The "What did you do to your B4 today" thread...

97B4TDi

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2007
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
1997 B4 Passat, 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
Tried to have my brake fluid changed but 3 out of the 4 bleeder screws were seized...

Guess I’m waiting until it needs a full brake job.
 

Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
Tried to have my brake fluid changed but 3 out of the 4 bleeder screws were seized...

Guess I’m waiting until it needs a full brake job.
Start soaking them down now every time you have a chance and maybe the next time you go to do the fluid change more than just the one will come.

Also, sometimes if you try and tighten every so slightly before loosening they will come free. I've had that work before too, but I've also had them break off just the same.

Steve
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
What Steve said. A little heat and wiggling the bleeder back and forth, also helps. If it breaks free, definitely more lube and wiggling, until it’s free. I always wire wheel the threads and apply anti seize. Be sure the bleeders are clear, and I always hose them out with brake clean, after bleeding. Don’t forget the caps.

Personally, I think fluid flushing is pretty important, especially if a vehicle sits. The Rotbox just had a front caliper replaced. Piston would come out, but wouldn’t release, causing pad dragging and burning. All seals and sliders were good. I couldn’t get it in, and I was cranking on the c-clamp.

PO replaced the calipers pads and rotors, but I’m unsure if the fluid was ever flushed, and I neglected to do it. I’ll be doing it very soon. I’m sure if I pull the piston, it’ll be rusted.

Just flushed the fluid, in a new to me GTI, and the reservoir had a layer of, what looked to be mud, inside.

-Todd
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Flushed the Rotbox’s brake and clutch system. It didn’t look terrible, but I remembered that I bled (didn’t flush) the system, when I replaced the rusted brake line, a few months back. Seeing light amber fluid go water clear, should help keep it on the road a bit longer.

-Todd
 

Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
I’ll start soaking the bleeders and work on freeing them up.
Ditto on what Todd said about wire brush, if you can get in there and wire brush off the excess crust it'll make a clearer path for the lubricant to get in there and do its job.

I've even used a 1/4" drive impact on very low pressure, just enough power to tap against the bleeder but not enough to snap it off.

Todd said:
Just flushed the fluid, in a new to me GTI, and the reservoir had a layer of, what looked to be mud, inside.
So what you're saying is you acquired another car? We're going to need some photos of that ASAP.

Steve
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Yeah, 84 Rabbit GTI was acquired mid December. I’m back in the gas game... came up for sale locally, and I couldn’t resist being back in a Rabbit GTI. It’s the first VW, I ever owned, hence my screen name.

Seller called me the day we were meeting, and it left him stranded, lol. CV came loose from the drive cup. It’s 35 y/o, and barely molested... I bought it, without driving it. The next day, I spent several hours on my back, in the rain, trying to fix it. Drive cup needed to be replaced.

Pics from roughly 3 weeks ago.






Seems like I’ve been wrenching on it nonstop...
New drive cup and both axle seals
Removed the aftermarket alarm (that I was told was disconnected) because I couldn’t start the car, after I disconnected the battery.
Rehung the TT exhaust... murder to get apart
Rebuilt the shift linkage
Redid their A3 wiper motor swap
All of the windows were tinted... steamed it all off
Flattened the door panels
Fixed the blower motor issue and replaced the resistor pack
Installed bigger front brakes and flushed the brake fluid
Removed the Raceland coilovers and went back to a cup kit... my teeth were rattling out.
A lot more small stuff, that seems to take forever.

My big issue is I clean, blast then repaint everything, before reinstalling.

There’s some minor performance stuff done and the car is a blast to drive!

-Todd
 

Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
Yeah, 84 Rabbit GTI was acquired mid December. I’m back in the gas game... came up for sale locally, and I couldn’t resist being back in a Rabbit GTI. It’s the first VW, I ever owned, hence my screen name.

Seller called me the day we were meeting, and it left him stranded, lol. CV came loose from the drive cup. It’s 35 y/o, and barely molested... I bought it, without driving it. The next day, I spent several hours on my back, in the rain, trying to fix it. Drive cup needed to be replaced.

Pics from roughly 3 weeks ago.

Seems like I’ve been wrenching on it nonstop...
New drive cup and both axle seals
Removed the aftermarket alarm (that I was told was disconnected) because I couldn’t start the car, after I disconnected the battery.
Rehung the TT exhaust... murder to get apart
Rebuilt the shift linkage
Redid their A3 wiper motor swap
All of the windows were tinted... steamed it all off
Flattened the door panels
Fixed the blower motor issue and replaced the resistor pack
Installed bigger front brakes and flushed the brake fluid
Removed the Raceland coilovers and went back to a cup kit... my teeth were rattling out.
A lot more small stuff, that seems to take forever.

