Upgrades and Quirks

[Yetii]

Hello. So my manual swap is complete and I am in love with the vehicle. I am looking for some suggestion on supporting mods, common issue fixes, and any weird quirks I can do to the vehicle.

As of right now I have EGR delete, euro headlights and switch with rear fogs. Stage one Malone. I’ve done the (gasket maker so it doesn’t leak oil), oilhammer’s big battery upgrade.I will be doing the fuel filter upgrade (after the free new filter I got is used up). I am planning on doing the colorMFA on the cluster. Upgrade the monsoon radio dto a RMT 100 radio. I’m looking for more of the OEM mods.

a big question I have is since I have the egr delete, I know some European models don’t come with them. What manifold and exhaust manifold would I need to make it look like it didn’t come with a EGR stock (as in no block plates). I’m looking and I believe the PD131 manifold would work from korwerks, but I can’t find an exhaust manifold i would need. Appreciate any help.

last question. If I start a car journal should I start it here in the b5.5 thread or the tdi conversions thread?

thanks
-yetii

 

[Mozambiquer]

Hello. So my manual swap is complete and I am in love with the vehicle. I am looking for some suggestion on supporting mods, common issue fixes, and any weird quirks I can do to the vehicle.

As of right now I have EGR delete, euro headlights and switch with rear fogs. Stage one Malone. I’ve done the (gasket maker so it doesn’t leak oil), oilhammer’s big battery upgrade.I will be doing the fuel filter upgrade (after the free new filter I got is used up). I am planning on doing the colorMFA on the cluster. Upgrade the monsoon radio dto a RMT 100 radio. I’m looking for more of the OEM mods.

a big question I have is since I have the egr delete, I know some European models don’t come with them. What manifold and exhaust manifold would I need to make it look like it didn’t come with a EGR stock (as in no block plates). I’m looking and I believe the PD131 manifold would work from korwerks, but I can’t find an exhaust manifold i would need. Appreciate any help.

last question. If I start a car journal should I start it here in the b5.5 thread or the tdi conversions thread?

thanks
-yetii

I'm guessing you did the balance shaft, correct? There's some w8 passat mods that are kinda cool, though they can get pricey... like the sunroof controls, brakes, suspension, etc.
The leather interior from a glx or w8 also (not sure what your interior is like.)

And as far as the journal... do it here in the b5 section, as it's not a tdi conversion (manual conversion, yes, but that's not what that section is necessarily for)

 

[Yetii]

I'm guessing you did the balance shaft, correct? There's some w8 passat mods that are kinda cool, though they can get pricey... like the sunroof controls, brakes, suspension, etc.
The leather interior from a glx or w8 also (not sure what your interior is like.)

And as far as the journal... do it here in the b5 section, as it's not a tdi conversion (manual conversion, yes, but that's not what that section is necessarily for)

Yeah BSM delete has been done. Pretty much every maintenance item I can think of has been done. Lots of new parts on the car even if it didn’t need it. Since I was in there i said “might as well”. I have black leather interior in fantastic condition same with the headliner. (Considering how hots it’s been getting I kinda want light colored cloth seats. Tinted windows and sun visor) I have practically mint condition monster mats. The big brake upgrade I wanna do. I am also adding the hazard triangle in the trunk lid. I just seen a oem subwoofer that goes in the trunk up top that looks cool. I have the home link with the garage buttons. I need a MFSW. I upgraded all the interior lights to LEDs. I’m trynna think what else. For my headlights I gotta add the tilt sensor but the kit is like $700 unless somewhere has one for cheap.

 

[Mozambiquer]

Yeah BSM delete has been done. Pretty much every maintenance item I can think of has been done. Lots of new parts on the car even if it didn’t need it. Since I was in there i said “might as well”. I have black leather interior in fantastic condition same with the headliner. (Considering how hots it’s been getting I kinda want light colored cloth seats. Tinted windows and sun visor) I have practically mint condition monster mats. The big brake upgrade I wanna do. I am also adding the hazard triangle in the trunk lid. I just seen a oem subwoofer that goes in the trunk up top that looks cool. I have the home link with the garage buttons. I need a MFSW. I upgraded all the interior lights to LEDs. I’m trynna think what else. For my headlights I gotta add the tilt sensor but the kit is like $700 unless somewhere has one for cheap.

Nice! The black leather interior is not that common and is sought after. If you decide to convert to cloth, (imho a downgrade, but I understand the reasoning... black leather is HOT in the summer.) You could easily sell the interior for a good price. I'm trying to decide how much cool stuff I want to do on mine, lol. Shouldn't do too much, as it gets expensive quick.

 

[oilhammer]

European PDs most certainly have an EGR system. Some were still vacuum operated, however. If you want to make it "look" like it has the equipment, leave the equipment on it. You can change its behavior with software.

I would not mess with any fuel filter beyond the Bosch unit it came with.

