vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping

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Mon 14 Jan 2013 15:58
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - carnut1980

hi all, i recently bought the above car, it has 166k but had a new engine, clutch and DMF at 105k. I have changed the oil last week for a vw specific 5w30, only around 2.5 litres fell out (still quite clean), while filling with 2.5 litres shows as slightly over on the dipstick. I have had conflicting ideas of how much these should take, it is on a 03 plate. Some say 2.5, others say 3.5, others say 4.5. It recently had a new sump as the old one had leaked (high speed hump?) could a smaller than standard sump have been fitted? the sump nut needed a 'm16 splined bit' on a half inch drive, to remove it

Another thing, how exactly do i find out if the engine change at 105k (presumably for the camshaft wear issue) was a like for like job? the paper work shows engine code ARL 16044, but the sticker on engine says ARL 059657.

Its a nice car, and it does shift, but i only get 32mpg round town, should it be more? is cleaning out the EGR valve something that should be done every now and then?

Also im thinking of remapping, any suggestions? cheers

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Mon 14 Jan 2013 17:10
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - 659FBE

If you used a splined bit to drain the oil, you may have drained the gearbox rather than the engine - unless someone has fitted a non standard plug.

The ARL is a 150 PS PD engine - not the most reliable and definitely not a candidate for "tuning". Treat with care and ensure expert maintenance using the correct parts.

If it "shifts" around town, your fuel consumption is probably commensurate with your driving style. If the fuel consumption does not match your expectations get the codes read with a proper VAG compatible code reader - not a generic.

EGR clogging is not generally a problem with ULS fuel, but a code analysis will show this.

659.

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Mon 14 Jan 2013 17:20
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - Collos25

I hope the OP has not put engine oil in the gearbox or worse still the gearbox is running empty and the engine has way to much oil.

Edited by Collos25 on 14/01/2013 at 17:21

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Tue 15 Jan 2013 21:44
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - carnut1980

i had indeed emptied gearbox, had around 7l of oil in oil sump, nothing in gearbox sump, both are now rectified, i had driven around 50 miles like this. no issues or noises, but man i feel stupid. what are the recommendations re. clutch and flywheel, like i mentioned mine as done 60k, but when on warm idle there is often a rattle, which disappears when clutch is pressed, my mechanic says its probably the DMF. Can a Standard flywheel be used, when i get round to changing it, as its far cheaper, or does it have to be a DMF? also the large pipe under bottom right of car looks oily at the unions, i have a pic but not sure how to upload, its an airpipe, going to or from intercooler. What could this be? also re. remap again, has anyone remapped the 150, with a 'economy' map, and what results did they get? cheers

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Tue 15 Jan 2013 22:11
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - Collos25

I would not know whether you can use a solid flywheel or not I would think not but don´t worry about it at the moment if the noise gets really worse then think about a new clutch ,the oil leaks you need to have it looked at it could be the driveshafts or a gearbox oilseal.Forget about a remap waste of money and you must tell the insurance you have done it to remain legal .

Your very lucky if you have got away with your last escapade lets hope it lasts.

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Tue 15 Jan 2013 23:00
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - bathtub tom

If it's going to or from the intercooler, then it's quite common to have a little bit of oil around.

Too much is bad news!

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Wed 16 Jan 2013 22:46
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - VR6

7L of oil? That sounds like quite a lot. I thought these engines took around 4.5L with filter change?

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Thu 17 Jan 2013 08:45
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - TeeCee

7L of oil? That sounds like quite a lot. I thought these engines took around 4.5L with filter change?

Yes, but if you drain the gearbox by mistake and then stuff an additional 2.5 litres into the engine as the OP describes, 4.5 + 2.5 = 7......

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Thu 17 Jan 2013 08:51
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - skidpan

Look out for a "vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003" for sale in a Free Sheet near you shortly when the OP realises the gearbox was actually damaged by running with no oil and there are problems with the engine because it ran with 7 litres of oil in it.

