Old B5.5 things cropping up

Windex

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Location
Cambridge
TDI
05 B5V 01E FRF
Le sigh.

This week it was:

The seat heater grid in the passenger seat base. The grid wires came loose (stupid VW using adhesive that doesn't last more than 15 years), and rubbed enough that they arc'd and burned a couple small holes in the leather.

The mechanical fan clutch started seizing intermittently and making the car much louder (stuck on full). had to take the alternator out to get the fan out in order to change to clutch.

LR door speaker started to buzz. Took it out and found the foam ring split all around the speaker. Again - VW, can't you make a foam product last more than 15 years?

lastly, no fault of the car, decided to experiment with a different torsion / KW value. Was -2.0, and the car starts and runs fine, only getting grumpy in the cold. It had a slight miss for a couple seconds upon cold start which will clear and then the car will run fine for the rest of the day. If the car was plugged in overnight, car will start and run with no issues. again, only a slight lumpy idle for a few seconds after startup, then fine. This is also accompanied with a slight haze of grey smoke.

For reference, 560,000 km, original cam (checked 20k km ago, lobes are all fine), and good compression - engine has never been apart.

Changed the torsion from -2.0 to +0.5, and this mornings start was easier with less smoke and no lumpy idle (not plugged in local temperature right at 32 deg f / 0c

Makes sense since the cam is slightly more advanced. idles a tiny bit smoother now, but that might just be my imagination.

Going to leave it like that for the rest of the winter and see a more longer term result, including any change in fuel economy.

Oh, and I managed to score a pristine boost hose from the turbo to the crossover from a car at the local boneyard when I went to get a replacement seat. Counter guy gave it to me for free when I paid my $40 for the seat. [Bill Murray]So I got that goin' for me, which is nice[/Bill Murray]
 

Mozambiquer

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Location
Versailles Missouri
TDI
2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
Le sigh.

This week it was:

The seat heater grid in the passenger seat base. The grid wires came loose (stupid VW using adhesive that doesn't last more than 15 years), and rubbed enough that they arc'd and burned a couple small holes in the leather.

The mechanical fan clutch started seizing intermittently and making the car much louder (stuck on full). had to take the alternator out to get the fan out in order to change to clutch.

LR door speaker started to buzz. Took it out and found the foam ring split all around the speaker. Again - VW, can't you make a foam product last more than 15 years?

lastly, no fault of the car, decided to experiment with a different torsion / KW value. Was -2.0, and the car starts and runs fine, only getting grumpy in the cold. It had a slight miss for a couple seconds upon cold start which will clear and then the car will run fine for the rest of the day. If the car was plugged in overnight, car will start and run with no issues. again, only a slight lumpy idle for a few seconds after startup, then fine. This is also accompanied with a slight haze of grey smoke.

For reference, 560,000 km, original cam (checked 20k km ago, lobes are all fine), and good compression - engine has never been apart.

Changed the torsion from -2.0 to +0.5, and this mornings start was easier with less smoke and no lumpy idle (not plugged in local temperature right at 32 deg f / 0c

Makes sense since the cam is slightly more advanced. idles a tiny bit smoother now, but that might just be my imagination.

Going to leave it like that for the rest of the winter and see a more longer term result, including any change in fuel economy.

Oh, and I managed to score a pristine boost hose from the turbo to the crossover from a car at the local boneyard when I went to get a replacement seat. Counter guy gave it to me for free when I paid my $40 for the seat. [Bill Murray]So I got that goin' for me, which is nice[/Bill Murray]
Yeah I've played with that torsion value on my Passats. Currently running -3.4° on the family hauler with a rc1.5 tune, the beater fire response Passat is set at +1.5° with a Malone stock EGR delete/maf delete/dynamic idle tune. Currently it feels a lot more powerful, but the fuel economy is a lot lower (partially because it routinely gets driven really hard responding to emergencies, and partially because of the torsion value being set at a positive number.)
The family hauler gets 33-36mpg and the beater is now getting 30-34 mpg (not bad for how it is driven, and up from the pre tune of 25-30mpg)
 

Windex

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Location
Cambridge
TDI
05 B5V 01E FRF
Other thing I forgot to mention is that the car is Malone tuned Stg II (came with the auto delete tune)

Going to leave it not plugged in tonight - supposed to go down to -5c here. We'll see how it starts...
 

Uberhare

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2006
Location
Ontario, Canada
TDI
Too many.
It's been along time since I had any decent dealings with a scrap yard. LKQ and QRP buying everything up to control the market. I miss the old days wondering around with my bucket of tools just to see what came in recently.
 

Mozambiquer

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Location
Versailles Missouri
TDI
2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
It's been along time since I had any decent dealings with a scrap yard. LKQ and QRP buying everything up to control the market. I miss the old days wondering around with my bucket of tools just to see what came in recently.
Come to this area, there's plenty of those old junkyards here still.
 

Windex

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Location
Cambridge
TDI
05 B5V 01E FRF
Cambridge auto wreckers will let you wander the yard. Havent been pilfered by LKQ yet...

And they seem to get B5.5s pretty regular. Most says "trans nfg" on the side on grease pencil. I wonder what that supposed to mean?
 

P2B

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Toronto & Muskoka, Canada
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta, 2003 Jetta Wagon
Cambridge auto wreckers will let you wander the yard. Havent been pilfered by LKQ yet...

And they seem to get B5.5s pretty regular. Most says "trans nfg" on the side on grease pencil. I wonder what that supposed to mean?
Just in case you are serious, it means transmission no ****ing good.
 
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