[Vwdiesel] Signs of PD worn cam syndrome?

[brian gochnauer]

You wouldn't need to pull the cam but you would have to rotate the cam
slowly and stop when each lobe has just pass max lift (meaning the lobe in
nearly straight down) to get a good look (with a mirror) at the lifter top.
They should be nice and FLAT and shiny smooth.
*Usually* #1 or #4 cylinder has the most damage, but it can on either intake
or exhaust; which will give slightly different symptoms.
It's really the only weak part on the car, but I'd plan to replace the cam;
and adjust the purchase price accordingly.
If you've done timing belt; the Camshaft is a easy.

BTW, Northern tool sells ALL the triple-square bits necessary to pull the
cam and/or head in one nice package. $4  :)
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200396110_200396110
These are NOT torx bits (6-pt), they are 12 point.



BrianG
Iowa
On Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 9:55 PM, Shawn Wright <vwdiesels at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hmmm. I wish I'd spent a bit more time inspecting it now, but I was getting
> tired after a long day, and not sure how far I should go (how hard is
> pulling the rocker arm shaft?). I expected to see more visible trace on the
> lobe surface, but they all looked smooth with no signs of copper. How many
> miles on yours? The idle was fairly smooth, but I did hear an occasional pop
> sound which made me wonder. I've never heard or driven a PD before this, so
> don't have any reference to compare with. Sounds a lot smoother than my
> 1.6TD with 500k kms! Has lots of power, but again, I don't know what to
> expect.
>
>  I may still write a low offer ($6500) and see what happens. It is still
> nicer than most 2000-03 TDIs I've seen which usually go for $6-10k in this
> area.
>
> On Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 8:49 AM, brian gochnauer <brian at gochnauer.net>wrote:
>
>>  >> I could also catch a fingernail when dragging across side of lobe
>> toward
>> tip
>>
>> imho, it's trashed.
>>
>> I just did my '04 Jetta TDI, ALL the cam lobes were quite smooth; even
>> though it had worn a FULL 1/4" off of one intake lobe!!
>>
>> Lumping idle or shaking throttle response are great signs.
>>
>> BrianG
>> Iowa
>>
>>
>>
>> Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:46:09 -0700
>> From: Shawn Wright <vwdiesels at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Signs of PD worn cam syndrome?
>> To: vwdiesel at vwfans.com
>> Message-ID:
>>       <AANLkTik_j45iBqfGQE9bE=+mq3AMcuP1SAEDUm=WzrFQ at mail.gmail.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>>
>> Ok, here's the update (2004 Jetta TDI GLS with 190k kms). Got the car home
>> tonight, and pulled the VC. The valve thingy* on the intake which I had to
>> remove to get the VC off showed a fair bit of soot in the intake, some
>> loose, some not so loose. The hose from IC to intake also appeared to be
>> leaking and wiggled a bit in the circlips, a fair bit of oil below that
>> and
>> some on upper TB cover. TB looked somewhat worn, said VW so probably OEM,
>> but could be original with 190K kms, or changed at 160K, so must assume it
>> needs doing. Cam lobes looked even all across, so I didn't bother rotating
>> engine, just inspected best I could. Although I could still see chamfer on
>> lobes I could reach, I could also catch a fingernail when dragging across
>> side of lobe toward tip, so could indicate some wear, but really hard to
>> tell. Engine sounds could except there is a slight lumpiness at idle on
>> occasion, and what sounds like an occasional soft popping noise. The
>> engine
>> cranks longer than it should when starting, hot or cold - up to 2secs, not
>> sure what this means on a PD.
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>
>
>
> --
> Shawn Wright
>
>