What Jetta and engine to buy ...

I was making my own BD and my life got busier and diesel prices were dropping so I just stopped production and went back to the dark[diesel] side.
By the time I got the PD, I had been out of BD for years.
I changed out the fuel lines as a pre-emptive measure since BD will soften and cause leaks in some materials.
Other than that, ALH's are fine with BD.

Brian O'Dell said:

Fruitcake,

I'm cleaning that the PD/BEW is not turn key ready for bio? Why did you decide not to run bio in your PD/BEW?

Am I misinformed that the ALH is not turn key ready for bio? You mentioned changing hoses. My understanding is that it didn't need any modifications.

Thanks. I'm still new to this.

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Brian O'Dell said:

Prairie Chic,

You never had an ALH that ran properly, but you recommend I get an ALH? I just want to make sure I got that right?

Any chance you ran bio in any of yours?

Thanks

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They didn't run properly when I got them... both were your typical cars that were not maintained and were due for 2nd timing belt/200k maintenance. Still going thru the Beetle although it is running well. The Golf is running top notch and a joy to drive.

Prairie C,

Cool, thanks. Just wanted to make sure I heard that right. If there are any other tips you can think of let me know.

What kind of mileage is the Golf getting?

Thanks

no bio for me...

IBW pretty much nailed it - air/fuel/boost issues are common, especially if you are a Craiglist bottom feeder like me. Simple stuff I've dealt with that will make a big difference:
vacuum lines (how can an owner not change those things in 15 years???)
clean intake/intake runners
clean intercooler - inside and out
clean turbo *** the easy off method will work - at least enough to get the vanes moving but I've done it both ways and pulling the turbo to properly clean is worth the effort.

as far as FE - I've gotten about a 8 mpg increase in the Golf since cleaning it up. My son gets 50+ on the highway now and he doesn't hypermile like I do.
Beetle... I can't say, the wife doesn't let me know what her mileage numbers are - grrr. My 3 year running avg in the Jetta is over 50 mpg with about 40% highway driving, record highway tank is 60. I want to say the tune helped but I don't have comparable data since my work location changed and on a normal tank I'm rarely on the highway, but I still get 50+mpg tanks with no highway driving at all. I don't fart around on trips anymore... just want to get there asap.

Tune - I decided to try Blacksmoke to get a cheap tune with egr delete. At the time I had zero plans for any mods. Of course that has changed, so I would have been better off starting with a Malone tune and then upgrading. Golf is going to get a clutch, nozzles and a Malone tune (undecided on which). My Jetta will eventually get a vnt17/tune when the stock turbo gets replaced. I am going to keep a close eye on it - don't want to go thru another turbo failure/runaway like just did with the Golf. My Jetta has 230k on the turbo.

Sorry for the rambling... I"m still a newbie so a lot of this is fresh in my mind.

Ok,

Does anyone know where I can talk to someone who has run bio in their ALH or BEW? I can't seem to find anyone in the alternative fuels forum.

Thanks

Brian O'Dell said:

Ok,

Does anyone know where I can talk to someone who has run bio in their ALH or BEW? I can't seem to find anyone in the alternative fuels forum.

Thanks

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What do you need to know? I burn between B5-B10 in my ALH Jetta at present and in the past burned higher mixtures. At one point Maryland had a rebate program and B100 was cheaper after the rebate than D2 fuel.

I changed out my return hoses between injectors to a bio resistant line, but other than that no other changes were necessary to do so. Personally if I had a BEW I would think twice before burning higher percentages of bio, as the pressures and temperatures are higher with those injectors and the injectors themselves are much more expensive than the ALH models.

Dave

Dave,

If you were starting from scratch and going to run mostly, almost exclusively B100 and B99.9;

1. Which engine would you get? It sounds like ALH. But just checking. Your objection to running bio in a BEW is the maintenance costs?

2. Assuming the ALH Jetta wagon is stock, what needs to be changed if you're going to run B100 and what would you say is optional to be changed?

Thanks.

Brian

If I were planning on running almost exclusively B100 I would definitely be going with an ALH. I would make sure the return lines between injectors were resistant to bio-diesel as the original lines would degrade. I would be ready to change out the fuel filter, as using B100 will flush any crap in the fuel tank and if there is a lot it can clog the filter. This can also less frequently cause problems with the screen and check valve in the fuel pickup in the tank. If so you will need to pull the pickup from the tank and either clean it or replace it. No other changes are required.

Keep in mind that the ALH engines are at the latest in 2003 models. So any ALH model is a minimum of 14 years old and will have associated body and interior issues due to its age. This of course is true of any 14 year old car, and addressing them is independent of the engine in the vehicle. Parts are still available and there are no difficulties using parts from cars without the ALH engine for anything outside the drive train and engine control system.

Another concern is the quality of the bio-diesel you are running. If it is a commercial product meeting the appropriate standards you should be fine. If, however, you are brewing your own you will need to be sure that you are processing the oil to meet the appropriate standards. This can be done, but it requires following the appropriate procedures with the proper equipment. Excess methanol or water in the product or incompletely converted oil will cause problems with your injection pump, injectors and in extreme cases can even result in engine damage.

Dave

Dave,

Thanks man. I guy in the alternative fuel forum also poo poo'd runing B100 in a BEW. So I'll be looking for real here in the next few months. I'll do my research on my local sources of bio.

If anyone has a recommendation for a mechanic in the western Washington or Seattle are please let me know. Also any leads on high quality B100 in WA, BC, ID or OR would be awesome.

Thanks again

Brian

From the Alternative Fuel forum:
Sticky: Poll: Biodiesel Prices & Locations By State/province
VW Vortex also keeps a list.
Although the alternative fuel forum has less traffic, you'll get better info over there, especially with google advanced search using that URL. They have stuff about the various kits and DIY set-ups.

Lug_Nut here has run high percentages of biodiesel in PDs for several years. You might want to PM him.

Word of caution!
The seals in the fuel pump can be negatively effected when using bio-diesel.
Seals tend to swell with the use of bio-diesel and shrink with regular diesel.
It is recommended that if you use bio-diesel in the same percentages at all times.

Don't switch back and forth, maintain a constant.

You can have the pump built for bio-diesel changing the seal material and o-rings.