Low power 1998 tdi bug

[Anthony.John]

I recently purchased a used 1998 bug with 143,000 miles and the powerband seems to be between 2 and 3 thousand RPM's. the engine just seems very sluggish, after 3,000 rpm's the engine doesn't pull any more just revs. I took it to the shop and they said the diagnostic was "Intake Manifold pressure Control difference-Intermittent" and the fuel shut off valve was malfunctioning. They said it would cost $300 to $400 to repair, because of the labor intensiveness of cleaning out the carbon from the intake manifold. The shop specializes in Vw and audi's so I trust what they are saying. They also said there was a problem with the waste gate, so I know there is something wrong but I don't want to shell out $400 if there is another way to fix it. The power seems to be intermittent, or dependent on temperature, when I first start up the engine and go, I get power all the way to redline and then when I go up a hill or the RPM's drop the car seems to cut off the power at 2,500 rpms. any ideas??

[h_2_o]

they are correct, it is a pita and if a normal person does it, it takes about an entire day. look over on tdiclub for intake manifold and egr cleaning


here is a howto
http://pics2.tdiclub.com/gwillie/VW/...AKEMAN101b.htm

[rmzrider]

I have a 98 NB with 116k miles. I bought the car with 52k. I have the same problem. No or low power. I cleaned my intake and did the EGR delete at the same time.(also changed fuel filter) It helped a little, but didn't solve the problem. As a test, I unplugged my MAF sensor and that helped, but still not even close to the power the car once had. It seems like 2500 rpms is the point where it seems to cut out. When I unplug the MAF, it will rev out more, but slowly. It seems like it isnt getting fuel. I cant seem to find a listing for a lift pump for the ALH motors. Is there one on this motor? I've also seen the N75 sensor mentioned, but not sure how or if this applies.

[DZLBUG]

No lift pump until the 04 BEW PD engine.

There is a low power troubleshooting thread over on TDIclub, have a look there.

Sent from my DROID2

[h_2_o]

rmzrider, sounds like you are having other issues, do you know anyone with a vag-com that can log your car for you? that would be your next best step.

[treetopflyer]

Anthony, I have a '01 NB that displayed the same symptoms. As suggested go to the TDI.com site and read about sluggishness and the "MAF" unplug test. When I disconnected my MAF I had no change. Went to an independant garage and asked if he had a good, used MAF? He did, I swapped it right there in the parking lot and test drove...Voila... performance returned!

Guy wanted to sell me the USED MAF for $90.00...I said excuse me , I can buy a new Bosch one for $109.00 online (at the time), turned around and sold it to me for $50.00, figured I'd drive it until the problem came back...30,000 mi's later, still going strong. Do your research and you won't get taken advantage of by independants or dealerships.

NOTE: Although similar in scenario, your problem may be more indepth. Caveat emptor...Don't believe everything you read on the net.

[Lew]

Take your car by Autozone and let them run a test with their code tester. They will not clear any code that show up with your car because of Autozones policy. However they will let you press the button to clear a code.
Make sure you write down any codes and post them in your thread. I have a code list, as many owners do......