VW Jettas are junk (but I love 40mpg)

[biggy238]

I guess I'm starting a thread on this Jetta beater.
It's a 2005.5 MK5 Jetta with a left over BEW engine (oh the shit that has caused) 5sp manual. I bought it for my wife, but she promptly took my 2003 Ram away from me because she hated the 5sp and killed it every time she drove it.
I didn't want it because I look like a bear in a trashcan when I drive it.

Highest MPG was 51 running south through Wyoming to Loveland. Average was 41 for several years, then the cam bullshit took it to 38. Then to 31.

I bought the car in 2011 from a used car dealer in central Appalachi-stan, New Tazwell TN. It's Capanella White, copper/tan interior, leather, sunroof, power, premium monsoon system, type two cluster. 38k on it at the time and I talked them down because the clutch had something wrong with it.

Clusterfuck #1, the camshaft. The camshafts were not heat treated sufficiently for the design of the overhead. I took the car to a guy in Versailles KY to do the timing belt as routine maintenance. While he was in it, we popped the valve cover and found the edges of the cam lobes were knife edged.

I drove it another 22k miles before eone of the lobes and tappets gave up and it had a misfire at idle.
Will Burns on here lent me a timing belt kit and I threw another cam in it almost a year after the timing belt.

While I was doing this, I managed to bend the camshaft position tone wheel. I didn't know that at the time, So I fought a camshaft position implausible code for a long while before I gave up on it. I found info that it was defect ground, etc, so I ran an overlay ground which didn't fix it. New sensor didn't fix it. I finally arrived at the conclusion above. The only side affects it seems to have is a silent code and it stumbles to life or doesn't fire at all sometimes until a key cycle.

I put a set of brake pads on it. The only set in 160,000 miles. It just started squealing in December.

After that, for about the next 100k miles, the electrical system showed itself. The door wiring broke (like the wires literally fractured), killing the keyless entry, door windows. I delt with that for a little while until it took out the fuel fill door, and then I found the two broken wires and spliced them. That got everything working again until this winter and the truck lid won't pop anymore and the door locks are wishy washy on when they want to do one or all of the locks.

The amplifier for the monsoon system died randomly. I assume a capacitor ruptured but I don't know. I drove for a year with no tunes until I decided to find one on eBay. The amp is under the drive seat and not easy to swap.
The audio is actually bitchin for a mid 2000's OEM system. I haven't messed with it otherwise.

The type two cluster decided it was going to flake out in roughly 2016. To begin with it was heat related, the bottom of the display would ghost out on a hot day. Now, you can't read the bottom half of the display.

The adhesive on all of the buttons melted. ALL OF THEM. Radio, door switches, sunroof. All of them are plastic with glued on overlays that crinkled up and look like trash. I thought it was because I had fuel on my hands after work but even the buttons I never use went to shit.

I tested and figured out that the truck lid actuator was sticking some time around 2015. I took it apart and relubed it and it was fine up until this winter.

A rodent ate the wiring to the MAF sensor. I tried to delete it but the car limped, so I put the wiring back. I had a defective solder joint or something, because either was never right. The schematic I used was incorrect, and I ended up splicing VBAT to gnd. I didn't realize that and I left it that way for years with the sensor inop. More about that later.

I think while chasing the hard start issue, I put a starter in it because the cranking speed was low.

I had a VR6 clutch in it around 2017. The original had lost a spring early on, which is what I could hear when I test drove it and used it against the dealership to negotiate. I squeezed 100k miles out of that fucker though, so no harm no fowl.

I started hearing the camshaft/miss somewhere in here again. I wilfully ignored it because I knew what it was and I was sort of dismayed that the replacement cam was down again. I've been sucking the life out of this camshaft.

The car got to doing this shit where it would stammer and studder and then launch like a two stage. I put up with that shit for a long time, ignoring it because I was over it. I was in the middle of building my ford and didn't care as long as the car went down the road, against it's will or not.


