RC3+, 520's and VNT17

robzuk

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
Md
TDI
1999 Golf, 2001 Golf, 1987 Cabrio
I think I drove a different car home from Oliver's. Thanks to you both, Oliver and Jeff for fixing up my poor ole Golf!! My old VNT15 had about 1.5 mm of play side to side in the impeller shaft.:eek: Now I'm off to order my new cam and lifters.:D I'll make the bad noise go away Jeff.;)

This is a good mid power combo, minimal smoke and enough umpf to keep the gassers at bay. I drove it up I-95 on the way home and pushed it up to 105 and it felt like it could run there all day, but with my valve train the way it is, I wasn't pushing my luck.:(
 

LOWRANGO

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2006
Location
Port Reading NJ
TDI
1999.5 Golf GLS TDI Auto
glad your happy with your set-up, now fix your lifters before the car drops a valve and takes out your engine and new turbo :eek: seen it before.... :(
 

robzuk

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
Md
TDI
1999 Golf, 2001 Golf, 1987 Cabrio
LOWRANGO said:
glad your happy with your set-up, now fix your lifters before the car drops a valve and takes out your engine and new turbo :eek: seen it before.... :(
Yep, that's on the agenda for today. I forgot to thank www.TDIparts.com for getting the parts out fast. I'll be ordering a new cam and lifters from them this afternoon.
 

JungleDeath

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2005
Location
Reno, NV, USA
TDI
00 Golf_11 JSW
What cam did you order?
Standard ALH
or
Passenger Performance. I would love to see a dyno with your present combo and a PP cam.
 

robzuk

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
Md
TDI
1999 Golf, 2001 Golf, 1987 Cabrio
JungleDeath said:
What cam did you order?
Standard ALH
or
Passenger Performance. I would love to see a dyno with your present combo and a PP cam.
I ordered the stock grind. I'm not going to make this particular car into a full blown racer. The GL Golf I'm watching is a WHOLE nutha ballgame! ;)
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I think we packed your cam and lifters this afternoon. FWIW, my '02 needed them as well at 160K.

You've got a nice setup. Drive it and enjoy.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
It's cam wear that causes the lifters to wear. If the lifters are losing their hardening and have scoring (often circular as they rotate in use) then it's the cam that's causing it. Sometimes you can see loss of hardening at the ends of the cam lobes, but you may not. You're better off replacing both.
 

david_594

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 28, 2004
Location
Cheshire, CT
TDI
2000 Jetta GLS Silver
IndigoBlueWagon said:
Sometimes you can see loss of hardening at the ends of the cam lobes, but you may not. You're better off replacing both.
Thats exactly what I saw on my cam.
 

robzuk

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
Md
TDI
1999 Golf, 2001 Golf, 1987 Cabrio
I'll post some pics of the whole enchilada when I get it all out. Right now, I'm working on my wife's car to get it through inspection and I have a funeral to attend Saurday so my week is just about shot.:(
 

mrchill

TDIClub Enthusiast, Super Secret Diesel Ninja Vend
Joined
Sep 16, 2003
Location
MASS! home of THE WORLD SERIES CHAMPION RED SOX! x
TDI
96 B4v red \ 98 Mk3 green\98 Mk3 Jetta black\ 99 Mk4 Jetta green x2\ 99 Mk4 Golf silver x2\ 99 Mk4 Jetta black\ 97 B4 sedan green\04 JSW gold\03 JSW silver
Go easy on the rpm till then. The lifters are typically spider cracked when they are noisy and can spontaneously shatter. I saw one last week in fact. It was at another shop. Ran fine......then clack clack clack...... You actually can use a micrometer to meaure the lobe to lobe differences. You may be surprised. Often the lobes have flat spots, other times erosion (porosity). The followers(lifters) are easier to notice damage. Pull the cam and look carefully.
 

02DslPwr

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2004
Location
Leander Texas
TDI
2002 Jetta Wagon, TDI
What's the interval for lifter/follower maintanence? I just installed a VNT-17 and I don't want it or the motor going.

I am at 131K miles, when should I consider replacing the lifters and maybe a PP cam?

At what power levels do you need to see benefits from the PP cam? I have PP357, VNT17, and soon to be RC'd.

What are the signs that you are needing this service?
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Noise: An experienced mechanic can hear the noise of the cam striking the lifters. If you pull the valve cover gasket and shine a light on the lifters you can see if there's cracking or discoloration: discoloration on the CAM lobes are an indicator, too. If there's no sign of wear then don't worry about it, although most agree you should renew lifters at 200K.

I have been curious about the PP cam, too, but haven't seen any data.
 

02DslPwr

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2004
Location
Leander Texas
TDI
2002 Jetta Wagon, TDI
IndigoBlueWagon said:
Noise: An experienced mechanic can hear the noise of the cam striking the lifters. If you pull the valve cover gasket and shine a light on the lifters you can see if there's cracking or discoloration: discoloration on the CAM lobes are an indicator, too. If there's no sign of wear then don't worry about it, although most agree you should renew lifters at 200K.

I have been curious about the PP cam, too, but haven't seen any data.
Thanks Peter.
 
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