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AC Compressor surging on and off - how to do I get to intake manifold to clean it?

1012 Views 38 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  billymade, 
bb.thebeetle
So i bought my beetle in the fall, used. And quickly after buying it I realized that whoever owned it before me did not give a single **** about maintaining it. One of the things I wanted to fix recently was the AC not being cold, so I charged it. It was at 5 PSI, charged it to about 40, and it was great. Compressor ran great, air was cold, perfect for the summer. But now, when I click on the AC, the compressor just surges on and off, revving the RPMs every time it comes on, and the air isn't cold.
So I did some research, and I was seeing a lot of stuff about carbon build up in the system. Specific potential causes for my issue were:
  • idle air control valve
  • throttle body
  • EGR valve
  • clean the intake manifold
Can someone please let me know what the best route of action to take to fix this on these engines would be? And if it is to clean the intake manifold, can you please explain in ridiculous detail how I'm supposed to get to the god forsaken thing? Thanks so much :,))
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bb.thebeetle
2
idk how I didn't notice this way sooner... the giant slit in the hose??? It was covered with some electrical tape. So I'm gonna fix that before I even try making it run

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billymade
Yeah, that is a classic failure mode; some people upgrade to a aftermarket silicone hose, as the pcv, hot, oily gasses, kill those hoses.


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billymade



Here is a hose i got from EuroJet Racing; its upgraded silicone and hasn’t failed yet.

More info and options here:

www.newbeetle.org

What is this Hose part #

I have a 2001 1.8T with only 89000 miles on it. My check engine light has been on with a faulty secondary air pump code for a long time. When replacing a faulty ignition coil the other day I noticed the hose in the attached picture he several tears. I am very suspicious that those are the reason...
www.newbeetle.org www.newbeetle.org


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billymade
Since your upper pcv hose is bad; it is very possible, the lower hose, pcv and elbow are bad as well.



I just rebuilt my pcv system recently and this is what i did, since i already had the upper silicone hose.

Read more here:

www.newbeetle.org

Crankcase tube/hose

What would cause my crankcase tube to partially melt and break off? I just replaced it new 2.5yr ago. It was a cheapo china part I will admit. (6A103213F)
www.newbeetle.org www.newbeetle.org


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bb.thebeetle
so as a TEMPORARY fix, I just got a rubber one and threw it on cause I need this car running again ASAP. I can do the upgrades later as I don't have the time to wait for them to come in or the money to pay for them. I tested the battery and alternator and wouldn't you know it, alternator is producing less than 12 volts. So now I'm hunting for an alternator I can afford.
For whatever reason, there's one on Amazon for $110, listing that it's a Bosch part? Here's the link and you tell me what you think. I'm supposed to be moving literally in a few days so like I said, I need my car back asap 🥲

New Alternator Replacement For VW 1999-2006 Jetta Beetle Golf Eurovan GTI 1.8L 2.0L 037903026C, 037903026CX, 0124325074, 038903018LX, 038903018P, ABO0193, 40024025, BAL0188X https://a.co/d/d8hFDN7
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billymade
Good work on the hose repair; you can upgrade later, when you have time.

There is allot of counterfeit and junk parts being sold on Amazon and eBay. That link, shows the alternator as a "parts player" brand; the photo, shows a raw pulley without the clutch, which would be wrong for your 1.8T.

As noted, I would stick with a genuine Bosch Alternator; looking on the Bosch parts site, they seem to list 70 AMP, 90 AMP and 120 AMP units, I would go with 120. Then, they offer brand new or reman; I think, mine may have been a reman, although I believe the warranty is the same but might be a bit less, for the reman?

As for sources for the parts; I would stick with a well known local auto parts store that is easy to work with or a online VW specialist. If you are under the gun; a local supplier, maybe the way to go and I got one from my local Autozone, I believe it was in stock or they got it the same or next day. Looking on the Autozone website; they have 20% off online coupons and other promotions going on. They have the Duralast, Bosch, Valuecraft and Valeo brands; looks like Bosch is middle of the road pricing. The alternator recommended on their site; seems to be related, to which type you had in your car originally (either Bosch, Hitachi or Valeo), then which one is recommended. For some reason Valeo is higher then Bosch; go figure, that is why I went with Bosch, when I replaced mine.
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billymade
AutohausAZ, has some great prices with a current sale going on but it would take longer to show up? NOTE: as far as I know; ALL the 1.8T New Beetle's; had the clutch pulley on their alternators.

www.autohausaz.com

2000 VW Beetle Alternator | AutohausAZ

www.autohausaz.com www.autohausaz.com

Looking at the sticker on your old alternator; might help you cross reference which one, you currently have.
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bb.thebeetle

i found this one, sadly not a 120 but I can pick it up from a shop near me. Seems fine I think? If I can get it then I can have the beetle fixed by this weekend and would have less of a stress headache lol
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billymade
Hmm, well that is the cheapest one they sell AND it DOESN"T have the clutch pulley with it. That would be a extra cost on top of the cost of the alternator; then, I don't know, if that is the right one anyway. The extra pulley cost; could push you into the price of a oem Bosch brand territory?

