Switched from petrol to diesel

[keano03]

Hello,

Ive just bought a 2003 GT TDi 150 having previously run a MINI Cooper S JCW (with an extra 100bhp over the golf !!)...

Its had a few niggles that Ive now got sorted and am loving the torque !!! :D

Am hoping to get to know alot more about the mk4 and the 1.9diesel lump under the bonnet - I want more power !!! ;)

[Guest 2]

Welcome to the forum!

[adamss24]

Suggest joining tdiclub and spend a few nights reading. Sky's the limit but with a grand or two you can have more power than your mini and enough torque to move the earth...

[keano03]

Suggest joining tdiclub and spend a few nights reading. Sky's the limit but with a grand or two you can have more power than your mini and enough torque to move the earth...


Thanks for the welcomes so far. This is quite a vast forum so one more specialised in just the tdi engine would be a good starting point ;)

Interesting stuff on the tuning front - I was assuming I would get a remap at some point but sorting out a couple of little niggles since buying it has hit that idea so far...

So far have:

- new key from VW
- MAF sensor
- oil sensor
- oil change service
- fixed boost issue / limp mode fault
- new handbook
plus a few other little niggles...

Want to:

- remap
- new clutch (assume this would be needed with any power upgrade - weak point of the golf??)
- BBS CH wheels
- coilovers
- other power mods ???

I understand that the PD150 can eat their cams (mine was changed in June 2010 before i got the car) so are there any aftermarket cams available that dont die ? Had a Newman cam in my mini and it was awesome !!!

Suggestions etc etc all welcomed. :) Im still learning so plenty of reading to be done on the VAG 1.9 lump and recommended mods for the mk4 in general...

[keano03]

Any links to recommended mods for the PD150 golf would be welcomed :) Is there a newbies guide to tuning ?

There was a guide to tuning done for my old car that if you followed it you would be making very big power for very little outlay with you then having the choice of what parts to chuck on here and there (eg ******** manifolds or OBX etc etc) in what order to ensure nothing goes bang and everything compliments each other, from clutch and suspension to power and handling mods - a similar thing for the golf PD engine would be useful :)

[keano03]

Got an issue with the car now :( Thought I had got the little niggles sorted already...

Cold start, first start of the day is very very rough and struggles to start with white (little bit of blue) smoke and horrible diesel smell like my old Citroen diesel.

The idle from start is terrible, almost like its down a cyclinder, making the car rock around - may take a video of it - but as soon as the car is warmed up a little or has been running a few minutes it settles down with no smoke. Idle is still rough with the needle skipping about a little but alot better than on first start up...

Any thoughts ? So far Im thinking to check: cam timing, fuel filter fuel pump, injector harness and the EGR - its had a brand new MAF last week together with an oil change, new turbo in december 2010 and an engine rebuild in June 2010...

[adamss24]

Change the glow plugs.

[keano03]

Change the glow plugs.


Sorry meant to include that they have been tested and work - my first point of call with a cold start problem was glow plugs but have been advised they are working so have assumed they cant be causing an issue...

[ExpertTuning]

Hi

A remap for your vehicle will add around 32hp but possibly more to the point it will add around 30% more torque. As a newcomer to diesels its the torque and low-down 'grunt' you're really going to notice compared to a petrol engine.

There's a magazine review of a remap I recently carried out on an aged 105hp GT Tdi a couple of months ago. Take a look if you have a moment.

http://www.experttuning.co.uk/expert_tuning.pdf

It sounds like now isn't the time for the remap bearing your other problems in mind, and we'd only ever advocate a remap adding that much power and torque on a healthy car, but when the time comes please feel free to call me for a chat about your requirements.

Good luck with the other issues.

Paul
www.experttuning.co.uk (http://www.experttuning.co.uk)
01883 341774
07525 479932

[keano03]

Thanks for your response Paul :)

Remap will be the first thing that gets done when all is healthy - no point tuning till I have a good basis to work from... the parts are there ready (new turbo, fresh cam and low miles) but just got to get the car running sweetly first ;)

Took a few videos of the cold start issue this evening but the phone video was a great big fail !