Back in October or September, I went across town on my lunch break to get a part for my ford.
On my way back, I noticed a yuppy in a FIAT was recording my car. I started driving spiritedly to be sure he was pursuing me. After a few miles of this, I was taking a back way through a hood I used to live in, and he dove off into the parking area of my old apartment building. I doubled back and caught him before he could snake inside and basically gave him the "What the fuck was that, BUDDY?" Introduction. He said "Do you KNOW your car is smoking like that?" Like how dare you destroy the environment like that. I explained that I was aware and the car is having mechanical issues and went about my way without starting any shit about him recording me.

I stopped driving it and then my son blew the engine out of his jeep. After he learned to drive a stick, he came back and said he wasn't driving it because it nearly killed him when he tried to pull into traffic. I immediately lit in to the MAF sensor, but for giggles, I replaced the boost sensor with a part from Amazon. I ordered a new MAF and installed, with no change.
Turns out, the signal wire is indeed resistive, but the bigger issue was that the wire that was ID'd as ground was in fact switches voltage. I rectified that and figured out that the SOCKET IN THE FUSE BOX was spread, and was the original problem from 10 years ago. The rodent damage only caused me to fuck it up in various other ways. So new MAF, fixed power, still a MAF low code. Still launches like a toddler on a tricycle.

At some point in the past, I removed the PCV from the turbo inlet and dumped it to atmo. This ended up covering everything in oil and last year I reconnected it.
While I was trying to sort out the launch boost issue, I found oil pushing out of every CAC connection. I decided the power issue was a coked up intake system from the years of EGR + Engine Oil. Turns out that the oil helps the CAC connection expand and contract everything time you go on or off boost until the rings on the hose ends wear out.
I posted pics in the other thread of pulling everything apart and cleaning and reinstalling. Not a bad job. I deleted the EGR, cleaned all the tubing and intake. Broke a tab off one of the polymer intake tubes, which ended up letting the tube fracture under boost once I got it back together.
I rented a programmer and flashed a Malone 1.5 tune to shut off the EGR, delete the MAF, and give it a kick in power since I already had the VR6 clutch installed.
I reworked the vacuum system, which couldn't have been working well because the thermoform plastic tube was split at the brake booster in a way that wasn't visible unless you disassembled the vac system, and one of the other hoses had rodent damage as well. This comes up later....
I opened the valve cover while I was doing that work and sure as shit, 8 or 9 of the 12 cam lobes are junk. They aren't completely down, but it's thumping pretty good at idle. My boss heard it one day at lunch and gave me the "you gonna do something" look and I told him to STFU.

Anyway. I get all this work done, and it's doing the same hesitation that I disassembled everything over ONLY WORSE.
Come to find out, the VNT turbine wears out and sticks. I made eit worse by fixing the vacuum system, by giving the actuator full force to extend and really wedge the vanes so that it can't build boost. The temporary fix is to use a steel zip tie, and loop it around the VNT arm and up over the vacuum nipple on the actuator so that it can't physically range far enough to wedge and stick.

This sort of works, the car is drivable, but now the car limps out. With an over boost code any time it's in closed loop and at cruising speed in 5th gear. I have been clearing the code while driving, but it's a pending code so it only takes a few seconds for it to limp out again. Downshifting puts it at an RPM band that makes it less prone to set the code. I guess the command vs actual rationality changes with engine speed and load (as it should). According to the TDI guys, it should run in that tune and stock turbo, so they thing that the diaphragm in the actuator has damaged in a way that is giving me all-or-nothing response from the VNT.

So that's the current state of affairs. I'm back to getting 38mpg with a hurt cam and turbo that works when it wants, and there is an obvious increase in power when it wants to run.



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[Begle1]

Pump duse TDI's are terrible
I had a Passat once that was the worst engine I've ever owned. They eat themselves. The only vehicle purchase I've ever made where I can look back and say "that was a mistake". (And it didn't take long to be able to say that.)
Early rotary pump TDI's especially, and later common rail TDI's, are great.

[Cowboys4Christ]

I'd love to swap a newer 2.0 TDI into a Ford ranger. Should make for a good mpg ranch outfit.

[biggy238]

Originally Posted by Cowboys4Christ

I'd love to swap a newer 2.0 TDI into a Ford ranger. Should make for a good mpg ranch outfit.

So I've said for a while now that I would like a cranked up PD in a 1st gen bronco clone or a jeep JK to loaf around in.

