What did you do to your MKIV today?

P2B

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Toronto & Muskoka, Canada
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta, 2003 Jetta Wagon
I'm driving my poor buggy for the 1st time and snow and it's a bad storm we're doing about 15 miles per hour in traffic. I wonder how much power or how many amps my window heaters, mirror heater heat at seat on 3 and headlights are consuming? Anybody know off hand? I'm hoping I don't slowly drain the battery before I hit the highway
Voltage on my scan guage drops from 14.2 to 13.1 if I turn on everything but the AC while idling along in winter storm traffic. That's still charging the battery.
 

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,gluten for punishment got another tdi 2001NB,another yellow tdi NB
Why are you worried about draining your battery? Is your alternator going bad?
 

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,gluten for punishment got another tdi 2001NB,another yellow tdi NB
What’s your voltage coming off the alternator?
I run with a scan gauge II and that’s one of the parameters I keep an eye on….
 

norbert77

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2022
Location
Petrolia
TDI
01 beetle
Slowing down really helps, I just got to 300 miles on this tank and it is still closer to 3/4 than half. It does have the ventsectomy.
 

red16vdub

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2013
Location
(617) City of CHAMPIONS
TDI
03 JSW 5spd
I'm driving my poor buggy for the 1st time and snow and it's a bad storm we're doing about 15 miles per hour in traffic. I wonder how much power or how many amps my window heaters, mirror heater heat at seat on 3 and headlights are consuming? Anybody know off hand? I'm hoping I don't slowly drain the battery before I hit the highway
You car should be able to idle in your driveway, with all accessories like high beans, rear window defrost, air conditioner, and all seat warmers, and not kill your battery. lol
 

norbert77

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2022
Location
Petrolia
TDI
01 beetle
You car should be able to idle in your driveway, with all accessories like high beans, rear window defrost, air conditioner, and all seat warmers, and not kill your battery. lol
Not sure, a lot of older alternators didn't put out peak charge until higher rpm
 

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,gluten for punishment got another tdi 2001NB,another yellow tdi NB

red16vdub

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2013
Location
(617) City of CHAMPIONS
TDI
03 JSW 5spd
Not sure, a lot of older alternators didn't put out peak charge until higher rpm
If you’re alternator it’s not putting out the proper voltage until high RPMs, usually it’s the blue exciter wire. But at first rev above 1500rpm the charging kicks in, and stay that way until the next restart.
 

Vwkaferman

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2021
Location
Mesa, AZ
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Dropped her off at Autobahn Motorwerks here in Phoenix. Timing belt and looks like a light reseal of the injection (top) pump. Leaking just a tad. Hope to get her back Friday. :)

James
 

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,
Not sure, a lot of older alternators didn't put out peak charge until higher rpm
That is true, some of the older vehicles didn't charge well at idle, though often their alternators were 20-60 amps output. I remember my dad's old Mazda pickup which had a 36 amp alternator. You couldn't let it sit and idle with the headlights on or it would run the battery down. Even the lowest amp tdi alternator which was the 90 amp one, it puts out enough at idle to run all of the accessories.
 

PakProtector

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2014
Location
AnnArbor, MI
TDI
Mk.4's and the Cummins
To keep an output, as rpm goes down, the exciter current goes up. I discovered the hard way that the Dodge can comfortably idle at a far lower point than its external regulator can live with. Voltage kept up, but *SOMETHING in there shorted and then votage goes thru the roof. Bastids. Idle is up now...LOL

Douglas
 

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,
To keep an output, as rpm goes down, the exciter current goes up. I discovered the hard way that the Dodge can comfortably idle at a far lower point than its external regulator can live with. Voltage kept up, but *SOMETHING in there shorted and then votage goes thru the roof. Bastids. Idle is up now...LOL

Douglas
On a Dodge, yes, as their regulator is in the ECM. The VW has a self contained regulator which self adjusts, until the newer LIN CAN network controlled ones in 2012 and up. And its very common for them to have the diodes fail which causes the voltage to skyrocket.
 

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,
Not this Dodge Moz... :) the intercooled square ones, yes...the earlier ones, nope...

Douglas
How old are you talking then? They were ecm controlled from the late 80's-early 90's
My coworker's 1992 dodge 1500 was ecm controlled, until I made a self regulated one for him.
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Well, today, I went out to my garage and just looked at my 03 Jetta. It's up on Jack Stands with the wheels off, back bumper cover off, cowl removed and everything in the trunk out ..........

I've replaced the front rotors, new CV Axles, replaced all brake pads, new Alternator and now trying to find where those pesky mice get in (separate Thread on that topic). I'm waiting on a Borescope which should be here in a couple of days.

Anyway, at roughly 278k on the body and 50k more on the engine, I hope this will allow it to give me another 100k miles. The TB change is good for another 85k miles. Since the tires are well over 5 years old, they probably need to be replaced sometime this year.
 

norbert77

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2022
Location
Petrolia
TDI
01 beetle
Well, today, I went out to my garage and just looked at my 03 Jetta. It's up on Jack Stands with the wheels off, back bumper cover off, cowl removed and everything in the trunk out ..........

I've replaced the front rotors, new CV Axles, replaced all brake pads, new Alternator and now trying to find where those pesky mice get in (separate Thread on that topic). I'm waiting on a Borescope which should be here in a couple of days.

