"BAD" Volkwagen Jetta 1.9L ALH/AHU TDI Diesel Engine Teardown. Why are these SO GOOD?

For parts visit www.Importapart.com or email us at [e-mail]
I've torn down nearly 200 engines on the channel and there's a good chance I've torn down something you own. Here are a few of my favorites:
Nissan 5.0 Cummins V8 • Well That's Not Good! ...
700k Mile Powerstroke teardown • 700,000 Mile 7.3 Power...
1.6 Hyundai Gamma • Are These JUNK TOO? 1....
Prius 1.8L Destruction • BLEW UP A PRIUS?! 2010...
Today we tear down a classic. One of the most reliable small Diesel engines ever produced. A 1.9L Volkswagen TDI. This particular iteration is the early AHU, the predecessor to the famous ALH. Getting this core engine was a stroke of luck as these engines have aged out, they have become very difficult to find in my area but thankfully one of the places I buy from had it and didn't even know they did!
Unfortunately I don't know how many miles are on this engine, but I can tell you its from a 96 MK3 Jetta or Golf. These were rated 90hp and 155ftlbs of torque. This engine was clearly a victim of a broken timing belt although the extent of the damage was unknown. Thats why we tear it down and find out just how bad it was.
Why am I doing this? My name is Eric and I own and run a full service auto recycling business called Importapart. Part of our model includes buying and dismantling core and blown up engines to salvage the good parts. We do not rebuild or fix engines, merely supply parts to those who do.
I really. hope you enjoyed this video as always I love all of the comments, feedback and even the criticism. Catch you all on the next one!
-Eric

[@slocavky]

My 2001 Golf ALH is at 362K miles... It still runs great... I drive 120 miles everyday... 50+ mpg... Best car and engine I've ever had...

[@tct9mm151]

Should get a million miles out of it.

[@steveo8700]

362k probably the only car you’ve owned

[@RandyMUNSOn-fe2tb]

I had an '03 Jetta wagen with 274k and ran great. Service is the key.

[@samholdsworth420]

Its a miracle! ✨✨✨😀

[@heyallenify]

My 2000 Jetta ALH is now at 408k miles. I've replaced two timing belts myself now. It's not appreciating the short trip commuting the last couple of years though, mileage is suffering.

[@Losingsince]

More often than not I hear of the cars themselves falling apart before these engines fail. One of the best diesel engines ever made

[@justincase9471]

Friend of mine had this with his Audi. He ran the car for 700.000 KM and had to stop servicing it because the car itself was falling apart. The engine was running fine to the very end, it just needed oil and timing belts for maintenance.

[@dougrobinson8602]

One of the best engines ever made, period.

[@ghillieinthemist593]

@@justincase9471 I Had a 2000 A4, with the 20v 1.8T. everything else on the car was falling apart, power steering gone, suspension shot, wheel bearing loud af, but even after a over a year of sitting, the engine started right up and drove like it was nothing. made it to around 275000 miles before i sold it because it just wasn't worth fixing nearly everything else on the car... still got a grand for it

[@verbils]

Re: the crappy water pump with the frozen bearings…. The OEM water pump in my 2001 ALH had plastic impellers. A popular “upgrade” in the day were those brass impellers, but as you saw, that doesn’t mean the bearings in the aftermarket water pump were any good. I got 340,000 miles out of my Jetta, and the engine was still running fine when I got rid of the car. The 10 year anti-perforation warranty was long gone, and rust was starting to break through on the body. Though the recommendation was 100 K miles for belt changes (for the manual transmission), for the automatics they were saying 60,000 miles - so I did mine early, every 60 K . And when you do the timing belt on that car, you do the water pump too. You’re already there, you’re crazy if you didn’t! I miss that car! Still getting 49 - 51 mpg on the highway when I have her away…

[@dioborghezio]

As a European viewer i'd to say Thank you to bring a 1.9 TDI engine on the channel because now i know how these rock solid engines are made. It's built like to last more than the car that runs. They're still loved and used in all Europe just like the 1.9 JTD Engine, 2 of the best one ever made.

[@SrLobo90]

The 2.0 HDI RHY is also a rock, and the 2.8 HDI/JTD too. Although the 1.4 HDi engines with Siemens injection came out very good. I consider it one of the best diesel engines. Also, I saw a 1.4 HDi with 500,000 miles, PSA was a great manufacturer of common rail diesel engines, as were Fiat and Sofim, a shame that the golden era ended... I have seen RHY with more than 600,000km.

[@WestYorkshireGuy1]

The 1.9JTD is basically a Z19DTH engine.

[@infernoking7504]

It's really funny on something that vibrates so much would last as long as they do. Even when they are neglected or beat on even breaking a timing belt at idle can still be okay after fixing head.

[@xynostasos9022]

@@WestYorkshireGuy1 No, it's the other way round. Fiat developed the 1.9 and 2.4 JTD and in fact the first ever consumer car with common rail diesel injection was an Alfa Romeo 156 with the 2.4 JTD 10 valve 5 cylinder engine.

[@WestYorkshireGuy1]

@@xynostasos9022 The Z19DTH is the Fiat engine, used in Alfas, Fiats, Chrysler and SAAB, and Vauxhall/Opel just GM changed it's name for Vauxhall Opel vehicles.

