Old member back with Passat

[JimC64]

Well, here we are again.....

I was here several years ago with my Audi A6 and my wife's VW Passat 1.9Tdi Highline, good forum and enjoyed my time here and of course the cars
After 7 years the Audi A6 was given to my wife who had it for 4 years, before giving it to my daughter who is still running it, now at around 160k iirc on original clutch and turbo. The wife is now in a Jaguar X type 2.2d Sport Premium....

The Passat was sold to my BIL and he ran it for 4 years ( into the ground it seems although she never let him down )
This was of course down to the way we looked after it before he got his hands on it, see old stock pic below...



Anyhow, the long and the short of it is my son now wants to sell his modern car worth quite a wee bit and consolidate his finances in readiness for a mortgage soon enough, that being the case he needs transport. The Passat with around 120k miles on her isn't worth a lot so we've taken her on and will try to bring her back from the brink, I think it's worth it

As the engine oil / filter, air filter. fuel and pollen filter have NEVER been changed in 4 years (( UNBELEVABLE!! )) that's our first plan of attack.
She's getting the oil change done as we speak, then the air and pollen filter and fuel filter tomorrow. She's supposedly low on power and looks like she may lose speed now n then ( I'm thinking / hoping an old blocked worn out fuel filter ) but time will tell.

If that does the trick, it'll be possibly brake and coolant fluids too, brakes are fine have checked, but we'll spring for new tyres all round in the next week or so and go from there. That'll be around £500 all in. but I expect perhaps a few suspension bushes etc as well once we dig a little deeper.

Problems we have, any ideas or suggestions welcome
1. Drivers door won't lock with keyfob ( suspect door actuator may need replaced? )
2. Heated mirrors don't seem to work, could it be as simple as a fuse perhaps?
3. Passenger side boot hinge knackered, need a replacement
4. lights are terrible!! Unsure if sanding / cleaning exterior and polishing plastic will help?? May be inside?

More to follow as and when...…..


In the meantime, here are old threads and work as previously done on the car back in the day
54 plate VW 130 Passat Tdi Highline - coolant loss
quick wheel refurb
Mini (Passat) service
Gas bootlid struts - Passat 1.9 Tdi 53/04
Passat - stiff bootlid??
Passat due for MOT - Door mirror indicator fail
54 plate VW 130 Passat Tdi Highline
Passat N/S/F spring collapse
hubcentric wheel spacers - Passat 53/04
Passat rear park assist failure & fix?
Passat no radio reception - resolution / possible fix?
Passat 1.9 Tdi Highline 2003 - Retrofit Cruise Control
Passat 1.8 tdi (53) Emmissions workshop - AGAIN
Passat B5.5 Headlights - POOR
dreaded ccm issues?
Remedial work + Upgrades to my Passat




Jim

[JimC64]

Engine oil / filter changed today along with fuel filter, then air and pollen filter changed too...
I then reset the service light, so all good there.
Tomorrow if we get the chance hoping to fit the new wiper blades and a little more.

Problems we have, any ideas or suggestions welcome
1. Drivers door won't lock with keyfob ( suspect door actuator may need replaced? ) will not open from inside either, any ideas or suggestions?
2. Heated mirrors don't seem to work, could it be as simple as a fuse perhaps? This sorted, driver ( son ) error I believe
3. Passenger side boot hinge knackered, need a replacement
4. Lights are terrible!! Unsure if sanding / cleaning exterior and polishing plastic will help?? May be inside?
5. Temperature not working, suspect temp coolant sensor, new to be ordered and fitted ( Code P0118 )
6. Service light lit - reset
7. Full service incl oil / filter, air fuel and pollen filter done.
8. Wiper blades to be fitted
9. Check brakes message showing, suspect wear indicators as brakes seem ok, need to check
10. ( Code P0299 ) Turbo underboost condition, will check and clean EGR and manifold, Maf and MAP as well as vacuum lines
11. Interior courtesy light inop when door opens, bulb I think?


Car is lifeless really, the turbo does seem to kick in around 3500 revs or so but will only achieve around 65mph

Any ideas or suggestions very welcome guys, feel free to chime in
Thanks

Jim

[JimC64]

Update.....

