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

[ToddA1]

Pulled the CGP module out of the Rotbox and started grinding on it, with the rotary tools. It had some areas that were nice and melty. This repair should be pretty easy. Hopefully, the module works....

Also probed the CGPs with a test light. Only the top one lit. Either the 2 lower are bad or there’s too much corrosion on them to read through. Sprayed them down with Kroil and let them sit. Maybe I’ll mess with them later.

-Todd

 

[ToddA1]

Here’s what I started with. The left side was melted over the fuse and required to be ground down to get the remnants out. The right terminal melted itself loose, melted the cover and was just a live wire dangling in the bay when I found it.

Ground it down, scuffed it up, drilled some holes for the Quick Steel to key through and cleaned it with brake clean and a toothbrush. The right terminal hole was drilled larger than it needed to be. I want to pack that hole with Quick Steel, then press the terminal in.

Packed liberally on all sides... I’ll grind off what I don’t need. I figure the excess will act as a heat sink, and prevent it getting melty, again. Shaved with a razor blade, while setting up, to minimize finish work.

Finished product, taken down with 100 grit and a Roloc on a die grinder. It’s sitting on one of my heat registers to cure and will get installed tomorrow. I have maybe 45 minutes into it. Fingers crossed, it works...

Btw, this thing is potted. No real way to open it up, without cutting it open.

-Todd

 

[Steve Addy]

Nice work Todd. I always figured if the top strip fuse holder was shot a person could find one of the older engine GP strip fuse holders from the Mk2 era diesels and use that too.

Or, a person could just fabricate a sealed inline fuse holder similar to what's under the dash and use a 50A maxi type fuse?

Either of these two methods would allow a person to abandon the melty part of this.

My assumption with the melting is that when a GP fails and starts drawing a lot of juice the fuse holder starts to melt. Seems if the current draw doesn't exceed the fuse capacity but the plastic melts there's a bit of a manufacturing or design problem.

Steve

 

[ToddA1]

Exactly, the left side is the load side, so an add on fuse would work fine.

It got installed and I also cleaned a bit of the CGP terminals, with a rotary tool. All of them now lit the test light... I was going to pull them to clean better, but the 8mm nuts were pretty frozen and I didn’t want to open a can of worms, so I left them alone.

Out of curiosity, I disconnected the coolant sensor and turned the key on. The GPs lit off, but the outputs from the CGP module were dead. Either this module is bad or something else isn’t telling them to light off.

I may run a small lamp wired to the outputs to see what’s happening, but that’s a project for another day.

Btw, I tried your trick with an oring at the CCV puck. We’ll see if it stops the dripping. Amazingly enough, this car doesn’t appear to leak oil, at least on the driveway.

-Todd

 

[Steve Addy]

Exactly, the left side is the load side, so an add on fuse would work fine.

It got installed and I also cleaned a bit of the CGP terminals, with a rotary tool. All of them now lit the test light... I was going to pull them to clean better, but the 8mm nuts were pretty frozen and I didn’t want to open a can of worms, so I left them alone.

Out of curiosity, I disconnected the coolant sensor and turned the key on. The GPs lit off, but the outputs from the CGP module were dead. Either this module is bad or something else isn’t telling them to light off.

I may run a small lamp wired to the outputs to see what’s happening, but that’s a project for another day.

Btw, I tried your trick with an oring at the CCV puck. We’ll see if it stops the dripping. Amazingly enough, this car doesn’t appear to leak oil, at least on the driveway.

-Todd

So far mine is doing a good job stopping the drip but I have to admit I'm not excited about that o-ring being in there. As unlikely as it is, if it broke and fell down in to the bottom of the tube I would not be happy. It is nice to have the drip under control though.

I really wish we could get to the bottom of this CGP thing, I feel like the information shouldn't be that tough to come by, the triggers should really be the same as those for the engine GP's. After all, what other sensors are there? It's always been a coolant temp sensor that's triggered GP's, why would it be any different with these?

Steve

 

[Abacus]

My understanding is that the CGPs are triggered by coolant temp and IAT from the G72. I don't remember the on-off temps but think the off was 60°C.

There are 2 sets of CGPs, one low power and two that come on to provide higher power. One, two, or all 3 can be used. The low power is controlled by the J359 relay and the two high power are controlled by the J360 relay, both of which are housed in the J325 coolant glow plug fusible link housing. Only the low power is used until the afterglow of the engine glow plugs turns off, then the other two can kick on. This is to avoid overloading the battery.

