Volkswagen Passat Turbo Issues
frankeldaniel
Member Posts: 3
in Volkswagen
So my guage spikes past 190 going up hills and at long idle. Mechanic replaced the waterpump and thermostat -- then fan sensors gratis, when that didn't help.
A quickie oil change place fouled the G12 coolant several years ago with green stuff... I replaced the coolant with new G12 about two months ago, and the problem soon started.
I'm wondering if running bad coolant could have corroded the radiator and caused this problem... Strangely, when I run the heater to cool the engine down, it sometimes blows cool air, even though the engine is hot... Might circulation through the radiator be an issue?
I'm also wondering if -- even though I don't have oil and coolant mixing, or power loss -- if an exhaust leak through the head gasket is causing the problem. The mechanic I usually rely on -- not the dumba** who did the water pump -- seems to like that one.
Anybody have any ideas?
--Danny F.
A quickie oil change place fouled the G12 coolant several years ago with green stuff... I replaced the coolant with new G12 about two months ago, and the problem soon started.
I'm wondering if running bad coolant could have corroded the radiator and caused this problem... Strangely, when I run the heater to cool the engine down, it sometimes blows cool air, even though the engine is hot... Might circulation through the radiator be an issue?
I'm also wondering if -- even though I don't have oil and coolant mixing, or power loss -- if an exhaust leak through the head gasket is causing the problem. The mechanic I usually rely on -- not the dumba** who did the water pump -- seems to like that one.
Anybody have any ideas?
--Danny F.
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Our mechanic pressure tested the engine and found no leaks. This is what he thought he would find since he has had very few problems with head gaskets. Our last fix was to replace the radiator core. To date that has fixed the problem for 2000 miles. Our mechanic said the passages in the radiator were extremely small.
All of that stuff has to be flushed out of there. At best, the damage done will be minor, such as a radiator or water pump replacement, and at worst, replacement of the heater core or your engine may be required (the latter two are very labor $$$$ intensive)...
In the future, have your minor service (oil changes, etc) done by the dealer, and major repairs done by a qualified private VW mechanic.
...and stay FAR away from the quick lube places!
Good luck...
Any advice is very appreciated. -Thanks
It was a clogged drain in the area in front of the windshield where there is a grill. Leaves and such get in there and clog it - then it fills and over flows down in the passenger compatartment. (It is called the cowl in our other car - not sure if it is standard term)
We had body work to be done and the guy cleared out the leaves and such and cut a few extra drains in it for us. Hasn't been a problem since.
Good luck
I have a 2000 Passat 1.8 Turbo which started billowing out a huge cloud of white smoke from the exhaust with an oily smell. Taking off the intake hose I found a small amount of oil on the inside. There has been no recurrence of that smoke bomb or oil smell for three days, and the car has run normally. A mechanic informed me this would certainly point to bad turbo seals and I should replace the turbo but I am a little suspicious of that analysis since he didn't inspect anything other than the hose.
I am no means a mechanic and i plan to take the car to VW since they presumably have the equipment to diagnose this. I was wondering if the oil residue in the hose could be related to crankcase ventilation and whether the white smoke could be a defective oil cooler or other factors than turbo seals.
The oil was about three quarters of a quart overfilled which may have something to do with it; I intend to get another oil change.
I added Sea Foam which cleans contaminants out of both fuel and oil systems (its also an anti-gel) and the problem hasn't recurred since then. It can be used in the throttle body and intake manifold but I didn't attempt that. (Seafoam recommends you do an oil change fairly soon after using it)
The other day my car was in the shop for a timing belt change; a vacuum compression test on the car came up normal.
thx.
for leak i know pollen filter has to be changed b/c of spore build up and leak can get into a manifold area around wheel
Other than that, if you popped the hood right after driving the car at high speeds, the turbo could get hot enough to glow. That's why its a good idea to let the engine run for a couple of minutes before shutting it down to allow for the temperature to stabilize.
Check the engine temperature gauge. The needle should be dead center (190 degrees) F.
2) Regular fuel will have absolutely zero affect on the turbocharger. Period, full stop, the end.
3) Running low octane fuel in a 2.0T will cause the ignition timing to be retarded so much so that at wide open throttle, the maximum power output will significantly reduced.
