What did you do to your MKIV today?

[wonneber]

Ok - some back story before the "rest of the story..."

The above Roadmaster wasn't out of winter storage yet so was going to use the Jetta to pick up some items for a friend of mine using my smaller trailer (lots of pics in the towing thread). I've been daily driving the Jetta all winter, no issues other than a starter and battery that were replaced. The Jetta sat for the month of April as I drove a different vehicle for a while - drove it to it's parking spot, no indications that anything was amiss.

So, go to start the Jetta the night before the trip with the trailer, key on, cranks over fine, fires up a bit rough/stumble (normal), runs on all cylinders for ~15 seconds then dies. Hmm - that's weird...

Hit the starter again and it cranks over super fast and easy, doesn't start. Uh oh... Try it again, same thing. ***?
Start checking things - can't find anything wrong, timing belt is good, tensioner is good, no lifters are spidered, etc
Grab the compression gauge - 150 psi in 3 of 4 cylinders (didn't do #4 because it's a hassle to get to and with the results of the previous 3, doesn't really matter anyway...)

So, because I'm spoiled with a good friend that let's me use his shop with a hoist, I drive the other vehicle to get my Roadmaster out of storage, borrow my uncles trailer (shown above), bring that home with my other car on the trailer, push the Jetta on the trailer to take it to my friends shop to dig into it deeper. I don't know what's wrong, but I don't want to tear into this outside in my driveway.

Get to my friends shop, double check everything, cam/IP/Crank timing are spot on, another lifter check, pull the crank damper pulley, no issues with the timing belt - can't find any reason that it has 150psi compression.

On a lark, try to start it again and it starts to catch, then a bit more, then running on it's own (2 cylinders maybe), and after a few more seconds on all 4 cylinders. It starts to stumble and die again, but saves itself and keeps running. So, put everything back together, clean up my tools, take it out for some "exercise" and it runs fine. Shut it off, restarts fine. Let it sit overnight, starts right up the next morning. So, load it back up on the trailer and bring it home. Did a compression test tonight and got ~380 psi on the same 3/4 cylinders (cold engine, 18:1 CR, Stage 2 Cam installed straight up, etc)

Best guess is that the rings got "sticky" and were not sealing well, therefore low compression, sounds like it's freewheeling when cranking and no start.

My friend says he's had this happen 2 times in 40 years on diesels - Both were manual transmission trucks and was able to tow them in gear to get them spinning fast enough to make enough heat to start combustion. One of them was 10+ years ago and still runs fine today.

I was expecting to find something catastrophic and for it to be the end of the line for this car, but not yet .

As the late Paul Harvey would say..."now you know, the rest of the story"

The "cranks over super fast" is what I had when my ASV was gummed up and occasionally stuck closed after shutting the car.
I know it's spring open but after I cleaned the sludge it was OK again.
This was on my 03 JSW BTW.

 

[Fix_Until_Broke]

The "cranks over super fast" is what I had when my ASV was gummed up and occasionally stuck closed after shutting the car.
I know it's spring open but after I cleaned the sludge it was OK again.
This was on my 03 JSW BTW.

I had a friends 03 Jetta do that to him - took us a while to figure it out .

My ASV fell off ~15 years ago, so pretty sure that wasn't the issue this time

 

[Rob Mayercik]

From yesterday:

First, ordered these (they arrived this morning, in all their shrinkwrapped, 11.5-pound hardcover glory):

Then, on the way home I pulled over for a moment to take this pic:

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

That's pretty cool that you got to a half a million miles before your needed a repair manual.

 

[Rob Mayercik]

I actually bought it on CD from Bentley years ago, but I recently read somewhere on here that suggested that getting support from them for the ancient e-bahn reader that the electronic manual ran on was somewhere between extremely difficult and impossible (and I've not had my electronic one working for some years now), so I figured I should lay my hands on a paper copy and found that one on Amazon at a reasonable price.

Getting the electronic version seemed like a good idea at the time, but I never really used it much (largely because of the headaches caused by trying to move it from one computer to another with the former not functioning (and eventually a hard drive upgrade on the newer one). In retrospect, I probably should have gone with the paper one instead originally, as I won't have to worry about sunglare, low batteries, or grease on the keyboard this way.

I probably should have done this a while ago, but it'll definitely come in handy soon - I've got an "intermittent electrical fault" code for the left rear ABS wheel speed sensor to run down, so the manual's first use will likely be for the pictures of how to get at that and check it for damage

 

[J_dude]

I won't have to worry about sunglare, low batteries, or grease on the keyboard this way.

Well, it's a good idea to print off the pages you need before starting a job anyway, and that still applies to the paper manuals too. I'd say scan the ones you need and print em because you don't want to get grease on those books.

