# 2004 BEW TDI Beetle Resurrection with Broken Crankshaft! (build thread)



## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Another dumb-buy build thread (ressurection thread?) by Greasysidedown. As if I needed another project.

Story: this car I messaged about maybe 8 months ago on marketplace. It was advertised as 75k miles, engine failure unknown. BEW TDI with DSG. I looked at the pics and thought "that's a nice car". Never seen "sport" cloth interior before in a Beetle and it sure looked clean. Fast-forward to July 2021. Marketplace notifies me she dropped the price and I just happened to be _not at work in some other country_ so I went and looked at it. She told me it runs but blows oil everywhere and has a loud knocking sound.

We tried to get it going but I ran out of time for the evening. 2 days later I came out with the tow dolly and we actually *STARTED IT* and *DROVE IT *onto the tow dolly!










Next day I tore it all apart and yanked the engine out with my excavator









Tore the engine down and found this!!









Broken crank.









Pistons didn't hit the valves and are in great shape. Cylinder head is brand new!









Engine block wasn't salvageable but luck shone down upon my sorry ass and a kind local guy GAVE me a BEW short block that had light exhaust valve kisses on pistons. *FREEEEEEEEEE*

















Look at this beautiful interior!

































I checked compression heights and confirmed no bent rods. Really the only way to bend a rod on a stock build is for something to physically enter the combustion chamber such as a valve head. Light kisses on pistons are not an issue since the lifter takes the abuse. I'm gonna send it as-is. My wifes Beetle (same exact car) ate a timing belt at 81k miles and had heavier kisses on the pistons and I sent it. 115k and counting on that car. Anyway, I just got done cleaning my free engine block and it was absolutely the dirtiest I've come across in my entire life. Had original water pump and no wear ridge in cylinders so I guestimate 120k miles on that one then the timing belt let loose. Seal wear on crank snout confirms my estimate.

I'm painting the engine block with "motor coater" brand paint so stay tuned as parts show up and I throw this thing back together. I'm not sure which way this car is headed but it'll be something special for sure.


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

Sounds like, quite a project; the fact the body and interior is in such immaculate condition, is a HUGE bonus! Nowadays, it is hard, to find a New Beetle; that isn't destroyed interior and exterior wise, much less mechanically!  How was the auto trans? 


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## Nero Morg (Aug 1, 2012)

Glad to see that block put to good use. Got tired of staring at it in my garage. Surprised, that bug is exceptionally clean.


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Got 1 side painted this evening. Parts ordered from Aaron (CascadeGerman.com), will go pick em up tomorrow and possibly get this thing together this coming weekend. Did one powerwash session (see below)









I think I figured out how the crankshaft broke...


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

So, have you figured out; the cause of the failure??

Various theories; seem to abound, as to why. 






Broken crankshaft on TDI


I have a 2002 TDI New Beetle. My buddy was driving it a couple of weeks ago. Said he was just driving along. Anyway he heard a loud noise and the engine died. I went to see what was wrong and found that when you cranked the engine over it made a clanking noise. So I did not try to start it. I...




forums.tdiclub.com






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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

See the subframe damage above? They hit something hard enough to wipe out the oil pan, pump, and subframe. Very likely a crank lobe took the hit too and caused a fracture.


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

That must have been a serious impact! 


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## Muldermutt (May 15, 2015)

Exceptionally hard, actually. You are going to elect to fit a different subframe.....aren't you? I sure would.

Having her do this to the car is actually a blessing as long as you can handle all the work yourself. As already stated, the rest of the car seems wonderful.


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Imma just send it with this one. It curled the metal back but the dogbone still mounts fine. Not worth the amount of crap I'd have to go through (pick-n-pull removal of a new subframe, removal of mine, reinstallation) to fix superficial damage.


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

Definitely, a "perfect impact"; to take out that TDI 1.9L engine! A skid plate, like a Panzer Plate or one from Evolution Import, might be a good insurance for the next "perfect" moment of impact? Kinda, makes you wonder; what happened and what the circumstances were, that made this catastrophic damage take place!? 

*Heavy Duty Aluminum Skid Plate Kit w/ Oil Drain Port & Cover (A4)*
*Evolution Import*
Manufacturer Number: A3002

*








Heavy Duty Aluminum Skid Plate Kit w/ Oil Drain Port & Cover (A4)


Volkswagen's oil pans are made of a paper-thin cast aluminum that is easily cracked by many objects such as road debris, manhole covers and speed bumps. While your car may be at stock height, there...



www.idparts.com




*


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Well at the same time they bought the pan and pump they also got an Evolution skid plate. Its a heavy sucker, came from Cascade German. Too bad it was installed after the impact.. I see people do think alike!


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Anyone know about DSG trans issues? HARD judder/shudder in 1st and reverse. Fluid that came out was new looking. Removed 5 liters, replaced with 5 liters. No codes on VCDS and I did the reset procedure on Basic Settings. No help. I hope its something easy like the mechatronics.

