project 2006 Golf 2.0TFSi GTi - Bargain Basement 197k miles TFSI Club Member

[Noel Tidybeard]

1 minute ago, SiC said:

Go wash your mouth out!

You should listen to what VAG class as a diesel with that age PD. This is a refined purring sewing machine in comparison!

i'm used to the precision implement that is a honda r18

[SiC]

1 minute ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

i'm used to the precision implement that is a honda r18

I updated my post just before you posted that to take that into consideration. 

However you're now on a Civic Mk10 iirc? The direct injection on them isn't exactly the quietest setup either! Maybe even a very similar Hitachi setup?

[Noel Tidybeard]

1 minute ago, SiC said:

I updated my post just before you posted that to take that into consideration. 

However you're now on a Civic Mk10 iirc? The direct injection on them isn't exactly the quietest setup either! Maybe even a very similar Hitachi setup?

1.6 diseasal! even that's quieter than your flog!🤣

[SiC]

5 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

1.6 diseasal! 🤣

Sorry to hear that.  

K20, L15 or GTFO on the Mk10 imo. 

[Noel Tidybeard]

[SiC]

Just now, Noel Tidybeard said:

💪

 

[Noel Tidybeard]

Just now, SiC said:

💪

 

ha i was getting less than that in a 2.0 primera cvt!

[Dave_Q]

Just checked back and I did take a couple of pictures showing the access to the stat.

This is with the alternator out, you can kinda see it.

This is what you can see from underneath.

The gap between the engine and the radiator isn't huge.

Compared to this one with the inlet off.

[SiC]

I might pull the alternator to get a better look first anyway. I'm wondering if the o-ring on this bit has failed. Given it's sitting bang on 90c, I reckon the stat is almost certainly not original. Maybe even replaced recently. However if that o-ring hasn't been replaced then it could well be the source of a leak.

[SiC]

This is a video of it at a different angle. Looking along the engine. Alternator is just below.

I can't figure where the leak is but to me, it doesn't look to be at the block side but in the middle of the stat housing. 

Obviously replacing an o-ring is a lot cheaper than a stat. Also only half the job too. 

[Dave_Q]

Could it be spraying from a pinhole in the short flexible hose number 14?

16 and 19 in the diagram are metal pipes and these are the ones bolted to the front of the block.

[SiC]

Nah it's here. Fuck knows how this can happen. Looks like a split in the plastic mould line

Just fighting to get the boost pipe out. Taken longer to get this pipe out than get to the thermostat. 

 

[EyesWeldedShut]

14 minutes ago, SiC said:

Nah it's here. Fuck knows how this can happen. Looks like a split in the plastic mould line

Just fighting to get the boost pipe out. Taken longer to get this pipe out than get to the thermostat. 

 

Bini does that - I think it’s a combination of age, over tightening the bolts to fix*a leaky o ring and fitting the pipes in a confined space. It finds a weak spot by the mould lines and goes from there 

[SiC]

Absolutely peeing it down tonight. I'm not sure why, but I decided to get going on this. 

Even my cat was watching on in bemusement as I worked out in the rain.

Anyway pulled the alternator out. Wasn't a bad job. I have just realised I didn't mark which way the aux belt went. Maybe I should replace it while I'm there now?

Alternator date code is 2006. Almost certainly original to the car. Impressive that it's lasted nearly 200k. However the one way clutch on the pulley is locked solid and not functioning. I don't know how important it is for a petrol?

I do have the tool somewhere to remove a one way pulley. Hell knows where it is. I think may even have a new pulley for a TDI A4. Probably the same as what is on this.

Anyway I'm going to pretend it's okay for now unless I find said pulley + tool. 

 

With the alternator out of the way, access really isn't that bad. 

Most difficult bit was trying not to round one of these stupid triple spline bolts. Found an M5 in my Rolson bit set that I bought from Maplins years ago. Not the best quality but far better than a cheap set I got off eBay a few years back. I reckon I need to invest in some better quality Triple Spline sockets. These stubby ratchets are very handy for getting into tight places too. 

With the thermostat visible, I pumped up the reservoir again. Pretty clear that the thermostat housing is fubar.

I'm really hoping that the Behr/Mahle will be better quality. This doesn't look that old a thermostat either.

No idea why it chose now to fail. I think it was just a bit of bad luck - especially considering where it failed. 

I carried on removing bits ready for a thermostat change when it arrives. The intake charge pipe hose was a bitch to remove. It would have been a lot easier if I jacked the car up to begin with and realised no amount of struggling would get over that I've missed a torx screw on the bottom.

