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anyway, i think your point is "spot on". i have not run tests myself to see if additive helps eliminate the shudder/hesitation/bucking of my 05 passat TDI. maybe i will give it a try.
bpeebles, ok, yeah i hear your point too! and thanks for giving me credit for being at least somewhat humorous! as for antigel, we needn't worry about it unless we are the engineering director at an oil refinery. our pals at the oil companies take care of the antigel for us. there's a table for each US state, for each month of the year, which specifies the temp to which the fuel must be protected. i think they use something other than kerosene nowadays but i am not sure about that. there's no doubt that whatever is the antigel-additive, it lowers mpg by about 10%.
i had mistakenly thought you were talking about customer-added additives, not the stuff the oil companies already take care of for us... in early winter in the northern states, be sure to use a high-volume diesel station so as not to get stuck with an old batch of fuel during an early cold-snap!
ttfn!
The guy at the local VW deaslership gave me the description: Alternator Pulley Replacement Kit (one piece - item #022-903-119-A $86.97 +tx) . I have a good pic of the torn up interior of the pulley if I could only figure out how to post it.
Any thoughts on how this pulley would have become seized?
The dealer has installed the EGR gasket with the small hole, made NO difference. I have 15,000 miles on the TDI and my wife and I love the wagon but the shudder at 30-40 mph steady speed is most aggravating.
I have tried Amsoil diesel additive for TDI cars, no change.
It appears this is not a problem VW is interested in correcting. VW customer relations states, "SORRY,if we come up with something we will contact you".
The dealer states, "If VW cannot come up with a fix, there is nothing we can do".
I was a VW service manager in the past. I would find a fix for my customers if they brought a problem to our attention, I would not live with, (Ve Don't got NO shudder problem with TDI). Devoted VW customers will continue to purchase VWs but I GUESS SOMEONE FORGOT THIS!!!
My first VW? ,NO. 5 VWS in the family in the past 4 years, not counting all the beetles I've had and the kids had as they were growing up..I sound angry, no, just dissappointed.
If it does cause problmes later... it is VERY easy to replace with a phillips-screwdriver and one hand tied behind your back.
Actually easier than replacing either of the the air-filters!!
just wondering if its necessary to replace a bad oxygen sensor; the 1st bank. if i should replace it asap, where is they located under the hood..
thanks.
have you considered/tried just downshifting by 1 gear
in order to avoid the shudder? so, downshift into 4 (or 3) at 30 to 40 mph - maybe that will cure it. and mpg will not get that much worse!
Again, your thoughts on this situation are appreciated.
In any case, if your car *does* have O2 sensors... they are not often found "under the hood" of a VW. This because the exhaust on VW is on the FIREWALL side of the engine and O2 sensors are screwed into the exhaust system.
so given the choice between the 05 & 04 passat TDI with the shudder-egr design, and no 05 & 04 passat TDI at all, i'll take the shudder-egr for now.
the other alternative was the jetta TDI but i drove one of those for 60k miles in 2 years and after that i could no longer tolerate the jetta's abysmal handling and floaty ride.
currently i prefer diesels except in high-performance cars, so my only other diesel choice would have been Benz E320 CDI. i might have considered one of those but my experience and research tells me that VWs are WAAAAY more reliable than Benzes. no way was i going to pay twice the $ for a car that is half as reliable.
one of our other vehicles is a volvo xc90, which we really like. but if audi would have a diesel available for the Q7, i'd probably have one on order right now. maybe next year...
Thanks again for your concern and professionL RESPONSE.
JW
It is often possible to check the VNT actiuator by manually moving it with your hand. (It should not feel like it is sticking anywhere along its travel)
As for possible MAF problem, You can disconnect the connector to the MAF and let it dangle... then drive the car for several days to see if the power is resored. If your power seems to get better, the MAF is suspect.(disconnecting the MAF connector may turn on the CEL...but ignore it)
If the MAF is not completely crapped out, it may be hard to distiquish if power is restored or not. Running without the MAF will not give you 100% performance. I supsected mine at 70k miles and tried unhooking it and didn't have much better results with it unhooked. I then hooked up my VAGCOM to test the MAF and it was about 60% out of spec. Replaced the MAF and all was good.
I was not to the point I was drastically slowing down for hills, but there was an fairly obvious lack of power. It's hard to notice if you drive it day-to-day because the power drops off slowly over time as the MAF gets worse. If your MAF has never been replaced I would be highly supsect. Most of the '00-'01 models all were faulty by 60k miles for the most part, to the point VW was replacing them for free if you were under a certain mileage.
The MAF basically just pops in/out with a coule screws (i believe they're torx screws).
The turbocharger is bolted to the exhaust side of the engine. The actuator is a little rod sticking out of the turbocharger which should move about 1/2 inch back and forth.
Click here to see detailed photos of the VNT15 turbocharger The actuator rod is clearly seen in some of the photos. The reason for sticking is also discussed on that webpage. (HINT: Babying the TDI engine!)
