Operation Installation is done. 7/9/2004
Friends, Romans, Countrymen... .Lend me your ears...
I cannot begin to thank Glen, Dan, Lito, Lee, John Yates, John S., Dan Grayson, Joe, and anyone else who I may have forgotten to name. This project is proof that hard work and determination can overcome whatever is placed in front of us.
This project started in December as a solution to a problem. I needed a 4-wheel drive vehicle because of how far I live from civilization and the need to make it to work whenever a problem arises. Add to that the fact that it is a 100 mile round trip to work. Fuel economy in AWD cars is not something high up on the list. Nathan from Europarts Solutions had in his possession a 2000 V6 TDI Passat drivetrain that needed a home. The quest was on and I found a 2001 (B5) Passat wagon in Houston Texas. It arrived on 18 December 2003. I had started research on the project about 1 month prior to that. While I don;t have every hour accounted for, I do have over 600 Hours of research in this project to ensure that it would be a smooth transition. The final Microsoft Project tasks list exceeded 400 tasks. We encountered a few bumps in the road that added about 50 tasks to the list to ensure that something wasn't missed. While I don;t have a total for the cost of the conversion, It is looking like the gross is going to be around $10,000. But I will begin placing things on eBay, and the old engine has already found a new home to the tune of $1500.
Is it worth it?
To me... YES!!!!! And in the big picture of things that is all that counts.
There are a few bugs left to work out. The car is disgustingly in need of a total cleaning so that it will be in show shape for the next GTG. I also have to install a few small parts that have not yet arrived along with the coding of a few control modules so that everything car talk to each other. The good news is that the PDC and Power Seats with Memory functioned without fault. The only DTC's that I am getting right now have to do with the ESP system not being coded and the Steering angle sensor not calibrated.
Now for the review of the first 50Km....
Quiet.... UFB Quiet.... I made 1 jaunt in 5th to 160Km/h and it was smoother than the gasser before it, and was Quiet... I think that there is a need to adjust the timing, and I have to check all the injector lines and return hoses. There has a little bit of a Fresh Diesel smell when I shut off the car though I didn't see any leaks. I also need to "adjust" the cover that fits over the ABS/ESP unit so that the under-hood looks "Finished".
Cheers... SVTWEB
