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98 TDI Build

6K views 59 replies 14 participants last post by  vwishndaetr 
#1 ·
After moving and getting settled in, it didn't take long before I got an itch to get another mk3. I knew it was only a matter of time considering I've been regretting getting rid of the first one I had for some time now.

Anyways, drove 4hrs to pick up this pile. Nice southern car with no rot. Even with the faded panels, I think I have a good shot at sourcing a new trunk lid and hood to freshen it up. The roof can get wrapped... Everything else can be brought back to life imo. Also has a TDI, 250k on the clock (engine bay is still cleaner than my 100k ABA when I lived in NY). All my other Jettas have been ABAs, with the exception of one VR6 I had a while back. So this should be fun.

On the way home, 2500 doing the derty werk,

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Previous owner was definitely into rolling coal. Funny thing, when I picked it up they kept asking me why I drove so far to pick up such a pile. Kept asking me over and over - I think they were worried they were selling something worth more than they were asking... I just wanted a Jetta man, that's all. I can't explain it.

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#2 ·
Last night got around to starting my "diagnosis" to see all the goods I need to get so it drives straight.

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For what it's worth, really liking the Daytona jackstands from Harbor Freight. Only took 3 recalls to get it right but these are solid. Not only does the "jack" have a tighter seat in the "stand" but there is also another pin that goes into the stand for redundancy. And even the pin has a cotter pin that keeps it from sliding out. Really well made imo.
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Don't know what the last owner hit, since the story didn't make any sense, but it was one hell of a crub.

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Wheels and tires are junk so, this is fine. I have a set of Borbet Type CBs from my last Jetta that will be taking the place of these.

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Pretty much everything is toast on the driver side. Driveshaft it destroyed, along with the tie rods, control arm, sway bar end link (even sway bar I think). Judging by the wheel well still must've had a bit of a drive to get home after they got some air from the sick jump they hit.
 
#3 ·
I'm going to assume that the car either fell off some stands in the past, or it was just laid down on the ground without wheels... Both dust shields are dented.

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The other thing that didn't make sense to me was the shear ignorance from whoever tried to put this together previously. One of the strut bolts wasn't even seated - just cross threaded and hanging there. With the other bolt hanging on to the spindle for it's dear life. Control arm wasn't bolted to subframe on passenger side too. Don't even want to get into the Frankenstein setup on the sway bar end links lol. Anyways, don't know the back story... I'll try and be nice.

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Well, that's it for now. Got all the suspension bits out and have a pretty good idea of what I need for the suspension up front... Everything.

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Last coils I had were B&G RS2s which I loved. Took care of me for 60k+ miles and rode leaps and bounds better than the Rokkurs (sp?) I had in my beater at the time. Don't think they make them anymore for mk3s so I think I'm going to roll with H&R Ultra Lows. Should make me just as happy. I have to do some engine maintenance too so once I crack into that and get a feel for what I need I'll order the coils.
 
#7 ·
🤷🏼‍♂️

Made an account there a long time ago when I bought a friend's TDI that had been in a roll over with the intent of swapping and just never got to posting tbh.

I might double post and make a thread there, I can use the TDI wisdom. I just know how some of you TDI folks are... all mad about lowered cars. 😛
 
#11 ·
Hello sir.

No updates yet. As soon as I took this apart, the rest of the fleet took a dump on me. The truck needed fuel lines, fuel pump, rear shocks, driveshaft center support bearing, u joint... And it still needs front driver side bearing and driveshaft replaced. :( The lady's daily needed brakes, oil change, etc.

On top of this, tackling a living room and dining room remodel.

The holidays are always a busy time but once the New Year rolls around I will be able to put more time into it. Especially since the house is just a few days worth of work away from being done (for the current project of course).

At least in the midst of all of this, I managed to pick up a new tool box! Went with the US General 56in - still waiting for the top chest to come in - I really wanted the lime green finish so have to wait for a delivery. No stock within 3hr drive of me. It'll be worth it. In addition, had some really good experiences early on with the ICON tools from Harbor Freight, so decided to pull the trigger and stock up the tool box as well... Time to retire the Craftsman set I've been using for some time... Really upsets me that Craftsman has gone to **** over its existence.

So I guess maybe a tiny update, just not on the diesel. 😛

Overnight parts from Japan:

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Just kidding, it's the tool box. Can't wait for the top chest to get here!

