The "What did you do to your B4 today" thread...

[tigers2007]

Just finished gooping up my windshield with this $5 Permatex "flowable" silicone. Is definitely thinner than the silicone caulk. I wish I did this when I got the car. Prepped the areas by scraping with a screwdriver and vacuuming out the pieces. I also lowered the price to $1200 in the Classifieds section. Unleaded is so cheap and the used values of these oil burners has definitely bottomed out. I'd rather park this in my garage for a couple years and take double money (of course I would fix the rust, etc) to pass time. ExxonMobile and BP will find a way to raise prices!

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[thechoochlyman]

Well I got several things done. Pulled my car on the lift and bent down the edges of my cat, which were touching the heat shield and making a racket if there was much weight in the back.

Cut a circle from an oil jug and refastened this little guy on the back.

Figured out the super annoying rattle sound coming from under my dashboard was the back end of my radio touching the plastic stuff behind it. Wrapped that piece sticking out with self-bonding silicone tape and put some adhesive-backed felt on the air duct.

Retapped the stripped left-hand threads in my door handle to M8x1.25 (right hand)

And checked the tread on my 42k mile-old tires. I think I can make it 45 or so.

 

[TDIDaveNH]

I just wrapped up that most desirable of B4 repair jobs: replacing the rear brake rotors! As it has been in the past, it takes the majority of a day....a day that B4 owners never get back. I was able to reuse the bearings/races since those were new about a year ago and in good shape...cleaned everything with brakleen and packed with new grease. The ABS sensor rings came off and cleaned up well and needed only minimal tweeking to reuse.

Also hooked up previously installed new e-brake cables that I sucked G12 through and added 1/2" hard poly chaffing gear forward of the stainless holder and extending past the swing arm bushing. Seems to be where the cables have historically rubbed and where water ingress happens. Hopefully these will go the distance.

Seems to be the way it goes: the rear pad will start to rub on the pad backing plate due to the caliper pins freezing up, I'll toss on a set of pads because I don't want to really get into the job and fly that way until it's time to do the bearings then just do everything at the same time, new Ellen bolts, clean and lube the pins. It's actually harder to do less in this one area of the car.

 

[FordGuy100]

Did a BG109 treatment on the B4V today. We shall see what cold start smoke is like, it seemed to have helped, but then again it was hot when I turned it off. Ran it at about 1750 RPM's for about 45 minutes. Then it got a fresh Mann filter and T6. Also appears that I have a return line leak at the #1 injector.

 

[cal327]

The bg109 is really good stuff I'll be curious to hear if it helps your car

 

[FordGuy100]

Well this mornings cold start showed a huge decrease. While I still get some cold start haze, it cleaned up at least half of it. I think a bg109 treatment followed by an autoRx treatment would be a great combo. I have had good luck with autoRx in the past. It works much slower, as you use it over the course of an entire oil change interval

 

[ketchupshirt88]

4 new shoes on the red death today.

goodyear viva 3's in 195/70r14 ($59) to replace the very bald hankook optimo 727's in 185/65r14. ($65ish when i bought them)

the viva 3's weren't my first choice but they were in stock and a blown tire this morning forced my hand into buying something available right now vs researching and shopping around.

im gonna have to look into the treadlife warranty of the optimo because i don't think i got half of the 100,000 miles it claims.

EDIT: NO WARRANTY FOR ME... i do my own oil changes and rotate the tires as need at oil changes but they will not warranty anything without records showing the tires were rotated at certain intervals. im sure i could have my dad make some records under his shop's name... but im not that way. I'll just try a different brand...

 

[thechoochlyman]

4 new shoes on the red death today.

goodyear viva 3's in 195/70r14 ($59) to replace the very bald hankook optimo 727's in 185/65r14. ($65ish when i bought them)

the viva 3's weren't my first choice but they were in stock and a blown tire this morning forced my hand into buying something available right now vs researching and shopping around.

im gonna have to look into the treadlife warranty of the optimo because i don't think i got half of the 100,000 miles it claims.

EDIT: NO WARRANTY FOR ME... i do my own oil changes and rotate the tires as need at oil changes but they will not warranty anything without records showing the tires were rotated at certain intervals. im sure i could have my dad make some records under his shop's name... but im not that way. I'll just try a different brand...

Can you tell me how your speedometer reads in comparison to a GPS? I was gonna try running 185/70s (+4.3% diameter over stock) next time to correct my speedometer offset, but I wouldn't mind 195/70s (+6.5%) for the extra speed at any given RPM.

Heck, I might just go all out and get 185/75's at +7.3%.

