Hi. This is about my weekend car which is a 2002 vw golf mk4 150 gttdi. 

 

The car starts and runs well apart from a serious lack of power below 2500 revs then it takes off like a scalded cat ove 

2700 revs. The turbo has been removed, checked, proclaimed good and refitted by a so called pd specialist (read arsehole) It it gers more than 1/2 throttle uder 2500 revs it loses power completely, won't do more than 3000 revs and doesn't have the power to pull 5th or 6th gear, and even struggles in 4th. Shutting the engine off ant then on again instantly returns it to the nothìng/full power mix. Any of you nice chaps have any ideas for me? Don't say burn it and get a skoda, my daily is a skoda karoq 1.6td which is not a fast car but would show the golf a clean pair of heels!

In the olden days it might have ben a vacuum or engine breathing problem but by modern (2002) the German marques were decades into (over) complicated computer programs necessitating more sensors, wiring, connections, parts, pipes, Uncle Tom Cobley and all .   .   .  So what you need is some one with an appropriate VW scan tool, with the program for your car fully up to date and the knowledge and experience and can be-arsed-attitude to do proper diagnosis and work required from it.

 

If you're near this chap I'd use him. - https://www.youtube.com/@mrautoservices7354/videos

 

Otherwise for at least a full scan report, perhaps more, there are Briskoda members prepared to help, some for beer tokens, a very few others offer professional services so different rates. - 

 

This has now been scanned by the appropriate scanner and checked physically with no apparent faults found. I believe the asshole which allegedly fixed the car didn't change the ecu which he said was knackered and which is on the invoice I paid. So another ecu is going to be got and fitted, or it's going to go to a tuner to do a remap, whichever method is chosen it will have a standard map. It's an old car done 161k and occasional use so I won't need extra power or economy over standard.

19 hours ago, daviemck2006 said:

This has now been scanned by the appropriate scanner and checked physically with no apparent faults found.

This is the problem when relying solely on a scan tool report for diagnosis, it says "nothing wrong" when you know there is something wrong. other diagnosis tools are required including training, experience and knowledge by those doing the diagnosis and a good store of 'can-be-arsed' and common sense (often not that common).

 

Does the scan tool not give details of the ecu to give a clue to if it has been changed.

 

Good luck with the current path, let us know how you get on.

 

It had a crap map before the engine work so it was going to get seen to anyway. I will wait for the ecu to arrive and see what the difference is.

You may already do so but the best tuning is full and proper timely servicing and maintenance of the whole car, especially with a diesel, regular engine air filter changes, regular engine oil and filter changes, using better quality oil than VW suggest, perhaps cleaning of sensors, and certainly  for a weekend diesel the use of "cleaner" diesel fuel (Shell V-power is the only one I know of, and have good experience of).

 

The German marques including VW have had complex computer programming for decades (and yours is before the cheating, well you'd hope so) so to mess with their programming needs people who really know what they're doing or the results might not be to short, medium or long term benefit.

 

Your VW being just about last century must be at the very end of decent 'German engineering quality' as you'll probably know from your later built VWŠkoda Karoq and any other later VAG or German marque cars you might have owned.

 

See how the replacement ecu goes, al the best.

 

I always actually over service my cars. I only have owned the golf for under a year and only got a partial history. It had a really dodgy map when bought, but the previous guy who worked on it claimed he replaced the ecu as it was faulty. I've since heard of another person who was ripped off by him so I'm assuming g that he has charged me for an ecu ad never changed it. I know he also charged me for handreak cables which are old ones on the car now. I need to know for sure the ecu and map is good, if  known good ecu does not help then the turbo has tocome out. We think it can only be one or the other.

Unfortunately I've had a lot of experiences of low and very low quality work from those in the motor trade and even con-men who otherwise have a (undeserved) high good reputation in their speciality, not once but twice, and they keep their good reputation despite some of us knowing better.  So I think you are right not to trust the paperwork given your experience with your bloke.  Even at 2002 I'm almost (not certain) that an appropriate scan tool should given you details from the ecu fitted now about it. (I thought I had an example photo from a scan of my wife's car but can't find it).  Good thing is there are lots of Golf enthusiast so information about the car should be available and some posts on who to avoid with them.

 

I've used to cars 20-50+ years old and until two years ago as running them as dailies and for work, commutes 300 and 500 miles a week at one point) for holiday in UK and Europe and for (multi-marque) clubs events and my advice (from costly experience) is in the first year run the car whilst also giving the whole car the equivalent of a staggered 36 or in your case 60/80k-mile, service or check.  Obviously priority is given to brakes, steering and suspension (all three include tyres), lights and safety electrics (includes battery of course, on to windows and mirrors (include reflective number plates) for seen and be seen, then at the end the less important engine, gearbox drive axle.  Don't spend anything on cosmetics or 'improvements' (which aren't always as you know) until at least 12 months round use of the car (through all seasons of the whole year as I know in Scotland you can get the four seasons in one day) and only upgrade parts/components if it's part of service/repair work.

