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B4V with 330k miles. I got a condition where the power steering fluid is foaming up and shooting out of the reservoir. In addition to making a mess and growling like mini-Chewbacca at the pump, it killed my battery by getting PS fluid in the battery overflow nipple. Bleeding the PS system...

Hey folks! Any tips on troubleshooting B4 power lock vacuum lines? My pump whines and whines and can't get all doors locked or unlocked. But I can't figure out how the line connectors work or where to find a good junction to try to isolate a leak. I don't want to force the connectors apart...

Need a little help from the forums this week. I've driving cross-country trailing a motorcycle and I've hit a bit of a snag. Battery light started flickering this morning at 65 mph+. At first it would stop flickering if I released the accelerator, but in an hour it was solid at 65 mph+, and by...

Hey folks, I need to haul a 425 lb KLR650 motorcycle from Hoboken NJ to Oakland CA. I'm on a budget so I'd like to do this as cheap as possible (under $200 is great, maybe $500 max). I have a 1996 B4V TDI Passat Wagon and I already have a Class II 1-1/4" receiver hitch and wiring ready...

The SO loved my 96 B4V so much she got her own 2011 TDI Golf. Bought it from a guy in CT. We haven't had it for two fillups even, when it develops a nasty intermittent clack from the engine. 50k miles exact on odo. SO wants to take it to the stealership for a diagnostic. I'm trying to avoid...

So the NY storm winds blew my motorcycle over, shattering my Passat wagon's back window. No one, not even the dealer, seems to have this piece of glass. Ebay, calls to a dozen glass shops, all nothing. Damn. Does anyone have a source for this rear glass, or a salvage yard or salvage supplier...

I need the rear window glass for my B4V TDI Passat wagon. Last night's gales blew my motorcycle over, handlebar hit right on the edge of the glass, shattered it. Seems like a hard part to find new or used.

Has anyone run 205/70R14 tires? I'm fond of riding taller now. I've had 195/70R14 tires on my car for the last year or two and I'm super pleased. Speedo seems close to dead on, maybe a little fast. Handles nice, looks good too. And the extra height lowers freeway RPMs and reduces drag by more...

I've been getting a consistent 35 mpg or so, which seems really low. Sometimes I get close to 40. This has held up through two timing belt changes, three IP timings, a head rebuild, and a IP head seal replacement. Nothing seems to matter much, except I swore I had way more power before the IP...

Do I need a thicker head gasket? Finally tore down the head to fix a leaky head gasket. Had the head resurfaced and valves redone. Reassembled everything, torqued the head down, but now the motor won't turn by hand back to TDC (we had moved it off TDC to clean the block surface). It's shy by...

Hey folks, I found an online source for a 1Z and AHU TDI shop manual. It says Audi but it's for the same VW motors. http://www.2shared.com/file/VCdwvvfv/Audi_Engine_TDI_19__1Z_and_AHU.html

Hey folks, Time to replace the head gasket on my B4V. I've looked here and on Google but haven't been able to find a good step-by-step DIY guide. Anyone have a link? Also while I got the head off, what else should I replace? Obviously the head, intake, and exhaust gaskets, but should I do the...

I'm stumped. I have a 96 B4V with a 1Z motor and I am losing coolant, sometimes a little, sometimes a ton, and I can't for the life of me figure out where it is going. Here's what I have done to date (more or less in order): Temp gauge used to always read 180, has been reading 195 since this...

I've been having a curious and mysterious loss of coolant. I've chased it for months and replaced most of the coolant system, only to find *most* of the loss was coming from a failed coolant cap! D'oh! $6.99 at my local auto parts store got me a replacement cap. Sadly, you get what you pay for...

Hey folks, I could really use a hand here. I just broke down in Cotati Ca and my dog and I are stranded. I'd been having coolant loss issues and finally tracked it down to the coolant cap. I replaced that yesterday. Driving on the highway today I thought I smelled coolant, so I pulled over to...

Hey folks, A couple of years ago I have my timing belt done at (UNNAMED VW SHOP). At the time I paid them extra to replace the water pump and thermostat at the same time. I had some bad experiences with this shop (and others) and I stopped going to them. I now do all my own work. I have the...

Hi Folks, I recently replaced my Fuel Shutoff Solenoid which had actually exploded a little — the plastic bit at the top blew off, but that's another story. In replacing it I had to remove the two torx that hold IP Wiring Harness Bracket on, and after restarting the car I noticed a significant...

Hi folks, I'm about a year into my 1996 TDI Passat wagon now and I still love it. I do not, however, love the crappy veggie oil conversion that came with it. I've now removed almost all of it and I still have some damage to repair. I am posting this as a warning to first-time SVO/WVO buyers to...

yes, i know, total nube move on my part. don't flame me, i'm already bummed out. but i had the option of getting more diesel first, or picking up the pizza first, and maaaan, i was hungry! it was starting to hesitate a little when i stopped it but it was still running. it would not restart...

hey folks! i know that many of us use biofuels, especially waste veggie oil, as a means to reduce our carbon footprint. in another thread it was stated that there's no link between diet and fuel usage. i found this awesome link recently that puts that to the test! Carbon Footprint of a...