What did you do to your MKIV today?

Nero Morg said:

So the real question.... Do they make fully powered seats that aren't leather? Cause I want pwwr seats, but don't want to sear my booty on leather in the summer.

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In Oregon? Seriously???

Cheers,

PH

Powder Hound said:

In Oregon? Seriously???

Cheers,

PH

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Hey we see 110F sometimes in the summer. That and not everyone likes leather.

Today I replaced the oil pump, the chain and tensioner. 505,000 miles, and I was surprised by how little wear was on the plastic tensioner. The crankshaft had the groove where the seal lip wore it down, so I set the new seal in a 1/8" deeper. Now it should go another 500K.

TPW said:

Today I replaced the oil pump, the chain and tensioner. 505,000 miles, and I was surprised by how little wear was on the plastic tensioner. The crankshaft had the groove where the seal lip wore it down, so I set the new seal in a 1/8" deeper. Now it should go another 500K.

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love it

This is not just a 'today' thing. Our 2000 Jetta got into its first accident; rear ending an SUV. Hood bent, heat exchangers smashed, rad support in about 6 pieces...grill and lights in too many to count. DS fender lightly damaged, and pass untouched. Oil filter broken off its base. Remarkably light damage to the DS upper fender mount. Acquired a few bits, and raided spares pile for most of the rest. Heat exchangers and support going on today, and cooling system filled so we can test it. It pumped its crankcase nearly empty, but not under load so I think it will be OK. It looked quite bad until the smashed bits came off.
cheers,
Douglas

Changed the oil in the wagon and replaced both Suplex rear springs. A piece had broken off the bottom of each. Not sure what went wrong. Manufacturing defect? The zinc bushings that the springs ride on appear undamaged. I do use this car to tow a small camper a few times a year. I used to have Suplex towing springs but the hitch was a little high with the towing springs. The tongue weight of the camper is only around 100 pounds.

313,000 miles, 2000 Beetle TDI.
Haven't had a Beetle for 36 yrs.
Pressure washed the engine...well, the whole car....


And the car had these on it

dtrvler said:

313,000 miles, 2000 Beetle TDI.
Haven't had a Beetle for 36 yrs.
Pressure washed the engine...well, the whole car....

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Pressure washing did a good job! Looks like you did the timing belt too.
I plan on doing my clutch over Memorial Day weekend and thinking of pressure washing the engine bay first to make the job less messy.

Rrusse11 said:

I've never understood as to why leather seats are regarded as "premium". Slippery, and sweaty when warm IMO.

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I agree, but when the leather isn't beat up, they look good. However, the cloth seats in my wagon seem to be more resilient than leather, given that they don't have any rips or tears.

In the BMWs that I've owned, they had leather seats and I would always have a sweaty back on long road trips. This doesn't happen with my cloth seats. I live in CA, driving through the central valley can get really hot and I appreciate the cloth seats for the breathability.

Good point about leather being slippery. The cloth seats keep you planted.

I tracked down the serpentine belt chirp to a failing A/C compressor pulley bearing, and started to do an A/C compressor clutch job, but found that I couldn't get the center nut off with the fixturing wrench that I had.
The tools are now on order, that I should have just ordered when I ordered a compressor clutch set...

I'm the opposite on leather vs cloth. I find it easier to clean up the leather (at least the way I get them dirty) than the cloth that inevitably get dirty and stained. Quick wipe and most everything comes right off leather. I have to break out the spot bot or carpet cleaner to suck out the mess on cloth. BTW - the cloth just looks clean until you start with quality cleaner and realize just how much crud was really hiding in the fabric. YUCK!

Also I much prefer manual adjustment that I can slide into place in a moment vs waiting what seams like an eternity for the power seat to sloooooowly move into place.

I grew up 20 minutes from Sac in the 110F summers - vinyl seats in the work trucks were the worst!

Jason

SilverGhost said:

I'm the opposite on leather vs cloth. I find it easier to clean up the leather (at least the way I get them dirty) than the cloth that inevitably get dirty and stained. Quick wipe and most everything comes right off leather. I have to break out the spot bot or carpet cleaner to suck out the mess on cloth. BTW - the cloth just looks clean until you start with quality cleaner and realize just how much crud was really hiding in the fabric. YUCK!

Also I much prefer manual adjustment that I can slide into place in a moment vs waiting what seams like an eternity for the power seat to sloooooowly move into place.

I grew up 20 minutes from Sac in the 110F summers - vinyl seats in the work trucks were the worst!

Jason

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Yeah, I'm a mechanic... The grey cloth seats in my golf are kinda grungy from all the grime that inevitably gets on my clothes...

Mozambiquer said:

Yeah, I'm a mechanic... The grey cloth seats in my golf are kinda grungy from all the grime that inevitably gets on my clothes...

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Yeah. True that. Me too. Ive had both. Easy to clean leather. I always wonder what is down inside the seats under the fabric. So leather is better for me.

Yesterday i took the intercooler out of the new to me 2000 Beetle and degreased it and pressure tested it. It failed.

Got hit in a minor fr bump i guess. Had to order a new one. I wonder how long he drove it like that. Im sure the turbo hated the extra work. Hopefully the vac leak kept it from working too hard. (Car had vacuum leak too by brake booster.)
I guess he just figured if it kept moving, it was still ok.

dtrvler said:

I guess he just figured if it kept moving, it was still ok.