When you turn the key to position 2 to turn the plugs and electrics on, what else is primed or activated at the same time ?? When I turn on the plugs from cold there is a sound of water/sloshing that comes from passengers side footwell area (ish) - could it be the fuel pump kicking in ?? I only mention it as when starting from hot - i.e. no starting issue - I dont hear the sloshing noise... Im thinking this could be related to the issues Im having...

Will try again with the videos tomorrow...:o

[keano03]

Just noticed on the way home from work this evening that there is also smoke on acceleration - not black smoke and only when really pushing on - think its white, looks like im drving through dust if that makes sense.... ??

Think Ive bought a duffer... :( So far my VW experience has been forgetable...

[ExpertTuning]

White smoke may well = steam! Check two things. Rad water level to see if it has dropped, and then dipstick and oil filler cap to see if you can spot traces of white 'emulsion'.

If you see white emulsion you have a leak - probably head gasket.

[keano03]

White smoke may well = steam! Check two things. Rad water level to see if it has dropped, and then dipstick and oil filler cap to see if you can spot traces of white 'emulsion'.

If you see white emulsion you have a leak - probably head gasket.


Only tend to see the smoke (well other than the cloud of the stuff on first startup) with heavy acceleration and at night as following cars headlights show the smoke up - its embarassing :mad:

Checked the oil cap and no signs of anything untoward. Smells as it should too. Its jsut had an oil change and I asked the mechanic if he saw anything wrong with the oil etc etc and he said - the head gasket is fine so knew what i was getting at...

Engine was rebuilt last year - could all these troubles Ive been having be caused by a bad rebuild ?? I was seeing the rebuilt engine as a good thing as everything would be brand spanking new....

Starting to lose interest in the car now and may just get shot of it....:(

[JimC64]

welcome aboard, good to have you here
Get a remap and you won't be sorry!!

Good luck with the issues:beerchug:

Its a great site with loads of friendly members and great techs....jump in and enjoy:beerchug:

[keano03]

welcome aboard, good to have you here
Get a remap and you won't be sorry!!

Good luck with the issues:beerchug:

Its a great site with loads of friendly members and great techs....jump in and enjoy:beerchug:

Cheers dude :D

I was fully intending on jumping and going for a re-map almost straight away after I bought the car but the little niggles (and the above issues) have got in the way, plus they've eaten any modding budget...

I was hoping to be spending my money on a remap, new clutch, coils and wheels but fixing the damn thing has wiped my money.... :mad:

Hoping all will be well soon or Im going to be selling it on, its a money pit so far, and not in a fun way like modding a car normally is !!! :p

[keano03]

Still having issues :(

Timing has been changed, MAF, oil temp, ecu temp sensors have all been changed. fuel return valve been changed.

Its got an oil leak from near the IC, loads of smoke blue/white on start up with a bad idle like its going to stall... missfire when cold that get better as it warms up...

Been told that a new cam is needed with followers... :mad: So much for VAG cars being reliable... never again... thats the bill up over £1k so far and its still not working properly...

[SammoVWT]

Still having issues :(

Timing has been changed, MAF, oil temp, ecu temp sensors have all been changed. fuel return valve been changed.

Its got an oil leak from near the IC, loads of smoke blue/white on start up with a bad idle like its going to stall... missfire when cold that get better as it warms up...

Been told that a new cam is needed with followers... :mad: So much for VAG cars being reliable... never again... thats the bill up over £1k so far and its still not working properly...

Probably due to a poor rebuild, it may not have been looked after well before you got it, hence the rebuild. Did you know what the original reason for the rebuild was?

I wouldnt have thought sitting new rings or even pistons would be that major if it wasnt a major failure. How are the glowplugs?

[keano03]

Probably due to a poor rebuild, it may not have been looked after well before you got it, hence the rebuild. Did you know what the original reason for the rebuild was?

I wouldnt have thought sitting new rings or even pistons would be that major if it wasnt a major failure. How are the glowplugs?

Definately wasnt well looked after before I got it; I had the interior fully 'detailed' yesterday to clean it up and it was a damn mess, soooo much nicer now though:D Mechanically just mirrors the interior with panels missing bolts missing here and there...

