TDI - Dissambled 6 years

outatime

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2001
Location
Bridgeport, WV
TDI
Jetta, 2001, Silver
I bought a 2001 Jetta TDI back on June 29, 2001. VIN #225248. Manual

The car has 230,000 miles on it and has not ran in 6 years.

In 2016 I was living in WV and I met this girl in Texas. We drove the car to Texas, however on the way there, I blew a CV Joint. It should be known that I have done nothing other then timing belt (associated parts), air intake clean, and oil changes to this car. The car has never failed me!

I replaced both front axles and then I was like, "Might as well do the clutch . . . . heck might as well replace the front and rear sub-assembly (rust), alternator, brakes, oil pan, shocks, struts, springs, wheel bearings, brake calibers, rotors, pads, glow-plugs, clean the air intake....etc. the list goes on. I also decided to upgrade the Intercooler, put a new turbocharger on . . . . " In the end, I probably spent $5,000 in parts, something that does not bother me at all. (If you were wondering, the clutch was fine.)

I got married to this girl in 2017 and during my marriage, she turned into a different person. If I spent any time working on this car, it resulted in an argument because I wasn't spending time with her. The marriage ended in 2018. We did not live together until after we were married - something I would never do again.

I need to get this car back together. Does anyone have any suggestions? The diesel tank was full when I started this project. The car has had no oil in the engine for 4 years. I have never ran the car. There has been no antifreeze, oil, gear oil in the car during this time. It was kept in a garage the entire time.

I brought it back to WV in the back of a Penski 30' box truck.

Any recommendations will be helpful.
Rocco
 

Lex4TDI4Life

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 22, 2006
Location
NorCal
TDI
2001 Golf-Ute TDI GLS 5spd Manual
Definitely drain the fuel. It is probably overloaded with bacteria growth.
 

STDOUBT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Location
Portland, effing Oregon
TDI
dos jettas
Before starting, I would use some assembly grease on the camshaft lobes and lifters after inspecting them, since they're probably pretty dry by now. That mileage is a good time to consider replacing the cam and lifters if you see any damage. I would also bar the engine over a couple times with new oil (using the crank bolt) just 'cuz.
I'd also inspect for sign of rodent occupation.
Get some BIO-BOR into the tank. I don't think I'd waste all that fuel. If the tank has been sitting full, there's little room for water.
bio-bor will kill whatever's in there, but it would be worth it to me to replace the fuel filter after getting it running, again, just 'cuz.
Also worth it to check the underbelly, and for puddles on the inside of the belly pan. General inspection for troubles, anything out of place or chewed on (rodents).
Also, might be worth it to "flush" the coolant system with distilled a few times to flush out any loose rust particles.
Fill with distilled, run, and drain until clear, no pressure flushing.
Gearbox should be fine once you fill it.
Sounds like a fun project, so have fun!
 

agent_jwa

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 9, 2024
Location
WI
TDI
02 Golf
For the fuel you could get a pump to push it through a few filters and then back into the tank, let it circulate for a few hours. Do this after treating it.
 

GlowBugTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2018
Location
Cambridge, MN
TDI
2001 Beetle GLS TDI (BIODSL). 01 original Glow Bug TDI (sold)
The car has a fuel filter for a reason. Personally I would just run the fuel in it. Diesel doesn't really go bad it can, but shelf life is good. If you want add some conditioner to the tank to help clean and burn off any moisture.
My car sat for 5yrs outside (MN, so winters and summers) and all I did was add some lubricant to the tank. Ran just fine, and 85k later its still a champ.

I would however remove the valve cover and pour oil over your cam and tappets before starting. You could also unplug the IP and crank it over to prime the oil system.
I didn't do this and that top end made some racket for the first 40 seconds or so. Kind of felt bad about that, but it was too late and an after thought. Again, 85k and no issues, but I also havent seen the cam and lifters in 60k+. Still...
 
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