rocketeer928 - My 2003 VW Jetta TDI

rocketeer928 · Jul 12, 2010

IndigoBlueWagon said:
I think RC5 is more fuel-efficient than 4. I'm getting 47-48 with no problems with RC6, using my A/C the entire time.

I'm likely taking the hit because of my fat tires. I have found that the first tank full after putting on my standard size winter tires/wheels I can get about 50 mpg, just before the winter fuel is being used.

mech644 said:
Do a Getta conversion and then you'll have all the Golf headlight assemblies to choose from

Thanks for the idea, but I'm not much interested in having a Getta or Jolf.

IndigoBlueWagon · Jul 12, 2010

I agree on the tires. I'm running 15" Michelin Energy Savers and they've bumped my economy 2-3 MPG over the Bridgestones I was running previously.

MikeS_18 · Jul 15, 2010

IndigoBlueWagon said:
I think RC5 is more fuel-efficient than 4. I'm getting 47-48 with no problems with RC6, using my A/C the entire time.

Really? huh. I want to get better mileage. Maybe I'll get on the list on August 21.

I never even look for a station unless there is 730 miles on the tank.

Pumped 16.4 gallons last time..that was close...

rocketeer928 · Aug 4, 2010

Possible Mod: Fuel Cooler

Since I'm using the 11-mm IP, I'm thinking about adding a fuel cooler like the one I found here:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=1720041&postcount=33

passion_7 · Aug 7, 2010

Rocket...AMAZING stuff in this thread, first off. Second, what do you think about these headlights? Thinking about getting them for the LED and A8 type look for the front of my 03

http://www.amazon.com/VOLKSWAGEN-19...-PERFORMANCE/dp/B00349B6Q6/ref=pd_sbs_auto_11

Feel free to steer me toward a better light with the same effect if you would wish!

rocketeer928 · Aug 7, 2010

passion_7 said:
Rocket...AMAZING stuff in this thread, first off. Second, what do you think about these headlights? Thinking about getting them for the LED and A8 type look for the front of my 03

http://www.amazon.com/VOLKSWAGEN-19...-PERFORMANCE/dp/B00349B6Q6/ref=pd_sbs_auto_11

Feel free to steer me toward a better light with the same effect if you would wish!

Thanks!

Those headlights on Amazon look to be the same as I got on eBay for a cheaper price. I commented about the headlights in my Post Nr. 417.

passion_7 · Aug 7, 2010

So would it seem a more worthwhile change to put some Xenon blue type bulbs in my OEM headlights, or go ahead and get these R8 styled ones? And on a side note...I'm looking to start beefing up the stock components, so - what size nozzles would you recommend as a first step for my 5-speed?

eddie_1 · Aug 7, 2010

I have similar experience to rocketeer928. The projector type beam pattern really work well for HIDs. Without HIDs the light has limited peripheral vision. I got around the issue by using fogs. I have the depo projectors.

eddie_1 · Aug 7, 2010

The bosio sprint 520s are a good nozzle to start off. The bosio Powerplus520 are a slight step up but will give a bit of smoke. Best to use both with a tune to give you some additional boost. both nozzles are avail at idparts.com and boraparts.com

rocketeer928 · Aug 7, 2010

^^ Exactly what Eddie said

rocketeer928 · Aug 7, 2010

Tow Hook Decal

I installed my front tow hook by cutting out a small section of the grille insert. Does the tow hook decal look good or is it stupid and lame? I might take the rectangular box off, if not the whole decal.

Sorry, picture is gone thanks to Photobucket.

1tdi · Aug 7, 2010

I like the tow hook, but the sign not so much, i would assume that you would be with the car if it ever needed to be towed, so you could just point out to the tow driver where the recovery points are.

tothemax · Aug 7, 2010

Kidding right???

The hook looks good and practical but the sign looks totally goofy (to me) .... like maybe the tow truck driver will not know what this is for??

Put one next to the brake pedal which says "Brake" and an arrow which points to the brake pedal

All kidding aside... I really think it's a good idea to have the hook there permanently.... I am going to do the same on mine.. .I will paint the hook black and cut out a round hole in the vent and leave the hook in permanently.

