Help please, travel emergency

[FarminJohnny]

Hi all,

Was working on replacing the vacuum hoses on my 2000 tdi beetle while my daughter is taking her exams, and managed to snap off the connector on the vacuum bottle at the base. Kind of a problem because I'm in Bar Harbor Maine and all but a few of my tools are in Pennsylvania.

Thinking I have 3 options, maybe somebody has a better one:

1. can I just plug the hose for now and run it without the reservoir?

2. I have a tube of the red pro seal RTV silicone. Was thinking of making a hole in a bit of cardboard, putting the hose through that, and then pretty much filling the space above with the RTV in the "cowl" that's around where the pin was. If I do that, should I use the nice new hose I have (with the cloth on it), or some of the still passable smooth hose that someone put on there?

3. I suppose I could also but a can of broth or something at the market across the street, poke a couple holes in the top, drain it as best I can, then put the hose in one hole, jtv + something to plug the other hole, and jtv to seal where the hose or fitting goes into the can.

I can't seem to be able to upload a pic here but hopefully y'all get the idea. BTW the reason I bothered trying to do this while away is that it goes into limp mode once in a while when switching from highway speed to stuck in traffic speed. And it seemed easy enough to work on because it would normally not need a lot of tools.

 

[ninedee_golf_tdi]

I think a simple solution like finding a suitably sized tube and epoxying it in place on the reservoir would be sufficient.

 

[KrashDH]

For now, just plug the line. Golf tee, screw, vacuum cap.... Some of us don't run the vac ball/canister any more. It doesn't hurt anything to delete it

 

[FarminJohnny]

Well you're now twice my hero, Krash. Nice to do the easy way, I have a bolt that fits it perfectly.

also I figured out how to upload a pic:

IMG_20231118_114056888.jpg

oops, broke the vacuum stem!

forums.tdiclub.com

 

[KrashDH]

Glad you're rolling again! That's what forums are for! Haha what was the first time it I may ask?

 

[burpod]

nice, easy fix! no need for the vac ball anyway might as well just remove it from the engine bay

 

[FarminJohnny]

Going ahead with the head seal for the injection pump rather than trying to work on the fittings.

Glad you're rolling again! That's what forums are for! Haha what was the first time it I may ask?

 

[JETaah]

nice, easy fix! no need for the vac ball anyway might as well just remove it from the engine bay

Hmmm....And here I thought that the ball reservoir and black and white check valve give the N75 valve it's own little environment to maintain a steadier vacuum supply in the event that the brakes are pumped a few times like in stop and go traffic, EGR operation, etc...it takes a few seconds for vacuum to recover from brake application is what I've noticed. Especially if things are not brand new.

 

[burpod]

Hmmm....And here I thought that the ball reservoir and black and white check valve give the N75 valve it's own little environment to maintain a steadier vacuum supply in the event that the brakes are pumped a few times like in stop and go traffic, EGR operation, etc...it takes a few seconds for vacuum to recover from brake application is what I've noticed. Especially if things are not brand new.

i've deleted both of those on a number of cars, don't notice any issues with braking at all. except perhaps if car is off and you press on the brake, that's about it... my mk1 and mk3 tdi's haven't had either of those items in years.... i suppose if you're pumping the brakes a bunch and then try to floor it maybe that would be a little bit of an issue, but that's kind of a silly scenario?

 

[JETaah]

Not so silly in my estimation. It's not so much the braking that gets affected. It seems to take less vacuum to actuate the brakes. 15" Hg still does not start to feel too labored under your foot where as, that will make the turbo fall flat if you want to suddenly swap lanes in stop and go.
I did notice that on a troubled car and it made me look at vacuum supply as the issue. Like I said perhaps if all parts are working at 100% it may be less noticeable. This one had a failing internal check valve in the pump itself...oil present at the vacuum supply nipple and the vacuum was pulsing. It made it slower to recover after a pump or two on the brakes. The booster and its check valve were intact; pump's nipple was sealing properly.
Try it. Vacuum gauge on the isolated small vacuum supply nipple and pump the brakes a couple of times. Let me know what you see. How long does it take to recover to 25"hg?

 

[burpod]

Not so silly in my estimation. It's not so much the braking that gets affected. It seems to take less vacuum to actuate the brakes. 15" Hg still does not start to feel too labored under your foot where as, that will make the turbo fall flat if you want to suddenly swap lanes in stop and go.
I did notice that on a troubled car and it made me look at vacuum supply as the issue. Like I said perhaps if all parts are working at 100% it may be less noticeable. This one had a failing internal check valve in the pump itself...oil present at the vacuum supply nipple and the vacuum was pulsing. It made it slower to recover after a pump or two on the brakes. The booster and its check valve were intact; pump's nipple was sealing properly.
Try it. Vacuum gauge on the isolated small vacuum supply nipple and pump the brakes a couple of times. Let me know what you see. How long does it take to recover to 25"hg?

I will thoroughly test and log this , but I've never noticed any issue any any driving and I've had it his way for years

 

[burpod]

I don't have a vac gauge on me, but I will also test this with a vac gauge on the dash another day

 

[J_dude]

I was under the impression that the vac ball was just for the ASV, as it needs that little extra capacity to hold the valve shut as the car is shut off.
I had thought this theory was confirmed after I deleted the vac ball on mine, because I noticed that classic “diesel slowdown shudder” upon shutdown, which was not present when the ball was installed.
(My ASV was still functioning prior to deleting the ball, and is still currently installed and connected to vacuum, so I thought this to be somewhat conclusive?)

But I can very well be wrong, have been many times...

