Bought a 94 Passat, how to tell if TD or TDI and other Qs

[Lum]

Bought an old diesel Passat estate for 800 quid yesterday, not sure which version of the engine it is as the log book says it's a TD Umwelt, the advert and several insurers databases say it's a TDI, can anyone give me any clues as to which it is.

It's got 220,000 miles on the clock but seems to run ok, though I have discovered a few problems so far.

The electric windows are faulty, drivers one seems to have a faulty limit switch and a lot of play in it so that when closing the windows is at the wrong angle. I'm guessing that replacing the motor and gear mechanism will fix this.

The passenger window mechanism has been replaced with a wooden table leg holding the window shut (pic) so that's going to need a new window mechanism too. Rear drivers side one also doesn't work but I don't care about that.

The lighting is weird, the front bumper has the lenses in place for fog lamps, yet none appear to be fitted (I've not had it open yet) and there is no switch for them inside.

At the back, we have wiring and bulb holders for two rear foglights, and lenses for two, but the passenger side one had a plastic blanking plate over the bulb hole. I cut this off and stuck a bulb in and now have two fog lights. *confused*

The horn is in a really stupid place and has turned into a round blob of rust, that needs replacing.

The biggest problem I have is I let my GF take it to work today and she parked it on an uphill slope at which point it wouldn't start. It appears air is getting into the fuel line somewhere and the fuel in that line all went back into the tank. There doesn't appear to be any diesel leaking so it can't be that bad. I'm tempted to just leave it parked facing the other way in future as the local mechanic seems to think that replacing the fuel lines will be long winded and expensive. Are there any common places for this to go or good ways to find out which bit is broken?

Any more checks or things I should do in order to ensure that this engine just keeps on working for me. It's going to mainly be a motorway car and occasional work horse for lugging stuff around.

[Maarten]

Take a picture of the engine... 1994 is early for a TDI but possible.

[Lum]

Images of engine bay as requested





Apologies for the poor quality, it's the best we can manage at the moment.

At least we have a new horn and headlight arriving tomorrow to make it street legal.

I think in a year or so's time I'd like to put a much better engine there, since it's a grey estate with a huge dent in the bumper and a bit of non-critical rust starting, it would make an excellent sleeper

[Maarten]

Thats a 1.9TD AAZ

Things that tell it's a AAZ:

Mechanican gas mechanism
No electronics on the pump
No intercooler (hose from turbo directy towards the intakemanifold)
Turbo sits on top of the exhaustmanifold instead of hanging onto.

[Lum]

Thanks for the information, and the fast reply, though I have no idea what an AAZ is

I assume I should be posting in the IDI section, or is IDI something different again?

Where can I go from here in terms of making the car more fun (once I have the fuel line issue fixed) Does Smog's DIY thread apply to this version of the engine?

[Maarten]

AAZ:

IDI

75hp/155Nm

Small fast spooling Garrett T2 or KKK K14 turbo

I've got the same engine, but replaced the turbo with a KKK K24, did some pump modding, larger/freeflow downpipe&exhaust, large intercooler:

http://morninglight.demon.nl/a3/dyno1.jpg

[Lum]

Thanks once again. The car was advertised as a TDi so I'm a little annoyed, but it looks like this version of the engine will be easier to modify without expensive trips to someone with kit to remap it.

125 bhp and 177 lb/ft of torque is impressive with what appear to be fairly simple mods. I'll have to have a look around and see just how far these engines can go.

[Maarten]

If it was sold as a TDI to me I would have a nice talk with the seller  :?

BTW enginecode is on the block between/below 2nd/3rd injector on a flat spot.

My KKK K24 with 70mm downpipe:




The downpipe is made by a friend and sells for €170 ex shipping  :wink: the flange is the same as the oem exhaust but you'll have to weld a complete new exhaust (pref 60mm)

Pump modding included the LDA lid from a GTD, stiffer governor springs with 1 washer and removing the throttle maxlimiter.

[Lum]

Looks fairly easy, but after todays news, I'm going to have to delay things a bit. Apparently it started making a squaling sound like a belt slipping, even though the belts seem fine.

My GF (who's using the car this week) thinks that one of the two silver pipes that run into the fuel pump need replacing (which would also explain the inability to start if parked facing uphill) but I've not been able to look at it because I'm not getting in from work until after it's gone dark and she is using the car.

Any idea what it might be, and do I need to stop it being driven until I can have a proper look on sunday?

Edit: She also mentioned a puff of blue smoke coming from under the bonnet and the engine bay smelling of diesel.

[Maarten]

Maybe it's time to tension your belt, loosen the alternator and tighten it again.

2 silver pipes  :?:

I suggest you look for leaking diesellines, while your at it replace the 2 feed/returnlines and the returnlines on the injectors..

[Lum]

Maybe it's time to tension your belt, loosen the alternator and tighten it again.

I'll give that a go tomorrow, is the car safe to drive in the meantime though?

I made a recording of the sound, but I haven't been able to make it into an MP3 without the chirping getting filtered out. it's a constant cheep-cheep-cheep noise, like a budgie might make, and only at idle.

2 silver pipes  :?:

These two:


They appear to be wrapped in some kind of sticky silver foil, the pipe underneath is clear.

I suggest you look for leaking diesellines, while your at it replace the 2 feed/returnlines and the returnlines on the injectors..

Do I have to get proper VW hoses, or will any hose of the same material and internal diameter do the job?

[commuter boy]

It's that rare bird, the 1.9 AAZ Eco-Diesel ("Umwelt").

Basicly it's got a neutered fuel pump, without the LDA on top of the pump that connects it to the turbo, single stage injectors, and lord knows what else different.

Less power, worse mileage than the standard AAZ with the LDA.

[Lum]

It's that rare bird, the 1.9 AAZ Eco-Diesel ("Umwelt").

Basicly it's got a neutered fuel pump, without the LDA on top of the pump that connects it to the turbo, single stage injectors, and lord knows what else different.

Less power, worse mileage than the standard AAZ with the LDA.

Thinking about it, it says something about umwelt on the log book. I just didn't trust the logbook to be correct (My other car was listed as a Subaru Legacy 2.5 4Cam when it's actually a Subaru Legacy B4 which has a 2 litre twin turbo engine)

So basically I've bought a Passat with the crappiest engine possible? Is it at least going to last for a long time?

Also, that chirping noise seems to have stopped.

[QuickTD]

So basically I've bought a Passat with the crappiest engine possible?

 The "umwelt" isn't as nuetered as the older 1.6 ecodiesel. The LDA on the pump is present, but the factory aneroid pin and spring combination really doesn't add much fuel under boost. It also does not add fuel in a linear fashion, its more of a 2 stage setup. With a proper aneroid pin and spring the engine will really wake up.

 

Is it at least going to last for a long time?

Probably not, unless you really keep an eye on it... These engines are famous for the "crank pulley syndrome". The crank timing pulley works its way loose and trashes the valves, usually happens between 100000 and 200000km. If you check or replace the pulley and replace the bolt at every timing belt change they will generally stay together. A one way clutch type alternator pulley from the TDI may help as well.

[Lum]

Well, I have 220,000 miles on it so that's what? 350,000 - 400.000 kms?

Was this issue a case of there were some bad ones and some that ran forever, or am I likely to see it go pop at any time now?

I've had a similar thing happen on an Audi TT that was less than 3 years old, and it was making a distinctive clattery whirry noise before it went, will I hear a similar noise here, or will it just go one day with no signs beforehand? They never told me exactly what went wrong, just replaced the whole cylinder head as a single unit (and broke the crank angle sensor in the process)