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

[@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…

[@nsoper19]

That's exactly what happened with my Dad's Passat.

[@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.

[@SrWolf90]

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]

😂😂😂

[@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.

[@zimingLi-h3e]

我是一位中国的汽车维修工，我也很喜欢柴油发动机，但是国内油品往往差强人意。

[@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

[@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!!

[@jontanneguy4960]

Good eye. Great engines, but the crank nose usually needs to be welded/machined and a clutched alternator pulley installed to prevent it from happening in the future.

[@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.

[@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.

[@aygwm]

It dates back to the 70s!

[@MisterMister-rz1zi]

The 1.9tdi crank fits in your block with minor gringing of cast for clearance...it brings the capacity from 1.8 litre to 2.1 litre..the increased capacity is made on the longer stroke

[@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.

[@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.

[@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?

[@702Wolfi]

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

[@vasco397]

My 2005 Jetta mk 4. tdi AHF engine, done 437,000 kms. I do oil change and filter every 10,000km Engine and turbo never repaired. Runs well and economical. I reside in South Africa.

[@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

[@fortune300]

@@RohanSanjith To HELL with Ruzzia!

[@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

[@chestnut01111]

I work on the later industrial versions of VW engines in forklifts daily, LPG and diesel, The only two 8 valve ones I've seen with snapped belts in 20 years had both done about double the belt change interval of 3000 hours, roughly eqivalent to 90,000 miles. Highest hours reading I've seen is 22,000, about 660,000 miles equivalent, and absolutely fine still.

[@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…

[@kravchan]

Congratulations

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@1ANeat]

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

[@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...

[@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. 👍

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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"

[@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. 😂

[@Stratos1988]

@@rkan2 He might get something from mexico, so not impossible.

[@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.

[@Jasminethelovelycat]

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

[@aygwm]

Don’t make em like this anymore

[@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.

[@49commander]

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

[@patrickbrodersen688]

there are four common ways to mecanically die for these. 1. broken crank pulley bolt. crank pulley may develop play to crank, work lose, brake bolt, snap belt, piston to valve contact.. to reuse the crank, it is imparative to regrind the front surface so it will be 100% flat and right angle to the mains. always use a new crank pulley and new bolt. if neglected, cranc pulley will work lose, brake the bolt and junk head and probably crank. again, after a few miles. Over here in Germany there is a grinding tool available to do it with the engine still in the car. your local diagnostics freak may be able to detect developing play on his diagnostics computer reading out the injection timing, it starts to fluctuate. 2. snapped belt belt snaps, pistons hit valves. head off job, some new valves, sometimes guides, rarely a new head, new hydrsulic lifters, done 3. fatigue crack of piston. in Germany, after about 250000 mls of mostly full throttle, these pistons tend to crack. the engine will pull engine oil vapor from the crank case up the crack, burn the vapor, spin up and explode at high rpm. If paired to an automatic gearbox, often killing the pathetic VW auto box as well. if it us a manual, just choke it down with the clutch in gear, replace the cracked piston or all four and drive another 200000+ miles. since in your country there is little full throttle driving due to speed limit, not your problem. except for pulling trailers in third up hill. 4. carbon fouling deposits break lose and foul valvetrain. if you run the agr and only ever drive around town, the inlet manifold runners will clog with carbon fouling to the point where the runners will be up to 2/3 of thir diameter clogged. Thus stuff is soft at first but will be baked rock hard eventually. If big chunks break off they are sucked into the engine, compressed, burnt and exhausted. If during this a big lump gets stuck between valve head and valve seat, the valve stays open a bit, the piston comes up and hits the valve. valve and hydraulic lifter may be damaged, loss of copression, see 2. to clean ot the aluminium intake, remove turbo, soak the runnes of the intake manifold with break cleaner, set on fire. afterwards just shake out ash. Follow these insructions at your own risk! All the rest is just bolt ons. - on the 110bhp engines the 2-piece flywheels break, replace with one piece flywheel AND clutch ftom the 90bhp. valuable parts those. - Turbos wear, often when mistreated. warm up gently, cool down gently, they will last longer. - Injection pumps start to leak Diesel, this will dribble down onto the expensive y-shaped rubber coolant hose, the diesel will dissolve the rubber and the hose will split and lose all coolant. RIP. Easy fix, either seal up pump or protect hoses with aluminium foil ... also injectors and injector return lines may leak, same effect. - vacuum lines split or rot away, fouling up engine management on the VTG 110 bhp engines. 2 $ worth of new rubber hose might repair a car. my first Golf did top speed 40mph when I got it and after a few dolars worth of vacuum hoses regained its top speed of 118 mph. I junked it when the first clutch exploded after 220000mls. - regularly change oil and filter. To be honest, I changed both as soon as the engine gets noticebly louder ... but in Germany a running 110bhp engine with car still attached is only 400 bucks.

[@bapr3887]

Afn with fl sedan A4 B5 quattro is not 400 bucks.

[@patrickbrodersen688]

@@bapr3887 over here in germany it is! sorry

[@bapr3887]

@@patrickbrodersen688 For now fl afn quattro limo lowest price is 3000 euro in mobilede

[@theassetStu]

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

[@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.

[@jooch_exe]

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

[@beardumaw24]

I have a 2003 jetta sedan tdi 1.9 ALH, 270,000 still running like a top ! 5 speed and set up making up to 60 mpg most reliable commuter ive had ! Love it !

[@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.

[@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.

