"A common problem in VW and Audi TDI with pumpe duse TDI engines (PD) are worn camshaft lobes, lifters (camshaft followers), and bearings. If you have a 2004-2005 VW Passat TDI (BHW), 2004-2005 Jetta (BEW), 2004-2006 Golf, New Beetle (BEW), 2005.5-2006 Jetta (BRM), or V10 Touareg TDI, you have a PD engine. Pumpe duse technology was also found in other markets with other engines years before and after North American availability. It's unknown if the V10 Touareg has this problem since there were so few sold and it uses a completely different cylinder head design than the 4 cylinder engines. Unit injector (generic name for pumpe duse) technology is also used on a few non VW/Audi diesel engines.
The major difference between pumpe duse VW/Audi TDI engines and other TDI engines is the unit fuel injectors which are actuated by the camshaft. Because there's limited space on the cylinder head, pumpe duse engines sacrificed valve lobe width to fit the extra lobe for the fuel injector rockers. See
1000q: direct injection and pumpe duse for more details on how the fuel injection system works.
VW recommends engine oil VW spec 505.01 for pumpe duse engines but if was only an engine oil problem it doesn't explain why there isn't even wear across all lobes and why some engines are not affected. Camshaft wear is an issue in both North America and Europe. See
1000q: TDI engine oils for a list. 5w-40 oil should provide more protection than 5w-30 and it can slow, but not repair engine wear.
The exact reason for excess wear is unknown but contributing factors could be manufacturing defects, poor design, thin engine oil, insufficient oiling at the bearing, incorrect specification oil used, or other factors. Some believe that even using the recommended specification engine oil won't help because of low zinc phosphorous in modern engine oils. ZDDP engine oil additive would add zinc but shorten catalytic converter life. It's unknown if this makes a significant difference over the long term. Regardless of the exact cause, the fact is that symptoms usually aren't noticeable until the car is out of warranty. If the car is under warranty, this is definitely something that should be covered.
Editorial speculation: It appears that #1 and 4 intake lobes are more likely to wear first. Franko6 has a theory that that the factory torque spec on the rocker bolts is too high. The rockers don't go all the way to the end of the cap and when combined with other factors such as insufficient oiling, slight warping could be a contributing factor to camshaft lobe wear. This is just a guess and I am not a professional mechanic or engineer - it also doesn't explain why only some engines get wear. There are modifications to the bearing cap that will increase oiling and might reduce wear (not just because of more lubrication but because oil takes away heat) but it hasn't been tested over the long term. Bearing caps are matched to the head and are not interchangeable. There are also the option of performance camshafts from KermaTDI linked in the parts section. Any non factory modification or torque spec is done at your own risk!
VW installed a mix of black nitrided hardened lifters and silver color non nitrided lifters across model years. VW probably recognized there was a problem and changed the lifters. As far as I'm aware, all mk4 PD engines came with silver lifters. Early mk5 came with silver and then half silver/half black lifters because I'm guessing they wanted to save money and use the older ones or get by with minimal changes. All replacement lifters should be black. PD cylinder heads share many parts but the BEW engine has a shorter lobe and shorter duration vs. the BRM and BHW. This means decreased contact time, a better oil film, and in theory, less chance of camshaft wear. While any SOHC PD camshaft will fit any SOHC PD head, using the wrong camshaft will change 2 major engine operations: long the valves are open and how the fuel injector rockers press the fuel injector. Both/either may result in sluggish engine response.
The self-adjusting hydraulic lifter has ports to keep it filled with engine oil and a "button" that the valve stem presses on. Below is a cutaway showing the internal springs."
A basic inspection requires the valve cover to be removed and the camshaft rotated to examine the lobes and lifters. This should tell you right away if there is lobe wear. The difficulty of removing the valve cover is only 1/5. A through inspection requires the timing belt to be removed (which is why the difficulty is rated 3/5) so that the camshaft can be removed to inspect the camshaft bearings. If you have a pumpe duse engine and are planning to do the timing belt soon, I suggest doing a basic camshaft inspection beforehand so that all parts are ready and there's no extra car down time.
If you find that you do have any camshaft wear, take many pictures documenting the wear. Keep all your receipts and try to see if VW customer care will work with you to cover the repair cost. All these cars are will out of warranty and the chance of any compensation is small but I still suggest that you keep all records."
Está em inglês mas dá para perceber bem todo o cenário me torno do motor PD