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Pretty much picked up every shallow and deep socket, in metric and SAE, chrome and impact rated, in 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drive. Got some 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drive torque wrenches too. And the impact swivel sockets, those are a dream. Some spanner wrenches so I don't have to deal with the skips in the Craftsman set also... Craftsman set was missing a 10mm, which is like half the hardware in the Jetta. Nice to finally be able to reach into a toolbox knowing I have a socket in exactly the config I need - been chasing something like this for YEARS (not exaggerating either).

I need to pick up some magnetic socket organizers since right now there is way too much space being taken up with them flat. Couldn't help but throw it together when I picked up the box.

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#13 ·
Yea it's a disease I tell you.

No updates yet, but I am trying so hard to get to it you have no idea. Living and dining room are just some crown moldings away from being done so I can take a house hiatus and work on the Jetta a bit. I gotta keep the lady happy so have to wrap up the house first. Haven't touched the Jetta since the OP. :(

Hopefully within the next couple weeks I can get a little more into it and actually start ordering the parts.
 
#14 ·
Cheap VW diesel's are a disease, haha. How much was it? Think I saw it for sale, I picked up my '98 outside of Atlanta with no title for $1500 4 months ago. Doing rear wheel bearings and timing belt as well, the Borbets on it are seriously bent.. must be those Atlanta roads!
 
#16 ·
I got back into this yesterday - made almost no progress, was just getting a closer look to see what else needs to be addressed before I can safely put it on the road. Plan is to get it roadworthy as it couldn't be driven when I picked it up. Then from there, I'll see what way I want to go with this "build" to make it more fun for me.

I know I need to replace the waterpump, the bearing would occasionally make noise, so started with that. Also all the wires that run to the glow plugs are ripped, so will need to address that as well. Everything else looks solid. It still amazes me how clean the engine bay is (except for the back of the block being coated in oil) for 225k.

I started doing the waterpump last night - been like 8 years since I did a waterpump on these cars... almost forgot how much of a PIA it is. At least there's VW coolant in there (color balance is off, coolant is pink G12).

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I dropped the PS pump, took out the airbox to give me a bit more space in the bay, and then went to the Bentley manual because I could've sworn I could replace it without removing any other accessories... I was wrong apparently. And makes sense because I need to pull off the accessory bracket that AC compressor sits on to get to the hardware that holds the waterpump.

With all this being said, I was toying with the idea of just pulling out the engine now and going through "everything" I should do but have a hard time accessing (such as timing belt). Or I can also pull the front clip - that'll open things up a bit too.

@loligagger if I pull the front clip and disconnect the AC lines from the condenser, what are my options for recharging the AC after it goes back together? Or if I pull the engine for that matter, I'll have to disconnect AC lines anyways.
 
#17 ·
When I swapped a euro rad support on my GLX, the AC lines went through the Rad support. Since I wasn't going to use the NA rad support anymore, I cut the metal surrounding the AC line and was able to keep the system intact. With that being said, I'm not sure if it's the same on the 2.0 or TDi.
 
#18 ·
I hear ya, but my plan by doing this was to free up everything in front of the engine. Essentially I was planning to remove the entire front clip so there was nothing but the sub frame for the front engine mount between the frame rails.

So even if I can separate the lines from the radiator support, I would still have the condenser there which isn't really what I am after.

Thinking this over some more I don't think there is an easy way, at least not how I had imagined. I'll just pull it apart and deal with recharging the AC later on.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I finally got some time this weekend to pull the Jetta apart. Long story short, I pulled the engine out to do everything I need to do to make it 100% sound for the 250k mile machine it is.

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All done.

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Finished up late Saturday night, so left it on the pallet for now. I am going to pull off the trans and put the block on an engine stand.

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I initially cracked into the water pump but as I looked around, I convinced myself I should do the timing belt since I had no history on it. Then I saw the back of the block was completely coated in oil from a leak, so I figured why not, this is therapy for me so let's just take it out and I can address whatever I need to address. Annnd when I took the water pump off, there was almost no coolant that came out - it ran clean with no oil, but either this sprung a leak before it was parked, or something beyond that.

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The leak is coming from way up top - I think it might be the PCV since even the valve cover itself had oil on it. I knew the CV joints were shot to hell, hence the linear grease splatter on the back of the block too. I'm starting to think this Jetta had a really rough life the last few times it ran... like, I think they might've been jumping this thing considering all the damage I'm seeing.

When the block came out, I noticed the trans mount was not parallel with the mounting, and discovered that the trans housing is cracked... I don't even know how this could have happened - actually I don't want to know.

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#22 ·
I'm starting to notice a pattern with cars that have random fixes done using drywall screws and sheet metal screws on things that aren't drywall or sheet metal. I bought a used truck last summer that had drywall screws holding the mirror covers on, and soon I discovered plenty more fixes hack jobs.

