# New member with 2000 VW Beetle 1.8t Oil Pressure and Cooling questions post rebuild



## yesterdayze (Jul 28, 2014)

Hi! I've lurked around these forums for a while now but as I am very new to VW's I am only just now joining.

I hope you will all bear with me on a long first post...

Recently my father in law gifted my wife and I a 2000 VW Beetle 1.8t that had a wrecked engine. Long story short he had done the timing, made the mistake of turning it over with the started before checking it by hand. Crashed the valves, bent 7 of them and snapped one off. The one that snapped off flipped around and punched through the piston a few times.

When I received the car it had been sitting for the past 6 years with the valve cover off, intake manifold off and a bunch of lines and stuff on the top off. I finally got around to it this summer when our other car died. I started by pulling the head off to access the damage. I pulled it out with the exhaust manifold and turbo still attached by disconnecting the exhaust where it bolted to the turbo. 

The head had gotten all smashed up by the broken valve piece but amazingly the cylinder itself was untouched. The engine was an APH code engine and I wasn't able to find a head off an APH so I picked up an AWD as the castings are identical. I also picked up a new piston. I pulled the old piston out, gauged the connecting rod to make sure it was still straight in all directions then honed the cylinder, put new OEM rings, new connecting rod bolts and new connecting rod bearings in. Next I put the head back on using the old cam chain tensioner and the cams that had come with it.

After numerous attempts to get the timing right (careful hand turning to check each time, spark plugs out) I switched the cams and cam chain tensioner to the old one out of the original head. I did so because I realized that the part numbers may be the same but the degrees were different - this was born out when I bolted the caps back down and could see the very slight angle difference with the notches on the cams lined up with the notches on the caps. Apparently what I took for a strange date / location stamp was actually the degree marking. By this time I had also taken the 'new' AWD cams out about 3 or 4 times. It took me 4 more times with the old APH cams before I realized that the plastic chaing guide on the bottom of the cam tensioner had gotten knocked off messing up my alignment. With that fixed I proceeded to try the timing again.I set the timing using the marks on the flywheel as well as pulley as guides on the bottom. Lined up within 1mm of the mark. New tensioner and multiple hand turns and still good to go.


Since I received the car in pieces I had to guess at where most of the rest of the stuff went but I am confident I got it right and as much as possible I confirmed with the manual. I filled up the oil using Mobile 1 0w40 that meet and exceeded the required spec as I was aware of the oil type concerns and that was what had been recommended. I charged the 6 year old battery, put it in and using the 6 year old gas still in it the car fired right up.


Being new to vw I wasn't aware of the issues with mixing coolant so I used what I had on hand. I lucked out as what was on hand was Prestone all makes all models. I filled the coolant up and all seemed well.

Then the oil pressure light came on for a few seconds as I was revving it up and down. Needless to say I was rather concerned. I had read about the oil issues with these motors so I stopped the motor and hooked up an oil pressure tester using the secondary oil port on top of the oil filter section. I was relieved to see that the oil pressure was high which was better than low at least. I pulled the valve cover and checked and plenty of oil was getting up there. I figured maybe the pcv valve was stuck so I pulled out the one on top (the one with 3 prongs that vw refers to as a pump) and checked it. It was bad so I replaced it. I also replaced the PCV pressure control breather valve I believe it is called that is directly below it along with some hoses that had started getting week - one in particular that came off the intake manifold and provided suction for the 3 prong pcv valve that would suck shut each time the car was running. Replacing all of this stopped the oil light from coming on and numerous tests over the course of a few days both for shorter and hour long runs show the oil pressure starting out around 85psi cold and dropping to a pretty consistent 38psi when hot. I did not replace the crank case valve as it seemed to be functioning without any issues as far as I could tell and was fairly clean.

The first problem is that when the car is revved up the oil pressure jumps to around 120-125 psi max. I'm not a vw expert but that seems a tad high.... like a lot of a tad. Is there a pressure control valve somewhere on here? I seem to be finding conflicting information... I've looked through the forum here but most of what I have found was for low pressure issues.

Second problem... I read about the dangers of mixing coolant. I did read that the stuff I had mixed in was probably not going to cause sludge but was less than ideal. So I did the whole flush and ran until I had clear water coming through for a good 30 minutes. Pulled the water coolant sensor out and let it come out there also. No sludge came out and everything seemed to flow just fine. I followed the refill instructions using g13 (apparently it has replaced g12) and distilled water. The refill went smoothly and I put about 1 and 1/3 gallons worth of 50/50 mix into the system which seemed a bit low. I noticed that the hot air was not heating up so I was rather worried that the water pump (replaced just before the valves crashed) had failed. I ran the car for a good while and it didn't overheat or anything. When it cooled the reservoir had gone empty and I was able to get most of the coolant in so that I had now put in a bit over 1 and 1/2 gallons of 50/50. Now when I start the car I DO eventually get good very hot air but it takes about 20 minutes. This is at idle and is not being driven. Should I be concerned about this or does it simply warm up faster when driving or something? 


