While draining the fuel is a good idea, diesel can grow mold, it would probably be ok.

Before attempting to start , turn the engine over by hand using a ratchet and a 19mm 12 point socket at the crank shaft. DO NOT turn the engine over using the camshaft bolt. Turn in a clockwise direction. Mark the belt so you can tell when you have made a complete revolution, check for missing timing belt teeth and make sure the engine will cycle completey by hand without any hard stops. You’ll need to remove the upper timing belt cover to see the timing belt.

After verifying it will start and run, immediately change the timing belt and all related components. Here is a quality timing belt kit.

Timing Belt Kit (A4 BEW)

Timing belt kit for the 2004-2005 Jetta TDI, 2004-2006 Golf TDI and 2004-2006 New Beetle TDI. This kit has been assembled with OE quality parts by the best manufacturers needed for a replacement of...

www.idparts.com

Instructions for timing belt installation. Click the orange button.

BEW timing belt procedure

Step-by-step for BEW timing belt replacement

forums.tdiclub.com

I recommend getting a vcds you will need it to keep your diesel running correctly. Finding problems, setting the torsion etc.

VCDS with HEX-V2 Enthusiast | Ross-Tech

Before starting there is a hose behind the passenger side front tire, remove the tire, that is connected to a small radiator looking device. That is the intercooler. Pull that hose and drain, wipe, clean any oil that is in there out. The other end of that same hose is connected to your turbo you may want to remove the entire hose and put your finger into the end of the turbo and spin the wheel, it should spin easily and freely. Try and move the wheel side to side and front to back there should be almost no movement sidewise and none front to back. Make sure the problematic clip system is fully seated when you put the hoses back together.

I would get it started before I changed the fuel filter, the reason for that is a diesel is hard to start after a fuel filter change and you don’t know if this one actually runs. Once you know it runs change the fuel filter.

My wife has an 01 beetle diesel, my daughter an 03 Jetta diesel both have the ALH engine. I drive an 05 Golf diesel it has the same engine as your beetle, the BEW. I drive a lot of miles my car has 467k miles and climbing. The front end has been rebuilt twice, I have replaced the cam twice . A couple of door lock modules. Countless oil changes and tires. I love that car. Those little diesels are awesome.

 

I noticed that in telling you to remove the intercooler hose I made it seem like you were solely concerned with the hose itself and while you can certainly clean it, there will probably be a film of oil in the hose, it’s the intercooler itself that needs to be checked and cleaned. Specifically the bottom of the intercooler. You do not need to remove the intercooler just stuff a paper towel into the bottom of the intercooler and sop up any oil in there. Make absolutely sure none of the paper towel is left in the intercooler.

 

If you get it running, I would replace the timing belt/water pump ASAP. With only 37k on it, it might seem unneccessary. But I doubt its been changed so its 17 years old and the car has been sitting for 3 years. I'm sure that rubber is very unhappy. You might even want to check the condition of the belt before you try cranking it over. A failed belt means engine damage on a TDI.

 

Thanks guys! This is ALL very helpful, as said this is a new animal, I just wanna be sure to cover everything (except oil and fuel filter) prior to starting. For the sake of preventive maintenance, and surely overall longevity!

Doesn't OBD II need to "re-learn" after battery replacement, like warming to operating temp, disconnect battery neg cable and hold neg cable to positive post for 10 seconds to drain memory in capacitors in the ECM??

Jarhead - 467K is friggin awesome!!!

 

Thanks guys! This is ALL very helpful, as said this is a new animal, I just wanna be sure to cover everything (except oil and fuel filter) prior to starting. For the sake of preventive maintenance, and surely overall longevity!

Doesn't OBD II need to "re-learn" after battery replacement, like warming to operating temp, disconnect battery neg cable and hold neg cable to positive post for 10 seconds to drain memory in capacitors in the ECM??

Jarhead - 467K is friggin awesome!!!

No relearn procedure I'm aware of

How often does the timing belt need changed

The BEW is 80k miles or 7 years, which as Smiley has said you are way beyond. The only thing I would do is check that belt as I described above, make sure ithe car starts and runs, I would'nt even let it warm up. Then change that belt!!!!