HOWEVER, I've been watching what the euro guys have done with the OM648 and that looks like an awesome engine once modified.

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[Cowboys4Christ]

Originally Posted by biggy238

So I've said for a while now that I would like a cranked up PD in a 1st gen bronco clone or a jeep JK to loaf around in.

HOWEVER, I've been watching what the euro guys have done with the OM648 and that looks like an awesome engine once modified.

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If it fits, that Mercedes diesel would also be a good option. With a simple tune it would have more power than the 4.0 gas has.

I could see tossing that engine in a half ton pickup and a suv as well.

[SKYNYRD]

I have always stayed away from the BEW engines. I have a couple ALH TDI 2dr golfs and the first thing I did to them was delete the EGR and they have ran like a top.

[bateman]

Dang. Sounds exactly like all my VW friends haha.

I too want a diesel Jeep. It’s the one I build in my head and actually keep and drive haha. 4bt too heavy. TDI seems rarely done with good results. The Mercedes OM60… can’t remember what I had lined up to swap but it’s an older inline pump 5 cylinder. A guy “dieselmechin” maybe turns them up and they roll out in a TJ. LSx was a hoot, but this diesel shit has ruined me.

Sorry to hear of your issues, but you seem to be one hell of a mechanic. That diag would have drove me insane.

[Cowboys4Christ]

Originally Posted by biggy238

So I've said for a while now that I would like a cranked up PD in a 1st gen bronco clone or a jeep JK to loaf around in.

HOWEVER, I've been watching what the euro guys have done with the OM648 and that looks like an awesome engine once modified.

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Here's an adapter to mate the OM648 to a ford 6r80 if you like an auto. There's manual transmissions out there that bolt to the OM648.

https://www.benzforce.com/products/m...d-6r80-adapter

[biggy238]

Originally Posted by SKYNYRD

I have always stayed away from the BEW engines. I have a couple ALH TDI 2dr golfs and the first thing I did to them was delete the EGR and they have ran like a top.

So the shit thing is that it was supposed to be an MK5 with BRM. Mechanically they are identical I suppose, but it's a left over BEW before the BRM went into production.


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[biggy238]

Originally Posted by Cowboys4Christ

Here's an adapter to mate the OM648 to a ford 6r80 if you like an auto. There's manual transmissions out there that bolt to the OM648.



https://www.benzforce.com/products/m...d-6r80-adapter

Duuuuude. I haven't gone down that rabbit hole yet but now you are tempting me.

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[SKYNYRD]

Originally Posted by biggy238

Duuuuude. I haven't gone down that rabbit hole yet but now you are tempting me.

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I already have 2 spare ALH TDI motors, an OM606 motor, 87 Jeep Wrangler, and 86 s-10 4x4 pickup. I just need to find the time to start spinning the wrenches.

[biggy238]

I wonder which one is more power per dollar, the VW or Mercedes.

I also wonder how a set of Ecoboost turbos would act on a 648.

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[SKYNYRD]

Originally Posted by biggy238

I wonder which one is more power per dollar, the VW or Mercedes.

I also wonder how a set of Ecoboost turbos would act on a 648.

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If you are going to include the cost of getting the motor the ALH is cheaper as the OM606 is a little harder to find and more expensive to purchase. Adapters are about the same cost. You can get an ALH car for a couple hundred bucks and can get about 200hp before the rods leave the chat. For alot of the OM60X you are looking at $1.5-3k for the motor which you can get about 450HP before needing rods. The OM60X engines are front oil sump so that needs changed for 95% of swaps. Also alot of the after market parts for the OM60X engines are harder to find and are gonna have to be ordered from overseas and shipped to the US.

[Cowboys4Christ]

Originally Posted by biggy238

Duuuuude. I haven't gone down that rabbit hole yet but now you are tempting me.

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I haven't made the dive yet. I'm still looking for a clean 4x4 ranger for a good price.

The adaptor for the 6r80 transmission opens up a lot of doors.

If I was doing the swap for MOG reasons I'd stay with the vw tdi. But, If I wanted more power, but still have decant MPGs I'd go with the 648.

I have no doughts the 648 would spool the 3.5 ecoboost turbos well.