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

[WINDSORB4TDI]

Last weekend I decided I would see if I could do something about the missing clear coat on the A to C pillar.
This is what I was working with:

Luckily a local parts store sells custom mixed spray cans and I was able to get a few cans of Windsor Blue Pearl Metallic.
Here it is after sanding and applying the white primer required for this color:

And here it is after applying the color:

It turned out pretty good considering I did the work, and the color is a perfect match. In a few weeks, ill be able to wetsand and buff it once the paint has finally cured.
Next is tackling the roof, which is much much worse!

I also wetsanded and polished the headlights while I was at it.
Before:

After:

It's slowly coming along. The previous owner cared about the maintenance of the mechanicals but not the appearance, so I have some catching up to do.
Vince

 

[4x4toy]

Installed my Hella E-codes this AM, cant wait for it to get dark out side so I can adjust them.

 

[Windex]

Evry Modded this morning! Tolerable has gone to "decent".

950 ohms for me... might try just a little lower...

 

[dieseljunkie]

Windex, what color is your car? Who sells custom color spray can paints?

 

[bikeprof]

You will really enjoy the better light and see stuff that you never knew it was there!
Then, you will want more light(yes, this is also called MODDING)!

I got mine glass lenses with better bulbs and still I want more light...

Installed my Hella E-codes this AM, cant wait for it to get dark out side so I can adjust them.

 

[TonyJetta]

I have ecodes on order...can't wait to get them. Driving country roads with yellowed plastic is not fun!

Tony

 

[Windex]

Windex, what color is your car? Who sells custom color spray can paints?

I dunno what the colour is called, but it's bluey grey:

I also went and got a custom colour spray-bomb, The one up here is a car-quest auto parts. I found them by talking to a local body shop. They will take your colour-code and mix up a can.

 

[Mcgink]

Windex, what color is your car? Who sells custom color spray can paints?

Try paintscratch.com I haven't tried them yet but it looks like they use the paint code and the VIN to mix the paint for you.

 

[Sprocket]

I dunno what the colour is called, but it's bluey grey:

I also went and got a custom colour spray-bomb, The one up here is a car-quest auto parts. I found them by talking to a local body shop. They will take your colour-code and mix up a can.

It's called "Storm Grey"

 

[BolaB4V]

Napa mixed a spray can of single stage Magic Black for the B4 last year. I could' of got two stage but for ease and durability went with single. Looked fine but was 14.00 pr can. Im just trying to keep up with the rust cheaply at this point so trying an alternative product route this year.
Im in the process of putting the fr.clip on today but the bumper and hood I have is Windsor blue so went to W-M and got some 3M wet /dry assortment paper and picked up 3 cans of Rust-oleum dark gray Automobile PRIMER and 3 (33% more cans/16oz.) Rust-Oleum gloss black ...all cans were $3.97 ea.. also went to Napa and bought a bottle of Prep-All
(Qt. size-smallest they had 7.00 /enough for years to come) to wipe parts down before and after sanding. Lastly and not leastly...a spray can of Locktie Extends rust
nuetralizer from Lowe's , never used it before but heard good things about it, so another 7.00 lighter.
total < 50.00

 

[4x4toy]

You will really enjoy the better light and see stuff that you never knew it was there!
Then, you will want more light(yes, this is also called MODDING)!

I got mine glass lenses with better bulbs and still I want more light...

I am waiting to get a quote from http://www.eurowires.net/ so I can get the full potential from them.

 

[TonyJetta]

Today...
1) Welded the bushing box on the clutch pedal closed. Properly set the bushing on the clutch pedal...will put a brief write-up together, later this weekend.
2) Replaced the right side washer arm. The old one had a slightly weak spring that wouldn't allow the Icon wiper blade to properly wipe the window.
3) Replaced a lost bolt on the skid plate.

Glad to have the clutch pedal feeling back to normal and glad to have the car back on the road. I like driving my truck...hate paying the fuel bill!

Tony

 

[paramedick]

Fixed Eric's "fuel suppy" problem on the 97 Passat. He's been struggling with it for a week. One time it primes and starts normally, the next time won't start at all. He's changed fuel filters, fuel lines, and bled the system multiple times to no avail. Still an intermittent problem.

Couldn't figure out what was wrong today when I finally looked at it. No fuel whatsoever from the inectors despite everything primed. Start thinking IP bad when a thought occurs to me.........

"Does your glowplug light come on when you turn the key on", I ask. "No" is the reply. Examine the relay panel, and find several loose relays including 109. Intermittent contact is the culprit. Push relays back in, and she primes and fires right up!

Apparently he kicked the relay panel when he had to panic stop to avoid the car that pulled out in front of him. Since then, has had intermittent cutouts until the "fuel" problem.

We'll be putting the underdash panel back in place. Size 12 feet are hard enough to drive the Passat without inserting them into the relay panel.

 

[TonyJetta]

Bruce, good find!

Glad to hear Eric's car is back on the road, reliably!

Tony

 

[kooyajerms]

Go Bruce!

