Further Adventures ~ Keeping an '03 Jetta Diesel VW running
Trouble with clogged intake manifold (too much hypermiling)
If you do a lot of low rev 5th gear driving for better MPG, the diesel
runs dirty. You can even eind up with a coked up intake
manifold. You can check that, see here.
I've not actually done a replacement, but eventually got a second
intake manifold as a spare that I would give to the mechanic. I'd
then hang the intake manifold from a chain someplace safe and
non-flammable, then take a big Propane TurboTorch to it and burn it
out. Eventually, after the next item, I got wise(r) and ran the
engine hotter, sometimes doing an Italian Tuneup up a long hill at
redline. Haven't had the problem since
Trouble with surging accel/deaccel (too much hypermiling)
On highway drives at a certain rpm, the car's engine would surge and hunt, see this video.
Nobody had any suggestions, but after a few months of 70 mph
non-hypermiling down an interstate once a week, it went away. Likely
too much hypermiling had messed up the turbo's VNT
Strain hardening from diesel vibration and the turbo oil feed line
This line runs from the oil filter on the right around behind the engle
block to the turbo low and on the right. It cracked on me at
about 370K, luckily near home. All I knew was that the oil
pressure light had gone on. I carry oil so I refilled the sump,
drove home carefully checking every 10 miles and adding oil. Got
it to yet another mechanic who told me that the oil line was gone and
replaced it....a month later, it went again. Different mechanic got a
new line with two mounting rubber lined mounting clips to reduce the strain vibrations.
When you have to replace the handbrake cables, get the heavy duty version!
Troubles with Lousy Shifting
At 375 K miles, the clutch was gone. Had it replace with a single
mass clutch inplace of the originally dual mass one. Still had
problems. A different mech found this. One of the two
starter bolts had either been left out or not properly tightened and
fallen out...along with the bracket that secured a wiring harness that
included the big cable from the battery to alternator.. Part of the
shifter mechanism had cut into that cable, shorted out and blown the
main 150 amp fusible link as I was crossing the George Washington
bridge into NYC. Being a diesel it could run on battery and I
managed to get it off the bridge. Arranging a rental, a new
mechanic and getting the car towed 90miles was such a joy
