t4 1.9 td ( abl )

[bling69]

hi , i have a t4 1.9 tdi 1996 p reg , abl engine code , recently put a secondhand diesel injection pump onto it , but the engine has no power , u can hear the turbo whistling , but just does not pull off at all , just abt gets to 20 mph up hill , had timing checked , seems ok , but do i do next any ideas ????

[gavst4]

hi mate, i have just joined up, i have just bought my first t4, i got it really cheap as it has a engine problem, the same as yours, really sluggish, mine overheats aswell, just spent the last 2 nights getting head of but done look like the head gasket has gone so i am stumped now, there is cracking betwenn the valve seats, does your van pressurise the water system when running,

[bling69]

no mate i do not have that water pressure problem , wat i get is no power on acceleration , wat has happened in urs is the oil and water has mixed , thus , ur head gasket has gone , and the cracking in ur head , either replace ur head , or engine , or try to find a good engineering firm that can weld aluminuam.

[chrisvrscrx]

I think your turbo might have gone, it shouldn't whistle. If you take the indution pipe off it you can tell by moving the turbine to see if there is any play in the bearings there shouldn't be any.

[gavst4]

well thats what threw me out cos there is no water in the oil and no oil in the water, but i was told that water may be leaking into the bores and causing it to loose power and thats y it is pressurising the water system, i had problems driving mine onto a trailer it was that guttles, i floor it and about 5 seconds before it revs up and it whistles like mad, but it definatly froths from the header tank and pressureises the tank and over heats,

[bling69]

if they are the symptoms , then u r loseing compession from the engine, as the water and air are leaking from the cracks , u need a new cylinder head , find the engine code and u should be able to fit a siilar one onto it , from a golf or passat etc.

[Freshup]

Not sure about 1.9 but 2.4/2.5 diesels are prone to cracking heads. VW manual even says heads are reusable if cracks between valve seats, not thru inserts, are small, less than 0.5mm. Get head pressure tested before discarding/repairing. I've had one engine with pinhole halfway down bore. Very difficult to find. Probably faulty casting (too thin) from new. Bored and resleeved then Ok.