Another thing I can hear what sounds like gears crashing lightly when it shifts from 2nd to 1st while stopping. My other DSG has never made such noises. Almost feels like its getting stuck between 2 gears. I should have put the 02M in.

DSG TDI 1st Gear Shutter Judder HARD


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Well good news (hopefully). I found a crashed 06 BEW/DSG with 78k miles. Went and looked at it today, gonna drag it home tomorrow. This red car is becoming the obsession. Might as well replace the transmission. Here's some pics to look at in the meantime.


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Dragged it home this morning. 78k miles, engine and trans are _probably_ good. Gotta bust out the bandsaw and plasma cutter to get this one out. Car is a 2006 and has some useable interior bits if anyone out there needs parts. I'm ripping it apart and scrapping it pretty quick.


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## 3L3M3NT (Jun 18, 2008)

That's quite a find and I'm really astonished that you were able to drive it onto the dolly after finding out later on that the crank was broken. 

With that subframe all bent up like that, it tracks that something really hard must have been hit to do that much damage to take out the oil pan and eventually cause the crank to fail.

That sucks that the DSG transmission isn't working like it's supposed to and you're having to get a second car for the parts you need. Heck if you keep on buying VWs at this rate you could start your own business selling VW parts and VWs that you've repaired.  

The Beetle looks great with those wheels on it. 😊

I would have gone with the O2M transmission if you plan on keeping the car and if I remember right your wife/girlfriend can drive a manual transmission. If for some reason the DSG is messed up in the damaged Beetle, it'll be a sign that you're supposed to go with the O2M transmission.

Keep up the great work and I may be interested in the PD100 injectors if you're going to scrap the second beetle. If you plan on keeping the engine as a spare, that's understandable too.


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

I was wondering what was involved to swap to manual on this car. I've done an ALH Beetle but from my searching on the interwebs the BEW/DSG is a whole different animal? I'd LOVE to drop the 02M in this thing. I sent an email to Malone asking about what ECU-wise is needed to swap. Hopefully its the same procedure as a non ESP ALH car..


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Been driving the little creature and its soooo CIVILIZED. I put it on Solowerks coilovers and it still drives good. New trans is perfect and this car is like brand new. Alot if work but always worth it for a red TDI.

Pics of the interim work will be up shortly. Posting this while waiting for my friend to get out of the ER for almost killing himself on a jump (MTB). I refinished the hatch and added a color correct OEM wing. When I open the hood for people the look of horror is priceless as it makes them embarrassed for having such dirty engines


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

Looks great(!), you turned that one around quick; good work! Those GTI wheels; look good too! 


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Those eery few moments before death. You know its coming. How do you prepare?


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Finally got tags on it. Legal! Lady at DMV told me the car went thru several Copart auctions in 2011 where it received a branded title for "undercarriage damage". It's all coming together now! I'm right at 1000 miles so far and the car is perfect.


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Many more miles down the road she's still going strong. Picture taken in parking lot at Serpent Mound in Ohio.


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Scrubbing through my phone for more Betel pics. 

The free engine on it's way home, note the very dirty nature of said engine:









In-process of refreshing it:









All new hardware and very clean stuff:









This was taken just before the 1st time the engine went back in. The trans shown is the bad one. Note that I didn't take pics of the 2nd time I removed and replaced the thing since I was on a binger:









The PO had the trunk lid covered in a pretty decent looking vinyl wrap, and this was why. There was a bumper sticker here that was removed with razor blade and it destroyed the paint:









In-process:









In-process of painting. I spent a bit of time with 800 grit knocking down the orange peel. Trunk lid came out shiny and beautiful:









I acquired this spoiler from an LKQ Pick-a-Part in Charlotte, NC circa 2016. It was on my crap old ALH black Beetle. I decided to strip and repaint it to install on the red Betel since the 3rd brake light was shot. This spoiler plugs the 3rd brake light hole so no leaks there:









Not too bad for an amateur: 









Reason for having a hitch:


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

More rando's off the phone.

I really like how this engine looks. The design is so clean. I'm going to use the BEW cleaned up even more to build a show car with. Corrado is still on the table.









I found 1 single picture of the 12 hour long binger. I ripped it back out, popped new trans on, and reinstalled it in one day. Yikes.









While it was in the driveway taking up my time I tossed the Solowerks on. Note the rusty old brake rotor. I replaced all 4 with new and even painted the rotors red where I could get a brush. 









Had to stop at the store for snaks before dropping the donor Beetle to it's death. This picture is a common sight with me. I really like dragging cars around with the wagon.


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Betel made it all the way to Ottawa today to pick up the coveted B3 Syncro rear beams and some other rare stuff. Saw some unbelievable car stuff while there. I'm still absorbing it all, might take a few days. Snow and slush in Ottawa today but Betel handled it great with the Xi3's. 