Good idea to take all the fender liners out and clean/treat underneath them, and remove the foam blocks from the front (or at least trim them way back), and undercoat the inner lip of the fenders.

 

[Yetii]

Nice! The black leather interior is not that common and is sought after. If you decide to convert to cloth, (imho a downgrade, but I understand the reasoning... black leather is HOT in the summer.) You could easily sell the interior for a good price. I'm trying to decide how much cool stuff I want to do on mine, lol. Shouldn't do too much, as it gets expensive quick.

I thought the cloth was more rare haha.

European PDs most certainly have an EGR system. Some were still vacuum operated, however. If you want to make it "look" like it has the equipment, leave the equipment on it. You can change its behavior with software.

I would not mess with any fuel filter beyond the Bosch unit it came with.

Good idea to take all the fender liners out and clean/treat underneath them, and remove the foam blocks from the front (or at least trim them way back), and undercoat the inner lip of the fenders.

so all European PD motors came with EGRs? Are there any PD engines that don’t have an EGR? I have the block plates and EGR delete on my Malone tune. I’m not worried about emissions or inspection. It’s more of a visual for me. The block plates work but if there was an intake that originally didn’t have an EGR so it didn’t even need block plates that be nice.

 

[oilhammer]

Nope, TDIs all had EGRs:



Random pic of a European 8v PD engine...

 

[A4QTDI]

I have AVF (oldest longitudinal PD) intake on B6 BHW swap. It has vacuum EGR but not EGR cooler. Why remove EGR?

 

[Yetii]

Nope, TDIs all had EGRs:

View attachment 124493

Random pic of a European 8v PD engine...

Oh well wishful thinking.

 

[Yetii]

I have AVF (oldest longitudinal PD) intake on B6 BHW swap. It has vacuum EGR but not EGR cooler. Why remove EGR?

Why is removing the EGR bad? I’d assume having exhaust fumes recirculating in the engine would be bad no?

 

[Yetii]

Also @oilhammer you recommend a genuine fuel filter or OE over the 5 micron fuel upgrade listed in the how to sticky?

 

[Windex]

Why is removing the EGR bad? I’d assume having exhaust fumes recirculating in the engine would be bad no?

EGR recirculates a small amount of exhaust into the intake to act as an inert gas in the combustion cycle.

This has the effect of reducing the overall combustion temperature to reduce the formation of oxides of nitrogen.

These oxides, are a contributor to smog, and generally quite acrid smelling if you follow a tdi up a hill with an egr delete.

It only recirculates at part throttle, and is so unobtrusive on the PDs that there is really no need to delete, unless you have an egr xooler leaking coolant.

The ALH engines had an intake carbon issue which the egr function on those cars contributed to, but not so much on the PD engines.

 

[A4QTDI]

EGR recirculates a small amount of exhaust into the intake to act as an inert gas in the combustion cycle.

This has the effect of reducing the overall combustion temperature to reduce the formation of oxides of nitrogen.

These oxides, are a contributor to smog, and generally quite acrid smelling if you follow a tdi up a hill with an egr delete.

It only recirculates at part throttle, and is so unobtrusive on the PDs that there is really no need to delete, unless you have an egr xooler leaking coolant.

The ALH engines had an intake carbon issue which the egr function on those cars contributed to, but not so much on the PD engines.

I consider 2 emissions system to be "free" as there is no harm to performance, economy or engine life. EGR is one and oxidation catalyst is the other. Both make the car smell better and pollute less.

 

[Mozambiquer]

Why is removing the EGR bad? I’d assume having exhaust fumes recirculating in the engine would be bad no?

Not necessarily.
One of the main benefits is that it helps the engine get up to temp sooner. I have the dynamic egr tune on my daily driver car, it helps a lot. My other passats are deleted. One because the egr cooler failed, and it was a lot cheaper to delete on that beat up old car than to replace the cooler. The other one was deleted when I got it by the previous owner.

 

[Yetii]

Well, the car came with the EGR deleted. I still have it but the valve is caked in carbon. I’ve always understood in any diesel it wasn’t a bad idea to take it off.

If the ALH had a problem with intake carb and the PD didn’t why even risk it and just take it off to keep it clean anyway. Also the smell of diesel doesn’t bother me I feel like that’s something that comes with owning a diesel is the “smell”.

If one of the benefits of the EGR is to help warm the car up faster well the car warms up plenty fast enough in the winter in my opinion.

 

[oilhammer]

The switch to ULSD was a drastic improvement for any intake carbon buildup issues. That happened around 2007 or so. The rollout was not instantaneous over the entire country, as it took some time to purge the system. Since the PDs came out in 2004, some of them never experienced much LSD in the first place, plus their EGR design is such that it speeds up the velocity in a manner that doesn't give it as much chance to build up like the VEs did. So improved fuel plus improved design means there is not a lot of issues with the EGR systems on the PDs beyond the coolers themselves, which on the BHW is not super common although it can happen. In any event, there is simply no need to remove the components even if you do not want it working, as that is easily changed with software.