[@ratdude747]

13:03 It literally kicked the bucket!

[@heathwoodlee520]

😂😂😂

[@jimbote1968]

Thanks for posting :) That's actually a 1Z from a 96 or 97 passat B4. You can tell from the smooth pump and the non cooled egr system. To say i love these 1.9 tdi engines would be an understatement. I have a 96 tacoma with an ALH/BHW hybrid 2.0, a vanagon with an AHU, and a 2005 golf tdi that i converted to ALH. The truck has over 200k since the swap and is the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. (13+ years). Love the channel.

[@tomclanys]

I own an ALH, the easiest way to notice it is the aluminium cast valvetrain cover on the ALH :) it also runs GT1749V stock IIRC, the VNT15, while I think 1Z has a wastegate turbo. EDIT: the author said that about the turbo and the pump right after I posted my comment, lol

[@kalui96]

I've always wanted a Hilux the guys in Africa like to use but a VW diesel swapped Tacoma might be the next best option, LOL!!

[@scotty2307]

I used to have an ugly, decrepit old VW Rabbit diesel, It bought it as a fixer upper. It had suffered an overheat, and had the obligatory warped head. I found a repair shop in Redding California called Al's Kraut Car Repair. Not a slur. The owner's name was Al Kraut, and he was an old German guy who knew everything about older pre electronic VWs. He resurfaced the head, and gapped the valves for me. I had purchased a manual for the engine, and it called for all sorts of special VW tools to get the head re installed, and the timing set. Al told me that I did not need a single special tool. A long half inch socket fit the timing hole in the pump pulley perfectly, and a bastard file fit perfectly in the groove on the back of the cam shaft for holding the cam shaft in position. There were a few others. He gave me a few other tips along the way. He was one of those mechanics who actually loved the cars that he worked on. I was able to put the head on, and re fill the coolant, and the engine started immediately after bleeding the injectors. It ran perfectly until it blew another water hose, and overheated again.

[@gregh7457]

back in the 70's there was an old guy that did starters,alternators,generators on twin view blvd in north redding that was one of the old time craftsmen. His shop was all open and if you needed a rebuild he could do it right as you watched if he wasn't busy with another customers order and when he was rebuilding it he would come over and show me what part failed and told me why. He had very old machines, pre ww2, but they all still worked. I remember driving past al kraut many times but never went there

[@scotty2307]

@@gregh7457 It really is a fortunate life experience to find a craftsman like that. The way the economy is going, It is very possible that young people are going to re discover the crafting trades, serve an apprenticeship, and then open their own business. Hopefully they will love what they do, and treat their customers well. That is what will bring people in the door.

[@HawkeyeMobileAutoRepair]

​@@scotty2307 in the CURRENT state of things, there are NO journeyman willing to teach us yungins anything in person. And that's why I'm on the tube. These MEN give away the keys to the kingdom, for free, allowing my passions between machining ad automotive to thrive. But I still can't yet afford my machine shop, oh well one day maybe, that would be if I could get any buisness. I've already started a mobile buisness, and in almost 2 years, have gotten exactly 2 paying jobs. $200 back, for my thousands of hours research, practice, and doll hairs invested (20k btw) in tooling. Oh well, at least got 2 decent running vehicles that didn't cost 150 grand to show for it. But if people can't afford me, how can I survive and grow?

[@dantesinfernopurgatory7826]

@@scotty2307 Years ago I knew a middle-aged German VW shop owner who had pictures of his early days as a VW factory technician apprentice, eventually becoming a full-fledged technician. The technicians back in the day wore a shirt and tie as their uniform. The VW factory resembled that of a clean room more than an assembly line. Needless to say he was familiar with virtually every component on VWs. I share your sentiment concerning the young people rediscovering trades.

[@davidparrish1133]

My hobby is rebuilding Diesel cars. My first normal driver was an '84 VW Quantum around '08, then an '01 Jetta, and now a '13 Sportwagen. So I've driven a 1.6, 1.9 and 2.0 liter. Love my Diesels.

[@karlasheives2865]

I have the 13 sportwagen also! Love it ❤️

[@jamesbarr3455]

Y'all need to keep the Stanadyne Lubricity formula handy. Down here in Texas, we can't get diesel without 10-15 Willy bio crap in it, and especially with the CJAA's, the high pressure fuel pumps have such high tolerance's that the corn alcohol doesn't left them lubricate properly and they eat themselves. My last CJAA(2013 Sportwagen TDI, stick shift, her name was Sofia, RIP out on I35 in Austin) was on her second fuel system, as the pump internally shelf clearanced itself within the first 35k. VW replaced the whole thing under warranty (along with 2 DPF's. Gotta love the Diesel Gate tune), but I was watching the HPFP like a hawk, and adding Stanadyne, 10-15 grams a tank. You can tell when you haven't added it, fuel mileage drops 1-2 mpg's. Keep them running as long as possible. They're the greenest car out their, are quick and drive like VW's should.

[@gregh7457]

me too. I saved a couple ALH cars too. love the diesels. another great diesel is the bmw m57. Tuned and deleted mine. it put out over 400 hp. They are a popular swap into nissan patrols

[@mujopasuljic6471]

If you running on low lube fuel like jet fuel, alcohol, or gas. Mix fuel with 2T oil.