 

How often does the timing belt need changed

 

Change the engine oil, the BEW takes a different oil spec because of the narrow cam lobes. Quicky lube places don’t usually follow the specs. You will need to fab, rent or borrow an engine support for the belt replacement. It should come with a new water pump too. With cast iron impeller. There are some great mods you can do to it also. Cam, turbo, ecm remap.

 

I highly recommend flushing the fuel system with Liquid Moly. You do this by taking the hoses off the fuel filter ( you should immediately replace if you have not already done so), extending them and placing one in a reservoir of the engine cleaner and the other in the same, with an inline filter installed on the return line. The fuel pump then essentially loops the fuel passed to the injectors and returns it to the reservoir.

You run the engine this way to clean the fuel injectors, about 20 minutes. There are lots of videos for how to do this.

This will help to get rid of gummy deposits that might have formed from old diesel fuel in the engine. To be clear, you will be running the engine off 100% Liquid Moly for this period.

The fuel pump gasket may need replacement at this point, not a difficult job. I would immediately switch to synthetic oil. I use 0w30 in mine for easy winter starting.

I second the recommendation to purchase vcds, the best money you'll ever spend for maintenance of this car.

I would strongly recommend siphoning the old diesel fuel out of the tank after this long and disposing of it. It will have oxidized pretty badly by this point and it isn't going to do your engine any good burning it through. Do this before replacing the fuel filter.

Regarding the alternator, no special tools are needed, but you do have to remove the front bumper cowling for the beetle, so called "service position". Lots and lots of screws and bolts. While you have this open verify that you're windshield washer reservoir pump works. The alternator is a snap once the front end is off. You do not need to remove the radiator.

Replace the thermostat and coolant. This is key on a diesel, where operating temperature is critical.

Be aware that a leaking fuel pump can destroy the alternator immediately below it. This happened to me with a brand new alternator. Fix that fuel pump gasket is needed.

There is a temperature sensor inside the fuel pump, a thermistor, a $10 part which often goes bad. You'll get no indication other than the fueling won't adjust with engine temperature and your mileage and power will be off. Replace this as a matter of routine maintenance if you have the fuel pump open for a new gasket. Heck do it anyway. Be careful the fuel pump is a delicate device internally.

Electrically, I would check the grounds for corrosion, particularly the one under the battery if it's become sulfated. They should be cleaned of corrosion before reassembling. Ground faults are a real problem with this vehicle.

Sorry to be so random but these are good starting points I think. My '01 has 325K and runs like it's brand new.

 

Oh yeah, coolant temp sensor on the back side of the driver's side engine is another item that routinely fails, particularly if it's been sitting in Old coolant. If you're quick you can even replace this without losing more than a cup of coolant. I've gone through four of these over 20 years. Make sure you get the correct one for the diesel.

Once you get all the above done your biggest problem is going to be old rotten vacuum tubing. Good idea to replace all of it with good quality fuel line of identical diameter.

The vacuum system is absolutely critical on this car, controlling EGR valve the turbo the brakes, the n75, the anti shutter valve, etc.

Of course the mass flow sensor on the airbox routinely craps out, particularly if a bad mechanic put a Chinese one in there. Buy top quality for this part if nothing else. Don't waste your time on MAF sensor cleaners.

 

One problem with these forums is you can get a bunch of wrong information. First you don’t have to remove any bumper parts to replace the alternator. Plus an alternator with that mileage is likely fine. The fuel pump is on the driver’s side and the alternator is on the other. The oil specification is for synthetic VW 505 01 is the number. I think all the information in the above post is for an earlier model.

 

Much easier to replace the alternator on an '01 TDI pulling the front bumper. In my opinion it's the only sensible way to do it on a beetle. The fit was just too tight for me trying to just move the radiator.

5W30 synthetic meets the spec. The alternator on my '01 TDI ALHi s immediately underneath the fuel pump. Maybe they changed this in 06 but I doubt it. If they did it's a damn good thing.

Apologies if my guidance was incorrect for the '06. I didn't think they changed that much.

