New Member..need engine help with 2003 TDI Jetta - VW TDI forum and Audi TDI forum

Rick 91GT · #1 08-20-2012, 11:44 PM

I am brand new to TDI Jettas but ended up taking one as partial payment for some work I did on a customers race car.

The car is in excellent shape but had a engine noise and was very low on power. The head was recently replaced, front of motor was rebuilt, new injection pump and related components so I figured it couldn't be all that bad. I ordered a vag com that will arrive tomorrow but I decided to pull off the cam cover and found my noise.

The first cam lobe on cyl 1 is trash and the lifter is destroyed, the valve isnt moving so I know I have to pull the head and access the damage. My question is where is the best place to buy parts for these motors? Im a performance engine and car builder so this stock diesel is foriegn territory but Im excited to have a nice high mpg VW.

Where should I start? What should I avoid? What is a good manual for all the torque specs and procedures on these cars?

Thanks in Advance for the help, every search I did online led me to this site, looks like a good bunch of guys.

If needed the 5 digit is a 9 on the VIN.

Rick

YMZ · #2 08-21-2012, 12:28 AM

Welcome to the website!

If the head was recently replaced but is now showing the damage you describe, it was probably not of high quality.

Since you asked about a comprehensive manual, the Bentley's the standard reference, although you can probably find everything you need online...

Parts: there's a certain vendor in North Carolina who has many websites offering low-priced parts... generally to be avoided... (If he supplied the cylinder head or pump, you'll probably need to replace them soon again...) For general parts, there are a number of well-regarded vendors such as (in no particular order) idparts, boraparts, metalmanparts, dieselgeek, kermatdi, and dealership outlets such as 1stVWparts and WorldImpex. However, you sound as if you need more specialized parts (valves? guides?), and there's an extremely highly regarded expert in Lockwood, MO who has people from all over the continent send him their damaged cylinder heads for reworking. Frank Irving: http://www.myturbodiesel.com/forum/members/franko6/ He should be able to advise you on any advanced question you may need answered... (he can also supply high-quality parts at reasonable rates...)

BTW: there's another well-regarded TDI expert of high-level understanding - and this one's not too far away from you: Jeff Robertson, who's also known as Mr. Rocketchip is not only a great "tuner" for these cars, but he has great expertise with all types of repairs... (he may be able to recommend a not-too-distant machine shop...) He's in Red Lion, PA... see if you can contact him via rocketchip.com...

All the best,

Yuri

Rick 91GT · #3 08-21-2012, 01:26 PM

Is the certain parts vendor Hans?? I dont like cheap parts...

I have a buddy that can get me a used complete head for $500, I see IDParts has a complete head for $900. Are there are better/stronger lifters for these cars?

Rick 91GT · #4 08-21-2012, 05:21 PM

After looking further at the head damage and talking to my machinest I decided to buy a new head assembly and be done. I bought a nice complete kit from metalmanparts, great service and easy to deal with.

Decided just to do it all now and know its right since I am unsure of the true history of the car. All new timing components, belts, water pump, bolts, gaskets and head with complete valve train. Cant wait to get it up and running!

Now to do a little searching on this site for some performance mods..lol

YMZ · #5 08-21-2012, 06:38 PM

As mentioned above, MetalManParts is one of the respected vendors out there... As for Hans... do a search on "Prothe"... the guy has lots of different websites... all selling the same quality parts...

All the best,

Yuri

Rick 91GT · #6 08-21-2012, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YMZ

As mentioned above, MetalManParts is one of the respected vendors out there... As for Hans... do a search on "Prothe"... the guy has lots of different websites... all selling the same quality parts...

All the best,

Yuri

Wow...way too many threads to read, amazing how companies like that keep re-inventing themselves. Thanks for the recommendation...