It is required to have the hook in place on the tack and I am tried of taking the vent on an off every time I go for tech inspection.... so I will do like you. In my case, I need some zip ties to attach the R32 vents because they keep falling off due to my IC piping being too far out. So it's a PITA to R&R every time.

suggest paint the hook mat black... but the sticker has gotta go..

rocketeer928 said:
I installed my front tow hook by cutting out a small section of the grille insert. Does the tow hook decal look good or is it stupid and lame? I might take the rectangular box off, if not the whole decal.

IndigoBlueWagon · Aug 8, 2010

The decal is for track use, I assume. And although you've got the hook in place, so someone attach to it? Looks like the grille is in the way. I simply left the grille out on my Golf, but that's probably not the look you're after.

passion_7 · Aug 8, 2010

eddie_1 said:
The bosio sprint 520s are a good nozzle to start off. The bosio Powerplus520 are a slight step up but will give a bit of smoke. Best to use both with a tune to give you some additional boost. both nozzles are avail at idparts.com and boraparts.com

Good information here for sure. If I was wanting to get nozzles that were beefy now (shooting to take the VE up to around 150-180hp), so I wouldn't have to get more again down the road to keep up with other tunings and maybe a new turbo, would these PowerPlus ones still be what you two would recommend?

rocketeer928 · Aug 8, 2010

IndigoBlueWagon said:
The decal is for track use, I assume. And although you've got the hook in place, so someone attach to it? Looks like the grille is in the way. I simply left the grille out on my Golf, but that's probably not the look you're after.

I know the decal is for track use, but I do not take my Jetta on the track (though I sometimes wonder about the track we call interstate highways around here). The grille insert can easily be removed if the hook actually needs to be used. For me, the decal is more for fun. Still not sure if I will let it stay on or not.

passion_7 said:
Good information here for sure. If I was wanting to get nozzles that were beefy now (shooting to take the VE up to around 150-180hp), so I wouldn't have to get more again down the road to keep up with other tunings and maybe a new turbo, would these PowerPlus ones still be what you two would recommend?

I'm expecting 160-180 whp with my PP764s, but that includes a bunch of other modifications too.

tothemax said:
Kidding right???

The hook looks good and practical but the sign looks totally goofy (to me) .... like maybe the tow truck driver will not know what this is for??

Put one next to the brake pedal which says "Brake" and an arrow which points to the brake pedal

All kidding aside... I really think it's a good idea to have the hook there permanently.... I am going to do the same on mine.. .I will paint the hook black and cut out a round hole in the vent and leave the hook in permanently.

It is required to have the hook in place on the tack and I am tried of taking the vent on an off every time I go for tech inspection.... so I will do like you. In my case, I need some zip ties to attach the R32 vents because they keep falling off due to my IC piping being too far out. So it's a PITA to R&R every time.

suggest paint the hook mat black... but the sticker has gotta go..

Alright, Pierre. You convinced me. I agree; it looks lame and it will come off today. Ha!

What kind of paint do you plan to use? I tried to quickly use some Rust-Oleum, but it would not adhere well.

rocketeer928 · Aug 8, 2010

I've been convinced that the decal is lame, and it's now gone... I also took off the "swoosh" portion of the "turbo diesel inside" sticker on the back driver's side window. I've been meaning to do that for awhile now.

tothemax · Aug 8, 2010

Good choice ;-) ... Personally, I am not much for stickers and flashy colors on a car... I may not be the better person to consider for an opinion.... I like everything plain, OEM and as understated as possible... (Except for the HP) of course...

On the paint, the body shop that painted my Jetta VW Trunk emblem recommends SEM 3914 Trim Paint. It is mat black and it adheres to anything.. chrome, SS so I am pretty sure it will stick to the galvanized surface of the hook.

http://semproducts.com/Catalog.asp?prod=133

That's what I intend to try for my hook and also I want to try black TDI tags with this paint. it's a professional product so it may be a little more difficult to find than regular paint. My body shop told me where I could buy it locally at a body shop supplier.

rocketeer928 said:
I've been convinced that the decal is lame, and it's now gone... I also took off the "swoosh" portion of the "turbo diesel inside" sticker on the back driver's side window. I've been meaning to do that for awhile now.

shizzler · Sep 1, 2010

Dude, have you seriously not modded your car for the last month? Amazing!

rocketeer928 said:
What kind of paint do you plan to use? I tried to quickly use some Rust-Oleum, but it would not adhere well.