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Not my B4 but my co-worker Mike and I swapped out the original stock nozzles for a set of PP520s I had in bodies from my race car. His car was low on power (even considering it is stock) and smoked more than it should. He backed out of the drive and was surprised to chirp the tires starting out in first without trying.

Set the IQ to 2.4, car runs smooth, no smoke, and the power bump is, shall we say, significant.

 

[Windex]

Not my B4 but my co-worker Mike and I swapped out the original stock nozzles for a set of PP520s I had in bodies from my race car. His car was low on power (even considering it is stock) and smoked more than it should. He backed out of the drive and was surprised to chirp the tires starting out in first without trying.

Set the IQ to 2.4, car runs smooth, no smoke, and the power bump is, shall we say, significant.

What ECU is he running? I have a spare set of later bodies I wanted to put PP520's in, as I like them in my Jetta, but wasn't sure if the earlier ECU would like the higher primary pop-pressures of the later bodies.

 

[ed mocz]

Redid the headliner.

 

[Windex]

Just put in two lower balljoints, as the right side was developing some play.

Two, because one is silly.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

What ECU is he running? I have a spare set of later bodies I wanted to put PP520's in, as I like them in my Jetta, but wasn't sure if the earlier ECU would like the higher primary pop-pressures of the later bodies.

He's running the BK, the early one. The higher pop pressure didn't seem to matter, timing is still right near the top of the graph.

I plan to mount some Sprint 520s in his bodies and make sure they're all good, and then we'll swap out the PP520s. He's planning on getting a tune, too. I have a GQ ecu with no chips in it we may try out, although I had a great experience with a chipped BK in my B4V.

 

[TonyJetta]

IBW, any other mods to your friends' engine? How many miles on the clutch? I'm considering Sprints or PP520, but I have a stock clutch with 175k on it.

Tony

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

No other mods. Clutch is, AFAIK, original. I do think with a chip and Sprints it's likely to slip after 170K. But maybe not. The older cars' clutches are more robust.

 

[paramedick]

No other mods. Clutch is, AFAIK, original. I do think with a chip and Sprints it's likely to slip after 170K. But maybe not. The older cars' clutches are more robust.

Yup, chip and larger nozzles will slip. Passat clutch is good with one, pick your poison.

 

[Mcgink]

Work on the Interior swap for I-Red continued with the recovered headliner install. I'm not having any luck at all finding pre-molded carpet for the B4 or any other Passat for that matter via Yahoo search. Does anyone have any leads?

 

[kooyajerms]

Tony, Passat clutches, some hold, some don't.

From a recent turbo upgrade thread

It really depends on your clutch. When I had 200k miles, I had a k03/k04 turbo, pp764's (.230um?), idparts downpipe, 2.5exhaust, fmic with 2.5 pipes, malone tune, and it did not slip.

I moved to a gt2056v from a jeep, with race520's a bit of smoke and it did not slip. Would that have lasted? I doubt it. When I got the clutch changed The springs on the 230k mile clutch were about to let loose, but the clutch face still had plenty of life left. my stock Luk clutch did me well, but you won't know if you got a Luk in there or not.

So, on b4/a3 clutches, ymmv on if it slips with the mods or not. But if you got some miles, just be ready for a replacement, you can't ask for TOO much now =)

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=276669&highlight=luk

you'll never know till you try Tony =)

 

[TonyJetta]

you'll never know till you try Tony =)

Yeah, I'll have to put it off until we get more money coming in. Can't quite afford nozzles, much less a clutch!

Tony

 

[john.jackson9213]

Put the tailgate latch back in and still have the tailgate open alarm LED on the dash. and still have the cluster clock being reset each time I turn on the engine.

Finally remembered the VagCom. I have one error - Air Bag low intermittent B+ voltage. So I guess it is time to measure the voltage from the battery and all the way to the cluster,

 

[TonyJetta]

Finally remembered the VagCom. I have one error - Air Bag low intermittent B+ voltage. So I guess it is time to measure the voltage from the battery and all the way to the cluster,

Clean the grounds near the battery, as well as the main engine ground. File or sandpaper will work fine. Coat with either dielectric grease or noalux before reassembly. Either one will prevent oxidation.

Tony

 

[BolaB4V]

Drove for first time in two weeks. Things done on down time:
-Remove front clip to get at slave fan belt.
-repalce with better bumper and b/assemby - paint bumper and surround
-repair and replace clips, tabs along the way (15 yr old cars dont like to be reassembled over and over) mostly the grill, moved the fr. tdi badge to proper location in the grill
-right head light repair - cracked socket, and adjust beams and hood latch
-buy another wheel, fog dummys and fr. directional socket
-upholtery shampoo the front seats

 

[Lug_Nut]

It's in the A3 Cabrio, but it has B4 content:
I stripped down a B4 GLX driver's seat for the bottom pan and the height and rake adjustability. I transferred the A3 bottom foam and leather and the forward fold seat back to the B4 pan
Now I have the same "barca-lounger", front up / back down, seat position that I so liked from the B4s.

I'm pondering the feasibility of transferring the B4 lumbar adjust back to the A3 seat. My concern is the cables for the A3 fold-forward release interfering with the lumbar adjustment gearing.