thechoochlyman
Vendor , w/Business number
Now we're ready to rooooooooooll.
The "What did you do to your B4 today" thread...
- Thread starter Windex
- Start date
thechoochlyman
Vendor , w/Business number
Well I successfully made it from Central KY to Tampa FL with just less than a full tank and made 49.8 mpg the entire way. I'm pretty impressed with these numbers, especially considering the additional load on the cargo rack!
It seems there is a parts car in a salvage yard down here, I'm gonna try to raid it before we head out next Wednesday. Hopefully it'll at least have the clean fender I need.
It seems there is a parts car in a salvage yard down here, I'm gonna try to raid it before we head out next Wednesday. Hopefully it'll at least have the clean fender I need.
thechoochlyman
Vendor , w/Business number
Well unfortunately I called and that car is gone.
Yesterday an ad popped up on marketplace for a 97 identical to mine for $1500, sold as parts only. I texted him and asked if he'd part out, and unfortunately he won't. He DID say he took a white B4 chassis to the salvage yard recently, however. I asked him where he took it and he said oh, it's too late. He wanted to go back for some door handles (you mean to tell me he didn't completely strip it of small parts?!) aaaaaand they already crushed it. 
I'm seriously thinking about turning my 40 acre farm into a full-service B4-only salvage yard. I'm so sick of chasing these parts cars down and every one of them have been crushed already. What an giant effing waste for all of us.
thechoochlyman
Vendor , w/Business number
Well I may have potentially found a candidate about 6 hours away. Should I borrow the car trailer or how comfortable are you all dollying a B4 with a B4? lol
thechoochlyman
Vendor , w/Business number
That's what I'm afraid of too, especially on a 6 hour trip.
What is a list of most needed small parts? Im going to try and bring a bunch back with me for Germany.
Well unfortunately I called and that car is gone.
I'm seriously thinking about turning my 40 acre farm into a full-service B4-only salvage yard. I'm so sick of chasing these parts cars down and every one of them have been crushed already. What an giant effing waste for all of us.
Abacus
That helpful B4 guy
I would love one of those European steering wheels. The knee bolster trays are cool but I have one already.
TDIDaveNH
Left Lane Coal Roller at Large
The furthest I've towed a B4 with a B4 on a tow dolly is about 3 hours one way...you definitely have to plan your stop signs and red lights if you have the factory brakes
thechoochlyman
Vendor , w/Business number
I think I finally located a decent driver's side fender for my car. Gonna go pick it up today. I already inquired about the rest, and apparently it's just a bare shell at this point. Glad to know it all got used properly.
TDeanI
Veteran Member
I finally changed my oil, and removed a squirrel's/rat's nest of leaves on the underside engine cover
To increase gas mileage:
I removed the four antennae ports (previous owner had some type of GPS system) and the roof rails.
I removed the passenger mirror (glass was gone anyway). I made a metal cover for that.
I used 100 mph tape for now for the holes. I will weld in patches on the roof.
To increase gas mileage:
I removed the four antennae ports (previous owner had some type of GPS system) and the roof rails.
I removed the passenger mirror (glass was gone anyway). I made a metal cover for that.
I used 100 mph tape for now for the holes. I will weld in patches on the roof.
ToddA1
Top Post Dawg
The used compressor I installed mid April took a crap on me. This week was in the 90°s and the AC was blowing mid 70°s. Ordered the Chinese Nissen others have been using.
Delivered late Friday, so I start pulling the junk compressor. I did it slightly different than I normally would. I wasn’t going to swap the drier or TXV, since they were practically new. I got the compressor on the rad support and used hose pinch off pliers on each hose, close to the compressor. I had the vacuum pump and gauge set hooked up, ready to go.
Dumped the PAG the Nissen came with. Quickly disconnected the used compressor and dumped it. Refrigerant is sneaking past the pliers, so work fast. Matched what was in the used oil container with new DEC PAG and injected it into the new compressor.
Get the new compressor on the rad support and install the lines. Start vacuuming….
I was only seeing -20hg, when I’m used to seeing -29. I’m thinking either the pump isn’t strong enough or my gauges are faulty. I added Teflon tape to the manifold charge fitting, because I had a tiny leak. The manifold fell off the bench and hit the ground hard. I decided to let it sit overnight to see if it held vacuum, which it did.
Dumped in half a can under vacuum, and noticed the high side didn’t budge. Then noticed the needle was on the wrong side of the stop pin.
Weighed in 41oz and called it good. Yesterday was 92° and today is 72°…. Not a great day to takevent temps, but it is what it is…
When I disconnected and drained the gauge set, I noticed the low side was showing 5psi. I guess I figured out why I was only pulling -21 under vacuum. Reset the needle to 0.