Yeah my first attempt at painting the tow hook only lasted a year or so before the duplicolor red was flaking off... that thing is slippery.

This last go-round I sanded it much further and laid down a couple coats of grey primer first. So far so good.

rocketeer928 · Sep 1, 2010

shizzler said:
Dude, have you seriously not modded your car for the last month? Amazing!

Actually, I'm in the middle of something right now, which is taking a lot longer than I had originally expected. But, I'm nearly done with modifications. I have one other planned thing in Sept/Oct. Basically waiting for New England Dyno Day to see how my Jetta performs.

Off to the garage...

NewTdi · Sep 4, 2010

ok, I just read this whole thread this morning! I will be officially broke if I start down mod street! ToThemax lives close to me and he's a bad influence when it comes to a little more hp. Thanks for documenting every single mod!

rocketeer928 · Sep 4, 2010

Glad you liked my thread NewTdi. Pierre's (ToTheMax) a good guy. He's helped me out a few times via TDI Club.

NewTdi · Sep 4, 2010

rocketeer928 said:
Glad you liked my thread NewTdi. Pierre's (ToTheMax) a good guy. He's helped me out a few times via TDI Club.

He's helped me too, by making my wallet lighter! Can;t wait to see your dyno numbers later this year. Keep us posted and speaking of posted, why don;t you post the excel spreadsheet of Project "Rocket" Jetta?

Actually please don't!

rocketeer928 · Sep 4, 2010

NewTdi said:
why don't you post the excel spreadsheet of Project "Rocket" Jetta?

Believe me, nobody needs to see the damages. That includes me.

I do have a spreadsheet, which shows that I've spent way too much money on my car in the last 2½ years.

rocketeer928 · Sep 5, 2010

Diesel Fuel Cooler

After looking at a few Power Modification threads on TDI Club, I decided that I would also employ a transmission cooler as a diesel fuel cooler as other have done to help the power of the engine in the summer months. In mid-August I purchased from a local, regional car part store the Hayden Automotive Ultra-Cool Transmission Cooler 403, appropriate fuel line, and screw clamps.

Last Sunday, I decided that I would install the fuel cooler on my Jetta TDI, thinking that it would only take a couple of hours. Wrong! When I first started, I didn’t realize that I was going to practically take the whole front of the car off just to install this little aluminum radiator fuel cooler. I ended up having my car out of service from Sunday afternoon until Friday evening for various reasons and problems.

I had to remove the smaller radiator fan, bumper cover, metal bumper, headlights, and the front fiberglass portion that holds the radiator and A/C condenser up, including the hood latch. The A/C condenser has a plastic grille/protector on the bottom of it, so I decided to install the fuel cooler just above that protector and directly in front of the smaller radiator fan. That way the fan pulls the air through all three radiators/condensers in the summer when the air conditioning is on.

It was important to install the two fuel lines onto the fuel cooler prior to installing it on the front of the A/C condenser. The plastic holders to secure the fuel cooler were difficult to push through both the A/C condenser and radiator fins.

Here are pictures of the initial installation with the front of the car taken apart. This is where I got to as of Monday evening. No car work was done on Tuesday.

When it was time to put the front fiberglass piece back on the car, I learned the hard way that it is impossible to do without somehow lifting up the radiator/condenser units. To do this, I used two ratchet straps. One strap held the hood up via the garage door opener, and the second strap pulled up the radiator/condenser units via the hood latch hook. This where I got to as of Wednesday evening. Once I had the radiator/condenser units in position, on Thursday evening I reinstalled the fiberglass front, which then was simple.

