[Vwdiesel] 1.6l TD , no power

[Shawn Wright]

On 5 Jul 2003 at 15:57, Mike & Coreen Smith <ve9aa at nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> I own a 1988 Jetta 1.6L Turbo Diesel 5 speed.  I've played to no end with
> the MAX FUEL screw and double checked I have boost, yet the car still seems to
> lack power.  All increasing the max fuel screw seems to do is put the idle up
> higher and higher. (IE: I don't see black smoke and I don't have any more power)
>
> Speaking to my brother in law (<a mechanic>who sold me the car) recently, he
> said the PO had the flywheel off and it was reinstalled in the wrong position so
> now it cannot be "timed" correctly. The VW mechanic timed it "as best he
> could".... I know NOTHING about timing this engine. (can someone explain it?)
>
> Could this be my problem?  I get about 45MPG with it highway/city and on a
> recent trip to Quebec and back to NB I maxed out at 50MPG(CDN). I feel I
> should be doing a bit better than that.
>
> Going up hills I have to downshift to 4th (sometimes 3rd) and I go slower,
> slower, slower, so that every single car ends up passing me.
> Slow, like 30-50MPH, ~60-80km/h slow.  Absolutely the most gutless car I've ever
> owned.  I do OK when revvs are above 4k in the city, but zilch on hills in the
> highway. I also do OK in the city and on long flat stretches.

My '85 TD flies up most hills in 5th, provided I'm doing 80 km/h going into it. You
don't mention what kind of smoke levels (and colour) you're seeing under load - this
could be a clue. I'd guess the timing is most likely though. I'm not sure how one could
screw up the flywheel - they can only go on one way from what I recall.

--
Shawn Wright
http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright
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