Again, apologies for a long post. This has been a very long job since I have never worked on vw stuff ever before. Thank you all for any helpful suggestions you may have. I have checked the forums for all of these answers but if I missed something I welcome a kick in the rear in the right direction.

Thanks!
-Jason


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

*New member with 2000 VW Beetle 1.8t Oil Pressure and Cooling questions post r...*

Hey, sounds like you've been on a long road to completing this repair on the car; good job and congrats on plowing through all of those issues!

The cooling issues (taking a long time for the heater to get warm, has been a classic sign; of cooling problems, in my experience) my first thought is an air pocket in the block, I use a Uview Airlift a vacuum coolant fill tool; the Volkswagen factory manual recommends using these and I have found them to really help eliminate the air pockets quickly. I would recommend borrowing one or buying one; that way you can eliminate that as a potential issue in your troubleshooting process.

https://www.google.com/search?q=uview+airlift&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

If you're concerned that the water pump may or may not be working as it should; a quick way to check is to pull off the hose to the coolant pressure tank, see how it is coming out. Check out this video to understand when I'm talking about:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=thcwatH_BpI

Check out this manual for oil pressure specs and testing information:

http://workshop-manuals.com/volkswa...ressure/component_information/specifications/


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## yesterdayze (Jul 28, 2014)

billymade said:


> Hey, sounds like you've been on a long road to completing this repair on the car; good job and congrats on plowing through all of those issues!
> 
> The cooling issues (taking a long time for the heater to get warm, has been a classic sign in my experience) my first thought is an air pocket in the block, I use a Uview Airlift a vacuum coolant fill tool; the Volkswagen factory manual recommends using these and I have found them to really help eliminate the air pockets quickly. I would recommend borrowing one or buying one; that way you can eliminate that as a potential issue in your troubleshooting process.
> 
> ...


Thank you! Feels good to have it getting closer that's for sure! It has been a doozy! I don't have a full blown shop and another project car is occupying my garage so I did it in the driveway which made it all the more fun.

Thank you for the suggestion on the vacuum fill tool. I will check that out. 

Looking at the link you gave me for the oil pressure and converting to PSI it looks like I am basically consistently about 20 PSI too high. I work in the AM so it will be a bit before I can look more through what you sent and do some more testing on the oil pressure but I will update back when I do.

That video for checking the water pump quickly was exactly what I needed! I ran out and checked the flow as shown in the video. I'm not sure if I should be relieved or concerned. I turned the car over and waited - I knew I had seen coolant trickling out through there before but didn't recall how much or if it was just a tiny trickle or what. I got absolutely nothing. So I tried blowing backwards into the line to check for restrictions. I had to put a ton of force to get any bubbles out. Then I felt a lump in the line. I checked it out and it looks like there is a check valve or something inside the middle of the hose with a TINY hole in the middle. So I traced the hose over to the metal line it plugs into and pulled that off. Coolant immediately started coming out in a pretty steady stream. Nothing major but it was arcing out about 1 inch so it wasn't just dribbling. So then I stuck a regular rubber hose to bypass the one with the valve in it. Coolant come through that in a constant stream even at idle. I didn't want to wake the wife to have here rev while I checked it to see if it speed up but I'll try that in the morning.

So I'm not 100% sure if I am simply seeing coolant boiling up and out (it wasn't boiling at the reservoir) or if it is flowing but I will say when I did that I started getting heat pretty well right away and with the reservoir capped and the bypass hose on I could hold a flashlight there and see the coolant continue to come out. I would guess that the lump is a one way check valve to keep the coolant from dropping back down? Should it be that tough for coolant to get through it though?

Thank you for all the great links and pointers!


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

When you rev the engine; I believe the stream will be stronger, you need a helper for that. To see; what a typical @ idle, good waterpump stream is, look at another video from the same VW tech: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJN3biTfdGE

IF the stream is weak; maybe there is a restriction in your hose or the check valve has a problem or your water pump is weak, on the way out?

A more in depth way; to confirm the water pump is ok, is to check the impeller. You do this; by removing the thermostat/housing, use your fingers to check and make sure the impeller is intact (not cracked) and that it isn't spinning on the shaft (original water pumps; have a plastic impeller that cracks and breaks). 