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That mentality is exactly why I don't buy and sell cars much anymore. Looks like walking into a good deal, only for it to be a big lemon. Hope your turbo lasts!

Nero Morg said:

That mentality is exactly why I don't buy and sell cars much anymore. Looks like walking into a good deal, only for it to be a big lemon. Hope your turbo lasts!

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Well, neither side is touching the housing. Axial and radial play are normal. So we shall see.

Started the last part of the Jetta's crash repairs. The lights. I crammed a set of mini D2S projectors into a set of e-code buckets, and discovered that the reflector shape led to alignment issues. The upper half of the reflector curves towards horizontal much faster than the lower, so the projectors pointed too far downwards. This is getting solved in two ways, first some reflector material removal with a rotary file is in store, the second is an adjustable support under the solenoid. The first will be set on the bench, and with re-assembled buckets aligned on the car. Then the covers shall be re-installed. Running D2H bulbs and Hylux A0050 ballasts on a Morimoto H4 harness. Signal to the harness is taken out through the larger cover to an H4 socket. HV for the bulbs, and high beam signal to the shutter is passed through the silicone grommet supplied with the bulb, and it is right behind the bulb. Hook up the stock connector, plug in the AMP connectors to the bulb, the harness signal input to the H4 socket and connect the 9006 shutter connectors on the DS; the passenger side just gets just the HV and shutter connections plus the stock connector.
cheers,
Douglas

So, the AC compressor repairs did not go well.
The compressor clutch nut didn't want to budge, eventually spinning the shaft inside the clutch with the nut still firmly stuck on the threads.
This appears to mean that instead of replacing a clutch, my car is now getting a replacement compressor. Such fun...

Well, I purchased another Mk4... This one a Jetta TDI with an automatic tranny. I haven't actually seen it in person yet. I had someone go get it, but the main thing I was after was the indigo blue body parts. I didn't need the TDI, but it was only $500, so it should be worth it. They said it's a 2004, but it's got 2003 or older tail lights, non candy cane, and it looks like a 2003 from the photos, so it may be an ALH.

hey_allen said:

So, the AC compressor repairs did not go well.
The compressor clutch nut didn't want to budge, eventually spinning the shaft inside the clutch with the nut still firmly stuck on the threads.
This appears to mean that instead of replacing a clutch, my car is now getting a replacement compressor. Such fun...

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Yikes--I'm about to replace the clutch on my compressor. Didn't think about the nut being seized. Did you use an impact?

My son's '02 got new front wheel bearing kits and hubs a couple months ago, but has been kicking on the ABS in the last few feet of a stop. Went to Kraftwerke this weekend and he found the hubs (not supplied by IDParts!!) were a different depth and put the tone rings too far from the ABS sensor to get a good signal when the car was nearly stopped. New hubs (and bearings, of course) and ABS sensors fixed this.

While it was there it also got an oil change, glow plugs, new valve cover (leaking), and tie rods. The right one was worn, and both tie rods were corroded enough to prevent adjustment during alignment, so Chris replaced both. And new rear springs, since one was broken.

I've thought for some time that repairs on these cars come in waves. My son hasn't had to do much to this car for the past three years, so he's due. And it hit 410K miles last week, so it's hardly a new car. We're both very grateful to Chris at Kraftwerke for getting all this done (on a Sunday!) despite old and rusty components fighting him. Thanks!

Zak99b5 said:

Yikes--I'm about to replace the clutch on my compressor. Didn't think about the nut being seized. Did you use an impact?

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I did not. I was intending to, but with the intercooler being located there, it prevents anything beyond hand tools while it's on the car.

hey_allen said:

I did not. I was intending to, but with the intercooler being located there, it prevents anything beyond hand tools while it's on the car.

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My plan was to unbolt it and let it hang down as far as the lines let it to do this job to get the needed access.

Mozambiquer said:

Well, I purchased another Mk4... This one a Jetta TDI with an automatic tranny. I haven't actually seen it in person yet. I had someone go get it, but the main thing I was after was the indigo blue body parts. I didn't need the TDI, but it was only $500, so it should be worth it. They said it's a 2004, but it's got 2003 or older tail lights, non candy cane, and it looks like a 2003 from the photos, so it may be an ALH.

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Just found out it's a 2003! So yes, ALH with 11mm pump...

Zak99b5 said:

My plan was to unbolt it and let it hang down as far as the lines let it to do this job to get the needed access.

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Good plan. I doubt it's possible to get circlip pliers in there without lowering the compressor, but I recommend supporting it while you work rather than just letting it hang.

P2B said:

Good plan. I doubt it's possible to get circlip pliers in there without lowering the compressor, but I recommend supporting it while you work rather than just letting it hang.

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Yes. Supported.

I went to the Pick-n-Pull today and found another set of blue leather big bolstered seats in a 2003 New Beetle turbo.



I’ll clean these up and see how they look, in my wagon. They’re in better condition than the other set. No rips in the leather but the seat cushion is collapsed on the driver’s side. I might swap the lower half with the better half from the other set, if anything, just swap the seat cushion.

"Just found out it's a 2003! So yes, ALH with 11mm pump... " Mozambiquer

I feel there's an auto>manual tranny swap in your future,,,,,,,

I cleaned my mk4 beetle today, well at least the inside for now