[Vwdiesel] Signs of PD worn cam syndrome?

[Shawn Wright]

On Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 10:36 AM, travis gottschalk <tgott at hotmail.com>wrote:

>
> Do NOT pull the rocker assem. to inspect the cam. Roll the engine over. If
> you pull the rocker you have to replace the stretch bolts and they are
> normally special order as dealers rarely have them and they aren't very
> cheap either. If it was cold the PD can pop and fart some just like any
> other diesel. Not as much as the NA engine but it still does make some
> noise. My engine has just shy off 100K miles. I did the timing belt at 95K
> as I have read 100K and/or 5 years which ever comes first so the rubber
> doesn't become dry and break on the belt. I have heard of people with 350K
> miles on there PD engines without doing cams. I have heard of 50K miles and
> doing a cam. Thing is you hear about the issues, so if someone doesn't have
> an issue you don't hear about it. Not all will fail the cam but a higher %
> does then on the non PD engine. The newer BRM PD engine (after the BEW) has
> steeper lobes and it fails even more cams. The PD design has been in use
> across the pond for around 10 years  (they got it well before the states)
> and they had several sizes of power (still a 1.9 but with 100, 130 and 150
> depending on intake and injectors and computer). It is a heavier built
> engine then the ALH engine and can handle more power to it. You just have 4
> more lobes on the cam on the same sized cam. But if you think about it how
> much is it to rebuild/reseal an injection pump on an ALH engine when they
> start to leak (about as common as the cams going out on our cars). So you
> are still paying around the same about over the life of the engine. And we
> get a stock 10 more HP from the factory and a higher geared 5th gear. And
> the tools for a timing belt are MUCH cheaper to buy (around $300 vs $70).
> And our timing belts OEM were 100K miles, the ALH was 60K unless you
> upgraded the kit but the first still was 60K. So all told average cost of
> the two engines is around the same.
>
>
Thanks for the comparison - I had never thought of comparing the cam to the
IP on the ALH, but it makes some sense.


> ALH engines anymore are getting more and more miles on them and it is hard
> to find a lower miles ALH engined car. Even PD engined cars are getting up
> there in miles since the last one was sold in 07 (called the 06 special to
> be able to sell, father owned one) and those were driven hard since 09 was
> the next diesel in the states. the new common rail engines have there own
> set of issues. The exhaust is the expensive and fragile thing on them
> (particle trap) and the common rail pressures I have heard some making metal
> in the system. Father loves his 09 other then the height though. I hear the
> newest ones are going to be longer for more back seat room but they are
> taking away the rear disk breaks and going to drum. Also the 09 and 10 had
> independent rear suspension (no beam like all the years before). They are
> going back to the beam to save money according to articles I have read. To
> bad they don't have a diesel mini van out there yet. I wouldn't mind one.
> Kind of off on a tangent writing, sorry.
> Travis G


Yes, ALH are getting a bit harder to find, although lately I've seen several
with ~120k kms (80k miles) for around $8-9K CDN. They've always been base
models though, so I've passed on them. Not a minivan, but the V10 TDI
Tourags are cheap around here - the dealer had 3 of them last time I looked
(about 7 used Tourags total), and there's one listed now for $14K privately.
If they put the 2.0TDI in the Tiguan, I might be interested, but a minivan
would be more practical for sure. Make it a syncro, and I'd have a hard time
resisting even if it meant monthly payments!

-- 
Shawn Wright