I'll have a look in Bentley to see what else I missed because it's been a few years since I looked into them. Bentley calls them 'spark plugs', btw.

(Edit) I found the section in the Bentley., page N 01-84.

It lists the reasons for the 'Additional heater' for being off: coolant temp more than 70° to 80°C or IAT more than +5°C, generator faulty, battery voltage below 9V, engine speed below 760, engine start within last 10 seconds, and G62 or G72 faulty.
(/edit)

 

[Steve Addy]

What did I do today? Well I think I smelled coolant from the dash vents, which makes me very unhappy given that it was a new heater core installed in in 10/14 and not actually used until 04/16.

That's another Meyle item I won't be buying again. I wouldn't have used it but I already had it and it was brand new. Now I really wish I'd gone for the all aluminum core from the B5, screw these plastic tanks.

Steve

 

[Abacus]

Yep, I refuse to install anything else.

But then again, I shy away from the job in general.

 

[Steve Addy]

Yep, I refuse to install anything else.

But then again, I shy away from the job in general.

Yeah, I almost got one for this but since I had the other sitting for a while I opted to just use it. Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine that any heater core would fail that quickly. Thank you Meyle...worse than the crappy OE VW heater cores that failed miserably.

This really ruins my winter. To think I have to gut and pull that dash assembly again is like the worst news in the world.

Steve

 

[Abacus]

Also why I won't install a Meyle part on a car, except the B4 HD front strut mounts, those are OK.

 

[TDIL3dad]

Which heater core do you recommend (not Meyle obviously)?

That's a job that I've put off on the black daily driver that I must do sooner than later. Thank goodness for my heated seats.

 

[Sprocket]

Are the heater cores from VW no longer available? I'd go genuine in this case if possible.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

A3/B4 heater cores are still available, or so it appears. $210 dealer retail. We also have one from Valeo for $59.95. Valeo may make the OE one, I'm not sure.

 

[Steve Addy]

Which heater core do you recommend (not Meyle obviously)?

That's a job that I've put off on the black daily driver that I must do sooner than later. Thank goodness for my heated seats.

Are the heater cores from VW no longer available? I'd go genuine in this case if possible.

VW heater cores were notoriously unreliable too so I don't think OE is a reasonable answer, after all, VW obviously didn't make them. There have been heater core recalls on some B3 and Mk2 cars and there should have been recalls on Mk3 too, especially after hot coolant was shot out of some mk3 dash vents.

It's like saying heater core x in a Mk2 needs a recall but heater core x in a Mk3 does not. It's absolute rubbish IMO. The recalls should have covered any model that used the same core and in the 90's (93-97) all VW cars used the same core regardless of the fact that VW might have implemented different part numbers. In fact all Mk2 cars (85-92) and B3 (90-94) used the core too so there were lots of bad cores that VW didn't have to deal with.

What irritates me is that this core is absolutely new unused and should have performed for years without any issue...but it hasn't.

The all aluminum core I mentioned was installed on some B5 Passat and Audi cars with the part number 8D1819030B and can be fitted to the Mk2/3 B3/4 cars with just a tiny amount of tweaking to the direction of the pipes as they come through the cowl. It's not an identical replacement but it is a viable alternative if you're wanting to eliminate the plastic capped version specified for most of the VW cars. It is however an identical replacement in terms of the core fitment into the heater box, that is identical, it's just the tubes that are slightly different.

I will warn you though that there are some plastic capped / piped models of the heater core that carry that part number or are being sold with that part number, you can tell because the pipes are plastic. The all aluminum ones clearly have aluminum pipes and top to the core.

There are several vendors for these cores, this one I've recommended to others before and one I know others with VW's have purchased. I hope that link works right, it's from my watch list so I'm sure it's specific to my account, but also you can search on the part number too. Just be sure it's all aluminum.

Also, you can locate it by searching on this item number:

400682876656

Looks like I'm going to have to order a couple of these...

EDIT: here's a picture of what the all aluminum looks like, you can see into the top where ordinarily you would find a plastic cap and plastic pipes that it's aluminum.

EDIT: all metal core also for VW/Audi part number 8D1819031C

Based on review of the VWVortex thread from years ago the pipes at the end need to be gently nursed downward just a little. I have ordered one and will compare with the plastic tank / pipe version when it arrives to see what has to be done. If the one I ordered meets my expectations I will be ordering a second one for the Mk3.

The discussion on VWVortex is in this thread. The link dumps you out at the most recent page.

