MN Chat Thread

Count me in

MNmiser: I PM'd you for directions, hope you've still got room. Might bring along a passenger or three, depending.

Greegeeker: Put me on the list, pending info from MNmiser.

If there's a tool shortage, let me know . . . I'll plan to bring Vag-com/laptop, front bearing puller kit, torque wrenches, brake bleeder, rear piston return tool, etc.

Might have a hard time hitting 8AM, but will get there eventually . . .

Anybody gonna be there that *really* knows the B4 TDI? No specific issues to be addressed currently, just lots of general things I'd like to get 2nd, 3rd, etc. opinions on. Downpipe flex leak, A/C dead, smoke, wet floor during rain, etc.

Farmboy/Tom

PS - Looks like I missed some excitement over the past little while while offline.

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to pop in and say hello. I wandered back into the TDI forum after a bit of an absence. Glad to know there's still an active TDI group here in MN, although I haven't been able to find out much about a currently active Beetle group.

I currently own a 2006 Beetle TDI, Automatic - Shadow Blue. Previously owned a 2001 Black Jetta w/the ex-H. We hosted a belt changing GTG at our place in Monticello back in '02 b-4 moving to Atlanta. Am back in MN now, tho.

Hope y'all had fun at the 'GTG' this weekend. Do y'all ever plan state wide GTG's just for the fun of getting together?

Well, back to the homework - see ya 'round the boards!

Amy

GTG @ MNmiser's

Thanks for the good time today, MNmiser & all, and great to meet/see all of you.

Only my 2nd GTG, have enjoyed both. Wish I could host, but don't have a very good setup. Someday.

Always happy to spend time in a garage, if anyone needs a hand getting something done between GTGs, drop me a PM.

Cheers
Farmboy/Tom

PS - TDIPal, that's a great idea for a larger area GTG, maybe a push from you will get the ball rolling . . .

Nice meet

Jake, you were an excellent host. Thankyou.

It was nice to meet everyone I hope to see you all again.

Scott

Sounds like you had a great time. If I was only free. My Saturdays are always work unless its an evening.
I have some PP nozzles I might get to in the near future, but by spring I could use some suspension work if there is any interest still for a later GtG. I should make TDIClub cards, there are two other A4 TDIs on my street where the owners are probably getting shafted by dealer mishaps.

Greetings
I recently purchased a 06 Jetta TDI. My family and I travel from NW Iowa to Michigan along I-90. This week we had trouble finding service stations that had nozzles that fit my fuel tank. Is there a particular company that caters to diesel cars so that I can look for those stations along the way, or could you point me to some individual stations that would have the fuel and right nozzle from Albert Lea westward?
Thanks

I don't know about that far west but over on 63 and 90 there is a Kwik Trip that has the smaller nozzles. If there are any out west, I'd try them. In my experience your best bet is to hit up a station that has the diesel pump inbetween two gas pumps. It is nice to get the fresh diesel from the truck stop (my older Jetta can accept the truck nozzle) but if you have a Mk5, then your option are limited as you have already discovered. Good luck.

Some of the Kwik Trips have a pump or two thats only diesel and it has two nozzle sizes and hoses, one for the trucks and one for us smaller folk.
Some trucker stations do have a small nozzle buried in the diesel island if you ask the attendant first. Otherwise if the diesel pump is in with the RUG pumps take your chances. Sometimes one side of the pump has the large and the opposite is smaller. Usually the side under the canopy is small and the 'outside' of the pump is large.

greengeeker said:

I don't know about that far west but over on 63 and 90 there is a Kwik Trip that has the smaller nozzles. If there are any out west, I'd try them. In my experience your best bet is to hit up a station that has the diesel pump inbetween two gas pumps. It is nice to get the fresh diesel from the truck stop (my older Jetta can accept the truck nozzle) but if you have a Mk5, then your option are limited as you have already discovered. Good luck.

Click to expand...

Turk53 said:

Greetings
I recently purchased a 06 Jetta TDI. My family and I travel from NW Iowa to Michigan along I-90. This week we had trouble finding service stations that had nozzles that fit my fuel tank. Is there a particular company that caters to diesel cars so that I can look for those stations along the way, or could you point me to some individual stations that would have the fuel and right nozzle from Albert Lea westward?
Thanks

Click to expand...