 

It takes me 2 hours to r&r an alternator on an ALH Bug. It comes right out the bottom. No need to remove the front end nor any radiator. Just remove the passenger side fan and use a piece of cardboard to protect the radiator fins.
On a BEW, the alternator comes out easily front the top.

While 5w-30 can be found in the 505.01 spec, it is known by many with the bew that it lacks when it comes to cam protection. 5w-40 is indicated for this engine.

On the BEW, there is no fuel pump nor injector pump above the alternator. This is a completely different fueling system from the ALH.

Also to the OP @rbuddi422, what you describe sounds like a fried connection on the fuse box above the battery. These 06 bug diesels are kinda known for this. Everything kinda went wonky when that fried. You might not even need an alternator.

 

He asked how to replace the alternator not whether it needed to be replaced. The premise is that it needs to be replaced. He didn't ask how to test the alternator.

 

Starting in 2004 it is a different engine. BEW engine completely different. I have been in the automotive repair business over 50 years. You don’t have to doubt it anymore.

 

My bad. Hopefully some of my general purpose suggestions are still useful.

 

The oil for the BEW engine does have to meet VW spec 505.01. This is the oil I use sometimes autozone has it. This is also the place I buy most of the parts for my diesels.

Pentosin High Performance II HP2 5w40 5 Liter

Pentosin High Performace II is the top tier 5W40 oil for European engines. Meeting a wide variety of OEM specifications, including VW 505.01 and the new BMW LL-04 and Mercedes 229.51, Pe...

www.idparts.com

Liqui-moly oil is a good choice as are a couple of others, just be sure it’s 5-40 and meets that vw spec.

As I mentioned earlier I’ve replaced my cam twice, which is one of the problems that vw had with the BEW engine. If it wasn’t for the cam issue this is a very stout engine. It’s still a stout engine a cam can be done as a weekend job. Most guys do their cam if it needs it at the same time they do their timing belt.

With only 37k I doubt you need a cam. If you use the correct oil you should be well over 200k before you need to start thinking about the cam.

 

Mold is a real problem with diesel storage. I would probably drop the tank and clean it out. Whether you do or do not clean the tank add a biocide to kill any mold or fungus in the system.

 

Absolutely what I was looking for!!! Thanks guys!!!! I'm stoked being the new owner! Though I'm a retired "million miler accident free" OTR driver, I still have lots to learn. In trucking, I've done more cab, fuel and air filters than anything and seems tire blowouts were common. Steers were always kept newish, much like these timing belts on the TDI's, steer tire blowouts will send ya out in the rhubarb, ..and quick!

Thanks a million for all your responses!!

 

Absolutely what I was looking for!!! Thanks guys!!!! I'm stoked being the new owner! Though I'm a retired "million miler accident free" OTR driver, I still have lots to learn. In trucking, I've done more cab, fuel and air filters than anything and seems tire blowouts were common. Steers were always kept newish, much like these timing belts on the TDI's, steer tire blowouts will send ya out in the rhubarb, ..and quick!

Thanks a million for all your responses!!

Enjoy the car. I'm having a blast with mine. Great little diesel with 35 pounds of boost it will get up and go.

 

Regarding timing belt, is there a boss brand or a better quality belt? Which ones do ya' all stay away from?

And what's total amount of synthetic oil needed w/ filter?

The last time the battery was changed, the Monsoon stereo prompted for a security code, we looked through everything from PO, to no avail we never have found the code. Can this be remedied or is the unit now a paper weight?

Much thanks !!

 

Regarding timing belt, is there a boss brand or a better quality belt? Which ones do ya' all stay away from?

And what's total amount of synthetic oil needed w/ filter?

The last time the battery was changed, the Monsoon stereo prompted for a security code, we looked through everything from PO, to no avail we never have found the code. Can this be remedied or is the unit now a paper weight?

Much thanks !!

There are several good brands, one word of caution DO NOT buy your belt from amazon or eBay there are several sellers on the internet pushing absolute junk. I linked to idparts in my post above if you buy a belt kit from them you’ll get wood quality products and all the associated bits and pieces.