Steve

 

[Abacus]

W386's battery has not been robust as of late and he mentioned having to charge it to start his B4V, which was previously mine. For Christmas my older brother and I bought him an H8 battery but he's been lax in installing it because the daily high has been into the low single digits, with one day getting as high as 1°F. I finally went by and installed it, whereby I started the car and the cluster was completely fried, like only two LED's worked. He'd been using only his Scangauge for a few weeks but never told me about it.

This is with the car running:

And this is with the car off:

And I noticed the starter dragging and then staying engaged. My older brother gave me a propane heater for the garage so I told W386 to bring the car over and I'd swap clusters and starters since I had both on the shelf. I suspect that either the starter dragged down the battery or the battery killed the starter, which then smoked the cluster either way. His speedometer had been about 10 mph off for a few months he said.

I found a Kuat NV 2.0 bike rack on Craigslist that was new for virtually half price (not stolen, the owner had the receipt, it just wouldn't fit his new Foes Mutz with the larger front fork. Being on-call, I could not drive to Nashua to get it, so he agreed to take my car and fetch it while I worked on his wagon.

The starter was straightforward and simple:

And since I have fielded so many calls and e-mails about how to get the *&^%$# starter bolt back in, here is where you place the jack and how high you lift the car. The tires do not come close to coming off the ground.

The starter took about 1/2 hour total and the bolts slid in by hand. I also replaced some of the wire loom since chafing was starting in the starter area.

The car started immediately then, the old starter was dragging and not providing fast enough rotation.

The cluster went right in as well, and I have two MFA's with Derek now that are being converted to TDI, and I'll throw this one his way when they come back.

And then I did an oil change he asked if I could do while I was in there. It hadn't been 10K yet but had been over a year.

But, my overall inspection of the car that I always do revealed a leaking front caliper, so we'll get that changed out soon.

And I need to change his CCV tube since it's leaking profusely. If it's OEM (which I think it is since I try not to use CRAP parts), I'll just swap the o-ring, but I'mnot touching it until it reaches the freezing temp.

<continued>

 

[Abacus]

<continued>

And I need to do an IP reseal sometime in the spring.

This is the pump the previous owner paid $2,000 for a dealership to install because the original one was leaking. I'll toss the $30 kit on it and call it good. It doesn't leak down or show any other symptoms of needing replacement yet.

And for those wondering how to adjust your headlights, I marked them up years ago.

And of course the wife said the stealership told her the rear brake pads were 'completely gone' on her 2014 Kia Sorento. I replaced them at 83K and it has 123K on it now. The one I'm holding up next to it is a new pad.

But I did find, which they missed, a caliper boot that came off. The piston is rusted but still works OK, so I'll have to get a new caliper.

And W386 arrived back with my sedan (and bike rack) and thought it threw a wheel weight because he said it didn't feel as smooth going down the road.

I started it up to put it in the garage and it started fine but was very lumpy and it's always smooth. I ran the Vag-Com on it and it showed no codes but the smooth idle balance (injector Group 013) showed one at +2.99 and one at -2.41, with the other looking not as healthy as it was. Great, just what I needed with the wagon down.

So over the next few days (I am on-call and have the work truck) I'll remove the belt components (which look smooth running) to see if it changes, check static timing (dynamic timing was within spec), and then check to see if a lifter collapsed. If nothing there pops up I'll toss in my spare injectors. These injectors were set up by DBW, are DLC PP520's, always ran flawlessly, are about 7 or 8 years old and have 110K on them. My spares are the same thing with about 10K on them but they've been on the shelf, so I'll clean them in the ultrasonic and then check the spray pattern in the new pop-tester.

UGH, never a dull day with a B4.

 

[97B4TDi]

Replaced a glow plug that went bad and caused a pesky CEL.

I can imagine they have had quite the toll taken on them with the cold streak up here in WI.

 

[ToddA1]

Based on review of the VWVortex thread from years ago the pipes at the end need to be gently nursed downward just a little. I have ordered one and will compare with the plastic tank / pipe version when it arrives to see what has to be done. If the one I ordered meets my expectations I will be ordering a second one for the Mk3.

The discussion on VWVortex is in this thread. The link dumps you out at the most recent page.

I’m curious to see the amount of tweaking this will require. I considered this for the wagon, but went with the standard design, because I didn’t want to make a bad job worse.

There was nothing wrong with my core, but since I had the box out, there was no way I was leaving the (likely original) Valeo, in there. This was before I knew of the blend door sticky.

I know you mentioned you were planning on fixing your blend doors, but it sucks that you’re being forced into it, sooner than planned.