Thanks,
Chintan Talati
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com
So gang, what am I missing?
Best Regards,
Shipo
It is the HI PRESSURE injection pump under the hood which is bolted to the engine and driven by the timingbelt. At the VERY LEAST... one would have to pay for a complete timingbelt replacement AND the new fuel pump AND you better put a waterpump in there while it is apart.
A diesel fuelpump may cost as much as the TDI engine block!! I just did a search on the internet and a REBUILT injection pump runs over $1000.
Also, VW has single-use bolts... which means ALL the bolts have to be replaced once they are removed. (Lest the engine may fall out from underneath the car if bolts are reused)
That is why it costs over $2000 to replace the TDI fuelpump.
SUGGESTION: Get a second opionion from somone that KNOWS how to read the computer while it is connected up to your car.... not from somone that seems to be GUESSING that the problem is the fuelpump.
Also, some fuelpump issues can be FIXED without replacing the entire unit.
BOTTOM LINE: This is another good example that reflects the need to use fuel additive every single time you put diesel in your TDI. The additive lubricates the expensive fuelpump as well as provides 2-4 MPG increase.
Keep your rpms relatively low. Over-revving will void your warranty. I just had my engine replaced under warranty. Since the 1st cylinder was not holding pressure, they put in a short block at 77000. I argued for the long block since the heads and valves were definitely worn and would cause problems down the road. Less than 30 miles on the new engine one of those valves put itself right through the head of the new short block. VW tried to say I over-revved the engine, but I hadn't and they had no evidence. The local shop had agreed that the long block was the way to go, but VW USA didn't agree and they paid for it.
The check light is on your dash panel, see your owner's manual.
Mobil 1 in 2001 was not good enough for VW, you had to use Mobil 1 Delvac. It is easier to use Chevron DeLo 0W-30. It is certified for use in the engine and it is more readily available.
Service your fuel filter as recommended. I drain mine more frequently just because in Alaska there is a greater chance for condensation.
You can increase HP which may increase MPG.
1. I can't shift into 1st in the normal shifting pattern. It is hard blocked. I get shunted over to third.
2. If I push down the stick and move it to where reverse is, it is in 1st.
3. Gears 2-5 work fine and are in the right place.
Is this just a simple linkage adjustment or am I in need of a more complex fix?
I owned at least 3 VWs with the rod-n-knuckle linkage and after about 90K miles, the plastic bushings needed to be replaced in all the moving joints. (at the time, a "kit" of plastic parts cost about $30) Each time I had the "kit" installed, I was AMAZED at how well it shifted again.
If yours has the "cable linkage" the adjustment may be even EASIER to perform... about the same as adjusting the brake cables on a bicycle. The trick is getting all 3 cables to work in harmony together.
*)A diesel engine DOES NOT have a throttlebody! There is no throttle at all on a diesel engine. Engine speed is controled SOLELY by limiting the amount of fuel injected into the engine.
*)There is NO WAY that a "blown" oil-cooler can suck air into the catalytic converter. The oil-cooler dumps heat into the ANTIFREEZE and is nowhere near the exhaust system.
(Have you been losing oil from the engine?)
*) Most turbochargers which are replaced have NOTHING wrong with them. A turbocharger is no more complicated than a vacuum-cleaner.... and is in-fact EXACTLY the same design.
BOTTOM LINE: You have been fed a line of cr@p all along. They are just throwing parts at the problem and you should be glad that VW is picking up the bill.
BTW: There is a SLIGHT chance that all the symptoms you are describing are caused by an oil-leak past the turbocharger seal. So I ask again ARE YOU LOSING ENGINE OIL?
If you do some research on the internet...you may find other sources of information.
It takes 5 quarts.
The oil-filter is NOT like you may have seen on other engines. It is JUST a filter-element with 2 O-rings to replace. (Wallmart carries the oil-filter and the O-rings are in the box with the filter)
The oil-filter housing is right in front of the engine. (Between engine and radiator.) The top screws off.
The drainplug is behind that plastic cover you mentioned. Most folks just suck the oil out thru the dipstick-tube with an oil-changer.
This is the Oil-Changer that I use. (I got it on sale for less than $20)
I am curious on the oil vac. As I understand it, the oil is removed through the dipstick tube. What is the residual left in the engine? Is this the most "sludgy" oil, only to contaminate the replacement? Is the drain method (assuming the drain plug is at the lowest point in the crankcase) more efficient than the vac method at removing the oil? What are some tricks to make sure the oil is fully removed?(Warm up the engine? park it on a slight incline: toward the front/back)?
I always find it disconcerting that the oil looks so dirty after having it changed. I know...diesels have soot. It just bothers me when I pull the dipstick after a 15 mile drive home and still have 9,985 miles to the next change!
Also, the dipstick on my '05 always reads high (above the bend) on one side, but OK on the other. It must drag somewhere in the tube?? But, it bothers me as it feels like there is too much oil in there!