[@mrtopcat2]

I used to have a 1982 Diesel Passat Wagon. It had only 54 horsepower, but it would get up to 58 mpg at steady 50 mph. The lowest mpg I have ever seen flooring was about 27 mpg, both in the city or at top speed of approx. 90 mph.

[@Shiny_Dragonite]

My ex's uncle has/had a Golf with one of these and once said it could be pried from his cold, dead hands. Last I knew it had 550k miles on it, and that was five years ago. He frequently drove from Kansas City to Steamboat Springs and sometimes managed it on one tank of diesel. They certainly don't make 'em like that anymore.

[@runningawayvagabond5876]

Oh yeah, I remember these from my VW selling days - the good ol' times! Thanks for sparking the memories. Keep oil in them, change the timing belt no later than recommended and they will run and run and run. Here in the rust/salt belt the rest of the car would fall apart long before the 1.9L would ever even come close to stop running. With a manual transmission it was the ultimate apocalypse powertrain. Back in the day I'd go to the big city 200km away, so 400km roundtrip regularly to see the bands I listen to play and it would never be more than $20.- for diesel. 155lbs of torque doesn't sound like much at all in anybody's books but these things produced it ALL starting very down low so no matter if you were in lugging it rpm's just leave it in whatever gear it was in and put your foot down and it would just start pulling. So smooth and effortless. Not sure what that melted plastic cover was from, as you guessed heat from the broken timing belt? Those engines didn't get hot enough on their own to melt anything. With my customers the only time one of these engines 'died' was when they rolled the dice and didn't change the timing belt. Many memories of telling people to change the friggin' belt and they'd say they can't afford it right now and my follow up would always be if you can't afford to change the belt now you definitely won't be able to fix things after it breaks so change the friggin' belt, maintenance is always cheaper than a repair. Did they listen? Of course not.

[@leecarroll1817]

THE OLD FRAM OIL FILTER ADAGE COMES INTO PLAY, "PAY ME NOW OR PAY ME LATER". LATER WILL HURT A LOT MORE.

[@RohanSanjith]

Dont support ukraine

[@billmelcher625]

ukraine lost

[@RohanSanjith]

Don't support Ukraine

[@RonaldvanArkel]

I used to blast on the German highways at 146 MPH. 1.9 with intercooler. Stock 110HP, chip tuned 150HP! 8 seconds to 60, good for 1999. Torque was stock 235Nm and tuned 325Nm. I would keep the speed up for 7 hours traveling to Italy or Poland. The car was an Seat Ibiza GT TDII from 1999 (made in Spain and similar to a Golf VR6 just with a diesel in it) and the weight was 1035kg, 2,277 LBS! . 5 Speed manual. They used to race these cars in rally and on the circuit. Good times when I was back in the Netherlands.

[@joskd8491]

this engine was in a time that VW was still making great engines, but the cars were less good. Later the engines turned to rubbish as well.... Anyway: I owned a Passat tdi AVB, 100 hp, 2002 model. The car was junk, but the engine was great. I tuned it to 130 hp. Sold it in 2015 for a Renault Laguna 2.0 dci 180 hp. In Europe, the stupid government is punishing dieselcars with lots of taxes. Now I drive a Toyota hybrid, even greater. But I never forget the power of the tdi...

[@fromthedarksideofthemoon-cl9rf]

I had a golf 2 GTD with 80hp and it was great and I bought it with already 300.000km on it. but I don't drive that much so I only drove few thousand km on it.

[@de_fatherland6467]

What was your 0-60 stock, im wondering because i have an audi 80 with the 90hp engine and stock mine did about 16s to 60 but now with evrymod its 11sec, also its a bit heavyer 1200kg

[@davidontiveros554]

My 02 Jetta hit 300k miles yesterday

[@ianriggs]

Noice

[@Tyler_Clements]

my 02 jetta is at 362k

[@notyou6950]

You just about have broken it in then…

[@robvandepol6590]

Good way to spend a Sunday lunch in NZ. Coffee, food, and an engine being disassembled.

[@matsw8283]

Breakfast time here in Sweden. A strong cup of coffee and an engine disassembly, this day will be alright.

[@majster_styl7712]

I absolutely love how vw juste made one 4 cylinder engine in the 80s and they were like “you shall be Frankensteined into whatever we need for the next 20-30years”. Most of the bottom half of this engine looks exactly like my g60, and the parts are mostly interchangeable, I love it.

[@robertpsotka3525]

I am a retired german car repair shop owner and my tdi customers loved their diesels. WELL MADE

[@aantonic]

what about 1.4tdi, is it any good?

[@bustjanzupan1074]

@@aantonic Not so much, because there is one cylinder missing.

[@aantonic]

@@bustjanzupan1074 kaj pa ce je moj 1.4tdi naredilvec kot 300 tisoc km, sranje, a?

[@bustjanzupan1074]

@@aantonic Ni problem v zanesljivosti, temveč v povečanih tresljajih 3 cilindcev.

[@702Wolfi]

My father over in Europe has this engine in his 1994 Audi 80. Still runs great and never let him down.

[@robhodder1687]

Legendary, the high watermark of VW durability. The later PD was virtually as good with more power but Its been downhill ever since then.

[@LoveFineArts]

I drive a 2005 PD with 180k. Runs great!