You don’t “just” change the belt on one of these diesels! On the BEW there is the belt the tensioner a roller bearing a set of one time use stretch bolts and a couple of other things that will be in the kit. All of those thing MUST be changed, it’s usualy not the belt that breaks but the roller seizes or the tensioner gives up and then the belt breaks or jumps time. Do not reuse the old TTY (stretch) bolts! (TTY , torque to yield)
The BEW engine take 4.5 quarts of 5-40 , 505.01 oil.

To preserve the radio code you can hook a battery pac or another battery directly to the cables or through one of the power outlets in the car.

I linked to the DIY instructions in an earlier post I would suggest printing them off and reading them a dozen times or so, there are also several you tube videos. Make sure you understand how that belt is changed and why each step is important.

The BEW engine is similar to the older ALH engine similar but different and the BEW is similar but different from the BRM. The newer engines from 2009 till 2015 are a whole different animal.

 

Also, the rear bumper skin has an ugly crack, can this likely be fixed, or does it need to be replaced?

 

I just changed the oil in my 2L 2014 diesel. It took 8.2 quarts with the filter. Note a special tool is best for the filter removal.
Any good body man can repair most plastic bumper damage. But I don't know the extent of the damage you are asking about.

 

Reputable sources for diesel parts.

Idparts.com

Metalmanparts.com

Cascadegerman.com

Dieselgeek.com

Each of these places has a timing belt kit that does not include any chinese junk parts.

 

Thanks jarhead! When it comes to this "need to know" stuff, simply one of the best!!
Very good information brother, I appreciate all of it.
I'll get some pics of the car posted soon

 

Thanks again! The only thing I'm not quite clear on, is the Monsoon asking to enter code that I don't have. Not sure what ya meant by plugging something in under the dash, please advise

 

There should be a radio card at the beginning of section 3.4 of the owners manual (unless someone removed that as recommended by VW). The radio code is not found in the trunk on a sticker. The only way to retrieve it is from vw for a fee or some ebay sites that can calculate it from the radio model and serial number which is much much cheaper. You’ll have to remove the radio to get its serial number. I ended up just putting in an alpine aftermarket since i wanted hands free phone and blue tooth.

I have a 2006 bug bew engine and automatic dsg trans car. @Thejarhead is spot on.
If it was mine, i would do the following:
Replace diesel fuel and filter.
Replace air filter.
Replace engine oil. 505.01 5w-40. I like pentosin hpII which idparts and cascadegerman stocks although domestic 5w-40 oils can be used.
Replace timing belt, serpentine belt, and water pump. (Kits at Idparts, cascadegerman are my go to vendors for this).
Acquire vcds obdii cable so timing belt install can be done properly (or find someone close by with one. Tdiclub has a locator for vcds owners).
Service the trans if it is DSG automatic (every 40k miles).
Alternator. Get a bosch reman AL0189X (OE 028903028E)
If you need a battery don’t get anything less than Group H6 730 cca.

On the fuse box above the battery, mine has fried twice while my daughter had the car. Dealer nailed her on the repair. After the 2nd time the end of the cable going through the firewall was toast. I pulled a good box at the local wrecking yard along with a pigtail to splice onto the cable that was fried. I also used noALox anti oxidant on the output cables to terminals to insure a good connection. Another thing that is necessary is periodically snug those terminals down especially the alternator and the cable going through the fire wall. They will get loose over time and keeping them tight is key.

 

There are various battery boosters and savers. Like this one.

Amazon.com

It doesn’t have to be this one just something that will keep the car powered up when you disconnect the battery to prevent the radio from going into safe mode.

For diesel specific questions the guys at tdiclub.com are pretty good.

 

Thanks again, jarhead! Well, the stereo has already been in safe mode now for about 5 years. My mom had the battery replaced by Walmart 5 yrs ago, as we have rather harsh cold winters in Iowa. Ever since then, we'd gone through all the literature and paperwork that came with the car, the only code we found was on the back of a business card, but unfortunately that didn't work. Certainly not the priority here, but is something I'll need resolved

 

I’ve heard of those radio codes sometimes being in the trunk specifically in the spare wheel well on a sticker. You might take a look and see.

If your radio is already in safe mode then you don’t need to worry about keeping the car powered up.