Project: 2004 Passat TDI-Manual Swap, BSMD, And More!

50mpgtdi

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 7, 2015
Location
Platteville WI
TDI
04 VW Passat TDI
Sweet dude. Let me know how you like it vs the dvz. Im still doing 1 hr one way trips every weekend at 3000 or so rpms, the car doesnt seem to mind.



Been looking at some suvs to put my extra bhw in, gearing on those with 32/33 inch tires will all be about 3000 rpms @ 70 mph.



Really want a diatsu rocky soft top but a discovery with an ax15/dana 300 rolling on cable locker 33/12.5s would also be sweet.
I do really like this transmission. The better gear ratio is nice. Keeps the noise while driving down, I'm sure helps a bit with fuel economy, and with the tune, it still has no problem accelerating without down shifting. The only thing I don't care for is the notchy shifter feel, specifically into 2nd gear. But that's been consistent across all three transmissions ive had in this car, so I'm guessing it's just nature of the beast.

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50mpgtdi

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 7, 2015
Location
Platteville WI
TDI
04 VW Passat TDI
Glad to see you got a DUK with a nice clutch setup, let me know how you like that setup. I love the DMF and clutch I got from frans when I originally did mine, only comment I've gotten on it from a buddy of mine who drove it was that its fairly heavy compared to his stock 2006 Jetta.



If you can keep your foot out of it you'll be in the high 30s, low 40s if you maintain the speed limit =P



Even having fun with it I'm probably averaging around 35mpg, on all the twisty back roads here in CT.
I like this set up fairly well. Clutch feel is definitely heavier than a stock type clutch. It's definitely aggressive too. It took quite a while for the clutch to get broke in. It had a lot of chatter when it was new, but after a few thousand miles, it smoothed out. Most of my mixed driving, I'm getting around 35-36mpg, on long highway trips, I am getting up around the 40-42mpg range.

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Windex

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Location
Cambridge
TDI
05 B5V 01E FRF
No matter which manual you go with, the fluid inside will always be a compromise.


It needs to be thick enough to protect the differential, but thin enough to allow the synchro rings to do their job of bringing shaft speeds together.


I have lightweight shockproof in mine, and find that 2nd gear is always notchy unless the transmission is fully warmed after a 30min + highway drive. Anything less and I have to delay / pull gently on the shift lever to make a smooth enough shift. I ran Fuch titan sintofluid 75w80 for a time, and it shifted fine, but the thinner film strength when hot gave me concern.
 

spoonman4

Active member
Joined
Mar 30, 2014
Location
Dallas, TX
TDI
2005 Passat Wagon GLS TDI 5mt
a little off topic but falls in line with what yall were talking about earlier in the thread. I recently got an 05 passat wagon tdi that had already been converted to 5mt. Trans drives, but definitely needs a rebuild. I have been looking for an FHN trans (what is currently in there) and reached out to frans about buying one but he said they are hard to find currently.

Seems like you guys will know what the other trans options are for the vehicle and i am having a hard time finding any other solid info on options and what different parts are needed between them all (if any). If i get another trans, DUK or DMF (or other?), am i able to simply just change out the trans? Am I going to have to swap out other parts? what are the benefits to each different trans option? what are the negatives of each one?

Please impart your knowledge you gained from this project to me so I will be better equipped to make a decision.
 

d24tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Location
MT
TDI
96 B4V
If i get another trans, DUK or DMF (or other?), am i able to simply just change out the trans? Am I going to have to swap out other parts? what are the benefits to each different trans option? what are the negatives of each one?
The different codes available of 012 type transmissions (that is to say, longitudinal FWD 5 speed) will all bolt in in place of your current FHN. If there are any minor differences (e.g. axle flange size) you would be able to swap parts from your FHN to make the replacement trans compatible.

Other than the minor change in driving experience that would result from different (slightly shorter) gearing with the DUK or other similar TDI transmissions, the only thing to keep in mind about changing gear ratios is interaction with your ECU tune. Regardless of the gear ratios in the new transmission the car will run and drive just fine, but, depending on how the tune was done on your particular manual converted car, cruise control may not work with the new ratios. Some BHW manual conversion tunes would not have this issue, but others (those that start with the BEW engine code block, which seems to be the most prevalent method) would need the tune revised with the new ratios to re-enable cruise.

To my personal taste the FHN trans gearing is taller than it needs to be and has some gaps between gears that are larger than optimal, 3-4 is the worst. I think slightly shorter and closer gearing would actually be an improvement. The ratios of the DUK look good to me and the EEN looks good too. I don't think the extra 100 or 200 rpm at high speed in top gear would make any real difference and the day to day drivability would be improved by the closer ratios.
 

wingshooter

New member
Joined
Oct 31, 2019
Location
Flower Mound, TX
TDI
'05 Passat wagon
First post

Good day everyone-

Mike down in Texas. I do a lot of driving as a hospice chaplain, and am also a bird hunter. I got an '05 Tdi Passat wagon for the mileage and to be able to put the dog and his kennel in the back for those hunting trips. It had about 121k on it when purchased, and at about 131k it threw a 741 code. I have a great tranny shop that offers a lifetime warranty. They rebuilt the tranny but it still threw a 741- the torque converter is not locking up. They replaced the torque converter (again), with no change. Finally, they threw in the towel and put another rebuilt tranny in. Didn't even make it out their parking lot before it threw the 741, torque converter not locking up.

I told the shop owner that after fighting this for over a year lets just check into the feasibility of a manual swap. Just beginning my research, and a couple early take aways seem to be to use a 5 speed Tdi tranny, and check out the Dutch auto parts guy in Europe.

Thanks in advance for the help- I'm not ready to give up on the car- just the automatic.

Mike in Dallas
 
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