Servicing has been kept up to scratch but its a long life service version - that may be part of the problem ?

The rebuild was due to a failed cam belt - engine ate itself and from the looks of it the guys who rebuilt it didnt know what they were doing, there are so many little things that are wrong in the engine bay which lead me to think the same as you - they didnt rebuild it properly !!

Plugs are fine.

My mech has said that there is either a problem with hte cam or that the injector is leaking a little - that means that when the car is left for a while diesel builds in the engine (not sure which cylinder) making it hard to start but when it does finaly start up the masses of smoke are due to that diesel being burnt off... now thats either because the injector is faulty or that the cam isnt doing what its supposed to and is affecting the injectors... possibly a follower isnt doing what its supposed to be doing until it has warmed up to take up the slack...

[SammoVWT]

Personally I think longlife servicing is a bad idea.

You can never put a safe assumption that the oil will suspend all the rubbish at those distances. Its making big assumption on driving style and temperatures, I think thats probably a bigger killer of engines overall.

I just change my oil when it gets pretty dark, regardless of mileage (but always doing around 3000mile changes). Its not worth the risk if you plan to keep it for a while.

If you do it yourself, you can save a fortune. I can understand why people do it, because they want to avoid the labour cost. But you pay for it in the long run with clogged/worn parts.

Also sounds like your mechanics have narrowed the problem down. It depends now on what your plans are, depending on how much you spend and how much you want to plug into it if youre keeping it. (Shifting a broken car to someone else, is morally questionable if they arent aware of the issues, and its also very hard to shift)

After my problematic rebuild, im very happy with it. But ive undertaken a lot of the remedial work myself (not through choice!), perhaps maybe thats why im a lot happier now.

[keano03]

Personally I think longlife servicing is a bad idea.

You can never put a safe assumption that the oil will suspend all the rubbish at those distances. Its making big assumption on driving style and temperatures, I think thats probably a bigger killer of engines overall.

I just change my oil when it gets pretty dark, regardless of mileage (but always doing around 3000mile changes). Its not worth the risk if you plan to keep it for a while.

If you do it yourself, you can save a fortune. I can understand why people do it, because they want to avoid the labour cost. But you pay for it in the long run with clogged/worn parts.

Also sounds like your mechanics have narrowed the problem down. It depends now on what your plans are, depending on how much you spend and how much you want to plug into it if youre keeping it. (Shifting a broken car to someone else, is morally questionable if they arent aware of the issues, and its also very hard to shift)

After my problematic rebuild, im very happy with it. But ive undertaken a lot of the remedial work myself (not through choice!), perhaps maybe thats why im a lot happier now.


Absolutely - longer oil service intervals is just stupid IMO. With my mini I always did an extra change halfway between the indicated service intervals - only cost abou £60 and as you point out just helps keep things running smoother....... a no brainer to me and why poor maintenance by other people baffles and annoys me... :aargh4:

Moving the car on with known issues is going to kill the resale value and cost me nearly as much as just getting the thing fixed - so basically I will be getting it fixed... Already spent £1k on fixing things and now its looking like another £700 on the cam and followers (not something that I could do so that includes labour) but if that fixes it then job done... after that I will have spent nearly all the 'profit' I made from selling my mini and I much prefered that car... what a waste of time all this has been...

I was wanting to be spending my money on coils, brakes and tuning but have spent more than double what I would have spent just on try to fix the damn thing... :aargh4:

[SammoVWT]

I cant justify coils unless youre taking it on a track, the extra stiffness wont come in to play massively on normal motorway/urban driving. A lot of expense for minimal benefit other than looks.

I would focus on the brakes if anything - but I would take your time with it. You will need time for the car to settle as the parts have been redone anyway. Let it bed in, which should buy you some saving time for some tuning work.

Well I tell you, one thing about rebuilds is that it teaches you how your car works a lot better. I certainly learned a lot!

[keano03]

I cant justify coils unless youre taking it on a track, the extra stiffness wont come in to play massively on normal motorway/urban driving. A lot of expense for minimal benefit other than looks.

I would focus on the brakes if anything - but I would take your time with it. You will need time for the car to settle as the parts have been redone anyway. Let it bed in, which should buy you some saving time for some tuning work.