 

[Rob Mayercik]

True. I'm usually good about wiping my hands (or stripping off the gloves) before touching the book (have a paper service manual for my Jeep as well, and have managed not to mess it up, as I usually find the page I want and then just paperweight the pages in place and simply look back at it), but I certainly don't mind the reminder/suggestion.

 

[P2B]

I've got an "intermittent electrical fault" code for the left rear ABS wheel speed sensor to run down, so the manual's first use will likely be for the pictures of how to get at that and check it for damage

That's usually caused by the tone ring rusting and contacting the sensor. You can pull the rotor and clean up/file down the tone ring to keep it a going another year or two, or just bite the bullet and get a new hub and sensor. You'll find tips on the easiest way to do those jobs here, but not in your Bentley

 

[Rob Mayercik]

Interesting, what I'd found searching yesterday indicated that the wiring harness was a common source of this. I just had the wheel bearings/brakes replaced back in the fall, but I suppose if I don't find any wiring damage I can pop the rotor and check the tone ring. If nothing else, the Bentley will at least show me what it should look like...

 

[KrashDH]

I've had an aftermarket sensor cause abs issues because it didn't sit at the same depth/distance from the tone ring as OEM. It was out of the spec tolerance range

 

[Zak99b5]

Trick I’ve found for removing abs sensors is to get a chisel and chop off the part sticking out of the wheel bearing housing. Then use a punch and a bfh to drive out the rest. A Dremel with a ball file bit cleans up the bore nicely.

 

[Zak99b5]

On #2 son's 01 Tdi sedan, helped him install some used Koni Yellows with H&R Sport springs. I think they are too low, but it’s not my car, so. We were also going to reboot his right front cv joint boot, but my triple square bit set was MIA. Found it later, so we will do the boot next month. He also didn’t get the crimping tool for the clamps, so I guess it’s just as well.

We ran into the usual (for upstate NY) rust issues, as well as VW hardware being replaced with SAE-sized stuff. Rear shock mount removal (he neglected to buy new) from the old shocks was a pita. The flat on top to counterhold the shaft from spinning just twisted off on both. Luckily (kinda) the shafts were both rusted into the mounts, so an impact zipped them off. Then we had to support both mounts in a vise and wail on the shock shafts to drive them out. I had old VW lower rear shock bolts in the shed (from when I put the rsb on my car), so we were able to replace the sae that was on one side and the bolt we had to cut with a sawzall on the other. Good times.

 

[Rob Mayercik]

I've had an aftermarket sensor cause abs issues because it didn't sit at the same depth/distance from the tone ring as OEM. It was out of the spec tolerance range

Sensors should all (including this one) be OEM - I've owned the car since new and don't recall ever having those replaced.

Trick I’ve found for removing abs sensors is to get a chisel and chop off the part sticking out of the wheel bearing housing. Then use a punch and a bfh to drive out the rest. A Dremel with a ball file bit cleans up the bore nicely.

Good to know. Really hoping for an actual wiring issue, since pulling the sensor doesn't sound like fun (and neither does replacing the hub)

 

[Mozambiquer]

20240523_162501.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 23, 2024

20240523_162450.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 23, 2024

20240523_151429.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 23, 2024

Today I had this cream puff in the shop for a turbo and intake manifold replacement. 190k miles on the clock 5 speed manual alh.

20240522_160545.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 23, 2024

Yep, it was about time for that...

20240523_132355.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 23, 2024

After cleaning the egr valve. A walnut hull blaster is a very nice thing to have in the shop! One of the most often used pieces of equipment.

And then the other mk4 I had in the shop... this one on the other side of the spectrum... it was neglected, abandoned and hacked up... but it was cheap, so it should be decent after I get the hack job wiring from the manual swap fixed. Also gotta replace the parts store alternator it has in it, as well as the alternator wiring harness.
Just did the cam and timing belt.

20240523_191650.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 23, 2024

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• Mozambiquer
• May 23, 2024

 

[CanadianALH]

20240523_162501.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 23, 2024

20240523_162450.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 23, 2024

20240523_151429.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 23, 2024

Today I had this cream puff in the shop for a turbo and intake manifold replacement. 190k miles on the clock 5 speed manual alh.

20240522_160545.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 23, 2024

Yep, it was about time for that...

20240523_132355.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 23, 2024

After cleaning the egr valve. A walnut hull blaster is a very nice thing to have in the shop! One of the most often used pieces of equipment.

And then the other mk4 I had in the shop... this one on the other side of the spectrum... it was neglected, abandoned and hacked up... but it was cheap, so it should be decent after I get the hack job wiring from the manual swap fixed. Also gotta replace the parts store alternator it has in it, as well as the alternator wiring harness.
Just did the cam and timing belt.

20240523_191650.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 23, 2024

20240523_191621.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 23, 2024

That first Jetta is beautiful! Even the second one looks pretty rust free.

