2000 1.8t Jetta will not start

[yimmy0917]

I took a non-running 2000 1.8t Jetta on a trade. I am trying to pinpoint the problem but I'm familiar with these engines. Here's what I know.

I was told that the guys girl was driving when it let out a bunch of smoke. She pulled off the road and it wouldn't start back up. He had it towed to a shop where the mechanic told him the turbo was blown and that's why it will not start.

The car has been sitting sense July.
It will crank strong.
I have tried fresh batt. and hooked to jumper cables.
Checked spark on 1 coil pack and it was good.
Have fuel up to fuel rail and plugs seem to be wet.
The key fob does not work even with new batt.
Timing belt seems to be intact.

A few questions I have are...

Is there any way to check the turbo without pulling it off?
Shouldn't the engine attempt to fire even with a bad turbo?
Can the chip in the key go bad causing the car not to start?
What are some other common problems leading to this?
What are the simple checks I should make before tearing into this too deep?



I'm new to this forum and have just started checking out past threads for some answers. I will check the compression and CPS after work. Any help would be great. If you need more info just let me know. Thanks

[Scigano]

In-car, I'd guess the turbo could be best inspected by removing the air box and turbo-inlet pipe to feel the compressor for any bad shaft play (in or out, up and down). You can try removing the down pipe to see if anything "important looking" fall out of the turbine side.

Either side should be noticeably bad if the car belched smoke and then died. Additionally, if the turbo's death was particularly explosive, shrapnel from the turbo itself could've shot back into the engine and damaged other parts as well.

By the way, was the cam belt in good condition still when you got the car?

[yimmy0917]

By the way, was the cam belt in good condition still when you got the car?

The belt looks fine. Once I figure out what happened and what I need to do to get the car back on the street I will replace the belt. I'm not sure how many miles are on it. The car itself has 163k.

[yimmy0917]

Just did a compression test.

#1 = 75 psi
#2 = 0 psi
#3 = 0 psi
#4 = 25 psi

I figured my next step is to pull the head and take a look. Any other ideas?

[Scigano]

I think that big boom was the head gasket going to a better place. Did this guy's girl happen to notice the temperature before the fireworks started?

If the temperature goes high enough to kill the head gasket, you're going to want to inspect other parts of the engine. Coolant hoses, the coolant flange, and the pump (if it's a plastic impeller pump) to see if the plastics got warped or began leaking in anyway.

When the engine gets that hot, something else which can occur (not dead-guaranteed, but possible) could be sludge or other debris in the motor being loosened from the block and being circulated through the coolant system and clogging the thin channels of the radiator.

If you get the car running, keep an eye on the temperature.

Good call compression testing the motor and good luck, chief.

[yimmy0917]

The engine is jacked. #3 piston is toast.

[yimmy0917]