I heard something bouncing around inside the used compressor when I pulled it. I have a good feeling I found the issue…
That nut won’t thread onto the control valve without the control valve spinning. The threads are slightly buggered, but nothing in the rear rotates. I’m not sure how that nut would come off. It may be fixable, but it’s going to the scrapyard with a bunch of other compressors. Unless I pull a compressor from a running car and mark it good, I’m done with used parts.
-Todd
Delivered late Friday, so I start pulling the junk compressor. I did it slightly different than I normally would. I wasn’t going to swap the drier or TXV, since they were practically new. I got the compressor on the rad support and used hose pinch off pliers on each hose, close to the compressor. I had the vacuum pump and gauge set hooked up, ready to go.
Dumped the PAG the Nissen came with. Quickly disconnected the used compressor and dumped it. Refrigerant is sneaking past the pliers, so work fast. Matched what was in the used oil container with new DEC PAG and injected it into the new compressor.
Get the new compressor on the rad support and install the lines. Start vacuuming….
I was only seeing -20hg, when I’m used to seeing -29. I’m thinking either the pump isn’t strong enough or my gauges are faulty. I added Teflon tape to the manifold charge fitting, because I had a tiny leak. The manifold fell off the bench and hit the ground hard. I decided to let it sit overnight to see if it held vacuum, which it did.
Dumped in half a can under vacuum, and noticed the high side didn’t budge. Then noticed the needle was on the wrong side of the stop pin.
Weighed in 41oz and called it good. Yesterday was 92° and today is 72°…. Not a great day to takevent temps, but it is what it is…
When I disconnected and drained the gauge set, I noticed the low side was showing 5psi. I guess I figured out why I was only pulling -21 under vacuum. Reset the needle to 0.
I heard something bouncing around inside the used compressor when I pulled it. I have a good feeling I found the issue…
That nut won’t thread onto the control valve without the control valve spinning. The threads are slightly buggered, but nothing in the rear rotates. I’m not sure how that nut would come off. It may be fixable, but it’s going to the scrapyard with a bunch of other compressors. Unless I pull a compressor from a running car and mark it good, I’m done with used parts.
-Todd
ToddA1
Top Post Dawg
Right front door on the B4V has been getting dull. I’m pretty terrible with a wheel and took it to my body shop to get it looked at. Pete walked out the front door, looked at my car 40’ away at the curb, and said the clear is ready to delaminate. We scheduled for me to drop it off Wednesday afternoon.
Rain stopped so I decided to take the door apart early… broke one clip. Will need to find another outer scraper, since the existing has rust bubbling forming. Right rear belt trim is getting worked on, too. I remembered my door triangle mod I did years ago…
Reinstalled the side view mirror (for now) and will be driving around like a hobo for the next several days. Pete says he can get the car back to me by Friday. Hoping so… weather will be in the mid 90°s and this is my only running AC car, since I sold the A4 Jetta a couple weeks back. Rabbit with AC is off the road, for now.
-Todd
Rain stopped so I decided to take the door apart early… broke one clip. Will need to find another outer scraper, since the existing has rust bubbling forming. Right rear belt trim is getting worked on, too. I remembered my door triangle mod I did years ago…
Reinstalled the side view mirror (for now) and will be driving around like a hobo for the next several days. Pete says he can get the car back to me by Friday. Hoping so… weather will be in the mid 90°s and this is my only running AC car, since I sold the A4 Jetta a couple weeks back. Rabbit with AC is off the road, for now.
-Todd
Steve Addy
Top Post Dawg
A short while back replaced the timing belt and front struts and oil change on the B3V.
I had parked the car in the shop corner last summer when the it hit 50k miles on the TB. My intent was to replace the cam and lifters at the same time but I found there was really no need to do that when I got in there for the TB change.
The new struts (mounts / bearings) were necessary but the alignment job was not done well so it'll have to go back in again. For some reason the shop didn't measure or check cross-camber when they set it. It drives ok but doesn't seem nearly as sure-footed as before.
I have her back on the road now and enjoying the 50 mpg again. I had been driving the MB E320 CDI but although it's comfortable it's not as comfortable for me as the B3V nor does it achieve the high mpg of the B3V. I just got back from 1000+ mile trip down into Missouri and back in the wagon and it performed flawlessly, and the AC, which was thrown together out of used parts back in 2016 still blasts sub-40 degree air (knock on wood).
Still needs more work though, the sunroof sunshield fabric has come loose which means the headliner has to come down at the back to get the shield out, which actually has me contemplating swapping back to the metal roof panel at the same time. Also needs to have the windshield pulled and reset, it's been leaking a little.
Also finally got around to installing injectors that Mark (Abacus) cleaned for me years ago...they perform perfectly!! Thanks Mark.