Check out this other video; to understand about the plastic impellers and typical issues with overheating on these VWs. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0no7iDIH44

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJlS7MvfRXo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbzDJqPIUrA

If you end up doing a waterpump/timing belt; I would recommend, going with a waterpump with a METAL impeller. I have bought my timing belt/waterpump kits from blauparts; they come with everything you need, the enhanced plus kits, even come with the correct vw spec coolant. (free shipping; first order 10% off)

https://www.blauparts.com/

If you do not know the timing belt/waterpump service history; I CANNOT emphasize enough, the need for this to be done. Anything along the belt path that fails; will get you back to a damaged head and worn out parts (e.g. water pump bearings, tensioners, pulleys, cracked/worn timing belt, etc.), will result in another catastrophic failure. I just did mine; I was LUCKY, the water pump bearing was almost all the way seized (almost impossible to turn, by hand) and it could have destroyed my timing belt and lost the valves! You have done all this work; to get where you are at now, don't cut corners and not replace the waterpump, timing belt and all the other accessories (tensioner, idler pulleys etc.). The Blauparts kits; come with everything you need and even include instructions!


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## yesterdayze (Jul 28, 2014)

billymade said:


> When you rev the engine; I believe the stream will be stronger, you need a helper for that. To see; what a typical @ idle, good waterpump stream is, look at another video from the same VW tech:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJN3biTfdGE
> 
> ...



Excellent information! So I got out there this morning and had my wife give me a hand. The stream is a good steady stream at idle and increases a good bit when revved. I would say the volume easily doubles to the point where it is a good stream the thickness of a standard permanent marker and arcing out an inch or so. The only thing I did not check as I had not seen this post yet is the how much pressure is behind it. If taking the hose off while it was running is any indicator though it is at least decent as it sprayed all over when I pulled off the hose with the weird valve jammed in the middle of it. Again though I suppose that could have been expansion pressure. I'll try sticking my finger partially over it when I get home to get a feel for the pressure. 

The car was owned from day one by my father in law who is a meticulous engineer and replaced the pump apparently shortly before the valves were crashed so the pump was fairly new. I would guess it has at most 15k on it and probably closer to 5-7k. I do believe he used the 'new' plastic style however. The timing belt and tensioner I replaced myself when I did the head. I was told that the timing belt only had a few 1000 miles on it but after it sat as long as it did and had been put on and taken off about a half dozen times while trying to line things up I figured better safe than sorry. 

Do you or anyone on here know what that valve like thing in the middle of the return hose on the top of the pressure tank is? I would assume it should be a one way check valve to keep fluid from dropping down when cool and introducing air but the hole in the middle (which appears to have a plunger or something in it) is literally about as thick as a needle. I can't imagine much any coolant would make it through there like they show in the videos.


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

I'll be honest; this is the first that I have heard of it but I went outside and looked at mine, it has one... just like yours. I've done a timing belt on a Jetta; in that case, I did see a valve as well but it is much MORE noticeable on the hose, then on the new beetle 1.8T (it was external with clamps on it). Based upon the experience; you had this morning, I would say that the stream and water pump, seems to be working as it should. Now, the potential air pockets in the block and whether it is fully evacuated of all air; is another issue, that should be addressed. I would want to know proof positive that all air is evacuated and have the whole cooling system, pressure tested for leaks. Once, that is done; you could confidently, move on to other troubleshooting steps and see if you have anymore cooling issues, I have a feeling, once all the air is out of the system... it should work correctly. Did you replace the thermostat; when you worked on the cooling system? If not; I would replace that, as well... they are known for going out of spec.


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## yesterdayze (Jul 28, 2014)

billymade said:


> I'll be honest; this is the first that I have heard of it but I went outside and looked at mine, it has one... just like yours. I've done a timing belt on a Jetta; in that case, I did see a valve as well but it is much MORE noticeable on the hose, then on the new beetle 1.8T (it was external with clamps on it). Based upon the experience; you had this morning, I would say that the stream and water pump, seems to be working as it should. Now, the potential air pockets in the block and whether it is fully evacuated of all air; is another issue, that should be addressed. I would want to know proof positive that all air is evacuated and have the whole cooling system, pressure tested for leaks. Once, that is done; you could confidently, move on to other troubleshooting steps and see if you have anymore cooling issues, I have a feeling, once all the air is out of the system... it should work correctly. Did you replace the thermostat; when you worked on the cooling system? If not; I would replace that, as well... they are known for going out of spec.