[@nickd5343]

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

[@nikolapopov8152]

Had one of these on mk3 Golf. Back in 2008 it shred its timing belt on the highway due to low quality idler puley. I have repaired it and drove the car six more years. Great machine. Now i have another mk3 Golf with AHU. Starts even before i touch the key no matter how cold it is outside.

[@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.

[@dogbert74]

For some reason Jettas are less reliable than Golfs.

[@Therealjmhinkle]

Mine only has 59k miles currently, but has also been taken care of extremely well for a 26 year old car. Only problem it had was abysmal braking which changed when I upgraded to rear discs.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@hijack3]

currently owning two motors - AXR and ARL, both are PD and superb quality !! Will never switch to anything else

[@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....

[@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?

[@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.

[@benediktasliaudanskas354]

I still driving Audi A4 B5 with this engine and I love it. It has 370000 km on Odometer, and I had only one problem, it was blown head gasket, that I replaced without any problem. I would like VAG to start making these engines again.

[@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

[@alphamegaman8847]

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

[@DriveI65]

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

[@garyalford9394]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@57_International]

I currently have the ALH out of my Jetta pulled apart with some really bad blowby and found copper on each set of the conrod bearings. I've been wanting you to do a 1.9 for a while now and am really glad to see one now. Thank you for all the great videos and look forward to all to come.

[@aygwm]

Rod bearings are a weak point in the 1.9.

[@JeffinTD]

Super simple, durable little bugger.

[@kashhameed3067]

My 2000 Ford Galaxy TDI had this VW 1.9 PD tdi 120 bhp engine, I drove it from new covering 380,000 miles, gave it a oil and filter change every 8,000 miles was fantastic! Best engine ever!

[@SY-ml5nl]

What oil did you use? Was it a pd130?

[@kashhameed3067]

It was a PD engine and I used Castrol edge 5w 30 Long Life oil

[@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.

[@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!

[@youdontknowme5969]

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

[@TheCRTman]

LOL!!

[@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!!!!

[@mausermann7918]

In Europe some car tuners convert these engines to gasoline and tune them way up because they are so strong. Ever seen a Golf ii with 1000hp doing a drag race? Chances are there's a converted 1,9 tdi in there.

[@bapr3887]

Nobody convert these engines to gasoline.

[@nicomeier8098]

@@bapr3887 As you wish.

[@vivauruguay]

I own a 1.9 TDI that had an engine rebuild plus a dual turbo installed and rebuilt again after 6 years. Watching you taken that appart scares me. I am glad my engine was done by someone else.

[@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...

[@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!

[@MrBdavis99]

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

[@GbArrtorius]

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!

[@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

[@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

[@mercedes-amgforlife3237]

Nice way to wind down a crappy day.

[@steve5673]

I had the 2002 DTI golf Mk4 . One common trend with the car was that if something failed the OEM replacement was much better. The head casket went , but fortunately was able to salvage the engine . After this, the engine just kept going and going , and going . I towed with it , mix of long and short distance runs. My favorite take away was the low end torque along with extremely good mileage .

[@IndridCool54]

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

[@RetrologyChannel]

Greetings from Bulgaria, where this Engine is Legendary. I had Seat Ibiza 1.9TDI ALH and I still miss it... it was very economical and had ton of power. If you were not paying attention on the autobahn it was going easily in 150-160 km/h without even noticing it. In the City you can never go above 3rd gear and still you were getting like 6L/100km... I never had to put additional oil or anything between maintenance. The only weak part was the turbo as it was requiring some out of city driving to keep it clean.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@jasonnicholas3722]

I sold an 89 Audi A4 avant with the bullet proof 1.9 engine. It was the red i badged 110 turbo, but it felt like it had more power than that, especially when the turbo kicked in and it had a 5 speed manual. When I sold it with 260,000 miles on the clock and I was pleased to see it still on the road in 2022 and it was creeping to 700,000 miles. I kind of wish I didn't sell it.

[@sdgilmer]

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

[@psbassett]

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

[@sametk9735]

This engine is AK-47 of automotive world.

[@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.

[@sofiejones7270]

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

[@janosnagyj.9540]

33:50 Jetta Mk2 owner here: that same engine block is coming from the 70s. That very same casting is used from 1.5 carburettor petrol engines (like 55HP or something) up to the very top performer 1.8 G60 electronic injected motors, plus all the diesel engines from naturally aspirated up to TDI engines. Now this is what I call versatile 😅 Interesting was that water pump impeller, I've never seen one in brass, usually they are cast iron... It's been a while now that I've seen one of these dismantled, was nice to see one again. Fortunately, my engine in a Mk2 Jetta GT from '85 still runs fine 🥰so hopefully I won't see one again in a short time 🤞🤞🤞

[@lococork]

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

[@chrisdowns1987]

Using the injector lines as a kind of handle to pull on the injectors is genius! I'm using that one! Cheers! You going to do a 1.9 TDI PD next?

[@luvincste]

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

[@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. 💪

[@RayannePrijt]

I had a second hand 2000 Golf 1.8 TDI, 81kw / 110hp (although it probably had the injectors and turbo from a 130 or 150 hp version). It had the almost indestructable AHF block. If I remember correctly, the ALH where regarded as slightly weaker compaired to the AHF. Hope you'll be able to do a teardown of my fav TDI block, someday 😊

[@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...

[@IanFrancisco-CAPianoman]

The bucket kicked the bucket!

[@marathoner43]

Thanks for the Saturday night entertainment Eric.

[@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.

[@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.