Here’s a picture of the fuel cooler with the metal bumper reinstalled. The fuel cooler is blocked by the bumper, but there is a fair amount of space between the two. Also, the fuel cooler is directly in front of the smaller radiator fan, so air should be pulled through the fuel cooler when the A/C is turned on and it’s hot and/or humid outside. I’m not one to suffer personally just for the sake of fuel mileage by keeping the A/C off in the summer. I gave up not having A/C when I got rid of my first new car, which was a 1989 Ford Escort.

Incidentally, the Escort is where I came up with the name “rocketeer928”. I sarcastically named my Escort “The Rocket” because it went 0 - 60 in two weeks flat. Since my car was “The Rocket”, that made me the rocketeer. I regress...

In the winter, I use Power Service Diesel Fuel Supplement® +Cetane Boost®, which is good down to -40ºC or -40ºF, so I shouldn’t have a problem with fuel gelling here in Connecticut. Incidentally, in the spring/summer/autumn I use Power Service Diesel Kleen® +Cetane Boost®.

Here’s a picture of the fuel lines on top of the CAT fuel filter. When the diesel fuel leaves the engine to go back to the fuel tank, I have it set up to first go through the fuel cooler. Theoretically, that way the heated excess fuel from the engine is cooled prior to returning to the fuel tank and then going back into the engine too hot in the summer, thus robbing the engine of some power. I doubt the fuel cooler will bring the fuel temperature to ambient conditions, but I’m sure every degree the fuel is cooled before returning to the fuel tank will help.

The top of my CAT fuel filter unit is chewed up because the CAT filter is very difficult to remove when it’s time to have it changed. When I’m struggling to remove the CAT filter, I think that I should just return to the OEM fuel filtering system. Awhile ago, I also installed the KERMA Widget to bypass the plastic thermostatic tee on the fuel filter and a Spectre Fuel Pressure Gauge to keep track of the performance of my fuel tank PD Lift Pump.

And, here’s a picture of the fuel lines along the passenger’s side fender. Everything is held in place with black cable ties, though not so tightly as to restrict fuel flow.

Before making the last connection from the fuel cooler to the fuel line that returns to the fuel tank, I reinstalled the small radiator fan, lowered the car, and fired her up with the hose leading from the cooler draining into a bottle. This way I could check to make sure fuel flowed without restrictions and that I had no leaks. Success!

Then I ran into a frustrating problem Thursday evening. Upon putting my car back together, I had trouble with the hood and its latch. At first, I had the hood latch too far to the passenger’s side. So, I loosened everything associated with the hood latch and moved it toward the driver’s side. That seemed to line up the hood’s hook and the latch. However, upon closing the hood, it wouldn’t latch all the way. The hood kept popping back up into its secondary position. After several tries and adjustments, the same result. I figured that perhaps the latch mechanism was worn or I had unknowingly broken it.

On Friday afternoon, I purchased a new hood latch from my local VW dealership (the Parts guys are great to me; never had service there, though). That evening, it suddenly occurred to me that perhaps I had the hood latch too low. So, I made one more adjustment with my original hood latch.

Ding-dong-dang-it! That was it! I didn’t place the hood latch upward far enough when reinstalling. Now the hood closed without any problem at all. I hope the Parts guys at the dealership will allow me to return the new latch. It was a stocked item, so I don’t see why it would be a problem.

I put everything back together, check for leaks again, and now I’m good to go. So, what I thought would take me a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon ended up being a bit of a frustrating week. Oh, well. I learned a little bit more about my Jetta TDI, like the importance of lifting up the radiator/condenser unit and positioning the hood latch in the correct place. Washed the car on Saturday.

ChippedNotBroken · Sep 5, 2010

WOW. I think it might have been almost as much work to install a FMIC and put the fuel cooler where the SMIC was. Would have been a better performance mod to boot.

squire89 · Sep 5, 2010

probably easier too.....

rocketeer928 · Sep 6, 2010

Hmm...

rrobbiiee · Sep 7, 2010

Uh-oh, sounds like a cooler swap may be on the horizon...

rocketeer928 · Sep 7, 2010

Nope. To install a FMIC I would need to spend money I don't want to spend, tear my car apart yet again, relocate the newly installed fuel cooler, and remove my DG by-pass oil filter. I'm not going to do that.

rocketeer928 - My 2003 VW Jetta TDI

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