 

[ketchupshirt88]

Can you tell me how your speedometer reads in comparison to a GPS? I was gonna try running 185/70s (+4.3% diameter over stock) next time to correct my speedometer offset, but I wouldn't mind 195/70s (+6.5%) for the extra speed at any given RPM.

Heck, I might just go all out and get 185/75's at +7.3%.

i think 195/75r14 is the tallest that will fit under there. tire height calculator thingie says that 195/75r14 will be: speedo 70 - actual 76

with the 185/65r14, my speedo said 70 but actual was 68.

with the 195/70r14, my speedo said 70 and actual was 73

 

[john.jackson9213]

Be sure to check the tire load rating on any new size tire. No need to use a lower load rating than stock.

 

[ketchupshirt88]

not sure what the stock load rating was. A4's were listed as needing H rated tires but i dunno about A3/B4. Anybody know offhand?

the Hankook Optimo 727's i took off were 85T and the Goodyear Viva 3's are 91T.

i drive aggressively but my car isnt exactly a speed demon... with 8 whole valves, filled with hate and discontent, pumping out a meager 110-120HP

 

[Campbellonh]

B4 should be H or V

 

[john.jackson9213]

B4 should be H or V

Isn't H or V a speed rating, not a load rating??

Also, used 185/70 x 14 tires before my big brake conversion. They had a higher load rating than 195/60 x 14 stock tires. Decent choice tire size.

 

[volcano_pioneer]

Speedo impact - 195/70 tires

Can you tell me how your speedometer reads in comparison to a GPS? I was gonna try running 185/70s (+4.3% diameter over stock) next time to correct my speedometer offset, but I wouldn't mind 195/70s (+6.5%) for the extra speed at any given RPM.

Heck, I might just go all out and get 185/75's at +7.3%.

I ran 195/70s on my B4V using aftermarket wheels for about 30k miles. The rolling circumference for the specific tire showed an increase of 7% over stock tires. Multiple checks of speedo and odometer showed that both now displayed exactly "true" speed and miles travelled. I had to be a bit more careful about driving 10mph over the limit.

 

[Steve Addy]

Isn't H or V a speed rating, not a load rating??

Also, used 185/70 x 14 tires before my big brake conversion. They had a higher load rating than 195/60 x 14 stock tires. Decent choice tire size.

Yes, it is a speed rating. The numeric just prior to speed rating is the number that he's looking for. I think 86 is the factory number, someone mentioned wanting to install 85 rated tires and the shop got weird about it.

Steve

 

[Stromaluski]

Yes, it is a speed rating. The numeric just prior to speed rating is the number that he's looking for. I think 86 is the factory number, someone mentioned wanting to install 85 rated tires and the shop got weird about it.

Steve

That may or may not have been me that you're referring to. I did have that happen. Picked up a set of Sebrings with no tires, and then bought tires on ebay. Took the wheels and tires to Discount tire in the back of my truck to have the tires mounted. They asked what the wheels were going on and I told them the mk3, and they looked it up and refused to mount the tires because the rating on them was 85 instead of the factory 86.

 

[turbodieseldyke]

I told them the mk3, and they looked it up and refused to mount the tires because the rating on them was 85 instead of the factory 86.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say the Jetta? I meant the Rabbit."

 

[Steve Addy]

That may or may not have been me that you're referring to. I did have that happen. Picked up a set of Sebrings with no tires, and then bought tires on ebay. Took the wheels and tires to Discount tire in the back of my truck to have the tires mounted. They asked what the wheels were going on and I told them the mk3, and they looked it up and refused to mount the tires because the rating on them was 85 instead of the factory 86.

What TDD said...oh, did I say Jetta, I meant Rabbit...lol

I don't think it was your situation that I was referencing but it could have been. I honestly thought it was someone else, I don't remember any mention of Sebring wheels.

As a side note did anyone know that before they were named Sebring those wheels were called Westwood?

Steve

 

[Steve Addy]

Two days ago noticed the odor of diesel when I went into the garage to take the B3V out for some errand. Come to find out the barbed union between two sections of fuel line (I switched from the T type filter to the older Mk2 filter with no thermostatic T) had started to leak. It had made a mess under the air cleaner, was down on the sides of the bumper cover on the inside and some even had been pulled into the air cleaner....

I found a puddle on the floor and located the problem. Why it started leaking now I have no idea but I have had such bad luck with fuel lines that I opted to remove the factory type lines and replace them, and now it's all better.

