1.9TD w/K14 woes

[Sauerkraut]

good morning.

I recently purchased a 1992 Passat Wagon with a 1.9TD AAZ swap done to it with a K14 turbo, I've had a 2000 TDI previously and this vehicle with a straight pipe (2.5") exhaust and air box mod seems dog slow for what it is.

digging into the vehicle, I noticed that the fuel filter and "T" had crapped the bed, after changing both and wiring the sensor in the from to 12v from the fuel cut off solenoid (sorry, forgot the name of the sensor) it seems to run a lot better, the previous owner went a little crazy with the fuel screw so I backed that about a half turn.

after installing a boost gauge I noticed that the boost had spiked to 20-25psi, I thought my gauge was broken since there was an audible click to it, so I replaced it with another and it read the same. to about 3200rpm it'll read 20-22psi and in top gear it will read 25-26psi. yikes!!

upon further diagnosis, i found that the wastegate was seized shut, i tried penetrating lube and a hammer to free it up from sticking to no avail.

my question is, will installing a 1.6 boost pin and possibly an intercooler make use of the 22-25psi or am i causing potential damage to the engine at this boost level? I'm trying a K24 turbo currently with no luck but thought I'd ask this group what they think about my situation.

even at this boost level, the car is painfully slow with occasional grey smoke coming out of the exhaust and a very intermittent miss at idle when it sits for a while (it is cold here, 2deg Celsius) I've dropped the vehicle off at a local Volkswagen shop to have the injection pump timing checked. i should hear back shortly.

thoughts?

[vanbcguy]

That's fairly high boost for a K14. It is definitely not doing you any favours the way you're running now!

I like your style though - a decent intercooler and a proper boost pin would let you make use of a "sticky" situation. The turbo will probably still meet an early grave but you'd have fun getting there.

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[Sauerkraut]

haha, thanks. at times it does get fairly high but that's usually at high loads in higher gears allowing the turbo to spike, if I slowly lean onto the throttle it'll boost around 22-25psi - I don't mind if the turbo dies sooner than later, it would give me a reason to install my T3 that I got last weekend off of a 1.6 TD.

I had the vehicle in to the local volkwagen shop to check the injection pump timing, he mentioned that when adjusting it, there was no difference retarding or advancing, could this be due to wiring the front sensor "fuel stop I think?" to the same 12v as the fuel cut off solenoid? *shrug* he suspected my injectors were tired and/or worn causing the intermittent miss and low power.

hopefully someone with chime in and point me in the right direction, I love to hate this car.

[Sauerkraut]

i checked the crank pully and it's tight, contacted the engine builder and he mentioned that when the motor was rebuilt, they used a TDI hardware. checking myself, it's on there good as I took an impact gun from work and gave it a quick blip of the trigger. didn't even move a hair.

curious what may be wrong with the vehicle causing it to be severely underpowered and underwhelming. is it possible for the timing to be off a tooth? the injectors to have sh!t the bed?

[vanbcguy]

Some of the AAZ pumps have an advance lockout solenoid - can you post a picture of your pump?

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[Sauerkraut]

here's a photo.



as luck would have it, my car died on the way to work today, it started to lose power and when I put my foot down, it died and coughed a large cloud of white/grey smoke. *sigh*

it's -20 Celsius today, the symptoms seem to get worse with the cold. I noticed air bubbles coming out of the injection pump when I finally got it running, when it ran it was poor and needed the "choke" to be pulled to keep a steady idle. normally it idles around 1200rpm with the "choke" pulled and 900rpm without. it needed to be pulled just so it would idle and when it did it was at 900rpm.

[vanbcguy]

OK, I do definitely see an advance lockout solenoid on the pump and I don't see a wire going to it. Without that powered up I believe the timing advance on the pump will be disabled.

Your stalling issue though is something separate. Sounds like a fuel supply problem.

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[Sauerkraut]

do you mean the solenoid on the front of the engine nearest the radiator? I wired it to a constant 12V from the fuel cut off solenoid so it will always run in "advanced".

I put hose clamps on my fuel lines, next will be to replace the existing ones on the injectors themselves. when it acts up I notice air bubbles coming out of the injection pump, so it must be pulling air in somewhere. one shop suspected that my injectors were "tired" and "need a rebuild" but I'm uncertain. perhaps i'll take them out, soak them in sea foam and have them pop tested.

[TylerDurden]

I'd suspect a fuel restriction or the main seal getting old... not "tired" injectors. Seals and hoses get stiffer and leak more in the cold.

I would bottle feed the engine and see if the bubbles persist. If so, then I'd check the banjo washers and prep for a mainseal replacement (takes a couple hours, all up).

[Sauerkraut]

after running the vehicle yesterday and earlier today before work, there are no bubbles. same for when I had just replaced the fuel filter, nothing visible at all until it has this (seemingly) intermittent problem.

no bubbles this morning either after letting it idle and giving it a couple of revs. perhaps it's something internal as you mentioned, do you have any information on the seal replacement if it is the issue? I should mention that the bubbles were coming out of the pump, not into the pump.

[TylerDurden]

Bubbles only on the out line usually indicate a leak on the "suction" side (lift section) of the IP.  Typically the bubbles are tiny/foamy.

Seals come in two sizes, not sure what size you have on your IP.

Not uncommon to see seals leak due to age and/or a worn mainshaft bushing. Bushings wear commonly from over-tightening the timing belt.

pictures here: http://volkswagenownersclub.com/vw/showthread.php/23324-Injection-Pump-Seal-replacement...

(or google image search: vw mk2 diesel pump main seal)

[Sauerkraut]

awesome info, thanks! yes, they look tiny and rather "foamy" if I pull the throttle as it's acting up. i'll take a peek at that link and go from there. I appreciate your help!