What did you do to your MKIV today?

Well, this afternoon, I

1. Repaired the chewed wires (all three) going to the VSS. Rats ... yes, rats not mice.

2. Changed the transmission oil

3. Installed a new console

4. Topped off PS fluid

Oil Change and Timing Belt....

I’m in sunny So Cal and I was driving on borrowed time. My car only had about 40k miles since the timing belt was last changed but it was done 9 years ago. Based on age and climate, I figured better safe than sorry. I did one about 3 years ago and forgot about the pain of removing the engine bracket and routing the belt around it. I went ahead and heli-coiled the bracket while I had it out.

The belt that came off was a Gates, which is what I put back on. It looked perfect. The only issue I found was some weeping and crusties from around my water pump. I also put in a new motor mount. Forget it’s easier to pull the camshaft sprocket, loop belt around it and then re-install onto hub.

Final torsion value +0.5. Car has more pickup and runs smoother. Hopefully I can go another 9 years.

Hope the Geba metal impeller pump holds up.

Calibrated my boost sensor for the 100psi sensor and a couple days ago I finally got the Panzer plate on the Unicorn, just in time for winter.

Kerma Tune

Just installed a new tune on my 03 Golf. Purchased from Kerma TDI and they have great shipping time along with great customer service. (Side note they offer military discount).
Car is such a blast to drive !!!!!!

LOVE my VW

Replaced the battery top fuse box on IBW. showed some damage to one of the blade fuses and one of the 30A was stuck in its holder. My cooling fans weren't always coming on with the A/C so I wanted to replace it before things got worse. Quick and easy.

Also dropped wheels off to have Winterforce 2s mounted for my son's '02 Golf. May take them to him next week. Delivering tires to Wisconsin from MA seems a bit silly, but I'll get to visit.

Switched to the snow tires today. PO only ran them on front, and at time I bought car didn't realize one was 195-65-15, other was 195-60-15. I bought 2 new Firestone Winterforce in spring before realizing the 2different sizes. Tried finding a single used 195-65-15 with equal tread, no dice. I could've bought a single new one, but waited too long, then for some reason they almost doubled in price on ebay for single tire(original winterforce, not the winterforce 2). Ended up getting a pair of 185-65-15 Winterforce, not my ideal solution, but it'll work. Noticed cranking slow again today, Advance tested battery a few weeks ago and said it was good, just needed a charge. I slow charged it and seemed to be ok since then. Guess not. I put the battery I took out of my son's gas Jetta before we sold it, as I just bought that in January. A little smaller, but hopefully ok, we'll see as winter wears on. Added coolant again, it was down to bottom line again. I also noticed oil on top of oil cooler again, next oil change I'll put the new one on. I polished the headlight lenses with some Deep Woods Off- it actually cleaned them up pretty nice. Put the leather head rests on rear seat, need to install new wiper blades I already have....

Swapped my 18” summer wheels/tires for my stock wheels/winter tires, and set the pressures the next day. Car looks like it’s on castors now.

I’m thinking I might’ve warped my rear rotors that I put on in June. Wishing I would’ve upgraded to bigger, vented rotors.

After returning from Sacramento last night around 10:30 PM, I waited in line at the service station around the corner to fill up. The line was because of all the evacuees from Paradise north of Oroville wanting to fill up before they either found shelter locally or continued further south. Station had gone to cash only sales. Diesel was normal price: $3.419

Forgot to mention- the battery was a Bosch Platinum AGM- it started car slowly-slow charged it for a day, all was good for a little bit then started doing same thing, more pronounced now that it was getting colder. When I switched it out, I noticed that it had free 4 year replacement written on label- date of battery? September 2014.... so far the smaller battery from the gas Jetta cranks it over nicely...

Replaced the head gasket on my 2000 Jetta sedan. Waiting on help with the T-belt replacement so I can continue on.
While torquing the head bolts down, I was sweating the liquid courage I had consumed - terrified that I had somehow allowed some spec of water to get in under one of the bolts.
Bad enough to have 1, but 10 opportunities to crack the block...nerve wracking for me as I’m an amateur enthusiast at best.
No loud noises informing me that I had effed up, so assuming all is well. Splicing wires for new glow plug harness is next, followed by acquiring help from one of 2 reliable folks I know with the timing belt replacement. Cheers for beers!

Fixed a coolant leak at the coolant flange. The block off cap that was blocking off the nipple to the no longer existent auto trans cooler had cracked and was leaking coolant everywhere. $28 for G12 and a $2 block off cap and I'm back in business. It was a slow enough of a leak and ambiant temps were low enough the car never over heated thankfully and my only signal something was wrong was that I could smell the G12 cooking off the hot motor.

replaced rotors and pads on front. found out that both guide pins on the front driver’s caliper were not threaded in because the threaded holes appear completely rusted apart. They appear like smooth thru-holes. lol. I’ll be parking the wagon until i can fix/replace that.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Got my gauge sensors all installed (boost, ebp, pyro), so it’s just a matter of finishing the pod, and wiring them in.

