What would you do with a 2004 golf?

[Gearhed]

Hey guys, I’m a Jeep dealer mechanic and after 10 years of turning a wrench I just started running my own little mom and pop repair shop. When I bought this business a few months ago, the old owner signed over the title to a 2004 VW Golf TDI (BEW, Manual, hatchback) to me. He said he just put a clutch in, but when he went to change out the glow plugs one had pieces of it fall into the cylinder and the threads for the Cylinder 1 don’t look so great anymore. Knowing that I’ll need to do a cylinder head and the fact it’s been sitting, what else would you guys recommend I do with my “free” TDI? Right now it’s 20 years old and I’m looking to keep it on the road as long as possible to keep miles off my Tacoma and maybe give it to my daughter as a first car in 10 years. Since I didn’t spend anything on the car I’m looking to put $2,000-$5,000 into it to make it as reliable as possible. I’m sure looking around this group would give me plenty of ideas but I’d love to hear suggestions on what you would do if you were in my shoes. Thanks for any ideas!!

 

[JDSwan87]

A: sell it to someone here for $500 that will fix it and keep it on the road.

B: pull the head, send it to Franko6, buy a GOOD timing belt kit from a vendor here, rent/borrow the tools to do the timing belt the correct way, clean it up and sell it for $3500.

C: part it out


If it's a rust free car and the interior is in good shape, please DON'T part it out.

I would do A if you don't have the time to mess with it. Or B if you do...

 

[jmodge]

@ franko6 is the resident head expert, along with stocking many internal engine parts. A timing belt kit from one of our trusted vendors. @burpod is in the northeast and has a good tuning rep, also owns one of those if I'm not mistaken. The rest of the normal things to check, doggone mount, suspension bushings, brakes, struts, shocks etc. Roof drain terminations should be opened up, foam blocks if they are still in the top front fender wells. there's also a debris trap at the rear base of the front fender wells. Pulling the liner will gain access to these common rust out spots. Along with about a million other little oddities I can't think of at the moment. Mk4's are awesome little machines. Have fun with it

 

[Gearhed]

Thank you for sharing about franko6! I really want to get the head sent off annd cleaned up to fix it correctly. I haven’t dug into many VWs, but I don’t mind BMW or Mercedes repairs.

I’ll definitely go through the drains/rust spots, but so far the interior has no smells/mold. I’m building up a parts list pretty quickly, but I’m fortunate that I should have time in the next few months to get it in the shop and dedicate a couple days into fixing it up to be a daily driver. At this point, I think It’d be worth it to go through the whole (front) suspension if I have to drop the subframe anyway.

 

[jmodge]

You shouldn't have to drop the subframe, solid bushings, unless your steering leaks. I've never had to pull one, but that's apparently how you gain access. I've used Whiteline industries suspension bushings with great success. Synthetic rubber, firm, smooth, easy to install and long lasting. No longer posted on their website last I checked, but I've found them online cheap. There are upgrades to larger brakes, I find stock adequate, also lowering and lifting options. Which reminds me, metal skidplates are nice upgrades.

 

[JDSwan87]

Return on investment for suspension is terrible if you plan on selling the car. Sadly, nobody cares. Buyers wany shiny paint and clean interior. They sometimes barely look at tire tread...

 

[AndyBees]

Welcome to the TDI Club.
If your goal is serious, develop a plan and stick with it.

 

[jmodge]

I forgot to mention the #1 item, VCDS. Being a mechanic you're familiar with diagnostic tools and their costs, so you'll understand the value per cost of this tool. There are several versions, Rosstech is the vendor. Free download of the program, the cable you must buy. There are pirated cables out there, questionable if those are worth it. There is an unlimited vin cable that is no longer produced and sold new. It originally sold in the $375 to $400 range and can be found used. Check the items for sale threads and always check the sellers profile to see if they are legit. Occasionally scammers do come about, but most of these guys are solid. It's obvious when you view their posts and check them out.

 

[Gearhed]

I’m definitely serious about keeping the car and fixing it up to be a daily driver. This has been a dream car of mine since high school. I may even set it up to run a 2nd tank of low mileage WMO eventually…

Thank you for the heads up for the VDCS! I’m always more than happy to get good shop supplies, I’ve already got the Snap-on D10 for the shop and a J2534 tool for OEM flashing (If needed).

