VAG TDI intercooler question

langdang

Advice is needed oh wise VAGheads:

Buddy who has bad luck with cars and mechanics has a 01 TDI Passat with a damaged intercooler - cracked on both sides allegebly. I won't be able to have a look at it before he gets it fixed, and he doesn't have too many options for a second opinion where he is. There's hissing and a major loss of power so air is leaking out somewhere alright.

a) What would cause this and is this common?
b) Any reason why a second hand intercooler couldn't be used?
c) Originally the car was 130bhp but now - who knows? Would a bad remap cause problems for the intercooler - I would have expected extra boost to test hoses and seals and not mechanically eff up the intercooler?

Thanks in advance wise ones...

GTE

langdang wrote: »

Advice is needed oh wise VAGheads:

Buddy who has bad luck with cars and mechanics has a 01 TDI Passat with a damaged intercooler - cracked on both sides allegebly. I won't be able to have a look at it before he gets it fixed, and he doesn't have too many options for a second opinion where he is. There's hissing and a major loss of power so air is leaking out somewhere alright.

a) What would cause this and is this common?
b) Any reason why a second hand intercooler couldn't be used?
c) Originally the car was 130bhp but now - who knows? Would a bad remap cause problems for the intercooler - I would have expected extra boost to test hoses and seals and not mechanically eff up the intercooler?

Thanks in advance wise ones...

Who said the intercooler is cracked? Ive never heard of that problem in all my TDI research.
Maybe a boost pipe has been damaged?

I dont see why a second hand intercooler from another VE TDI cant be used. I wouldnt gamble on getting a PD TDI one*. Id get like for like.

With the 130 hp VE TDI you are at the upper area of what that engine was designed to take. So, Id say its around the 150 mark now but Im sure it could take another 50 hp. Point being that if you had a 90 hp and remapped it you are less likely to overstress engine components since they are probably the ones used in the higher power engines anyway. Since you were at 130 there isnt as much head room.


Personally I think there is a connection with the remap and it causing extra stress that made a problem you already had become worse quicker but it could have made a little crack in the boost pipe worse.

*Having said all that Im no mechanic, im just going off research and reading I do about my engine over the last year.

The second hand intercooler sounds like a promising idea.

langdang

bbk wrote: »

Who said the intercooler is cracked? Ive never heard of that problem in all my TDI research.

I'm sceptical myself! Especially at the advice he got "you'd have to get a new one, the same might happen with a second hand one" hmmm, I'd be asking to see the old part after...

EDIT - i think it's a 130bhp AWX engine which would make it a PD engine?

GTE

langdang wrote: »

I'm sceptical myself! Especially at the advice he got "you'd have to get a new one, the same might happen with a second hand one" hmmm, I'd be asking to see the old part after...

Has it been serviced recently?

When I got my car it was serviced the day before as part of the deal of sale. All grand. New timing belt and the like.
The mechanic never reattched the boost pipe properly and it popped off going down the motorway. Tragic loss of power and my first car ever seemed like it was destined for the scrap.

Anyway, to me having a crack or bad connection along the boost system could be the cause.

EDIT: Just read your PD thing. Engine can cope with that no bodder.

Im just mad confused now, I never though the PD came with 130 hp.
Back to TDIclub with me

CosmicJay

Just replace the intercooler with a second hand one. There is no reason why a second hand one wont work.

I would say that it would be a boost pipe leak rather than the intercooler being cracked.

The PD engine's are fine for power. A remap is absolutely no bother on them.

sean1141

look out for a second hand one. they can get damaged but not very common. more likely a boost pipe cracked and trying to pull a fast one..
the 130bhp was only ever released in a pd engine

sean1141

there was only a 90 and a 110bhp afaik

GTE

sean1141 wrote: »

there was only a 90 and a 110bhp afaik

Sorry, deleted that post. Did some reading up and the engine codes do match up for PD 130 engine. I've been spouting some misinformation for the last while with regards to this. Woop woop!!

tossy

bbk wrote: »

Im just mad confused now, I never though the PD came with 130 hp.
Back to TDIclub with me

Thats what happens when you do research on a US forum,the TDI range available to them was scant,a 6 speed TDI golf or Jetta in the states is as rare as an enzo is over here.

OP sounds like the boost pipe has come off,most likely the pancake pipe thaat goes up behind the wheel arch,that passat will have a drivers side mounted intercooler so start there.

langdang

Thanks lads, so far ye are confirming my own common sense interpretation of this - most likely hose/pipe related, but if it is the intercooler then no real reason to not use a second hand intercooler. I'll try get yer man to get someone else have a quick look at that intercooler first I'd say...

langdang

Well, he's being assured that it's cracked (he'll be shown the cracks) and that it it could be due to the extra boost cos it's "definitely mapped"

a) I can't imagine the intercooler would be the first thing to fail due to extra boost. Failure due to mechanical stress/impact yes, but not extra (within reason) boost.
He has previously had pipes fly off in the turbo circuit alright.

b) I can't say it blew my socks off if it's "definitely mapped" - I had expected Russian booster rocket levels of lift from a 130 mapped up? Only had a quick drive on roads that wouldn't be best suited to a Passat tho. It's not slow but if I was to get one I'd have to go for at least 130!

c) It's very on/off - there is nothing at all there until 2000 rpm. Obviously it's the turbo that gives all the power but I still expected something under 2k. My ancient 2L petrol would pull to 2k better ( Relax VAG fans - the TDI would easily outpull from 2k to 4k).