[PGLAN]

Just bought a 1999.5 tdi Jetta with 210,000 miles. Had a timing belt kit (water pump ect) put in and timing taken care of. Seems I am going into the limp mode quite a bit so I orderd a limp mode repair kit from IDparts.com....seemed to be a good way to take care of many simple things that may be causing my problem.
Just wondering...if the turbo vanes are sticking, is it worth the trouble to try to take it apart and clean or just get a new turbo?

 

[chittychittybangbang]

With that mileage I would just replace it. Could it be repaired? Probably but the new turbo includes a new actuator and you don't have to worry about old leaking seals, spending time working with the turbo, the possibility that it gets messed up. In addition, the old working would have a little value for someone who wants to tinker with it. However, I would definitely test it before replacing it.

 

[PGLAN]

Thanks, I was thinking that at over 200,000 miles the turbo may be on the worn out side. Must admit that I am having a good time working on the old Jetta.

 

[Shawnmiester]

PGLAN,

I'm new here and I certainly wont contradict what a veteran like chittychittybangbang tells you but I wanted give my point of view, just for thought. I also just bought a 1999.5 Jetta. Mine has 170,000 miles. Mine also started going into limp mode and after hours and hours of online research and troubleshooting, I found that my VNT vanes were indeed sticking. I found a thread on TDIclub website discussing the cleaning of the exhaust side of the turbo with easy-off oven cleaner(on the car). Long story as short as I can make it, I did the Easy-off cleaning and it worked GREAT!
Here's my reasoning. I HAD to clean or replace the turbo (only 2 choices). I didnt want to spend $600-700 on a new turbo. I also didnt want to take 1 or 2 days in the middle of winter to remove, disassemble/clean, and reinstall my turbo. My research also revealed that sometimes, these 12 year old turbos wont come apart without serious damage. So I chose the quickest, cheapest fix and worst case, it wouldnt work and I was right back where I started. Plus, quite a few of the gurus say that these VNT-15 turbos will last as long as the rest of the engine and lots of replacements are done needlessly.
Hopefully you have a simpler cause of your limp mode but if it is your turbo, there is at least one more option available to you. Please dont take my word for it though, research it yourself. Its a long thread, has a lot of important considerations, and shows the evolution of the idea followed by many testimonials.

Good luck


http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=246287
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=2602928&postcount=48

 

[chittychittybangbang]

PGLAN,

I'm new here and I certainly wont contradict what a veteran like chittychittybangbang tells you but I wanted give my point of view, just for thought.

Feel free to contradict anything I say as long as it's not an outright lie or spam. The forum is moderated but not for my ego. The reason I don't like the easy off method is because you're filling the turbo with liquid, that liquid leaks into the engine oil pan through the drain line. Oven cleaner is also a surprisingly dangerous material. I don't like recommending something so dangerous. One drop of caustic in your eye dripping down while you're seeing how it's going andanic:.

Does it work, it should and does, but I would definitely flush the oil w/cheap engine oil and change again w/fresh oil after a quick test drive. I've never done it so can't say personally how it works but there are testimonials that it does. On old and high miles cars it can't hurt to replace the oil lines either, the drain flex line has been known to break.

 

[pearlgolf]

Just bought a 1999.5 tdi Jetta with 210,000 miles. Had a timing belt kit (water pump ect) put in and timing taken care of. Seems I am going into the limp mode quite a bit so I orderd a limp mode repair kit from IDparts.com....seemed to be a good way to take care of many simple things that may be causing my problem.
Just wondering...if the turbo vanes are sticking, is it worth the trouble to try to take it apart and clean or just get a new turbo?

What's the history of the car? What kind of engine oil was used? Does it consume any oil?