 

If this is your first 20 year old car, or for a very long time, then I can perhaps give you some general tips if you need/want them.

 

Cheers.

  

I've had a few older cars, including a vw bora highline which is basically this golf with a boot. Apart from it was a pd130, this is a pd150. I've just been over to speak to the current mechanic. He is one of my sons best friends, time served with a local garage then been employed by a local bus/taxi firm which I used to work for as the sole mechanic keeping 10 taxis and well over 20 busses going. He has driven nothing but vag 1.9td and pd engines since he started driving 12 years ago. He has just left the bus firm and started on his own. I was over to ask him if I would order an ecu, he said no, he got another guy to remap my one. My one was an utterly crap map and it wasn't showing faults on vagcom, but threw loads of faults on the remap man's equipment. They tried a standard map then a stage 1 map and after the faults were mapped out the car performs better, it's not going into limp home but is still flat under 2500 revs. The conclusion is now that the vanes on the turbo are seized so the turbo is going to come out and rebuilt. This is apparently going to be the best solution to it, much cheaper than anew turbo, and much better than a secondhand unknown turbo. I like older cars, and used to do most of my own maintenance, but mow I'm not fit to do much in the way of maintenance due yo poot health. My skoda karoq is brilliant for my daily, being higher up, auto and easy to drive and comfy, but utterly boring as I find most newer cars. So getting the golf running and looking well is my project and like a toy. On my worst day it's incredibly difficult for me to get in and out, and work the clutch, but when I'm on better days I much prefer it to the karoq. I look forward to it being well again.

Good news on your great VW contact, tell him not to sell himself cheap as good mechanics are now very rare and he will get plenty of work so no need to put up with customers who only want things done on the cheap and then moan about the costs and the results.  I gave this advice to a chap who used to look after my car and couple of others I knew and I took the cars over to him, guess which customer was first to get the price increase when he followed my advice (twice).  Most would think this was a silly thing to do but it meant there was more likelihood of him still being in business to work on my car and not burnt out doing cheap work for the moaniest and tight customers (he was about half the labour costs of Dealerships and done a good job and was very experienced and knowledgeable).  I could hardly get my car in for work when I was collecting one of the other two, he had plenty of work and was getting paid more for it from more sensible appreciative customers.  I'm not only a customer but also I also dealt with customers and business to business for decades so I know not all are angels on either side.

 

VagCom is now VCDS, plenty of Chinese machines that are very good and getting better (wonder where they got their original info).

 

Unfortunately you (and the chap starting his own business) will find many new made parts (for old and new cars) are not that good so it can be better to rebuild /recondition / refurbish an original part.  The turbo is another reason to use better quality oil than VW recommend.  I used Millers oils EE Performance engine oil in my wife's 2015 Fabia, as I've used Millers oils in my car and like them, plenty of other, and perhaps even better, oils to chose but I go by good experience.

 

Each to their own of course, 2002 generally is too new for a car for me and I'm not a fan of VW (Golf GTI Mk1 an exception) or the German marques generally though my mates have had Beemers and Mercs through at least a couple of decades.

 

Let us know how things go

 

I know a bit about difficulties even sitting in the car at times, partly thanks to the bloody stupid idea of wheel bolts instead studs and nuts, whilst taking a wheel off the Fabia and stupidly moving to prevent it dropping the one inch to the ground whilst gave me back problems that progressed to elsewhere which is why I recommend using "two alignment" tools with each wheel, found these better quality ones recently. - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232330617636

 

That's meant it's only been from the middle part of this year I've felt up doing anything on my wife's Fabia to save lots of money and worrying her by suggesting unnecessary work to bring in revenue and profits for what boils down to an engine oil and filter change, quick and not so good wash of the car and perhaps a road test and scan tool plug in (but I've no evidence of the last two.  I'm not mechanical but found I could do a better job than many places/people just because I care more about doing so (and I don't like working on own own cars and we only have my wife's Fabia now).

 

For the last couple of years I've driven my wife's 2015 Fabia, a neighbour's 2005 Kia Picanto, another neighbour's 2016 Vauxhall Corsa (auto) and each week another neighbour's 2023 Ren-No! Cashcow and I much preferred the 2005 car to drive, that went on to his son to use so that little bit of enjoyment has gone from me.

 

If your son's friend wants to take on VWŠkoda work from bits I've seen on here like everywhere else Scotland is very short of good car places, as you will know VWŠkoda models are full of VAG bits including the fantastic-plastic bits, and plenty of VAG fantastic-plastic bits on VWBentleys too.   The way things are going with VAG in Germany there might be lots of aftermarket VAG work in the future too.