[@timothyball3144]

I finally hit the "broke in" mileage on my BEW last year. 200,000 miles. Burnt out the clutch at 190,000. She's due for a shopping list of stuff. Suspension, TB, rear brakes, starter, new radio. Just the typical stuff.

[@DrBlueTongue]

Nothing wrong with the common rails if emissions deleted. Particularly EA288

[@ferrumignis]

Apart from the BLE/BLS that had a habit of breaking conrods and throwing them out of the block.

[@that_escalated_quickly2720]

The 1.9 TDI actually was developed by audi with inspiration from the 1.9 JTD from fiat... Audi designed all reliable VW engines and also all the unreliable ones...

[@willgallatin2802]

The '91 TDI Passat was a beast. I sold mine a few years ago with 290000 on the clock. The friend I sold it to drove it until the floorboards rusted out.

[@Triton1177]

Having grown up in upstate NY, I can assure you floors are optional

[@imranahmad2733]

I remember you could buy these as a crate engines in the UK, as a crate engines for power generation or fluid pumping, they used to use one on a farm in Halesowen (UK) as a 3 phase generator to run the milk pumps and pasteuriser there, people also use them in different cars especially the old defenders (they also use the M57) and kit cars, these engines outlive the shells of the cars, can be had working sometimes with the gearbox for less than £200, because there's so many of them, there's also a UK based tuner called darkside that tunes them to make 400BHP.

[@jamesbarr3455]

That's a REAL VW engine. It led to the CJAA, which is the last VW diesel to own(have owned 2, plus a Pumpe-Duese). The second you add DEF injection to them, VW went nuts with the EGR cooling adding 3/4 gallon of coolant lines/valves/solenoids/weight to the engine for next to no gain. "Modified" CJAA's can do 245hp and 380pnds of torque on the first of the tunes, and go higher and handle it. I've been thinking about using on of these engines to power a generator, as if you tune it run perfectly under load, they sip the fuel. Run a whole house worth of electrics for just above 2 gallons with the AC unit in the house still maintaining a comfortable temp inside. Quiet, and so long as you build the gen housing correctly, dirt simple to maintain. Plus if you use the proper hoses and materials, you can run them on 100 percent Willy diesel if you add lubricant to the fuel mix, or some filtered cooking oil. Keep the HPFP happy, the rest of it is just a bigger 1.6 VW diesel from the early 80's, with better oil drain ports and more displacement.

[@b374mxg]

Years ago, I purchased a brand new 1977 VW Rabbit Diesel. August 1977, first year into the U.S. 48hp. no air conditioner allowed. It was quite the engine. 52 mgp. all of the time. Changed glow plugs every fall and serviced it to death. What a great car.

[@rainbowwarrior2635]

I had one of these too. Great sounding motor, I advanced the timing on the motor and it had quite a bit of open road acceleration, great handling, great ride, great off road. Honestly it was a breakthrough in automotive engineering, now you see small front wheel drive, diesel, hatchbacks are the norm but that's because of the diesel rabbit. Let me tell you I rented a car here in Morroco, a second generation Dacia sandero with the 1.5l DCI diesel and a five speed. I was very impressed. that car cost less then $10,000 brand new in 2018. It had good power, 1.5 liter with like 85hp & 175ft/lbs of torque. It got 75mpg! Very responsive motor, pretty powerful. That car was cheap in all the right ways, no air con, no power window, manual locks, but the motor was a very well engineered, high quality design. I get it now, French make very good cars. They're like the VW rabbit diesel. You see all these little french cars here from like 1984, still on the road. If we were allowed to have a Dacia sandero here in America it would wipe out everyone, it would wipe out toyota, honda etc. Why would you want a Prius, when for 1/3 the price you could get a powerful little diesel car with the same fuel economy, a better lifespan, and easier maintenance?

[@mazdaman1286]

Try finding Peugeot Citroen 1.9 IDI turbo or 2.0 HDI . Both are amazing engines. My 1.9 td 90bhp , did 400k plus miles before being rear ended. The engine lived on in a small delivery van fo several years afterwards. The 2.0 HDI was an upgrade of the 1.9 with more power originally to be 125+ , but when fuel prices rose dramatically it was put back 90 and 110 bhp with upto 30% increased fuel economy and reduced emissions. My 2.0 HDI 90 bhp Xsara Estate car fully loaded cruising around 65 -70 mph to the south of France returned just under 70 mpg !! Super smooth ride. All both these engines required were oil changes and cambelt and water pumps at the correct intervals. The 1.9 td ran on veggie oil which cost me £0.06 / litre...happy days.

[@ClockDev]

Those 2.0 HDI Xsara units were and are great cars. It's incredible how after so many years most of them are as comfortable, reliable, and economic as when they were new.

[@rkan2]

Going to be hard to find French powerplants in NA outside aircraft and a few 25yr imports. 😂

[@youdontknowme5969]

1:53 "oh snap" "If they liked it then they shoulda put a belt on it"

[@TheCRTman]

LOL!!

[@cjging2436]

Yes!!! Thanks for the teardown! I drove a 2002 TDI with a 5 speed for years. My dad bought it with about 70K miles, and sold it at 325K miles. The car was getting to be worn out, but I loved driving that car. Still kind of miss it. It had a mild tune, and was fun to drive and economical. Fantastic engines!