The plan so far is to take a day next month to get the head off and sent out, take inventory of any questionable seals, gaskets, hoses, etc. and get them purchased. I’ll also go through the drains and spots @jmodge suggested. Then spend a long weekend re-assembling with new brakes, battery, tires, struts, and timing kit. The wheels and interior are in excellent shape, and I’m hoping my detail guy can get the paint back to perfect too.

 

[jjblbi]

You have come to the right place, keep reading. VCDS will pay for itself, Frank06 is the go-to head guy and check out ID Parts as a vendor. The stupid foam block at the top of the front fender between the liner and fender absorbs and holds water-gotta go. Good luck, John

 

[jmodge]

The drain terminations, front door jams and rear bumper area, have rubber ends that are shut and collect crap then won’t let water through. One of those engineering designs that makes you scratch your head and wonder ***? I just snip the ends open. More than adequate drainage, as the tubing is roughly 8mm. Whatever you do if they happen to clog, don’t run anything down them, the can come off the top. Always go up from the bottom. But the line generally doesn’t clog as it’s ample sized, just the weird termination that is a trap that you have to squeeze to open

 

[CantWrite]

I may even set it up to run a 2nd tank of low mileage WMO eventually…

From all the reading I’ve done, you’d be doing a disservice to a PD if you run WMO or WVO.

Once roadworthy, they’re so economical to run (10k OCI, 45 mpg, etc) just put diesel in it and motor on.

Find an old IDI (6.9/7.3 or 6.2/6.5) to run WMO when you need a heavier duty pickup

 

[jmodge]

The VCDS handles engine, transmission, and body controllers. VW specific. Performs output tests, monitoring, logging, and other functions, it’s quite the tool

 

[Lightflyer1]

Check the cam while you have the head off. PDs were known to have some cam issues.

 

[Gearhed]

@Lightflyer1 that’s definitely a high priority on the list, I’m hoping that I can also get the injectors rebuilt while I’m there too.

 

[Powder Hound]

Get ready to be patient. Last comment I recall reading from Franko6 is that he's got a 3+ month backlog on head work. And that, gentle reader, is because there is none better.

But it is also true that he will zero time the head for you, including fix the GP threads that failed.

It sounds like a good, fun project, really. Enjoy the process, then enjoy the car.

Cheers,

PH

 

[[486]]

From all the reading I’ve done, you’d be doing a disservice to a PD if you run WMO or WVO.

Once roadworthy, they’re so economical to run (10k OCI, 45 mpg, etc) just put diesel in it and motor on.

Find an old IDI (6.9/7.3 or 6.2/6.5) to run WMO when you need a heavier duty pickup

eh, everything hates waste oil
got too much metallic additives in it, they build up as a hard metallic ash in the combustion chambers

atf is a lot better, if you can segregate it out of your waste oil (second waste tank for the flush machine to dump into or whatever)

 

[Lug_Nut]

....when he went to change out the glow plugs one had pieces of it fall into the cylinder and the threads for the Cylinder 1 don’t look so great anymore. Knowing that I’ll need to do a cylinder head.....

Don't be so sure the head needs any more than a thread insert. Pull the head anyway to insert the coil from below, and since it's off you might as well have more work done, but me? I'd inspect, install a thread insert being certain to not affect the tapered seat where the glow plug seals and call it done.

I may even set it up to run a 2nd tank of low mileage WMO eventually…

I strongly advise against that. The PD engines (BEW, BHW, BRM) are more fuel viscosity sensitive than the VE engines before. WMO, WVO, and the equally dubious suggestion of ATF are not what I'd ever run in a PD. Transesterified biodiesel from VO base? Absolutely I'd run that again. The other substances in the prior sentence are unknown, untested, and could be anything.

Check the cam while you have the head off. PDs were known to have some cam issues.

My experience is the PD cams are no more prone to early wear than the VE cams. Somewhere between 175 and 225 k miles they all will start to show signs of wearing through the outer hardness (tree ring appearance as each successive layer is worn through).
And use the correct oil that is ->approved <- to the VW 505.01 requirement. I don't give a ratzazz about an oil marketer recommendation to use the product that they happen to have. If the oil hasn't been certified to meet the VW spec it's no better than a lawyer that studied for the bar exam, but didn't pass.

 

[jimbote]

You don't necessarily have to pull the head to get the broken glow plug out. Remove the intake manifold and slowly rotate the engine to open the intake valve. Blow into the glow hole with compressed air while sucking on the intake port with a vacuum cleaner. If that fails, you can also remove the turbo, hold both valves open, and blow through intake or exhaust port.
The glow threads can be repaired in situ with a heli-coil kit.