Anyway, at roughly 278k on the body and 50k more on the engine, I hope this will allow it to give me another 100k miles. The TB change is good for another 85k miles. Since the tires are well over 5 years old, they probably need to be replaced sometime this year.
Check your cabin filter. That's where they built nest in mine. And right on top of the ecu
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Check your cabin filter. That's where they built nest in mine. And right on top of the ecu
Yeah, there was a big nest on top of the cabin filter. I've found there many times over the years. There was a nest on the opposite side next to the ambient air temp sensor also. I just want to find where they are getting inside my vehicle. It's been a problem for years with all of my vehicles. Our house is in the woods and our property joins the D. Boone National Forest. So, catching or poisoning them is a waste of time. I just need to find their entrance points and plug them. Tracking shows the borescope will be delivered today. So, the search will begin this afternoon.......... even if I have to remove everything......... dash, seats, carpet, etc. ...LOL
 

J.P.

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
Location
Northern MI
TDI
Black 05 b5.5V/6spd w/274k miles (daily). Silver 02 Golf/5spd w/240k miles (fun 1). Mint Tornado Red 01 Golf/5spd w/440k (ALH still perfect!!!).
New alternator, a fresh set of snow tires, all new vacuum lines, and the Silver Surfer is back to zipping around Michigan roads as my son's daily driver. 240k miles of Michigan road salt took its toll on the original alternator. I was proud of myself for removing the regulator in place in an attempt to leave the alternator, but alas the brush rings were worn away.

I was dreading this job because the alternator is buried on the Mk4 Golf TDI. Turned out it wasn't terrible, just slow for a shade tree mechanic. My son and I got it out the top by unbolting the power steering pump, removing the serpentine belt tensioner, and dropping the radiator fan down out of the way.

The remanufactured Bosch alternator has a rivited in voltage regulator. :-( It looks like you can no longer just replace the regulator. Kind of a bummer.
 

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,
New alternator, a fresh set of snow tires, all new vacuum lines, and the Silver Surfer is back to zipping around Michigan roads as my son's daily driver. 240k miles of Michigan road salt took its toll on the original alternator. I was proud of myself for removing the regulator in place in an attempt to leave the alternator, but alas the brush rings were worn away.

I was dreading this job because the alternator is buried on the Mk4 Golf TDI. Turned out it wasn't terrible, just slow for a shade tree mechanic. My son and I got it out the top by unbolting the power steering pump, removing the serpentine belt tensioner, and dropping the radiator fan down out of the way.

The remanufactured Bosch alternator has a rivited in voltage regulator. :-( It looks like you can no longer just replace the regulator. Kind of a bummer.
Riveted in? Thats odd, I've never seen them riveted in. All the ones I've seen were either Phillips or torx screws holding it in.
 

P2B

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Toronto & Muskoka, Canada
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta, 2003 Jetta Wagon
240k miles of Michigan road salt took its toll on the original alternator. I was proud of myself for removing the regulator in place in an attempt to leave the alternator, but alas the brush rings were worn away.
That's a minor miracle, they are usually so crusty getting the regulator off on the bench is a challenge.

I find it easier to drop the AC compressor and take them out the bottom.
 

Vwkaferman

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2021
Location
Mesa, AZ
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Picked up the wagon from Autobahn Motorwerks (Phoenix, AZ). Fresh timing belt and small refresh of injection pump (was starting to leak). On the way home CEL came on.

Texted them, responded immediately right near closing time. Turned around, they scanned and simple fix (EGR feed loose). I’m talking I pulled up to the bay and Chris (hope I got that right) had laptop ready to go. Stoked!

When doing the timing belt he adjusted the IQ back to a more normal reading. Car still pulls pretty well (Malone Stage IV), definitely doesn’t smoke train like it did before. Excited! Can’t wait to see if I can break +40mpg! (personal best so far is 40mpg).

James
 

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'll be interesting to see if your FE improves with the new IQ setting. I also wonder where they set the injection timing when they replaced the belt. 40 MPG for an ALH isn't stellar: what other mods do you have?
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
VwKaferman, I agree, 40 MPG isn't stellar for an ALH, especially with a manual transmission.
My formerly owned 2000 got 50 MPG tank after tank......... over 13 years of data in an Excel spreadsheet. My son owns it now. His driving habits are different than mine and the engine is pushing 390k miles. But, he still gets over 48 MPG tank after tank.
My 03 with an 01 engine knocks out better than 50 MPG tank after tank. The engine has over 328k miles on it.
Hopefully your MPGs will improve.
 

J.P.

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
Location
Northern MI
TDI
Black 05 b5.5V/6spd w/274k miles (daily). Silver 02 Golf/5spd w/240k miles (fun 1). Mint Tornado Red 01 Golf/5spd w/440k (ALH still perfect!!!).

Vwkaferman

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2021
Location
Mesa, AZ
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Interesting fellas, yeah since day 1 when I bought it out of Cali it’s gotten 40mpg no matter how I drive. It’s always smoked heavily and now doesn’t nearly as bad (slight haze upon mashing go peddle, cleans up well in higher revs). Mods are: Malone Stage 4, Wuzetem .230’s VNT17, Southbend stage 3 endurance, 21# balanced flywheel.

James
 

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,
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