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Fri 18 Jan 2013 19:07
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - carnut1980

haha some of you guys are funny. However you have a point, yes i drained GB then added 2.5l to sump, so yes, 7l. All is rectified, all is fine now, though as my temp gauge rarely moves i suspect i may need a CTS, can it really trick the ECU into thinking the engine is cold, thus overfuelling and affecting fuel economy? i will do a motorway run on tuesday so i will report back on 'rural' figures. no im not selling this one, though my previous car was a 4 litre s type jag so this may be why i think this is a little slow, certainly it has lag in 1st and 2nd. also a new battery for the fob didnt help with the fob range, i have to be within 10 ft to unlock car, odd i think. was glad to find these are only £135 a year to tax and not in the £170 bracket. The less i give to this corrupt government the better!

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Fri 18 Jan 2013 19:26
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - Cyd

Drain the oil from the gearbox again in 500 miles and refill with a quality oil. If there's any metal particles (bound to be after what you done) then you want them out of there.

I like Redline gear oils. I am waiting on some MT85 for my Saab box. Got excellent results with it in previous cars.

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Sat 19 Jan 2013 23:36
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - Crasher

The six digit code after ARL is the engines build date so ARL 059657 was made January 2003 but I cannot find ARL 16044 as it goes off the end of the list late 2004.

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Tue 22 Jan 2013 15:30
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - carnut1980

just did a 130 mile motorway run. full tank plus 4 adults and bootfull of gear. averaged 49.5 mpg. should it be more? changed fuel filter this morn. was filthy. 5 miles from destination and it started overheating. the temp gauge is erratic but eventually showed middle after 50 miles on motorway. 2 bottles of kseal radweld but it only slows down water loss. no obvious leaks from anywhere. shouldnt radweld sort this, at tenner a bottle? i will change the stat as its clearly faulty, but could this be the cause? IE not opening properly and allowing water to circulate? help!!

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Tue 22 Jan 2013 17:22
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - unthrottled

5 miles from destination and it started overheating. the temp gauge is erratic but eventually showed middle after 50 miles on motorway.

Head gasket has gone. Sorry.

i will change the stat as its clearly faulty,

The stat is fine. It sets the minimum operating temperature, nothing else. If the engine overheats, there's a problem with the radiator or the fan/cowling. If the gauge fluctuates, there's a lot of gas in the coolant -and that's coming from the head gasket.

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Tue 22 Jan 2013 17:26
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - skidpan

Look out for a "vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003" for sale in a Free Sheet near you shortly when the OP realises the gearbox was actually damaged by running with no oil and there are problems with the engine because it ran with 7 litres of oil in it.

Now with head gasket failure. Bargain.

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Tue 22 Jan 2013 17:47
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - carnut1980

i guessed that would be the kneejerk reaction. engine fine. gearbox fine. losing water

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Tue 22 Jan 2013 18:42
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - unthrottled

I'm sorry, but failing stats seldom cause temp fluctuations. They sometimes get 'lazy' with age and don't fully close causing the coolant temp to sit slightly below normal. They might fail open or closed. You could just have an airlock in the system. But if you're losing coolant and you can't see where the breach is, there aren't many options left, are there.

On the two ocasions I've had h/g failure, it was preceded by a fluctuating temp gauge. Radweld can seal small gaps, but it can also block up small heater core passages, so it is a good idea to pinch the heater core supply line closed whilst the stuff is in the system.

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Thu 24 Jan 2013 23:20
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - Crasher

When a PD TDI loses water with now visible leaks and only under load, it is normally the head gasket.

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Thu 31 Jan 2013 12:56
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - carnut1980

update*** had a mechanic thoroughly inspect it, no water loss, no head gasket issues, but a leaking header tank and mangled cap, have replaced both, no water loss whatsoever (where are those fearmongering headgasket-ers now?). just had a stage 1 ECU remap, now 180 bhp and 270 lb ft. Before this i changed fuel filter and cleaned out EGR, economy improved, happy again!

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Sat 2 Feb 2013 21:13
vw golf mk4 gt tdi 150 6 speed 2003 - low oil capacity, engine code, remapping - Crasher

I am still here and glad to hear your mechanic who could see, hear and feel the engine under his nose was far more able to fix it than someone giving you free advice remotely using 3rd hand information provided by someone who does not know what they are dealing with...

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