 

While I had access to it, I removed the throttle body for a clean. I suspect this came off much easier than I'll get back on. It's mounted inverted on the intake manifold with the fixings not visible. Removing it does however give even more access to the thermostat area. 

I'll give this a good scrub tomorrow. Will have to remember to reset the adaptions on it too. It's date coded as original too, so possibly this has never been off or cleaned. I'm tempted to take the cover off the side and inspect for wear on the potentiometer resistive tracks. Given the mileage, I fully expect the tracks around the idle position to be very worn. 

 

Decided to start undeleting the PCV. 

Again while I had bits removed, it made replacing the main pcv cam cover to crank cover hose really easy. I wasn't intending to replace this as it was looking difficult access until I removed all these bits. However I'm glad I have, as the old had gone very brittle and snapped in half while moving it. 

Inside all this is NASTY. Stank pretty bad. I'm really not a fan of PCV deletes. All this should be sucked into the manifold and burnt off, rather than accumulating in the cam/crank case and oil. 

Removing the PCV delete plate was just a case of four torx.

Then replace the gasket as I have a new one.

You need to get the right pcv valve as there are two different setups on these engines. Get the wrong one and you'll have a big vac leak. Basically it comes down to whether there is a one was valve in this PCV or the one on the rear of the turbo. 

I'm not actually sure which I need, so I went with the one with. At least I can cut out the valve if I don't need it. The check valve on this is the blue thing on the left.

The rear pcv check valve is in this hose joiner with the Audi logos on in the middle of this picture. Thing is, I don't want to remove this hose as I don't want to break anything. So I'm assuming it doesn't have one. 

New pcv all bolted down with new screws supplied in the packet.

Looking at the engine, it did pass my mind that I was only £150 in parts and only an hour or so needed to go further in and replace the cambelt while I'm here...

It's tempting but I'd rather wait till spring (only a month away) when the weather warms up. 

Not least right now I'm absolutely soaking wet after working out in the rain all night... 🙃

 

[Dave_Q]

Good effort. 

Dunno if my car is lower but I had to jack mine up and put one side on an axle stand to have any hope of getting that pipe out or my head under to see anything.

Nice to see a smoking gun for the leak at least.

Looks like I may have oversold how bad the access is this way, you shouldn't have an issue getting the throttle body back on but the boost pipe is upsetting. Trying to get it on the throttle body at all at the angle that it comes in at, combined with trying to get it on the mounting stud at the top is hard work.

[beko1987]

That all looks very manky, all that yellow mayo is a sign of short local trips too. Hopefully do it the world of good being repaired, resembled, fresh oil and a long hard hoon, drive it like a gti. 

Must look at the wetness at the bottom of my intercooler when it's warmer, hopefully all it needs is removing, cleaning and re-seating (weeping from the rubber pipe to cooler join so I'm not too worried) 

[SiC]

45 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

That all looks very manky, all that yellow mayo is a sign of short local trips too.

I think it's more likely that the condensation build up isn't being extracted due to the PCV system being removed. Under normal use with a proper working PCV, any water vapour in the air and combustion by-products will get sucked into the intake and burnt off. Where as this PCV delete causes the water to just sits in the engine and oil. 

[beko1987]

Agreed. The ex's 1.6 Vauxhall even with its egr system used to do similar, it's a very distinct shade of oap yellow for sure! 

Clean it all out and have it all able to work and it shouldn't come back

[SiC]

Not much last night as I'm still waiting for this thermostat to arrive. Supposed to be today. 

Picked up the Merc, so I have wheels again now. Brakes feel the same, which is no surprise as the system is brake-by-wire in normal operation and the feel is artificial. Old pipes were hanging and definitely needed replacing asap. Annoying that whoever worked on the brakes previously busted the caliper bleed screw. Makes you wonder if they were trying to bleed it, broke it and then just ignored it. 

Anyhow I dug out my alternator clutch pulley tool and found this spare pulley. It came in the kit of pulleys that I bought for the 2006 A4 TDI I had for a few months (iirc @grogee owns it now). I couldn't get that one off and tbh it looked new while working perfectly. So I didn't change it. Luckily it's a direct swap and matches up part number wise with this alternator pulley too. 

Removal is a special tool that is a torx in the middle and then a splined bit on the outside. Took some figuring which way to turn what. The collet piece is the lefty loosey part. 