[@zfunk9]

Why not take care of your cars instead of letting them get worn out?

[@EldonJohansen]

@@zfunk9 its hard to rebuild plastic

[@cjging2436]

Even with regular washing, the salt eventually gets to cars after 15-20 years here in Ohio. The underneath of the car was getting quite rusty. Also, the interior of the car showing lots of wear, and electrical issues were starting to appear. The engine was had couple oil leaks, but still ran well. The rest of the car was pretty well done for. It was still a sad day to see it go.

[@Parker53151]

Had two of these engines. The only problem was that they came installed in two Jettas, which were decent until they hit 90,000 miles when every damn thing that was not the engine fell apart.

[@GeoffSeeley]

I believe you. I used to do a 2 hour work commute for 20+ years and the Jetta was the #1 car I saw broken down on the side of the road.

[@jamesduggan5846]

Loved my Jetta but by 160,000 miles it was a basket case of broken parts. The circuit boards had very poor solder. Everything electrical started to fail. Wire harnesses started to crack too. To this day I still have fond memories despite the aggravating end to my ownership.

[@mgiblonski4318]

Sounds like my experience exactly. Very good engines, but the car itself had way too many problems to justify keeping....the oddest thing I encountered with it (never seen it before or since) was losing 1st, 2nd, 5th & reverse because of a broken shifter linkage.

[@El_Peto]

​@@jamesduggan5846you could apply more solder to repair that one problem

[@dogbert74]

For some reason Jettas are less reliable than Golfs.

[@mattalki]

I bought a 2001 Golf TDI with the ALH brand new in 2001 and drove it until 2019. It had just shy of 400K miles on it when I sold it, and the guy who bought it flew down to Orlando from Michigan and drove it home. He still drives it, and has about 460K miles on it. It was the most reliable car I've ever seen. They are TOUGH little motors. I replaced it with a 2015 Golf TDI, and while it's a lot more powerful and advanced, it just feels like it's going to be a bit more delicate.

[@BikingChap]

I had a Seat Ibiza (VW Polo) back in 2006, it weighed next to nothing but had the 1.9TDi PD (unit injector) engine. 130bhp might not seem much to US folk but it had ~230lbft of torque, similar to a 3litre petrol engine in a car a size down from a Golf. So much fun and still bombproof.

[@dekanic]

Perfect engine, my is in a4B6.

[@1ANeat]

Thanks for another great teardown.....2002 golf here, bought new, just about to hit 300k and still knocks down 50+mpg

[@yodasbff3395]

Awesome, I've been hoping you would do a teardown on the ALH. My 2002 tdi has 450k miles and still runs great. Thanks for the video. 👍

[@jooch_exe]

Well this made me kind of nostalgic. Reminded me of a time when motoring was still allowed to be fun.

[@reviewaccount469]

Compared to modern diesels, those ports are SQUEAKY CLEAN. If I was rebuilding that engine as is I'd reuse that cam with just a micro-polish no problem. If I was building a performance motor from scratch and buying a cam, I'd just buy new. Now if you could get a stock cam reground for a different performance profile, then I'd rather start with a used one and do that. I've done that before with other motors.

[@TVTika]

sdi cam on it is pretty good

[@anthonybertone2336]

You never cease to amaze me. You always find the right motor to tear down thank you so very much for a great Saturday evening.

[@49commander]

Those engines were the BEST liquid cooled engine VW ever built!!!

[@Henchman1977]

Ah my field of expertise! I used to part out mk3/mk4 jetta/golf and have disassembled many of these engines. Always amazed me how the cylinder bores would look brand new with 2-3 hundred k miles.

[@EldonJohansen]

i have wondered that too.. having rebuilt a few at 300K.

[@cameronwood1994]

For the last 15 years of her life, my grandmother had a 1998 VW Polo with the naturally aspirated indirect injection AEF engine (it was even pre-SDI) with just 63 bhp (47 kW) and 94 lb/ft (127 Nm). That thing was repeatedly starved of oil as she kept thinking the oil pressure light meant it needed topping up. It had dreadful bearing knock but it carried on for a good 50,000 miles (80,000 km) until we scrapped it after she passed away. Sadly, tin worm got to it in the end. Loved that car, she even towed a caravan with it!

[@theassetStu]

Grateful you do your deal for all of us. Always worth it 🎉

[@psbassett]

Always informative, but what I appreciate most about these vids is your integrity.

[@KXKKX]

My 1999.5 Jetta (first MK 4) TDI’s ALH dropped/ate a valve at ~45k miles in 2002, about 6k miles after dealer replaced timing belt. Dealer in Vermont, near where failure happened, replaced the long block under warranty. It was never right again, dumped it at around 80k miles to a granola who planned to run it on WVO.

[@leehargitt3539]

My 1999.5 ALH (5 spd) that I bought new in Nov. 1999 also dropped and ate a valve at 102k miles (only 2 years old!) but because it was 2k out of warranty VW wouldn’t help me a bit. So I had the dealer put in a used engine that had 7.5k miles (from a wreck) and now 24 years later that engine has 315k miles and the rest of the car is at 425k. I’ve changed the turbo once, the clutch once, and the water pump every time I change the timing belt. No leaks, original struts on the back, original exhaust, and I still get 50mpg! They don’t make them like they used too.