Here, someone clearly got sick of the dummies falling off and then took matters into their own hands... Now, yet again, I'm getting all kinds of fixes hacks.

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Might've caught a glimpse of it above, but all my years of buying junk and wrenching I have seen some ****. But I have never seen something like this.

Seller: "She rolls coal."

Me: "Yes. Yes she does." :rolleyes:

This Jetta had a hood exit "stack". But rather than dumping the exhaust right of the turbo, it was routed down to where the cat was, and then brought back up to exit the hood. Once again, I don't want to know why it was done this way.

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I'm sure many of you would appreciate the work here... I mean this is quality.

My favorite part is how the exhaust is choked up at the bend. I mean the whole point of a turbo is to create TUrbUleNce amiright?

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Anyways, don't be whoever did this.
 
#23 · (Edited)
I spent some time organizing so I didn't lose track of things, should help in the long run. Also made notes of things that broke so I can address them when it goes back together.

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Don't think this was supposed to come apart like this either... Broke off when I was just taking the clamp off - it was done for at that point.

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Until next time.
 
#29 ·
Spent a couple hours last night separating the transmission from the block and getting the block on the engine stand. Should make it much easier to work on.

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All ready to go.

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When I was taking the flywheel off, it looked like someone had stuffed a bristle scrubby into the crank. Thought that was strange. But when I took it out I realized they were just chips from machining. I can only guess this was like this since day one from the factory, and after machining, the cleaning wasn't enough to clean out the chips. I'm surprised it got through the line past all the assemblers and QA without anyone noticing.

But at the same time, knowing how the assembly line is in manufacturing, I am also not surprised.

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Anyways, tomorrow is a new day. Or today. Whatever.

I think my next move will be to investigate the leaks and order parts. I'd like to get the engine squared away and back into the car before any major teardowns or builds. Unless I run into more surprises and it won't be worth my time. We'll see.
 
#33 ·
Cross posting from TDI Club, but thought I'd keep this thread going.

I did end up doing a compression test... kind of.

Compression tester: Amazon Link

It's actually built pretty well and comes with a plethora of fittings. It has quite a few adapters tapped for M10x1.0 which is what the glow plugs are tapped for on the head, and it was how I was going to go about doing my compression test. With that being said, out of the box I was only able to check compression on cylinder 1 - the quick connect fittings would not clear the cylinder head (the provided adapters were an inch or two too short). I ended up buying another adapter separately which will do the trick.

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It comes pretty complete. I think it's probably better suited for larger diesels that have a bit more clearance around the head - it is advertised for trucks and what not too.

But they did have an adapter that was almost identical to the glow plugs in terms of threading/clearance etc.

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Actually has a few other adapters with the M10x1.0 threading too, just different configs.

The gage is really nice too. All the fittings and the gage are solid and the gage itself feels good as well. It has a nice casing over it - almost rubberized - so it can take a beating without damaging the gage itself.

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With all that being said, when it finally came down to doing the compression test on the TDI, I was only able to get the quick connect fitting to clear the head on cylinder 1. One the other heads it was about a 1/4" short or so from snapping onto the adapter.

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So long story short, I ended up just buying another quick connect fitting, a 6" brass pipe, and a M10x1.0 die so I can re-thread one end of the pipe to fit into the head.

Brass Pipe - I managed to find a pipe rated to 1000psi to match the compression tester.
Quick connect fitting - The fitting unfortunately is only rated to 300psi, so it should do. I searched all day long and could not find one rated to 1000psi. But I'm not too worried about it.
 
#34 ·
When I was ready to do the compression test, I pretty much had the engine on the stand and was trying to figure out how to crank it over. I tried using an impact, a high powered drill, plus some other ideas. Nothing worked and wasn't even close to working. Each of them were a bust pretty much right out the gate, didn't take more than a second of each to realize that nothing was gonna work.

So I circled back around and installed the trans and starter back to the block.

I was ready to go here.

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Before the compression test I did clear more things off the block to thoroughly inspect everything.

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Naked.

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Nice and thickkk.

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All the intake ports were gunked up equally except for cylinder 1 which was a bit "cleaner" than the others.

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Put it back on the crane so I can mount the trans.

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After testing the first cylinder before I ran into the clearance issues, I did get 300psi on the first test. Once the rest of my parts come in (should be here tomorrow) I can finish the compression test and see how that compares to cylinders 2-4.
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I didn't take pics of the complete "setup" but I did shoot a short video of the rig. Sorry in advance for the vertical oriented video (which I hate), but I initially was just intending on posting it to Instagram which works better when in portrait mode.

