2.0 TDI BPW Engine Failure: Causes & Fixes

Hi again, it's me with my new care recipient.

So, I measured the compression yesterday...

1 cylinder, 25 bar.
2 cylinders, 28 bar.
3 cylinders, 28 bar.

According to the target values discussed in this forum, it's still absolutely within the acceptable range.
I only found the information for the 1.9 version, but it should be comparable.
New condition: 25-31 bar.
Seals at 19 bar.
Maximum cylinder pressure difference: 5 bar.
... are really extremely good/bad?!

I don't feel comfortable with the pressure of 25 bar.
Here are some endoscopic images; unfortunately, the camera isn't the best. I've marked two areas: one is a horizontal "scratch," and the other has some strange vertical lines... what do you think about these?

Best regards,
Tobi.

Oh yeah, mileage: 220,000 km.

Hello,

The "horizontal scratch" is likely the turning point of a piston ring.

The vertical scratches are usually caused by foreign particles (e.g., grains of sand) that get between the piston and the cylinder wall.

Overall, I can no longer detect any signs of wear, and I expected to see much more mileage based on the pictures.
It might also be the image quality that makes it look like that.

If the compression is bad, you'll notice it first on the oil cap; it should still be bouncing off the open oil filler opening when idling and not flying against the hood. Just take a look; there shouldn't be any significant pressure building up with the cap on.

Best regards, Rainer.

No, no bruises, he's just dancing a little bit. Never mind, I'm driving the car now... don't worry too much .

Hi there!

As I mentioned before, continue driving. Even a small amount of oil residue somewhere on the valves can cause such a compression loss, but as long as it's running smoothly, keep going.

Today, after changing the oil, I checked the filter... When you run a magnetic rod through it, a small amount of metallic debris remains attached...

I'm curious to see how long it will last.

Yesterday, I rinsed the filter with brake cleaner and ran it through the measuring cup using a magnet.

So, the camshafts are quite worn, and I suspect that's the cause of the problem.

Hello,

It could also be coming from the hydraulic lifters, which are the counterparts to the camshaft lobes. Try pushing a valve down with a wooden stick and wiping over it.

Not that he looks like the one in the picture.

Best regards, Rainer.

Yes, it could be a good combination :-//
I was very surprised to see how the camshafts looked after 220,000 km. I checked the vehicle's history and it seems they always used a 0W30 oil... Was that only available with the previous long-life standard, which had a lower HTHS value? The oil change intervals were typically around 15,000 - 17,500 km.

Best regards,
Tobi.

So, I started a restoration project that takes into account the value of time. The camshaft and lifters were actually worn out; the camshaft had wear of 1.5 to 2.0 mm compared to a new one, and some of the lifters were already visibly compressed and rough.

"Because I had a very high oil consumption, I also wanted to reseal the PD elements. However, it turned out that the seats were already quite worn. So, I got a used head, removed the old one, and found cracks in every injector bore. The head gasket was also leaking in two places between the cylinders."

Based on the endoscopic images, the cylinder walls appeared smooth, which I suspect was due to the sprite injection.

I simply got a wire brush and went over it, the result you can see in the pictures, I'm curious to see how long it lasts .