Did you look at your old one and use your phone; to take a picture of the sticker and part #? That would help you decide; which one, is installed and hopefully, confirm, which would be the stock alternator.

Most of the time, the Bosch alternators; are in stock in the warehouse or at another location, which they can get for you, same or next day? Once you figure out, which is the right one you need; you may need to call and figure out, stock status, etc.

Defintiely, use the online coupons and other promotions; to save some dough! :)

Take a photo of your alternator/sticker/part # and that can help you figure out, identify specifically, which one you need.
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bb.thebeetle

ok ok so I found this one which DOES have the clutch, and it's near me. Also took pictures of my alternator in the dark, turns out that mine is a bosch 😭 but I'm not sure how to match up the part numbers?
Motor vehicle Grey Automotive tire Font Auto part
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billymade
Any other stickers or part #'s; anywhere else on the alternator? Now, that you know you have a Bosch; you could figure out, what you need and if you can find more part #'s, then id it specifically, the AMP rating, etc.

If you look at the reviews on the Duralast alternator; failures, seem high and they don't last. Because, replacing the alternator; does take some work, I would invest in a high quality unit and that way, you aren't spending your time, swapping out alternators all the time, possibly leaving you stranded somewhere, needing a tow, etc. Cheap alternators, typically end up being false economic choices; ending up, costing you more money in the long run, brain damage, hassles and making your car down, needing repairs once again.


OEM Bosch, is a solid choice; I have had my new Bosch alternator, installed on my daily driven New Beetle 1.8T, for years and have had NO issues with it at all, quality parts, make a difference.
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billymade
Annybupdates? Hopefully you have replaced the alternator and have gotten thru your move! :)


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billymade
Annybupdates? Hopefully you have replaced the alternator and have gotten thru your move! :)


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bb.thebeetle
yes! Not fixed yet but my friends dad is helping me put in the exact same bosch alternator I currently have tomorrow, and he's throwing in my oil change too lol. Hopefully the move will be done next week! And once the beetle is running again, then I can tackle all the other issues it has lol
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billymade
Good work; i’m glad you got s high quality oem Bosch replacement. Remember, the headlight alternator exit trick; really speeds things up and much easier. Going with quality parts, typically last longer and reduces, having ti dir the job over again. Nothing, more frustrating; then, having to do a repair multiple times, because cheap parts keep failing. Do it once and do it right! :)


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bb.thebeetle
4
Yup I started on it today! And it might rain tonight so just to ease my nerves I covered it with a plastic bucket lid lol. I couldn't get the one end of this fat hose undone to get a clearer view of the alternator so I was gonna leave it until I had help to remove it so I don't break it

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bb.thebeetle
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ok so newest update! So after test driving the car yesterday, it died again. Got it home, and tackled it again today. Found another broken hose that SEEMS to have fixed the "running rich" engine code. And then we realized, the alternator belt snapped. Either snapped or fell off while driving. So we figured the tension arm broke in some way. But after taking it off to replace, it didn't seem damaged. So my friends dad was confused as to what messed up the belt.
So we put the new belt and tensioner on, and the car runs again. But my friends dad notices something that concerns him.
1. The belt wasn't sitting perfectly straight on the pulley, one edge was hanging over just a bit.
2. It seemed like the spinning pulley was rubbing against the front of the engine block.
So, to give the belt more clearance, he threw on some washers and spacers. With those on, the pulley and belt had way more clearance, and the belt was finally sitting straight with no over hang. So FINALLY it seems happy. Accelerates and handles much better, but we'll see if that code comes back. AC still isn't working though, so gonna try and do that next

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billymade
Hmm, not clear on the alignment issues; sometimes, people install the hose retaining bracket wrong, the one that the bolts from the serpentine belt tensioner is with and this causes a belt alignment issues. This is a common thing to over look.

As to the hose being blown; that causes a boost leak and definitely affects the fuel trims and boost levels. This just happened on my 1.8T; by the way, what brand boost hose did you get?


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