FYI - plug the oil feed line when doing this :rolleyes:, I had the turbo feed line removed when I first cranked it and I forgot to cap the feed on the oil filter housing so it pissed all over the place... I didn't even see it until after I stopped the video... made a mess... ehhh.

 
#35 ·
TL;DR

Cyl 1: 420 psi
Cyl 2: 390 psi
Cyl 3: 390 psi
Cyl 4: 380 psi


FINALLY.... came around to doing the compression test and getting decent numbers across the board.

First, I need to recant my last post and say that the compression tester I bought off amazon is ****. At least out of the box. The gage is solid as I mentioned, but I don't think quick connect fittings belong on compression testers - especially diesel ones that are rated to 1000psi.

Out of the box the compression tester got me 300 psi on cylinder 1. I couldn't check the others due to clearance. So I ended up getting a 1/8 npt pipe with a new quick connect fitting for the 1/8 npt end to extend it beyond the head and the fuel lines. The OD of the pipe was only .5mm over what was needed to rethread to m10x1.0 so I only needed to remove a little bit of material.
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Sitting better when installed.
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With this "new" setup I went through and rechecked cylinder 1 and looked at the others, I got:

Cyl 1: 260 psi
Cyl 2: 240 psi
Cyl 3: 250 psi
Cyl 4: 240 psi

Considering the drop on cyl 1 from my first test, I knew something was up, and the only thing that made sense was that the new quick connect fitting was not holding pressure. Good thing is the numbers are close between cylinders so once I get a solid reading everything else should be good.

I ended up taking apart the tester I bought, rethreaded both ends of the brass pipe to m10x1.0 (fittings on compression tester were all metric - I needed m10x1.0 for the head, and now m10x1.0 for the adapter on the tester), and pretty much made a "hard wired" connection from the gage to the head.
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And the numbers are wayyy better.

Cyl 1: 420 psi
Cyl 2: 390 psi
Cyl 3: 390 psi
Cyl 4: 380 psi
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One note, the compression test was done dry. I did not bother putting a little bit of oil down into the head to seal the rings.

Now that I can stop talking about the compression tester :rolleyes: ... I like the numbers, and will carry on with my build without pulling the head off the block.

Next steps for me will be to degrease the block and check out what seals need to be replaced. From there I'll be able to start ordering parts to put this pig back together.

My plan is to replace all the vacuum lines with new hoses. Can anyone recommend a good quality hose they've used in the past? Also, I would like to avoid the typical aftermarket screw clamps that are used, and would rather use OEM style crimp type hose clamp - does anyone have a recommendation for those? Otherwise I'll start digging and find something on my own.
 
#37 ·
Honestly this is my first TDI so I can't really say what it's like. Pretty much everything that I'd tell you would be secondhand. From what I gathered from reading around is that these are pretty much modded up to 200 horsepower "easily". Most of the ones that I've seen over that, closer to 300, are heavily modded with upgraded internals, larger injection pumps, etc. A lot of folks upgrade their Mk3 TDIs with parts from the Mk4. Mk3s seem to be dogs compared to other TDIs.

As far as being a daily, you can't beat it. I've seen plenty of these for sale and on the road with well over 300k mi without any rebuilding done to the engine or the transmission. The only thing that might be a nuisance as far as TDIs are concerned is the cold weather since TDIs like to be warm. But for me that wouldn't even be an issue considering I live in WNC. Winters are really mild and the cold is really short-lived in the morning so it wouldn't even be a problem for me.

Just my second hand opinion - I know there's a couple folks out here that have been dealing with these for a while so they might have something different to say.
 
#39 ·
Like any diesel, just make sure you install a quality EGT gauge before you crank it up at all.

Mines stock minus a straight pipe, but I have no problem keeping up with traffic, hills or doing 85 down the highway.

Passing is pretty difficult and any other car on the road will blow your doors off though, they are definitely quite slow.
 
#42 · (Edited)
A chipped TDI will be as fast or faster than a 2.slow.

Cold a problem if lots of short trips. Starting isnt necessarily an issue at all.

1st gear isn't great but 2nd makes up for it with torque off idle. You could start in 2nd most of the time without issue, just more clutch wear. Just saying the torque is good.

I drove my 98 like a race car for 200k miles. There are more exciting engines, but it mostly is a decent automotive engine, far more so than a big Cummins diesel or what not. Will rev to 5k, but torque starts plummeting around 4krpm. Just don't expect it to be joyful if high revs excite you.
 
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