My big issue is I clean, blast then repaint everything, before reinstalling.

There’s some minor performance stuff done and the car is a blast to drive!

-Todd
Wow, that's like a complete about face from where you were headed before. So what happens to the other stuff? You still moving ahead with the tdi Mk1? So much time put into the Mk1 tdi I'd hate to see it get shelved for very long.

That does look nice though and the non-molested part is key. I will buy neglected stuff but when it comes to molested vehicles they take a lot bigger discount.

Wish I could find something like that out this way, even a carcass in that condition would be nice. I've been thinking more recently about doing a Mk2 Golf 4dr tdi or even a Mk3 4dr Golf converted to TDI, but finding anything in this area that is worthy of working on it impossible.

Steve
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Well, I suppose I’m expecting the Rotbox to go back to the earth, sooner or later. Don’t remind me about the lack of progress on the project car... I’m not giving up on it, though. I drive about 7-7.5k, per year, so the lesser gas mileage won’t really be seen.

Unmolested cars show up from time to time; keep your eyes open, if truly looking.

Although unmolested, the car definitely needs work. Typical rot in the rear arches and pan, torn front seats, AC was removed and the car was rattle canned, 2 owners back.

The car came with replacement metal and about $600 worth of new parts, still in boxes. Used seat parts and Cabby AC brackets were purchased... still looking for 1 more cushion.

If/when I choose to sell it, I’ll get my money back.

-Todd
 

Wagone

Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2019
Location
CA
TDI
1996 Passat wagon
Cleaned out the snow screen in the intake air box. Pretty sure it had never been done before because I found a 1cm thick "pre-filter" made mostly of what looked like hood insulation material. (Might make a nice mouse nest for someone; free for postage.)
 

TDIL3dad

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2012
Location
N. VA
TDI
96 B4, 96 B4V project
on my black 1996 Passat sedan - replaced the following:

1. Driver door window regulator / lifter (OEM from VAG via Harbour View VW in Vancouver, BC)

2. Driver door contact switch. (OEM from local VW dealer)
3. Driver seat "receiving end' of seat belt. (parts seller on Vortex)​
4. Relay 36 buzzer relay. (OEM from local VW dealer but made in China)

5. Compressor. (OEM from local VW dealer)

6. Starter. (rebuilt OEM from local VW dealer).

Car sounds much quieter now without the rattle and whine of dying compressor. Starter did not want to work on a very cold night last week until I hit it with a wrench, and then it woke up, so it was time to replace. Items 2,3 & 4 seem to have fixed the sporadic flashing of the seat belt icon on the instrument cluster.
 

fixit13

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 17, 2007
Location
Dawsonville, GA
TDI
96 and 97 Passat
Pulled the 96 in the garage to clean it up, after finding water in the rear pass side. I have retired it, but cannot part with it. Yet I need to maintain it. But I do still love it. Woe is me, I need to find a leeek.
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Parking brake started dragging on the B4 a while back... maybe a month ago or a little longer? Parked it and the battery died.

Finally got around to charging the battery and relubing the right caliper; it always seems to be the repeat offender. Parking lever still felt funny, so I slid under the car and looked at the other side.... it’s hung up, too. Left it, and I’ll deal with it later.

One thing I noticed was, the pads were almost frozen in the carrier. I wire wheeled the carriers and Roloced the mating surfaced on the pads. They moved very freely, until I installed the anti rattle clips. They’re almost to the binding point again. Need to compare to the right side.

-Todd
 

iluvmydiesels

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Location
phila area
TDI
AHU
block-013 seems to be a real good diagnostic for injectors, yet it seems for mk3s and at least for me no reading for inj#4 (??) :confused: whats up with that? getting a reading for #4 would help with the over-all diagnostic.
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Freed the parking brake on the B4’s right side. This side was filled with rust, again. Took a few flushes with silicone lube and the blow gun, but it got cleaned out and works fine, again.

This time I filled the boot with as much silicone grease, that I could get in there. I also filled the exterior lip of the seal, where the park lever seals against. I’m willing to try anything...

Pads were almost worn out; maybe 3/16” of material, on the pads. I’ll revisit the right side’s binding pads, when they get replaced. Tires are finally shot, too.

Pulled the PP520s, from the wagon. Installed a calibrated set of DLC1019s, purchased a few years ago, for the project car. Hammer modded to 5, and injector balance is quite a bit off.... ranges from 1.6 to -1.29. Going to get retuned, to cut a bit of smoke and I’m going back to running an EGR.

GP harness crumbled, when it was disconnected. Slipped some split loom, over the exposed terminals. The friction fit is awful... seems the rubber boot is what keeps the harness secured.