[@davidedgar2818]

I don't know which iteration of VW diesel it was but the mid 80's diesel Rabbit was a very great engine. We always got in excess of 50 mpg and with regular maintenance it put out over 200 thousand miles. One clutch, one waterpump. 2 timing belts, and of course hoses, belts, brakes , and other assorted maintenance related, it ran great . I think this was one of the iconic reliable VW engines.

[@dogbert74]

I learned to drive on a 1986 diesel Jetta. It may have been reliable, but it was severely underpowered, even by 1980s standards. Its 52 HP was totally inadequate.

[@cgmiller82]

I love your videos. At first I just watched videos of engines I've owned, currently own, or worked on. At this point, I'll watch anything for the humor and, why not learn more? Keep up the great work!

[@TedSchoenling]

Love seeing different things on here!

[@JeffinTD]

Super simple, durable little bugger.

[@erikkovacs3097]

I've seen these swapped into Ford rangers, first gen ford explorers, jeep wranglers, jeep cherokees, toyota 4 runners, toyota tacomas and even a Suzuki Samurai.

[@gregoryweber7408]

another great teardown sir you are a lot of fun to watch i am still learning from every vid you make thank you for the continued education

[@dariolinder4508]

While i was in my apprenticeship as a heavy duty mechanic, we had one of these engines in one of our training facilities. We used it to learn how to correctly change a timing belt and how to set up and adjust the injection pump. Very cool to finally see one of those on your channel.

[@nickd5343]

Love to see more VW engines, especially the I5 2.5L!

[@MrBdavis99]

The AHU is the unsung hero of the VW engine family.

[@Jasminethelovelycat]

Nice to see such a solid, simple engine made of quality (i.e., not plastic) materials

[@johnb1658]

Yes!!!! Thank you! I’ve been wanting to see one of these! My tdi was my favorite vehicle of my life out of 44 cars!

[@DriveI65]

This was a very simple diesel. I continue to enjoy your videos!

[@garyalford9394]

Yes they started out great without all the computer nonsense !!

[@bigblockjess617]

That turbo would look really good on my go-cart lol It is nice to see such a simple engine every once in a wile.

[@stf2400]

I highly recommend buying parts from these guys, I bought a bent valve from the police engine a couple of weeks ago and everyone at work can’t believe how bent it is. They are great to deal with. Thanks again!

[@SomeRandomHuman717]

These four cylinder single overhead cam engines are so simple from today's perspective. You can see the influence of Lampredi's FIAT SOHC, one of the first belt-driven mass production SOHC engines, in this VW, especially in the valve train. One clever feature of this one, architecting the layout so that the same drive could be used for a spark engine's distributor or a diesel engine's vacuum pump. Probably meant that both the spark and diesel could be machined on the same assembly line.

[@dmitri546]

THE ALMIGHTY 1.9 TDI IS HERE!!!

[@RST-R-MODS]

The OM601 laughs at that crap... :D

[@rige1646]

​@@RST-R-MODS no one asked your opinion, mercedes fanboy, sing at another table

[@RST-R-MODS]

@@rige1646 ,is a fact kid,im not an fanboy,the OM601 still as the record of the most reliable 4 cilinder diesel engine.go read some books kid,also it can make more pwer then any 1.9 TDI ,is another fact.you dont know nothing about engines.

[@hotdog9262]

@@RST-R-MODS know a guy with over a million kilometers on his vw 1.9tdi. with minimal work on it, timing belt, oil etc

[@RST-R-MODS]

@@hotdog9262 ,still not close to an OM601....

[@marywarren8978]

I had a 78 Rabbit diesel. Loved that car. Ended up getting totaled. I worked as a VW- Audi tech at the time. For tight cap screws I would put valve grinding compound in them. Never failed! Tom

[@fr33dumb0]

You mean for tool to bolt grip during removal, yeah?

[@marywarren8978]

@@fr33dumb0 I would use it for phillips screws as well as torx type fasteners.

[@fr33dumb0]

@@marywarren8978 hell yeah. I'm gonna try it.

[@sethbybee4748]

My dad had a 03 Jetta TDI 5 speed and he loved that car. His was tuned to about 140whp and that car was actually pretty quick. It was the car I was driven home from the hospital in when I was 3 days old so it was the first car I ever rode in. We don’t have it anymore but at 250k miles it was still running great

[@gchampi2]

Had a Jetta with one of these. Bought it @ 120,000 miles (with FSH), ran it for another 280k. Other than maintenance, the only time it left me stranded was when a rock punched a hole in the rad. Tow home, new rad, job's a good 'un. It finally died just short of 400k, when I got hit by a HGV. It takes a lot to kill a VW 1.9TDI, but 40+ tons of Scania doing 60+mph smacking into it will do the job. Nearly did the job on me too, the concussion & bruising wasn't fun...

[@christianthomas6694]

Thank you so much for this teardown. This AHU engine is the brother of 1Z, pretty similar block architecture of AAZ TD-GTD, IDI engine, but different injection pump. The following generation was AGR-ALH, ASV. Great engines, rock solid, very low fuel consumption. To this engine, all you need is 1 bucket, rod and crank bearings, piston rings only you want to, new timing kit and gaskets, and will be good to go 🙂

[@rkan2]

Yeah, the engines without the intermediate gear are more reliable past 500k km. Provided you replace the timing belt and waterpump on time of course. 😅

[@ericklammer5498]

They often bend the con rod and corkscrew the valve when the belt fails.