I didn't really need the small zip ties, just added them to pull a little tighter on the bulge. This fuel hose is great, it's a bear to push on but once on you don't have any problems with it. I need to replace the supply line back at the sender unit with it as well.



Steve

 

[cal327]

Picked up some glx parts today for my 96 body panels heated washer nozzles leather steering wheel just have to figure out if the heated seat switch is wired differently between the 1991 glx my headed seat harnesses came from and the 1997 switch I grabbed today

 

[Steve Addy]

Picked up some glx parts today for my 96 body panels heated washer nozzles leather steering wheel just have to figure out if the heated seat switch is wired differently between the 1991 glx my headed seat harnesses came from and the 1997 switch I grabbed today

The switch is wired differently.

If it was a GLX car it would have to be 93, we didn't get VR6 in Passat until 1993 MY.

On the "91" you didn't happen to notice whether the filler panels from the fender liners forward to the bumper were there did you? I've been looking for some for a while now, the B4 cars don't use them and my B3V is lacking them.

Steve

 

[Stromaluski]

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say the Jetta? I meant the Rabbit."

What TDD said...oh, did I say Jetta, I meant Rabbit...lol

I tried that, dude nope'd his way out of it...

As a side note did anyone know that before they were named Sebring those wheels were called Westwood?

Steve

I did not know that.

 

[Campbellonh]

Isn't H or V a speed rating, not a load rating??
Also, used 185/70 x 14 tires before my big brake conversion. They had a higher load rating than 195/60 x 14 stock tires. Decent choice tire size.

yeah, sorry, read too fast

 

[cal327]

The switch is wired differently.

If it was a GLX car it would have to be 93, we didn't get VR6 in Passat until 1993 MY.

On the "91" you didn't happen to notice whether the filler panels from the fender liners forward to the bumper were there did you? I've been looking for some for a while now, the B4 cars don't use them and my B3V is lacking them.

Steve

I will have to repin that then, is this panel an outer body panels or under the car? It must have been a 93. I have a black Canadian spec car local to me the US spec car all of my interior came from got crushed

 

[Steve Addy]

I will have to repin that then, is this panel an outer body panels or under the car? It must have been a 93. I have a black Canadian spec car local to me the US spec car all of my In terror came from got crushed

Canadian spec car, that's nice. What else might this Cad spec car have on it? Gasoline or diesel?

The pieces I'm looking for are on the exterior of the car underneath and they connect from the fender liner at the front just ahead of the front wheel underneath to the front bumper.

It's the circled item in this image.



The back upper edge attaches to the fender liner ahead of the front wheel. Cars here in my area appear to have lost them all. Then again my sample is pretty small.

Thanks
Steve

 

[cal327]

It's pretty complete manual GLX black on black, I will try to get out there this weekend I'm going to look for the belt cover panels while I'm under it. I already got the a pillar trim because it doesn't have Auto seat belts and the under dash storage pieces to replace the knee bolster.

 

[TDIDaveNH]

Replaced the turbo drain hose just because it was looking dodgey w/rust, replaced a broken turbo/exhaust flange stud then swapped out a front wheel bearing and replaced the right side CV shaft while I was at it...all without breaking alignment. For a while I was getting what sounded like a bad bearing but the sound never progressed over the course of about a year+ whenever I'd load the suspension from side to side and last night figured out what exactly it was....loosening the 30mm 12 point nut was my first clue...way too loose- took maybe 30ft lbs to break it free then the hub was the second:


Fortunately I was able to steal a hub off my other B4 which had much better numbers and was able to get it all back together



Once I got the outer joint out of the bearing, I knew it was odd the inner race was not moving when I rotated the hub.

 

[ToddA1]

I noticed the IP in the sedan started weeping very slightly. It looks like it's coming from the QA, but it's so slight, it doesn't seem to be dripping on anything.

I just took delivery if an 11mm pump. The pump isn't in bad shape, but the corrosion on the nameplate almost wiped out the part numbers. Needed to be wet sanded to make anything (barely) visible.




Started cleaning it off, with some old diesel.




I'll probably slap it on the sedan to ensure it runs, then break it down and reseal it. PO said it didn't leak, but with 200k on the clock, it's inevitable.

-Todd

 

[tigers2007]

I am going to make a separate thread for this project but I had to mothball this project as I need to wait for H1 bulbs from RockAuto for my e-spec headlights and finish repairing a broken adjuster.

I bought a Nilight 20" 126w LED bar to bump up the high beams to another level. This isn't wired to a relay yet but I did identify the high beam positive wire to trigger the relay.

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[thechoochlyman]

Oh man, I'm glad the forum is back up! I was getting jittery....