Problems we have, any ideas or suggestions welcome
1. Drivers door won't lock with keyfob ( suspect door actuator may need replaced? ) will not open from inside either, any ideas or suggestions?
2. Heated mirrors don't seem to work, could it be as simple as a fuse perhaps? This sorted, driver ( son ) error I believe
3. Passenger side boot hinge knackered, need a replacement
4. Lights are terrible!! Unsure if sanding / cleaning exterior and polishing plastic will help?? May be inside?
5. Temperature not working, suspect temp coolant sensor, new to be ordered and fitted ( Code P0118 )
6. Service light lit - reset
7. Full service incl oil / filter, air fuel and pollen filter done.
8. Wiper blades to be fitted
9. Check brakes message showing, suspect wear indicators as brakes seem ok, need to check
10. ( Code P0299 ) Turbo underboost condition, will check and clean EGR and manifold, Maf and MAP as well as vacuum lines
11. Interior courtesy light inop when door opens, bulb I think?
12. Check brake pads warning light, although recently done I believe, possibly the wear indicator not connected properly / shorting out?
13. Oil level sensor warning
14. Brake switch?

The AA called out yesterday and found codes for oil sensor and brake switch. The battery it seems is original ( some going at 16 years old ) and starts fine, but I'm wondering if it's had its day and contributing to spurious codes / faults / problems?

Car is lifeless really, the turbo does seem to kick in around 3000 revs or so but will only achieve around 65mph
Any ideas or suggestions very welcome guys, feel free to chime in

Thanks

Jim

[JimC64]

Update.....

Problems we have, any ideas or suggestions welcome
1. Drivers door won't lock with keyfob ( suspect door actuator may need replaced? ) will not open from inside either, any ideas or suggestions?
2. Heated mirrors don't seem to work, could it be as simple as a fuse perhaps? This sorted, driver ( son ) error I believe
3. Passenger side boot hinge knackered, need a replacement
4. Lights are terrible!! Unsure if sanding / cleaning exterior and polishing plastic will help?? May be inside?
5. Temperature not working, suspect temp coolant sensor, new to be ordered and fitted ( Code P0118 )
6. Service light lit - reset
7. Full service incl oil / filter, air fuel and pollen filter done.
8. Wiper blades to be fitted
9. Check brakes message showing, suspect wear indicators as brakes seem ok, need to check
10. ( Code P0299 ) Turbo underboost condition, will check and clean EGR and manifold, Maf and MAP as well as vacuum lines
11. Interior courtesy light inop when door opens, bulb I think?
12. Check brake pads warning light, although recently done I believe, possibly the wear indicator not connected properly / shorting out?
13. Oil level sensor warning
14. Brake switch?

The AA called out yesterday and found codes for oil sensor and brake switch. The battery it seems is original ( some going at 16 years old ) and starts fine, but I'm wondering if it's had its day and contributing to spurious codes / faults / problems?

Car is lifeless really, the turbo does seem to kick in around 3000 revs or so but will only achieve around 65mph
Any ideas or suggestions very welcome guys, feel free to chime in

Thanks

Jim

Wow, 249 views and not one comment, not one positive suggestion or idea

I seem to remember this forum as quite helpful and proactive, clearly back in the day!

Oh well, onwards n upwards tomorrow to see if the ole girl is worth rescuing

Jim

[philipharmes]

Sorry you havn't had any replies Jim.

I did see your original post, but with the heading "Old member back with Passat" I thought you were just re-introducing yourself, so didn't view the content.

But as I had some spare time this morning I viewed it to find you had problems.
A change of title may help.

But to your problems, it's a good few years since I had this model but will rack the memory banks to see if I can help.

Regarding the door lock, these were always troublesome.
The motor inside sometimes stops working, usually just need the comutator cleaning.
Also the small microswitches inside fracture the solder conexions to the PCB & sometimes just need the solder joint re-flowing.
Best to just re-solder all the microswitch joints while in there, although you can probably get a second hand unit prety cheaply these days.
A faf to get the actuator out, needs window & window lifting mech removing to get to it.
I'm sure there will be plenty of "how to do it's" with a Google search.
Also check the wiring in the rubber bellows where the hinge is for broken wires.

The headlight yellowing plastic can certainly be restored.
The yellowing is all in the outer plastic layer.
Remove them & polish the outside with coarse polishing paste until you get rid of the yellowing, than use progressively finer paste to restore the clarity, finishing off with toothpaste.

Brake message might just be low fluid level.

Underboost, could be a split rubber turbo poost pipe between turbo & inlet manifold or leaking pipe conexion or intercooler.
It's a case of a carefull inspection & looking for traces of oil which will have been blown from the leak.
Also check the turbo vacuum capsule is pulling the control rod.
When you start the engine vacuum should immediately pull the turbo van control rod up by about 15 - 20mm.
That moves the vanes to the maximum boost position in the turbo.
So if it doesn't move, either the vanes are stuck ( they usually stick at full boost though ), or you have no vacuum at the
vacuum capsule, or the capsule diaphram is leaking.