[@artforz]

This actually *is* a 1Z...

[@mercedes-amgforlife3237]

Nice way to wind down a crappy day.

[@brunoraleiras3177]

THANK YOU very much for this video, those engines are very famous here in Europe more specifically in Portugal guys love that engine and tune it to the max. I have one myself an 1.9 tdi AGR 90hp which I rebuilt 2 months ago. Quoting "One of the best diesel engines ever made"

[@lococork]

thanks again I love my ALH and it was great to see the internals.

[@aland7236]

Gonna have to blur out those piston tops before Disney hits you with a trademark case.

[@zoneundertop]

Mickey Mouse is a free mouse now.

[@thecheshirecat5564]

That’s Dr. Piëch’s VW for you -> definitely the brand’s golden age. I wonder what you think about the more-or-less contemporary 1.8T 20v and the later (2006-ish) 2.5 l5… 😬

[@TVTika]

we don't talk enough about this great man hard but fair

[@wallacejeffery5786]

I can’t get over the Rain man Ray video of your face holding a send money sign. It is so funny, On another level is what y’all are doing on that motor to help a family in need!!!!

[@Phantazum]

Love this channel. Every car owner should be required to watch a few of these videos. It really imparts the importance of maintenance. My S10 has 260k miles.

[@compu85]

That engine isn't an AHU - it's a 1Z from a 1996 Passat. How can I tell? No EGR cooler. 97 Passats with the 1Z and 97 Jettas, some which have the 1Z and some which have the AHU, both have EGR coolers. The 1Z also had a red dipstick handle, I think I saw a stub of it? The AHU is yellow. You can sell the EGR pipe from that car to someone looking to ditch the EGR cooler. The valves on this one are so clean because it didn't have an EGR cooler. Believe it or not someone should buy that breather pipe. They're NLA from VW last I checked.... People driving ALH TDIs discovered the odometer on the mk4 Jetta / Golf can only register 1,000,000 km / 621,000 miles before it stops counting... Fun fact: The car this came from actually had 5 fuel injectors. There was an extra pump mounted under the fuel filter, and a fuel injector at the front of the cat. It was supposed to be used on automatic cars (which were never sold in the USA) but turned out it was active on the manual too, and would make a HUGE cloud of smoke when pulling away from a stop sometimes. They had a recall to disable it.

[@IndridCool54]

The 1600 dual port was fantastic! 😂👍🏼👍🏼

[@dcee2899]

My old tdi golf did 250k and never missed a beat. Most reliable and economic car I have ever owned and had plenty of performance. I bought a newer golf with the bkc engine and lost 15% in fuel economy because it was a much heavier car.

[@zoneundertop]

MK5 best of the last, put "TDI tuning "chip stage 1, pod air filter maybe 27km/litre on hwy. Has parts on Ali express, good luck with door trim.

[@thomasrbishop8736]

Outstanding video.

[@mikewilson631]

I thought I could hear all the Europeans in the background, shouting "Noooooo!" Nein!" "Nooon!" when you started ripping into that short block. An eminently saleable item over here, particularly as it does not seem to have suffered from the fairly common overheating issue. Even used in some Ford models.

[@sdgilmer]

"Messterpiece" ... LOL ... I'm stealing that.

[@ToyotatechDK]

The first TDI (1Z) was quite the milestone for diesel engines. Usually when the belt snaps the valves punch a hole in the lifters like this one did. New belt and lifters and it´s ready to go again. Ivé had DOZENS of TDI engines

[@alphamegaman8847]

At 25:13 The old "Gilmore" method! Nice! 👍 Makes me Happy! 😁 Mike in San Diego. 🌞🎸🚀🖖

[@sametk9735]

This engine is AK-47 of automotive world.

[@sofiejones7270]

A 1.9???????? BAD???? WHAT

[@BaltimoreAndOhioRR]

Awesome little engine! I had one in a 98 Jetta. It always got exactly 50mpg average no matter how I drove it. I always wanted to put the engine in a Jeep, since the Jetta rusted away around the engine. I never did.

[@loenhorst80]

I ran one of those in a gardenpuller. 80 pounds boost and over 9500rpm. Stock pistons,crankshaft and bottom end and head all stock. Only when waterinjection failed the pistons melted. Really sturdy engine.

[@tiagoangelo3828]

Thats not a diesel, since most they can do is 7k RPM..

[@loenhorst80]

@@tiagoangelo3828 you bet it's a diesel

[@mikej812]

Love your channel.

[@dandydenni1615]

We had one of these in a Beetle. Loved it as a hiway long road trip car. Typically 600 miles per 13-14 gallon fill up.

[@DavidCooper-cr3hq]

Mate, your channel is amazing!! There’s my once a year KZbin comment.

[@marcusgault9909]

I bought a 1998 VAG 1.9TDI, the 110HP varient with the variable vane turbo, an absolute star of an engine.

[@tiagonunes9422]

I have one just like that tuned with 249hp and 600k kms in Portugal. These engines are awesome!

[@rkan2]

A distributor pumo 1.9 with 249hp? I want to see a video!

