came out in 1999, we did not get them until 2004. ;)

And yes, the cam issues DO get blown WAY out of proportion. I no more worry about the camshaft on my PD than I do going to war with Canada. :rolleyes:
 

JB05

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Location
Il.USA
TDI
Golf,2005,anthracite blue
I have yet to pull off my valve cover. I have no regrets with my PD, BEW, purchased brand new exactly nine years ago, Nov. of 2004.
 

Powder Hound

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 25, 1999
Location
Under a Bridge, Crestview, FL, USA
TDI
'00 Golf 4dr White 5sp, '02 Jettachero 5sp, Wife's '03 NB Platinum Gray auto(!)
Truth be told: quirks are starting to show up in greater numbers on VE engined TDIs due to old age. This will depress reliability of ALH engine reputations, but eventually PD engines will catch up due to their own old age symptoms.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I can't say I've run across anything new on an ALH car in many years. Every issue or problem I see I've seen before. I really don't think that what is now a decade-old engine has any secrets left.

BEW cars not much new there, either (given the rest of the car was essentially a carryover).

I now believe the BRM cars, and the A5 platform in general (keeping in mind, many of the Volkswagens through our shop have spark plugs) have pretty much come of age and we're not really seeing a whole lot of new things with them either, but there may still be a few items as more of them mile up past 1/4 million. I've already got quite a few of them approaching 300k now (BRM cars, that is).
 

sherman123

New member
Joined
Sep 14, 2021
Location
India
TDI
Jetta 1.9
Hi There

Can any one explain me the difference between the older VW TDIs and pump duse(now) technology?Seems to be an interesting technology in this field.Just wanted to know a simple difference on this topic.
 

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,
Hi There

Can any one explain me the difference between the older VW TDIs and pump duse(now) technology?Seems to be an interesting technology in this field.Just wanted to know a simple difference on this topic.
Pumpe-duse isn't the most recent, the most recent is the common rail, but the differences are as follows: the older (ve pump engines) such as the ahu, ALH, and the multiple ones in Europe, have a rotary distributor injection pump called a ve pump, they use that to distribute the fuel to each injector, which pop off and inject fuel based on pressure.
The PD engines, like the bew, BHW and BRM use cam driven unit injectors where you have a tandem pump that feeds fuel to the injectors, and then there is a pump built into each injector that pressurizes the fuel, then the ECM controls how long the fuel injector opens and how much fuel is injected, while the camshaft pushes the injector plunger down.
The common rail ones have a single high pressure fuel pump that pressurizes the fuel that goes into a rail (the common rail) and feed lines run from the rail to each injector. The injectors are solenoid or piezo injectors which control the opening of the injectors.
There's more complicated differences, but that's the main differences.
 

sherman123

New member
Joined
Sep 14, 2021
Location
India
TDI
Jetta 1.9
NIce to know and sorry for misleading with 'pumpe'. MIne's a 2008 golf variant Jetta (Mexican) with the rotary technology.Thanks a ton for answering the comment and it was nice to know. VW is a reliable brand and just lasts and lasts. :)
 

Mozambiquer

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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,
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