4) Running low octane fuel in a 2.0T will cause the ignition timing to be retarded so much so that at any given cruising speed, the fuel economy will be reduced to the point where you'll end up paying more for fuel for any given distance traveled than if you use the recommended fuel.
Best Regards,
Shipo
bought a new turbo and installed. did not make any difference.done a leakdown test on the engine, did not lose a pound from either cylinder. how many other ways could oil get into this engine.lost.
this car will soon be on ytube gettin trashed buy a very big backhoe.
Google this: passat oil cooler leaking
14l/100 km city and 11 l/100km highway. That is poor for a 4 cyl. Its supposed to get 11 and 7 l/100km. Yes part of that is due to faster driving, but certainly not this much. Hereś one clear suggestion I would offer - If you must buy this car, get the 6 cyl! It will give you the same mileage yet you will have more power and cheaper gas.
And finally, I h8passat.
Sincerely,
h8passat
Follow the maintenance to the letter. Don't skimp on the specified oil (synth) or fuel (premium). These cars aren't a Honda, but they do reward you with a unique driving experience. If you can't commit to the idea of rigorous maintenance, it's probably not the car for you.
The absolute keys to making this engine last:
- change the oil & filter ever 5,000 miles, using only the synthetic oils that meet the standards VW publishes for this engine (in my case, Mobil 1 0w40). If at all possible, do it yourself or take it to a mechanic you totally trust. Any clown can wag his head up and down and swear they put in Mobil synthetic when instead they put in the cheapest swill from a discount store. And then yes, you will encounter problems!
- change the timing belt & tensioner. I did mine (IIRC) at around 120k miles and 214k miles. Yes, I waited a little long, especially the first time. I believe this is supposed to be done at 105k miles intervals.
somewhat less important
- change the air filter periodically (~60 k miles)
- change the spark plugs (~60 k miles)
I absolutely loved the car. My new car is an Audi A4 2.0T. So, a similar turbo and it will get a similar treatment from me.
BTW, gas mileage was excellent - if I REALLY tried, on trips, I could get 34 mpg (miles travelled / gas pumped - not the mileage from the inaccurate trip computer). More normal averages were about 32 mpg highway (except in winter, when they change the fuel blend here in the northeast US and mileage on all my cars drop 8-9%.)
Two minor complaints:
- it did leak some power steering fluid - an annoyance, but not a big deal. I had this leak around 160,000 miles. Every oil change I just checked the level of fluid (I kept a bottle in the garage). Just added a small amount when I did oil changes.
- for a long time, the car did burn through headlights. It seemed like I was replacing one every 6 months (way too often). My last set was a halogen set (if I recall correctly). The parts store only had them left. Oddly enough, they went something like 3 years - still going strong when I sold the car. But early on in the car's life - this was an annoyance.
Second, they can fix the housing, can they get the oil out of the coolant. ? is this VERY costly.
So I had a garage find the ECM leak and address it with putty. Testing with water to find that leak, addressing it and then draining the ECM compartment and ensuring it was working OK - 300 bucks total.
If that helps you or anyone else that´s great - caused me tons of trouble over the last 2 years.
Thanks!
Use appropriate, safe methods to access this area (ramps or jack stands).
The fuel line is under pressure - it will spray fuel if you don't pull the fuse for the fuel pump while the car is running. Sad to say, I don't have the number handy for the fuel pump fuse.
My '03 model had the fuel filter connected to the hoses with one-use clamps which had to be cut off to replace the filter. I bought fuel line clamps at Advance Auto to replace those. Yours may be different - some years used banjo connections on the lines to and from the filter (remember: VW = Varies Widely).
You might want to put a smear of anti-seize on the bolts that hold the filter in place as well as that plastic belly pan.
Good luck.
-EDIT-
The fuse number might be #28, on the driver's side of the dash, but I can't guarantee it.
Have you looked into it further and is this really the case?
Your vehicle sounds like it is starving for lubrication.
LINK: http://www.carcomplaints.com/Volkswagen/Passat/2003/engine/engine_failure_from_o- il_sludge.shtml
Robb :shades:
Take a strong flashlight, and look all the way around the valve cover. Chances are, it's leaking at the rear of the engine and dripping oil on the exhaust system.