The man who made this gave it to me as a parting gift. Just installed it on the oil change.


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## VW Beetle (Nov 9, 2021)

such a beautiful thread
thanks for posting all this
You did real good work.


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## 02BugDriver (May 13, 2014)

Man I wish I had the mechanical prowess to do the work you did. Lot of awesome stuff here. I always love seeing a restored NB. Makes me miss the two I used to have.


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Thank you for the kind words. I'm currently in Bozeman, Montana pulling that trailer home to Oregon from Toronto, Canada. Its been an adventure. Frozen radiator from Fargo, ND all the way to Billings, MT where it finally unfroze. I ran the sunroof open and the heater on high to keep the engine cool. I hate cold weather.


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## VW Beetle (Nov 9, 2021)

Put antifreeze in your radiator and not water


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

When I got to Billings it unthawed at 25f. I remember (probably wrongly) putting straight G12 in the thing but evidence shows otherwise eh? At any rate I made it home and the car is none the worse for wear.


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Small update to this thread to keep the car relevant. I arrived safely home in December and promptly got to work. Bad wheel bearing found to be the cause of a weird creaking sound that plagued me during my entire trip. It failed but not enough to affect the way it drove. Never had a bearing fail like that before.










3+ months of not having access to my regular detailing setup made me remove the seats and give the thing a super deep cleaning, including scrubbing down the seats and powerwashing them (lightly). Can't be having a dirty car hanging out in the driveway.










Of course on the way to pick up my new Touareg I hit a tire retread on I-5 wiping out the grill. And of course you cannot buy OEM grills any more. I ended up using the chinesium grill from my parts car but it doesn't fit properly. What a hassle. So now I'm on the lookout for a stock grill that isn't exploded. It doesn't look too bad though.










4 days after I arrived home. 










I might be selling this car when I get home in May/June since used car prices are insane, fuel cost is insane, and people are going nuts for fuel efficiency once again. I've got other projects taking priority after all. Not sure what this car is worth being so clean and well-sorted.


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## Crsracing (9 mo ago)

This one is of course way to nice, but I've always had in the back of my head the idea to take a tdi Beatle and make a modern day baja bug.


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Wife wants to drive a B4 wagon now so the Beetle's gotta go!! And I just installed a huge 9 speaker Morel/Sundown Audio system in the thing. Slapped some Bilstein Comforts and Beetle-specific H&R springs on it the other day. Will be FOR SALE when it stops raining and I can vacuum it out and get it ready for the next phase of it's life. Someone is going to get a reliable 40+mpg thumper.










I've got way too many other cool projects to focus on. Finally got the Corrado of my dreams (nightmares are dreams too):


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## 3L3M3NT (Jun 18, 2008)

Sucks to see that you're selling the Beetle, but it makes sense to sell it with the new to you cars that could use some TLC. 
I completely agree with you that whoever buys this Beetle from you is getting one nice TDI! Especially with everything you've done to it lately and that sounds like it'll be great on road trips with a sound system like you installed. 

I'm sure you'll have no problem selling it when you do list it. Heck you may even get people offering to buy it when they see this post.


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

Vortex isn't super popular to post things but damn they get alot of traffic. I just saw a 2004 with 30k miles go on fleabay for $10,800! No service history, hell at that age I'd like to see at least a timing belt. Mine is unknown miles but looks and drives like a new car and has "all" the service history..


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## VW Beetle (Nov 9, 2021)

a comment on the picture with the Corrado and the license plate:
That is not genuine German plate. They only have two letters after the coat of arms/registration sticker and at least one digit has to follow. The coat of arms is fake and ITR is not a German city or county. Also the registration sticker is only on the rear plates and the hyphen is not common.
That is how a real German front plate could look like:


https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Germany_Cuxhaven_license_plate_Lower_Saxony.jpg


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

VW Beetle said:


> a comment on the picture with the Corrado and the license plate:
> That is not genuine German plate. They only have two letters after the coat of arms/registration sticker and at least one digit has to follow. The coat of arms is fake and ITR is not a German city or county. Also the registration sticker is only on the rear plates and the hyphen is not common.
> That is how a real German front plate could look like:
> 
> ...


Those are the trophy plates they hand out at Pacific Waterland, nothing to do with me. I stole that pic from the PO's IG account. I'm not familiar with their process, hell I just went for the 1st time this year. Next year however I will be looking to win in the Corrado and B3/4 Passat categories.


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## GreasySideDown (Mar 4, 2011)

She's for sale on Ebay

I will miss this car. Was a hell of an adventure but the Corrado is at the forefront of projects and this one is on the wayside now.


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## petethepug (May 25, 2001)

Ah, no wonder your user name was familiar on the Corrado forum. That is a clean Beetle. Consider Bringatrailer.com to get it advertised Nationally.

A vehicle with milage like that in Cali will easily fetch that price due to our fuel costs as well as the huge commuter crowd.


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