Thanks for all of the help! I took that hose all the way out and tried blowing through it.... no go. It is plugged solid in both directions. So out of curiosity I took it apart with a razor and sure enough there is a little plastic piece about 1/2 and inch long in there. One side is a needle sized outlet and goes towards the pressure tank, the other size is a 1/8ish sized opening. That tiny opening had just enough junk to plug it. The rest of the hose was good and clean. I'm ordering a new one today just in case that piece is needed to allow pressure to build up or something. For now I have it running with a regular piece of hose and.... GREAT NEWS - I get heat within about 2 minutes of starting the car! The other good news is that when I pulled the blocked hose off there was a gurgling settling sound, the coolant level in the pressure tank dropped and I was able to add the remaining coolant bringing the total coolant in the system up to just barely shy of 2 gallons as expected. I ran the car for a while and everything there seems fine. No overheating, no more gurgling and heat within minutes of start-up from cold.

I believe the thermostat was replaced with the water pump but I will double check with my father in law to make sure. I do have the book he kept of every tiny thing he did I can check as well. Those are convenient!


That brings me down to the high oil pressure issue. I have had a few folks tell me that it is likely the oil check valve part number 077 103 175b. So I'm going to give that a shot. I have no reason to believe there are any plugged gallerys as everything looked pristine when I had the block apart and the head was actually steam cleaned until it looked better than new. I have also replaced the known PCV valves and breather tubes that I was told tend to gum up. No real difference there. I still start and idle in the right range but revving pushes it higher than it should go.


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

*New member with 2000 VW Beetle 1.8t Oil Pressure and Cooling questions post r...*

Great diagnostic and troubleshooting on your part; I have been told if that hose was plugged up or restricted, the system would not be able to burp or let air out the system. Based upon what has happened, when you removed the hose; it sounds like this was your situation! Sounds like you've got over another hurdle and you're on your way to resolving your cooling problems!  again; since you've pretty much done everything else, I would replace the thermostat and cooling temperature sensor in the coolant flange by the head (both being out of spec; will cause problems, cooling and a temp sensor will cause issues with hard starting, a rich fuel condition and other issues with the computer adjusting settings being off but I think, you've pretty much conquered your major cooling issues! 

When it comes to the high pressure issues; the 1.8t is known for having sludging issues, this causing the oil pump pick up tube to get clogged and also some have had problems with the oil cooler by the spinning on oil filter, getting restricted as well. Most of the time; this has caused a low pressure condition but it would be worth checking anyway.
Here is an interesting thread; where we were troubleshooting somebody's 1.8t and then, found out their windage tray melted from overheating and plastic caused the oil cooler/pick up tube to get restricted, this may not be your case but check out page 2 anyway.

http://newbeetle.org/forums/1-8-liter-turbo/85194-putting-back-together-need-some-help.html


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## yesterdayze (Jul 28, 2014)

billymade said:


> Great diagnostic and troubleshooting on your part; I have been told if that hose was plugged up or restricted, the system would not be able to burp or let air out the system. Based upon what has happened, when you removed the hose; it sounds like this was your situation! Sounds like you've got over another hurdle and you're on your way to resolving your cooling problems!  again; since you've pretty much done everything else, I would replace the thermostat and cooling temperature sensor in the coolant flange by the head (both being out of spec; will cause problems, cooling and a temp sensor will cause issues with hard starting, a rich fuel condition and other issues with the computer adjusting settings being off but I think, you've pretty much conquered your major cooling issues!
> 
> When it comes to the high pressure issues; the 1.8t is known for having sludging issues, this causing the oil pump pick up tube to get clogged and also some have had problems with the oil cooler by the spinning on oil filter, getting restricted as well. Most of the time; this has caused a low pressure condition but it would be worth checking anyway.
> Here is an interesting thread; where we were troubleshooting somebody's 1.8t and then, found out their windage tray melted from overheating and plastic caused the oil cooler/pick up tube to get restricted, this may not be your case but check out page 2 anyway.
> ...



I feel like I'm taking a lot of your time up! Especially as I notice that you seem to be the most frequent helpful person on this forum!

The temperature sensor is new; it's the green type I was told should be used as they are the new style.

I did check the oil pickup and saw no traces of sludge in it. The oil pan and the top end were also very clean. I am going to pull the pan again at some point and double check it now that its had some time to run. 

I ordered the oil pressure check valve - the same one noted in the link you sent me - so I plan to pull that all apart and change that to see what happens. The symptoms appear consistent - moderate oil flow at the head (enough to be safe but seems a tad less than expected) and high pressure at the turbo. From what I hear the check valve balances the pressure between the head and the turbo but information on all of that seems fairly scant. 