Also found out there’s a gt1749 on it, which I’m taking as a plus.

Yesterday repaired the wire going to the needle lift sensor. Today changed 2 glow plugs and put on the top engine cover for winter. Next week or so oil spray, might get a coolant heater, and then I gotta find the a lower belly pan. If anyone has one in southern ontario close to windsor or thereabouts let me know thanks.

Where was the wire damage, near the starter? I'd recommend a metal belly pan. I've seen some over on Sale/Wanted

BobnOH said:

Where was the wire damage, near the starter? I'd recommend a metal belly pan. I've seen some over on Sale/Wanted

Click to expand...

Right at the connector there was a broken wire. Don't know if an animal got in there for heat or what lol. Today I found a chunk of drywall in my engine bay.

Drywall in the engine bay? What kind of nut-job varmit is doing that? Too bad you don't have a photo!

Cheers,

PH

Well I did a complete front suspension refresh on my tdi sedan yesterday. Control arms,tie rods, and upper strut bushings. Also I put on my 17” snows, and I’m ready for wheel balancing,and an alignment.


Bajan

red16vdub said:

Well I did a complete front suspension refresh on my tdi sedan yesterday. Control arms,tie rods, and upper strut bushings. Also I put on my 17” snows, and I’m ready for wheel balancing,and an alignment.


Bajan

Click to expand...

Nice!!! Nothing like a fresh suspension!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

benIV said:

Nice!!! Nothing like a fresh suspension!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

I got my alignment earlier this evening, and man what a difference. The suspension was firm, but a rear crack control arm bushing force me to consider changing both, plus other components. For an 01 tdi that I basically beat the sh!t out of, needs some love now and then. I think it’s ready for some more healthy abuse hahaa lol .


Bajan

Powder Hound said:

Drywall in the engine bay? What kind of nut-job varmint is doing that? Too bad you don't have a photo!

Cheers,

PH

Click to expand...

Obviously one that's moving in for the long run.

got the 99 gasser going. new head gasket, new timing belt, water pump, thermostat, new tires and now a new alternator. that sucked. i also swapped stereos from my TDI as i have a double in Pioneer in there now. today is a day of swapping a mirror (i found a black one instead of blue), B5 side indicators, and some VagCom playing on the locks and a couple other things.

the TDI has a new Pioneer with backup camera. loving it.

wonneber said:

Obviously one that's moving in for the long run.

Click to expand...

Ah yes, quite so. Sheet rock is much, much quicker than trying to build plastered walls.

Today I ran my 4-dr a couple of hundred miles looking for a new winter car for my wife. We looked at 3 cars, and found a nice '06 NB for her. Unfortunately, it is a gasser, and an auto-box, but it will work. So, for her, it is an ideal car. For me, at least I can work on the car, so win-win. Yay!

Cheers,

PH

Knocked the n75 inlet hose off while installing my gauge sensors, and while diagnosing that I pulled the airbox (the vacuum pump I was using lost the pin that holds the handle), and found the snow fence was packed with dirt. After cleaning that the car seems to run a little better off idle to 2000rpm.

In a moment of poor judgement I decided to drive my son's snow tires to him, in Madison Wisconsin. Left Wednesday evening, got back a little while ago. Just under 2,400 miles round trip.

IBW, as always, performed flawlessly. "Only" got 46.5 MPG on the first tank, but that was with 300 lbs. of stuff in the car, running at 75 MPH into a stiff headwind. Other two tanks were right around 50 MPG. You know you're driving a distance when you have to fill the car twice in the same day.

Here's IBW with my son's '02 Golf. A little over 746K miles on them combined. What great cars.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

In a moment of poor judgement I decided to drive my son's snow tires to him, in Madison Wisconsin. Left Wednesday evening, got back a little while ago. Just under 2,400 miles round trip.

IBW, as always, performed flawlessly. "Only" got 46.5 MPG on the first tank, but that was with 300 lbs. of stuff in the car, running at 75 MPH into a stiff headwind. Other two tanks were right around 50 MPG. You know you're driving a distance when you have to fill the car twice in the same day.

Here's IBW with my son's '02 Golf. A little over 746K miles on them combined. What great cars.

Click to expand...

That’s one hell of a road trip


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I want some grill block offs like IBW has

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

benIV said:

That’s one hell of a road trip


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

I agree, just get in and go, no need for to much thinking.
Definitely a great trip, and I really believe 75mph is the sweet spot .


Bajan

New key from a stealership. $55 is alot cheaper than other places. But its just a valet key. Oh well. 2 flip keys on the way. Also swapped speakers In the gassed. All four were shot. 6.5" Kenwoods and she sounds great. I also fixed my non existant cooling fans. It helps to have the switch.

I installed a new German-made raw aluminum hood strut today. Jazzed up the hood zone a bit. Going to do the same with the trunk struts, now.