There's a TA on I-35 at County Rd. 46, just a little south of I-90.

There's also a Fleet Farm on the southern end of Rochester - take 63 north to just before 52, fill there, and get on 52 south to get back to I-90.

Kwik Trip also has a list of diesel locations [pdf] as well. The one at 63 and I-90 is not listed, nor is a location in Stewartville listed.

Perhaps the list is out of date...the station is maybe a year old. I'm not sure if their location in downtown Stewartville pumps diesel but I'm certain the one north of town does cause I just filled up there on Sunday for $2.55/gal D2

Another interesting note: as I was filling up I noticed that the "Premium" diesel was ULSD while the D2 was LSD. I also couldn't find the sticker on the pump that I see in the cities that states it is B5. strange.

Speaking of diesel pumps in truck stops when using a slave and master pump, turn the pump on and take the master nozzle and put it over the pump just let it hang over the top, grab the slave and use that for the fillling of your TDI.

Thanks much for the info. Funny. all I need is one station. I fill up in Indiana on I-94 at the Pilot's at exit 22a. It has the cheapest diesel I can find. ($2.41 on the way out and $2.46 on the way back). One station in Minnesota should do the trick.

Just installed my frostheater, easy to install, works great. Anyone locally (twin cities) chipped a PD? I'm looking at a RC2, but don't know where to get it and what "other" necessary mods I'd have to do. Thanks.

If you do a search for PD and RC (in the same search) you'll come up with quite a bit of information.....here's one: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=155629&highlight=pd+RC

As far as I know, you have to send your ECU to Jeff @ Rocketchip to get it programmed...or wait to catch him at a GTG.

i have rc2 in both my PDs. love it i'm in bemidji, but will be down in the western burbs for the next week. lemme know if you want to meet up

Thanks for the info guys, burpod would you mind pming me some info on what the process is like, whether you need a upgraded clutch, costs, did you have to send in your ecu, etcetera? Thanks a bunch, let me know where you'll be, i'm in southeast burbs now.

FYI, when I filled up tonight, the Oakdale Fleet Farm's pump is now labeled as ULSD.

greengeeker: Where have you been seeing pumps labeled "B5" in the Cities? The state mandate is for B2, so anyone selling B5 is doing better than the legal requirement. I'd like to be running on B5 if I could (actually, probably B20.. I'd go for even more if people were less worried about biodiesel in PD engines...). Actually, I feel bad since my car is using less biofuel than my old gasser since there's a 10% mandate for ethanol content in gasoline. But, at least my mileage improved enough with the switch that I'm probably using the same or less petroleum...

As for Turk53 -- did you end up using one of the places suggested here? I believe most SuperAmerica and Holiday stations have diesel, but I don't know about their preferred nozzle size. Reminds me that I really ought to get an adapter since I've got an A5, and who knows where I might get stuck someday...

Mulad: We took 2 trips to Michigan in one November and one in December. I asked the question after I came back from the last trip when I couldn't find a small nozzle pump. I was researching for the next trip.
What do you mean by adapter? (I need to know what i am looking for) How do they work? More importantly where can I find one?

Adapter? Make your own, based on circumstances . . .

Push comes to shove, roll several sheets of paper into a cone and hold it very carefully. This is for a credit card purchase at a closed station.

If the station is open . . . and you have a couple of bucks beyond what you need for fuel . . . buy a bottle of heet (or similarly shaped bottle) and a bottle of water. Drink the water (or pour it out). Put the Heet in the water bottle and use or dispose of properly. Cut the bottom off the heet bottle, use as adapter to put diesel in your tank.

Etc.

I have heard of, though I have not seen, simple nozzle attachments that would accept the large truck nozzle on one end yet fit the small hole on A5 cars. Google isn't helping me at the moment, so maybe they don't really exist. I can't imagine it would be very hard to make one on your own from bits at the hardware store, though getting an appropriate fit to prevent the thing from spraying fuel back at you or completely falling off would probably be an issue. Of course, I don't understand why they went with the smaller hole anyway. Heh, in my searching, I saw that dubbers are not alone -- the BlueTec E320 has the same problem...

