[Vwdiesel] trip with Jetta GTD

[dieseltdi at verizon.net]

Yes it is a real GTD engine with the RA code I believe.  I bought it from an importer with 40000 miles or so.  I realize that the oil must be moving from a high pressure side into the coolant rather than visa versa because I had no coolant in the oil and I am not making white smoke.  I am all to familiar with that type of head gasket failure.  I am going to go ahead and order the head gasket but I have everything I need to delete the oil cooler and add an external one,  This is obviously the time to do that and maybe kill two birds with one stone:  fix my oil leak into the coolant and have a thermostatically controlled oil cooler to keep the engine cooler in the hot Texas summers.  Hayden

> On Mar 11, 2015, at 3:42 PM, Andrew .Libby <libbybapa at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Is your Jetta a Euro import GTD?  If it is North American engine then the turbo is not water cooled.  Regardless, I do not believe that the water cooled turbo has any seals that could leak coolant to oil.  I believe that the only way that would happen at the turbo would be a crack in the center cartridge.
> 
> Most likely is that the oil/water heat exchanger has failed internally.  You can take it out, plug one coolant opening, install a hose and tire valve stem/shrader valve in the other, insert the cooler into a bucket of wire and apply mild air pressure to the shrader valve.  Bubbles from one of the oil openings would indicate a failed cooler.  I'm sure if you did a search you could find a video of a vw cooler being tested.  
> 
> Next most likely would be a failed head gasket that is allowing leakage between the high pressure oil channel between cyl 3 and cyl 4 and a nearby coolant passage.
> 
> A couple other less likely possibilities that you did not mention are a cracked block or a cracked head between the pressurized oil gallery and the coolant.  
> 
> Bear in mind that for oil to enter the coolant, it has to be a leak between a pressurized oil area and the coolant.  A leak between the coolant and a non-pressurized oil area (valve cover/block) will send coolant into the sump rather than oil into the coolant.   
> 
> On Wed, Mar 11, 2015 at 12:31 PM, <dieseltdi at verizon.net> wrote:
> Well I was going to spend this email talking about the great trip I just took with my Jetta GTD and my little tent trailer that I restored but when I went out to change the oil and check fluids, I discovered that something bad HAD happened on the long trip.  Apparently on the last leg home yesterday, I developed an oil leak into the cooling system.  I know it started yesterday because the evening before, I have checked the coolant to make sure I had plenty because I have the cursed slow leak from the heater valve and there was nothing in the coolant tank but coolant.  Well today I found a nice scum of black oil floating on the top of the coolant and smearing the walls of the coolant tank.  Now, just to set the stage, the car never overheated on the trip, used only about ½ quart of oil and all gauges stayed within acceptable limits including the EGT which I kept below 1100 degrees F post turbo.  So I guess my thinking runs in this order:  1) Oil could be leaking between the seals in the head gasket,  It has always been weepy since I got the car but no huge external shows of oil.  2) something in the “oil cooler” has failed or 3) some seal in the oil/water cooled turbo has failed. (I am hoping that this isn’t it as I really don’t want to get a turbo rebuilt.)  So what say yea all?  I intend to flush out the system with some degreaser and stay easy on the car until I figure out what to do.  Car runs fine, no real smoke except on hard acceleration, engine sounds about the same, maybe a bit “tinny” but nothing I can put my head around.  Really need the collective wisdom on this one before I dive in.  Thanks, Hayden
> 
> 
> 

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1968 Beetle
1982 VW Jetta Coupe GTD "FrankenJetta"
And many, many, many VWs; from a 1947 Beetle (13 Beetles total), to Vans (5 - 3 splitties  2 bay window (both were campers), 1 Vanagon Westy, Rabbits (3), Karmen Ghia (1), Jettas (11), Passats (2), Dasher (1), New Beetle (1), Rabbit Convertible (1) and Rabbit Pickups (3) most now gone but not forgotten.