No intention of taking on track - the mk4 isnt the best handling car out there afterall - it was more with the intention of improving ride with only a minimal drop really required and more as a bonus than the ultimate goal. The stock suspension has really disapointed me being wallowy yet crashy at the same time - Im thinking some JOM coils would still be just as crashy but better through the bends, improved stance and only ~£200 outlay....

Brakes I think I will end up just getting replacement stock items (still ~£300) but was hoping to get hold of some of those bigger TT front brake setup but having trouble sourcing any so stockers will probably do... must say the stock brakes arent bad with good initial bite - better than the stock brakes on the mini felt thats for sure...

Tuning was pretty much going to be a tune and possibly a clutch but see what else I could be tempted with.... :p

[SammoVWT]

No intention of taking on track - the mk4 isnt the best handling car out there afterall - it was more with the intention of improving ride with only a minimal drop really required and more as a bonus than the ultimate goal. The stock suspension has really disapointed me being wallowy yet crashy at the same time - Im thinking some JOM coils would still be just as crashy but better through the bends, improved stance and only ~£200 outlay....

Brakes I think I will end up just getting replacement stock items (still ~£300) but was hoping to get hold of some of those bigger TT front brake setup but having trouble sourcing any so stockers will probably do... must say the stock brakes arent bad with good initial bite - better than the stock brakes on the mini felt thats for sure...

Tuning was pretty much going to be a tune and possibly a clutch but see what else I could be tempted with.... :p

The more I hear about the younger golfs the more I feel spoiled with my mk3. But then ive added a splitter and diffuser, its not too soft on the corners aslong as I dont do anything stupid with it :D

The extra downforce is wonderful above 40mph (more grip than you can shake a stick at with my 13" rims) - I think if i was gonna upgrade to a newer golf I would probably go for a mk5 tbh.

[keano03]

The more I hear about the younger golfs the more I feel spoiled with my mk3. But then ive added a splitter and diffuser, its not too soft on the corners aslong as I dont do anything stupid with it :D

The extra downforce is wonderful above 40mph (more grip than you can shake a stick at with my 13" rims) - I think if i was gonna upgrade to a newer golf I would probably go for a mk5 tbh.

Yeah me too - the mk4 is a dog... my sister had a mk3 gti 16v and it was awesome and nothing ever seemed to go wrong with it... :confused: A mate of mine had a mk4 150bhp 1.8 gti and had even more problems with that then Ive had with this car, I thought the PD engine would be fine so ploughed on with a mk4.... :aargh4:

Never again...

[adamss24]

Yeah me too - the mk4 is a dog... my sister had a mk3 gti 16v and it was awesome and nothing ever seemed to go wrong with it... :confused: A mate of mine had a mk4 150bhp 1.8 gti and had even more problems with that then Ive had with this car, I thought the PD engine would be fine so ploughed on with a mk4.... :aargh4:

Never again...
You should have gone with the early Gt Tdi engine, VE injector pump, bullet proof, not fussy with oil changes !

[keano03]

You should have gone with the early Gt Tdi engine, VE injector pump, bullet proof, not fussy with oil changes !

Is that a non-PD engine ? Must admit that the power and efficiency of the PD150 drew me in - little did I know how fussy it was lol

[adamss24]

Is that a non-PD engine ? Must admit that the power and efficiency of the PD150 drew me in - little did I know how fussy it was lol
Yes mate, with 1000-1500 quid spent wisely on bolt on mods you can get it to over 200 Bhp at the wheels. PD 150 turbo (plug and play), 11mm pump, Bosio,Firad or Niktane nozzles and a remap and voila, 200 bhp and still 55Mpg !

[keano03]

Well a little update on the PD150 - the cold start issues seem to be at least improving; cold starts arent so difficult since chaning the fuel valve thingy and the temp sensor so it looks like those have at least meant it starts up a bit easier...

The issue that remains is still only on cold start but it is:

- loads of BLUE smoke
- terrible / rough idle with missfire

Both of which clear up as the engine warms - although there is still some smoke on heavy acceleration...

Thoughts ?