 

[burpod]

well, trying to test this out in wifes car being an automatic i couldn't really test it right, dont' want to mess up the trans. 280k on it and it's running perfect. but there's literally never been a situation (of which i've had many) where i had to brake and do a tight manuevuer out of a situation where i ever had a problem with boost or not enough power

i'll test it in my mk1 one of these days soon with also a vac gauge hooked up to the n75 so i can see that as well. but again, i can't think of a single time where i've ever had a situation involving quick braking and then needing to zoom out of a situation where there was ever a hint of an hiccup. i mean, if you were sitting at a stoplight pumping the brakes and then tried to floor it, sure, might have a bit of turbo lag i guess. i'll try it next time i'm in an mk4. my mk1 is pretty light so it doesn't even need much boost to take off fast....

 

[JETaah]

I was under the impression that the vac ball was just for the ASV, as it needs that little extra capacity to hold the valve shut as the car is shut off.
I had thought this theory was confirmed after I deleted the vac ball on mine, because I noticed that classic “diesel slowdown shudder” upon shutdown, which was not present when the ball was installed.
(My ASV was still functioning prior to deleting the ball, and is still currently installed and connected to vacuum, so I thought this to be somewhat conclusive?)

But I can very well be wrong, have been many times...

One reason for ASV failure is that the wiring to the solenoid valve can abrade and break inside the corrugated sheath. That is very common.

The ASV is not in the ball reservoir vacuum circuit. The black and white check valve separates the ball and N75/turbo actuator from everything else so that the supply to it is less affected by operation of other less critical components that use vacuum.
As soon as you kill the ignition the ECU triggers the solenoid to draw in the actuator with what system vacuum is present before it gets vented and holds until the ECU tells the solenoid to vent.
If the ASV fails to shut it is usually that the system vacuum is already low due to leaks in hoses, pump nipple, faulty solenoid valve, or ASV actuator diaphragm. The ASV solenoid timing is controlled by the ECU to open and shut via the programming.

 

[PakProtector]

The ball is one of those things I don't feel like proving I don't need. I may be able to get along without it...but I am very aware of OEM's severe dislike of putting in something for 'just in case'. As in, no way they'll pay for something they can get away without...LOL I would just go and start looking for another, and with no hurry directing paying too much.

Douglas

 

[JETaah]

The ball is one of those things I don't feel like proving I don't need. I may be able to get along without it...but I am very aware of OEM's severe dislike of putting in something for 'just in case'. As in, no way they'll pay for something they can get away without...LOL I would just go and start looking for another, and with no hurry directing paying too much.

Douglas

That was my thought as well. And they maintained it throughout the years unlike
the B4 cat injector which they deleted after one year…in the states anyway. Don’t know about elsewhere.

 

[burpod]

i disagree, i think there are quite a few things put on these cars that are totally useless

 

[P2B]

i disagree, i think there are quite a few things put on these cars that are totally useless

Then there are worse than useless things like sunroofs

 

[JETaah]

Then there are worse than useless things like sunroofs

I always wanted a sunroof until I finally got one.

 

[burpod]

i've never actually had a problem with the sunroofs. not sure if it helps (i think it does) but i clipped the nipples off the drains long time ago and never once have had a leak issue due to blockage

 

[2004LB7]

Then there are worse than useless things like sunroofs

Hay, I like my sunroofs. I've had very little issues with mine so that might be part of it. Winter is about the only time it stays closed. Otherwise it's open most of the year

 

[JETaah]

i've never actually had a problem with the sunroofs. not sure if it helps (i think it does) but i clipped the nipples off the drains long time ago and never once have had a leak issue due to blockage

What? No spider colonies in the drain tubes?
It is more the glare on the dash/cluster that annoys me. First thing I do when seating myself in a customer car is to pull the shade shut.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand...

 

[P2B]

Hay, I like my sunroofs. I've had very little issues with mine so that might be part of it. Winter is about the only time it stays closed. Otherwise it's open most of the year

I have never had a water leak that wasn't down to a sunroof.

 

[burpod]

actually, come to think of it, local friend of mine - 1752 11mm .230s (my tune, not that it really matters) - i deleted his vac ball over a year ago. he commutes 130mi round trip to boston 5 days a week. sees a lot of crazy moron drivers, traffic, potholes... he's never once had a situation where boost was slow to respond. if there were ever a driving situation in which not having the vac ball could actually affect boost, he'd have found it... pretty much always instant boost + power

 

[DerickMadron]

I think a simple solution like finding a suitably sized tube and epoxying it in place on the reservoir would be sufficient.

Hi all,

Was working on replacing the vacuum hoses on my 2000 tdi beetle while my daughter is taking her exams, and managed to snap off the connector on the vacuum bottle at the base. Kind of a problem because I'm in Bar Harbor Maine and all but a few of my tools are in Pennsylvania.

Thinking I have 3 options, maybe somebody has a better one:

1. can I just plug the hose for now and run it without the reservoir?

2. I have a tube of the red pro seal RTV silicone. Was thinking of making a hole in a bit of cardboard, putting the hose through that, and then pretty much filling the space above with the RTV in the "cowl" that's around where the pin was. If I do that, should I use the nice new hose I have (with the cloth on it), or some of the still passable smooth hose that someone put on there?

3. I suppose I could also but a can of broth or something at the market across the street, poke a couple holes in the top, drain it as best I can, then put the hose in one hole, jtv + something to plug the other hole, and jtv to seal where the hose or fitting goes into the can.
Speed Test
I can't seem to be able to upload a pic here but hopefully y'all get the idea. BTW the reason I bothered trying to do this while away is that it goes into limp mode once in a while when switching from highway speed to stuck in traffic speed. And it seemed easy enough to work on because it would normally not need a lot of tools.