Finished up by spraying some degreaser on the engine and rinsing. I noticed bubbles coming from the #1 GP, base. I personally never messed with these GPs. I’ll soak it down with some Kroil, then pull it, clean it and reinstall. Not sure what else can be done...

-Todd
 

iluvmydiesels

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Location
phila area
TDI
AHU
block-013 seems to be a real good diagnostic for injectors, yet it seems for mk3s and at least for me no reading for inj#4 (??) :confused:
Block 13 only shows 3 cylinders
1== cyl1
2== cyl2
3== not shown (always 0.00, the reference point for the others)
4== cyl4
so to understand what you posted the other day, ^here, T-Dd, you say cyl #3 gets a 0.00 reference point reading. this i was wondering and kind of figured. but i get a reading on cyls #1 & #2, cyl #3 also gets a reading (on VCDS block-013 screen) and cyl #4 stays blank. so is the reading for cyl 3 really a cyl 4 reading? this would clear up a lot and be the answer im looking for. and complete the diagnostic use.
 

iluvmydiesels

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Location
phila area
TDI
AHU
ty for the info T-Dd, thanks for the clarification.
in your 1st post you said cyl4==4, im like huh, that was kind of my question, as #4 is blank, and as you state #3 isnt shown and is a 0.00 reference point. needed some clarification with using this block. ty, and todd.
 

Digital Corpus

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Location
Ontario, California
TDI
'97 B4 w/ 236K mi body, 46K mi soul
Replaced the sunroof seal/gasket yesterday before 0.25” of rain. Expecting over an 2” in the next 3 days with over half of it being tomorrow. Leak is remedied when I checked last night.

Mitigated warp field collapse for the most part, but I still need to tweak it. Granted, the specifics as to why it happens is going to be useful for A4’s moreso than for us, but the holistic and specific operation of the pump and this “phenomenon” is relatively simple.
 

iluvmydiesels

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Location
phila area
TDI
AHU
i was looking at valve springs. lucky i got info from VW, seems specific info. it seems VW changed valve springs about ~98 or was it ~97?? all i know is my model looks to take the later springs(outer).
i dont know about other valve train and cam changes about this time. good thing i checked, as it looks the springs called for (623D) are ALH type springs? stiffer springs as i see. idk, as i have not much knowledge about mk4s and ALHs, but it seems the ALH later spring is stiffer, we with AHUs still used inner springs? ALHs used a single (the outer) spring?
idk if my AHU head had dual springs, or a single spring. if the spring retainer is for dual is the stiffer outer too much to use with an inner (for mostly stock uses and a stock cam)?
 

Digital Corpus

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Location
Ontario, California
TDI
'97 B4 w/ 236K mi body, 46K mi soul
Pump head is leaking. Going to go through the whole pump with a donor one next weekend and reseal it. Looks like even just a little D2 use with HPR is worse than going back and forth with B20/B100 & D2. Need to inspect it more in daylight, which is hard when we have the rains of a decade...
 

Digital Corpus

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Location
Ontario, California
TDI
'97 B4 w/ 236K mi body, 46K mi soul
B4, 10 mm VE Pump diagram states "1 900 210 154" for the Bosch part number for the head seal/o-ring. Quick
netted a diagram and confirmed specs close to what I've previously measured, 60mm x 2.5mm o-ring. Hey look, Viton. If I can track down the other PN and/or sizes of the other o-rings, I'll make a relevant thread. There are other online sources for fluorocarbon/fluoroelastomer o-rings too.
 
Last edited:

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
I bought a bag of 5, in that size. I probably got them from eBay.

-Todd
 

Crusty

Active member
Joined
Feb 3, 2018
Location
Idaho
TDI
98 Jetta
I don’t post a whole lot-mostly because I’m out just driving the Jetta:D but I pit new fuel lines on the car, and today I put in a new kenwood stereo. While I was at it, I got a new light bulb for the heater control. Not earth shattering, but I want the car to get all fixed up. I drive it about 40 miles each way for work.

I love this car!
 

Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
i was looking at valve springs. lucky i got info from VW, seems specific info. it seems VW changed valve springs about ~98 or was it ~97?? all i know is my model looks to take the later springs(outer).
i dont know about other valve train and cam changes about this time. good thing i checked, as it looks the springs called for (623D) are ALH type springs? stiffer springs as i see. idk, as i have not much knowledge about mk4s and ALHs, but it seems the ALH later spring is stiffer, we with AHUs still used inner springs? ALHs used a single (the outer) spring?
idk if my AHU head had dual springs, or a single spring. if the spring retainer is for dual is the stiffer outer too much to use with an inner (for mostly stock uses and a stock cam)?
The spring change probably coincides with when the valves were changed.

Steve
 
Top