 

[burpod]

it's insane how anyone can let an egr clog up like that and not know. then again, i'm surprised day after day

 

[Fix_Until_Broke]

From yesterday:

First, ordered these (they arrived this morning, in all their shrinkwrapped, 11.5-pound hardcover glory):

Then, on the way home I pulled over for a moment to take this pic:

Congrats on 500k miles!

How did I just find out that there is a volume 2 of the manual? Mine is a single book ~3" thick?

 

[KrashDH]

it's insane how anyone can let an egr clog up like that and not know. then again, i'm surprised day after day

Are you surprised? Lol people are special

 

[Mozambiquer]

That first Jetta is beautiful! Even the second one looks pretty rust free.

Yeah, its pretty decent body condition, and I got it for $500, which isn't too bad, but the wiring is a mess...

 

[burpod]

Are you surprised? Lol people are special

not really i guess. but somewhere deep in my heart i have optimism. but yet, every day i get surprised... the number of things i've seen over the last few years continues to "surprise" me. yet i still feel surprised lol

 

[hans_gruber0]

There was a good bit of deviation of IQ between injectors on my set of injectors with dlc1019 nozzles I'd reused crush washers on a year or two ago.

So today pulled the injectors, old washers, and cleaned the injectors bores/seats and put in a set of used pp764 nozzles/injectors I'd bought from a guru several years ago and installed them.

Pulled the injector return line fitting completely off and sucked alot of fuel with Capri tool brake bleeder and still could not get a spray or stream of fuel when cracking the injector nuts loose 4 at a time or two at a time (#1 and #3 ->> #2 and #4)

Now left scratching my head of how I got past this issue last time. Might have been a bottle of diesel purge held high above the pump feeding directly into the line that feeds the pump bypassing the fuel filter and fuel filter T all together but alas the store is closed and nobody to hold the bottle for now

 

[Nuje]

Really hoping for an actual wiring issue, since pulling the sensor doesn't sound like fun (and neither does replacing the hub)

I'll take removing a sensor over tracking down a wiring issue on something that starts under the hood and reaches all the way to the rear wheels. Unless, of course, there's an abraded wire screaming HERE I AM as soon as I pull off the wheel.

 

[P2B]

put in a set of used pp764 nozzles/injectors I'd bought from a guru several years ago and installed them.

How were they stored for the last several years?

 

[hans_gruber0]

How were they stored for the last several years?

Loose inside a box :/

 

[Rob Mayercik]

Congrats on 500k miles!

How did I just find out that there is a volume 2 of the manual? Mine is a single book ~3" thick?

Thanks. From what I found, the paperback version still comes in a single volume, but the hardcover (which is what I got) got split into two books. About 3 inches does sound close to the combined thickness on these, if I account for the covers themselves.

Considering the two together weigh 11.5 pounds, it's probably for the best that they split the hardcover edition in two as it's a lot of mass to carry around, and a single book probably makes it more challenging to set it open to a particular page.

I'll take removing a sensor over tracking down a wiring issue on something that starts under the hood and reaches all the way to the rear wheels. Unless, of course, there's an abraded wire screaming HERE I AM as soon as I pull off the wheel.

That's generally what I'm hoping for - the replacement harnesses I see online have grommets that indicate that it goes into the body up in the wheel opening, so I'm making the assumption that once it's within the body it's fine, and the potential for damage is between the grommet and the sensor.

 

[P2B]

Loose inside a box :/

They are almost certainly gummed up inside. Take them out and soak them in diesel purge for a few more years then try again

 

[oilhammer]

Yeah, those injectors are not in good health.

 

[Mozambiquer]

20240524_102806.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 24, 2024

Hmm... maybe thats part of why there isn't any boost... anybody got a good bew intercooler they don't need anymore?
I've been working through this bew. It has a cone air filter, so the maf is shot as well. Then I could hear a boost leak... yeah this would do it lol.

 

[hans_gruber0]

They are almost certainly gummed up inside. Take them out and soak them in diesel purge for a few more years then try again

Yeah, those injectors are not in good health.

Good to know rather than just keeping on cranking. Just noticed that the shielding for the 3rd injector wire is frayed as well. Thank you
DLC1019's going back in tonight and I guess this spare pp764 set are cores

Such a chore without a lift pump!

EDIT: on an unrelated note. does anyone have experience with buying injectors from xmanturbos?

 

[CanadianALH]

Good to know rather than just keeping on cranking. Just noticed that the shielding for the 3rd injector wire is frayed as well. Thank you
DLC1019's going back in tonight and I guess this spare pp764 set are cores

Such a chore without a lift pump!

EDIT: on an unrelated note. does anyone have experience with buying injectors from xmanturbos?

Yes some have. I have heard they are power tdi injectors they just sell. I have a set of .260s from them ( powertdi Poland) with a burpod tune and that is the combo! Had them in for a month less a day and not a single problem with the injectors once I got them seated. It runs like a dream and it pretty quick to boot.