You're not allowed to use air tools on this as it smashes stuff. Brute force didn't work, so I trod on the spanner. Crack and it was off. Doing up was easy enough and just needed 85nm on the centre tool in reverse.

Replaced the pollen filter as it's an easy job and often neglected. This however has a fancy Mann one that filters PM as well as other materials. I use one in our Civic and can recommend if you have allergies and/or asthma while doing a lot of city driving. These are quite expensive filters! So again someone has spent money on this and it's not that dirty, so not that old. The replacement was a much cheaper Bosch carbon filter.

 

 

Removed one of the plugs to do a quick inspection. They've definitely been there a while. Wasn't easy to remove and took a bit of back+forth as I really didn't want to snap anything. I'm not a fan of Bosch plugs either and prefer NGK. I'll replace these in due course once I've put a few more miles on it. (Basically I've spent far too much on this so far this month).

 

Had a quick peer into the wheel arch as I noticed the springs looked new. Shock doesn't look that old either. Nice to see a quality Sachs damper than some random name rubbish.

 

Hopefully that thermostat will arrive today and I can get it fitted tomorrow sometime.

 

[grogee]

3 hours ago, SiC said:

Took some figuring which way to turn what.

Glad it's not just me! It took me a while too. I used an impact driver and nothing exploded but I can see why it's recommended not to use GRRR tools. 

 

3 hours ago, SiC said:

the 2006 A4 TDI I had for a few months (iirc @grogee owns it now). 

BiL is still smoking about in it. He's not a car person really. But if it breaks I'm the first to hear about it. 

[SiC]

Just come in for tea but half way through buttoning it back up. Boost pipe, alternator, belt and coolant refill to go. Tensioner pulley bearings aren't the most silent. I might regret not replacing it. But that's another £55 and I've spent way too fricking much on cars this month. Tempted to reuse the old serpentine belt but can't remember which way it came off, so risk it might snap. I do have a new belt but that then loads up that tensioner pulley more and might finish it off! Decisions decisions.

One good decision I made was this:

Currently sat on 18psi which is the VAG test pressure. Been sat for 40mins without moving and probably be an hour and half when I go back out to recheck. Gives many, many times more confidence that it's not going to piss fresh coolant all back out once together. I'll give the vacuum fill a go later too. Hopefully it won't be too noisy doing it outside. 

Definitely I should have got one years ago. 

[Popsicle]

Some good work going on with this, I do like a high mileage hero.

Interesting (to me anyway) it has the same alternator as my 2009 1.9 tdi Caddy, I just assumed the petrol one would be different.

If its any consolation my clutch pulley failed at 187k miles, it was replaced and lasted until last month, 341k miles, before it needed the whole unit replacing.

[SiC]

FOR FUCKS SAKE

[loserone]

How the

[SiC]

I did not want to be putting a new alternator in this. Literally almost finished this job too.

 

[Matty]

It's only a mount. A chemical metal like belzona 111 will make an as new repair to that. Obviously there's an expense to buying the product in the first place but if a replacement is ££ I wouldn't hesitate to use chemmy metal on that and wouldn't consider it a bodge either. Belzona you can drill and tap. If it's strong enough for that it'll do one mount out of three. 

[Christine]

Didnt Dan95x spares  alternator  fit ? 

[SiC]

1 hour ago, loserone said:

How the

I pushed back the bushes slightly on the other lug so it could go back in easily. Presumably they were a bit too seized and snapped the lug when pulling them back across during refitting. 

33 minutes ago, Matty said:

It's only a mount. A chemical metal like belzona 111 will make an as new repair to that. Obviously there's an expense to buying the product in the first place but if a replacement is ££ I wouldn't hesitate to use chemmy metal on that and wouldn't consider it a bodge either. Belzona you can drill and tap. If it's strong enough for that it'll do one mount out of three. 

Looks interesting stuff but £65 seems to be the cheapest on eBay. This alternator I think is original with 197k on it so might not last much longer anyway.

32 minutes ago, Christine said:

Didnt Dan95x spares  alternator  fit ? 

Yes good point! I haven't had a chance to pick those bits up as I've been without a (working) car last week. Those bits might be my saviour. 

[mintwth]

40 minutes ago, SiC said:

Looks interesting stuff but £65

Could give JB weld a go. Their epoxy or steelstik are about a tenth the cost 

[Matty]

8 hours ago, SiC said:

interesting stuff but £65 seems to be the cheapest on eBay. This alternator I think is original with 197k on it so might not last much longer anyway.

Yeah sorry, I forget I've access to stuff like this without having to buy it.