-Todd

 

[Steve Addy]

I’m curious to see the amount of tweaking this will require. I considered this for the wagon, but went with the standard design, because I didn’t want to make a bad job worse.

There was nothing wrong with my core, but since I had the box out, there was no way I was leaving the (likely original) Valeo, in there. This was before I knew of the blend door sticky.

I know you mentioned you were planning on fixing your blend doors, but it sucks that you’re being forced into it, sooner than planned.

-Todd

I will be sure and take comparative photos once the new core arrives so you can assess whether you want to do this or not. It'll be here sometime next week.

I understand the reluctance to go bending on heater core pipes but I don't think the tweaking will be all that much. Pictures will show us what we need to do.

I can't begin to express my discontent with the new Meyle heater core. This is one mess that I did not want to have to deal with again and never expected to have to deal with again.

The core in the B3V had already been replaced under VW recall but the job was really poor quality.

Steve

 

[powerstrokeless]

Super cold down here in VA. Like below 0.

Started the B4, started right-up, but the cluster came up blank! Drove it around and no speedometer! No fuel gauge, nothin.

After reading Abacus. I assume the cluster is fried? Had Chubs Auto repair it several years ago. Guess these clusters don't like the cold.

 

[ToddA1]

I’d check the grounds at the head, first.

Not a huge fan of the design... the ground point is at a metal bracket. If there’s corrosion between that bracket and the head, that’s another fail point. Getting that bracket off, is a pain.

-Todd

 

[Abacus]

I agree, if the car started right up fine, then it's probably something else.

 

[Abacus]

I did some diagnosing on the sedan today with no conclusions.

W386 and I also put most of the wagon back together before we both got cold and tired. I'll finish it up tomorrow and then try for a sticker later in the week.

 

[Steve Addy]

After further investigation I now kind of think that the coolant leak is NOT the heater core.

I realized on the way home the other day that while casually cruising down the highway there was no odor of coolant from the heater. It was only when I came to a stop at traffic lights (or other) that the hot coolant fumes would become present.

So on a hunch I took the car for a drive today with a brisk warmup to bring the car to full operating temperature. Next I switched to Max AC setting to close the outside air intake and exited the freeway coming to a stop light. At this point I switched to dash vents only so as to make sure there was sufficient air movement near my head and lo and behold there was no hot coolant smell coming in to the cabin.

Further, when I got home I opened the hood and found I could smell hot coolant in the engine compartment. From where though is still a mystery though since I already kind of checked all the easy fittings that I thought might contribute to this, except for the EGR cooler, which I cannot really see all that well from my vantage point.

Next stop is to get a mirror and start inspecting the back side of the engine for anything coolant related that might be creating this smell. While hopefully removing the annoying heater core replacement (for at least a while) it could potentially be something even more annoying...

Steve

 

[powerstrokeless]

Cluster

I’d check the grounds at the head, first.

Not a huge fan of the design... the ground point is at a metal bracket. If there’s corrosion between that bracket and the head, that’s another fail point. Getting that bracket off, is a pain.

-Todd

Why just the gauges that went blank? and not anything else? And why would the ground go bad and it happened at the coldest day?

 

[lisab4]

Steve, The small 3-way hose might be leaking?

 

[Steve Addy]

Steve, The small 3-way hose might be leaking?

Thanks for the tip, but unfortunately I don't think it's either of those, all the connections on the front, upper rad, lower rad, pair of 3 way hoses etc are all bone dry and showing no evidence of leaking. Even the pair of heater core connections at the cowl are dry as a bone.

I think what ever it is that's leaking it's either on the block on the backside of the engine or the EGR cooler. That would mean EGR cooler connections that I can't see, the cooler itself, or frost plugs.

Weather is much better here the last few days so I'll try and get under it to see what's actually going on.

Steve

 

[turbodieseldyke]

Hopefully you're not overpressuring out the reservoir cap.

 

[Steve Addy]

Hopefully you're not overpressuring out the reservoir cap.

Nope, checked that first thing. The cap got a new o-ring back in 2015 when the VR6 reservoir was first installed but there's never been any hint of pressure problems anywhere in the system, all forward hoses are sealed with no leaks and all are using OE spring clamps.

There is nothing to suggest that this is a head gasket issue, as I said I inspected all the easy to see connections and it's none of them. It's also been fine up until just the last couple weeks when I first detected a hint of coolant odor.

I'll know more later this afternoon I hope!

Steve

 

[Abacus]

Anyone know how to repair the plastic fuel lines from the tank to the filter?