At any rate, it's good to check all of the pumps at a station if you run into a big nozzle, since there's often a smaller one on the opposite side or on another pump (though I'm sure you knew that already..)

Gtg?

Greetings everyone,

I am a transplant from Maple Grove to Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, for Deafbug I grew up on 63rd. and Zinnia Ln. 494 and Bass Lake Road. Do you by chance know Kevin Anderson? Was my neighbor. Also, Bemidji! I hunt every year just south of Coffeepot Landing, along upper LaSalle. The true headwaters of the Mississippi no matter what some may say. Greetings Bemidji. You know any of the Harmon's? They farm Piedmont-Ties cattle on the 3 county line intersection. I am willing to put together a weekend GTG down here I live on the lake and have plenty of area for those who like to camp and have a few around a campfire. Bring a waverunner or a fishing pole and fish off the dock. Party Cove is just 4 miles down the lake for those that like to bird watch, just bring a camera as there are several very special spiecies abundant during the hot summer days. Its 63 today, whats with all this commentary about anti-gel? LOL

*Go first class, you know your heirs will*

06.8 NB TDI Adopted 2 weeks ago this Saturday. 1220/mi and liking it.

Mulad: don't underestimate the ignorance of new diesel drivers. However i am getting quite an education over the past few weeks.

I'm wondering who might be interested in doing this as the route to the fest to try to max out MPG's.

Hey Rob,

We'll probably end up coming back that way from the fest as my wife and I are going to road trip the week leading up to the fest.

cold weather mileage report---

Id be interested in hearing what others are getting for MPGin the colder climates and if the carboard infront of the radiator does anything and why?

39.8 MPG 2001 Jetta,auto, tire pressure front 35, back 42, Drive 80mph like I stole it 53 miles one way. use Sanadyne. no mods unless Deagbug did something I dont know about. Now have the carboard in front of my radiator.

Mnmiser,

That's what I have been getting with the Jetta, I think it's the fuel. Since they switch over to USLD I have been getting horrible mpg.

my last ~1.5 tank in the jetta (manual, .658 gear) of roughly 1100 miles netted me 49.5 mpg. 225 miles of short strip, cold weather driving, then 225 miles highway driving up north, and the rest medium, suburban driving. golf (slushbox) has been getting 38-40mpg, sub-uburban driving, plenty of short trips. i haven't noticed any change in mpg since ULSD, and have been filling up with it exclusively for 3-4 months or so. next time i take a highway trip i can give a better reading, however, now i have a taller gear and engine is more and more broken in so....

tango_28 said:

Mnmiser,

That's what I have been getting with the Jetta, I think it's the fuel. Since they switch over to USLD I have been getting horrible mpg.

Click to expand...

Ernie Rogers thought it was the fuel as well when he was in town over Christmas weekend.

MNmiser said:

Id be interested in hearing what others are getting for MPGin the colder climates and if the carboard infront of the radiator does anything and why?

39.8 MPG 2001 Jetta,auto, tire pressure front 35, back 42, Drive 80mph like I stole it 53 miles one way. use Sanadyne. no mods unless Deagbug did something I dont know about. Now have the carboard in front of my radiator.

Click to expand...

Who???

I didn't do anything special on your car than I would do to anyone else.


However, I feel that my mileage is the same in the last few tanks but the difference I notice is that I can't quite SOOT no matter how hard I try. I don't get a freight train effect anymore. The place I fill up still at that sticker saying that it is LSD <500 parts not to be used in 2007 or later models. Nothing about the ULSD. I suspect that I have been using it when I didn't put additives in the last couple tanks.

But the TDIs in my neighborhood still get their sooting out of their tailpipe. I have stopped a few of them in the past. There is still a few more to catch. I still haven't worked on their cars. I suspect that the intake manifold is still coated or clogged causing that ability for them to soot. I cleaned my intake last summer.

Now this weekend we are suppose to get that big chill. How long for the warm up? Oh, no cardboard either. Too hard to insert in a Bug. I never have so why start.