[@bapr3887]

@@rkan2 Actually its common to 300 hp+ in vp tdis, where you were hiding? Under rock?

[@luvincste]

there has been some love stories in this video, piston-valve, water pump, and all still better than twilight

[@davestark2015]

I enjoyed my Saturday video. Cheers Sir

[@Polorigolo35]

Men your videos are always top quality!

[@victordesanderobledo4522]

Finally you have on the channel an engine I've worked on. My friend's 2001 golf got it's turbo destroyed last month and we have to replace it.

[@anubhavamarnath]

Thank you for this video. I usually just sit back and enjoy learning from you. This one elicited more emotions than usual. I owned a Skoda Octavia with this very type of engine. Loved its clatter, loved everything about it. I had even tuned it with a piggy-back ECU. Stock was 210 Nm. I would estimate the tuning must have achieved about 280-290 Nm. It was a hoot to drive. The gearbox was just wonderful. One of the few passenger car segment engines with a 19.5:1 Compression ratio. Thats quite high if you have owned diesels over the last 20 years. They kept bringing them down for Nox emissions. Current norms are are around 16:1 or lower. So, yes, timing belt replacements were very vital. I was always concerned about it and did 2 changes especially becasue the engine was making more than factory-set. The pump was called the VP-37 made by Bosch and if memory serves me right this particular engine spec was built around this electromechanical pump. This pump was truely the first of the EDC series or Electronic Diesel Control and came with a neat engine mangement system. I would even say - it was after the experience garnered from these systems that Bosch saw the Common Rail System as the next big thing. This pump, unlike traditional mechanical axial-piston versions, could independent of engine speed vary fuel quanity and timing. This is what made all the difference and this is why the engine had such holistic performance. The magic of Modern ECUs! The fuel consumption figures were like today's hybrids. But it was only good upto EU3 emnission noms. You can see that one of the mechanical injectors is instrumeted. It was equipped with a needle-lift-sensor for closed-loop. The injectors, though mechanical, had 2 springs in series each having a different spring constant. This achieved a more gradual delivery of fuel on top of the pistons because of the phased opening of the nozzle thereby softening the combustion clatter. It was the very beginning of modern fuel injection strategy. Today's modern solenoid or piezoelectric diesel injectors achieve far better results because they can completely split the injections into multiple pilot injections before injecting the main quantity around TDC. Thats why modern diesels are so much more quiet and helps emissions too. Thank you so much for what you did for us old owners. I always wondered what she would look like from the 'inside'. I had no idea about the bucket tappets. Keep up the good work Sir. God Bless!

[@BeeBeard]

My mate had an old Ford 1800td escort and his belt snapped. Smashed cam shaft in 4 places. But wit a new head and new belts she ran like a dream.

[@oliverwunsch4412]

one of the best engines ever made, It was a real pleasure to drive our Passat Station Wagon with this engine, ist was incredible torquie and the economy side was out of this world.

[@nicolaedanielmarginean7033]

I still own an Audi A4 B6 with 1.9 TDI, engine code AWX. It is a beast with 131 hp and 310 Nm of torque. He is 23 years old, looks and works well. I'll keep it until they ban internal combustion engines.

[@kevinclarke3026]

I bought a Volkswagen van with one in which the engine was water damaged with bent con rods, four con rods from a crashed Audi A4 straight in with ease and nearly 500k miles later when I changed vans it was still running great.

[@marathoner43]

Thanks for the Saturday night entertainment Eric.

[@brianchudzik7829]

Ahhh, flashbacks! I had at lest 10 TDI's over the years. Just parting with my last 03 Golf. They were great cars and easy to work on for sure. Just had to do the maintenance, as you said.

[@edkonstantellis9094]

My Mom's 2000 Jetta TDI has 300k+ and runs wonderful. Changed oil every 3k since new. Went through 4 timing belts.

[@mikejba]

These are brilliant engines, especially if the oil is checked/changed regularly and the timing belt changed before it should be too. I miss my VW Golf with this engine, the car dissolved around the engine 😂

[@retrorevolution6534]

I have a 5 cylinder 2.5 tdi d5252t 98' volvo v70 (vw engine similar to a t4 van) 274,000 miles, I already had a lot of faith in the old girl but I feel like I've gained a little bit more after watching this, thanks, great work as always 👍

[@mmllmmll22]

2.5r5 is reliable. Even more than 1.9 :D

[@89RASMUS]

Absolutely bulletproof engine. Swapped one into my Gaz69, paired to a ZF 4 speed automatic and it was the best decision of the entire build. Later added a KCR trim chip too, so the cheech is strong as well. It's not a coincidence they put it in the Wiesel 2 tankette as well. 💪

[@blackbulld40]

been waiting for this one

[@CedarAshCanvas]

Just passed on my '90 Jetta with the predecessor to this engine, 1.6 TD. Sold as runner with 'only' ~420,000 kms. Was a blast to drive, lots of torque, only weighed 2000 lbs., tight suspension, very direct steering. Last of 3 MK2's I owned, one went to 600,000 kms before body rotted out.

[@rhettkozicki5368]

Still waiting on the 6.7 power stroke. Love the content man.

[@paulocapelas2881]

In Europe, those engines are very famous for high milleage. I've seen a lot of them with 600k plus kms