If the courtesy bulbs are ok the problem is usually the door switches.
Push in the switch button at the door hinge then let it flick out, a few flicks sometimes breaks through the corrosion on the switch contact.

Oil level sensor, check the wires & plug for corrosion then change the sensor.

The brake switch is notorious for failure, read the fitting instructions carefully as I think it's a once only fit.

You will need a voltmeter to check the battery.
Should be at 12.5v after being stood overnight & soon rise to 14.4v or thereabouts after being started.

Hope my input has been helpfull, best of luck.

[JimC64]

Thanks for dropping by Phil and appreciate your thoughts and input of course you may be right on the title, but as a member / mod / Admin on several forums I tend to check and skim through lots of posts like this and add info where / when I can.

I really appreciate your thoughts, especially on the door locks / underboost and brake switch scenarios, could prove helpful/

What we hope to achieve tonight is.....

1.Replace temp coolant sensor ( full coolant change at this time )
2. Refresh brake fluid
3. Check front pads ( seem almost new ) and wire sensor potential issues ( short out to remove dash light )
4.Clean MAP / MAF sensors
5.Remove and clean EGR and intake manifold
6. Check all vacuum lines / hoses and pipes for any visible leaks
7. Renew 16 year old battery

She's already had a full service engine oil / filter, air filter, fuel filter and pollen filter, so I'm hoping for results tonight to some degree. She was loved and looked after for 5 years when we owned her, it took misuse over a further 4 years from my BIL to get her into this state.

I genuinely believe that a good car still lies within and will keep searching till we get there

Thanks again for your help / advice, much appreciated Phil...

Jim

[JimC64]

Thanks for dropping by Phil and appreciate your thoughts and input of course you may be right on the title, but as a member / mod / Admin on several forums I tend to check and skim through lots of posts like this and add info where / when I can.

I really appreciate your thoughts, especially on the door locks / underboost and brake switch scenarios, could prove helpful/

What we hope to achieve tonight is.....

1.Replace temp coolant sensor ( full coolant change at this time )
2. Refresh brake fluid
3. Check front pads ( seem almost new ) and wire sensor potential issues ( short out to remove dash light )
4.Clean MAP / MAF sensors
5.Remove and clean EGR and intake manifold
6. Check all vacuum lines / hoses and pipes for any visible leaks
7. Renew 16 year old battery

She's already had a full service engine oil / filter, air filter, fuel filter and pollen filter, so I'm hoping for results tonight to some degree. She was loved and looked after for 5 years when we owned her, it took misuse over a further 4 years from my BIL to get her into this state.

I genuinely believe that a good car still lies within and will keep searching till we get there
Thanks again for your help / advice, much appreciated Phil...
Jim

Hi all, please see above check list, as of earlier tonight all items highlighted green in bold were actioned

The good news, is that the check brake light is gone and the CEL check engine light also gone, the temp gauge is now reading normal bang on 90 in the middle
The battery replaced, all good and nice fresh coolant topped up all good, the MAF sensor cleaned as it was oily. The EGR was not badly clogged but some slight carbon deposits on the butterfly and very oily, intake hoses all oily too so removed and thoroughly cleaned.

On starting she seemed a lot more lively and all lights extinguished, initially she ran fine, seemed a lot more get up n go. My son Peter was driving and on the motorway she did seem as if there was "more go" but as before seemed to reach a limit at around 70mph - 8-mph and would give no more, just flat at that point!
The Emmissions workshop has since came back on and then gone out again, no codes to speak of with our basic code reader

I'm leaning towards doing a Mr Muscle clean on the turbo on the car in the hope its sticky vanes / actuator causing this issue or part thereof.



We'll also be doing a double, triple check for any split pipes / hoses etc although none found to date, perhaps a clean up of the engine bay so that any possible issues may be found sooner / easier.

The car was essentially free and he's about £200 in so far all told. Although she's been mistreated the last 4 years she was loved n cared for before that, probably worth around £700 - £1000 so if we can get these issues fixed for smoother running, we'll look at the rest, failing that it may be a case of get shot...

Any comments welcome
Thanks

Jim

[vwcabriolet1971]

What mileage without an oil change ? Worth doing a camshaft cam lobe check. what was the dirty oil like ? ( gritty ?)

[JimC64]

Hi there around 4 years and 40k miles

The oil was just black as it usually is with a diesel, didn't seem gritty

Jim

[Gazwould]

I don't get usual black oil in mine .