I'll be sure to update with how it all goes. Thanks again!


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

On the high oil pressure issue; I think you are on the right path: (in this case; they say to replace, the whole oil filter/trans cooler):

manual quote: 

_"At higher engine speeds the oil pressure must not exceed 7.0 bar.
If the specification is exceeded:
- Check oil galleys. - If necessary, replace oil filter bracket with pressure relief valve."_


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## yesterdayze (Jul 28, 2014)

billymade said:


> On the high oil pressure issue; I think you are on the right path: (in this case; they say to replace, the whole oil filter/trans cooler):
> 
> manual quote:
> 
> ...


I got everything apart today. Looked really clean but the screw in check valve was so loose it was almost falling out. Bet that would do it! I put a new one in anyways and torqued to spec. Cleaned everything else out really well. I did have to order the 4 bolts that hold the bracket on. Those won't be in for a few days so I'll be pretty quiet till they come in and I can get this all back together. It seems like vw is obsessed with torque to yield bolts. Rather irritating.


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

*New member with 2000 VW Beetle 1.8t Oil Pressure and Cooling questions post r...*

Bam! Excellent diagnosis and troubleshooting! Keep us posted, as your repair progresses! :wave:


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

Any updates?


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## yesterdayze (Jul 28, 2014)

Sorry about the slow update, I was on a long overdue vacation and waiting on parts from the dealer (talk about rip off prices!!! Usually I try to buy online but some stuff I couldn't find).

I reinstalled everything with all the right torques, new bolts, fresh oil, new oil cooler and a fresh filter. I actually finished it in the pouring rain by the end of it as I have a 71 charger blocking access to the garage at the moment. Pretty sure the neighbors thought that was pretty amusing - I could see them all on the porch watching. 

When I started the car the oil light started blinking and the car started dinging. So I shut it right back down. Checked the oil level as I suspected it just was low from all flowing into the filter. It was indeed low so I topped it off and started back up. Same thing. I turned it back off and double checked the connection on the oil sensor. Sure enough when I put it all back together I had managed to turn the plug such that it had felt seated but was not. I fixed that, turned on the car and waited. No dinging, no warning light and an even quieter engine then before! My oil pressure gauge confirmed what I had hoped - oil pressure is now staying right where it should be!!! 

SUCCESS!!!

So currently I have good heat, good oil pressure and it starts real well! I still have two power steering lines to replace eventually; they aren't bad but are old enough and looking rusty enough on the ends that given new everything else I may as well. I also have an axle seal to replace. I'm planning to pick up a new battery on the way home. The old one is 12 years old and sat dead for a long time. Amazingly when I charge it up it will hold a charge for a few days that while weak is enough to start the car up. I also picked up some good used 2 and 2 matched tires to throw on it until I can afford a full set of new ones.

So long and short of it is that everything seems to be in good shape now! 

I did note something on the coolant line. Earlier I asked about the little plastic 'valve' in the coolant pressure tank return line. Turns out it is simply a small piece of plastic with a roughly 1/8 hole in one side and a 1/32ish hole in the other side (going on memory here so don't quote me). The dealer wanted 86 dollars for the hose with that piece in it. Ebay wanted 14 shipped, 10 if I didn't mind waiting. I went with 14 and the part that arrived is identical when side by side to the original. Same material and everything. Even has VW markings. I found that with a standard hose (no plastic piece) coolant flows real quickly into the pressure tank all the time. With the new hose in you still get a decent trickle that does increase when revving but while it is steady it is certainly no longer pencil thick. Given the size of the hole in the plastic piece in the tube this seems reasonable and appears to be by design. Before installation I tried blowing through it and found that to get the same volume out of the hose you would need enough force to almost burst the hose in order to make up for that intentional restriction. Heat still works great and comes right on. I noticed on the diagrams for the different engines that it does NOT appear that all engines use the 'restricted' tube for the return which may explain why the youtube link showed a very thick stream on the car he was testing. On the APH engine code even blowing through the brand new one with my mouth there was enough restriction to make for a lung workout. So if anyone runs into low/no heat due to airlock or a lack of coolant circulation check that it is not just a restriction in that hose by using a piece to bypass it before getting too worried about how thick the flow is. 

Thank you again for all the help! Now on to the little things as Lord willing the engine is all set!


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

Wow! That is awesome; it looks like you have been able to get over the main hurdles, with your new beetle project car!  If you need anymore help with anything; let us know


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## yesterdayze (Jul 28, 2014)

I will, thank you again for the help!


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

Any updates; have you driven the car around, how it is running?


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