I also have switched oils too. Since covids / supply chain problems have rendered Rotella T6 almost impossible to get here where I live I started buying up 12 qt boxes of Mobil 1 0w40 FS Euro car formula, which is approved for MB and VW too. The wagon seems to like it a lot! I managed to get 6 boxes stashed away before it all went missing on the shelves again.
Steve
I had parked the car in the shop corner last summer when the it hit 50k miles on the TB. My intent was to replace the cam and lifters at the same time but I found there was really no need to do that when I got in there for the TB change.
The new struts (mounts / bearings) were necessary but the alignment job was not done well so it'll have to go back in again. For some reason the shop didn't measure or check cross-camber when they set it. It drives ok but doesn't seem nearly as sure-footed as before.
I have her back on the road now and enjoying the 50 mpg again. I had been driving the MB E320 CDI but although it's comfortable it's not as comfortable for me as the B3V nor does it achieve the high mpg of the B3V. I just got back from 1000+ mile trip down into Missouri and back in the wagon and it performed flawlessly, and the AC, which was thrown together out of used parts back in 2016 still blasts sub-40 degree air (knock on wood).
Still needs more work though, the sunroof sunshield fabric has come loose which means the headliner has to come down at the back to get the shield out, which actually has me contemplating swapping back to the metal roof panel at the same time. Also needs to have the windshield pulled and reset, it's been leaking a little.
Also finally got around to installing injectors that Mark (Abacus) cleaned for me years ago...they perform perfectly!! Thanks Mark.
I also have switched oils too. Since covids / supply chain problems have rendered Rotella T6 almost impossible to get here where I live I started buying up 12 qt boxes of Mobil 1 0w40 FS Euro car formula, which is approved for MB and VW too. The wagon seems to like it a lot! I managed to get 6 boxes stashed away before it all went missing on the shelves again.
Steve
thechoochlyman
Vendor , w/Business number
Got my blue fender installed, as per the previous post. Also put on a clean front clip I had even though it's white.
Really tried out my TDIDave Heavy Hitch with a trailer full of corrugated metal roofing. It pulled great, but it sat about 6" too low.
So I grabbed a 5" lift/drop hitch with a new 2" ball rated for 5,000.
Then went and bought a decent looking car dolly for $650. Brand new tires, but needs a little bit of maintenance done to it. The wheels feel a tad wobbly so I think the bearings need to be tightened a smidge. I'm picking up two B5 passat wagons from a friend of mine this weekend. He had them for a project and never finished it - swapping a good V6 and 5 speed from a flooded/wrecked car into an auto with a blown engine. I'm going to finish the swap, sell the car, then give him $1,000 after the fact. Hopefully this will set me on a good trajectory to start buying some TDIs and flipping them.
Also glad to finally have the side of our barn finished up with gravel. Now there won't be farm implements parked all over the place.
Really tried out my TDIDave Heavy Hitch with a trailer full of corrugated metal roofing. It pulled great, but it sat about 6" too low.
So I grabbed a 5" lift/drop hitch with a new 2" ball rated for 5,000.
Then went and bought a decent looking car dolly for $650. Brand new tires, but needs a little bit of maintenance done to it. The wheels feel a tad wobbly so I think the bearings need to be tightened a smidge. I'm picking up two B5 passat wagons from a friend of mine this weekend. He had them for a project and never finished it - swapping a good V6 and 5 speed from a flooded/wrecked car into an auto with a blown engine. I'm going to finish the swap, sell the car, then give him $1,000 after the fact. Hopefully this will set me on a good trajectory to start buying some TDIs and flipping them.
Also glad to finally have the side of our barn finished up with gravel. Now there won't be farm implements parked all over the place.
Steve Addy
Top Post Dawg
I know it's probably not something you want to hear at this point but you'd be better served with a toter that has a surge brake on it, since you're basically pulling your weight behind you.
Just a suggestion, but it would be in your best interest.
Car looking good btw, wondering where the wheels came from?
Steve
thechoochlyman
Vendor , w/Business number
I'm still not 100% settled on pulling cars behind my B4. I'm gonna try pulling a local one or two and see how it goes. I'll probably tow most everything with my Ram 2500 V10, but I mainly went for this dolly because I don't have $3500 for a good trailer at the moment. Maybe in a few months. Either way, I know brakes are going to be the most important issue.
The wheels came off a 2006 Chevy Cobalt. On paper they had the same hub diameter as my stock wheels, but turns out they were about .030" too small. I set them up in the mill and had them fitting in no time.
thechoochlyman
Vendor , w/Business number
The weekend shenanigans went very well. Pulled home both V6 Passat Wagons with the B4 and it couldn't have gone better. Just took it nice and slow and didn't get over 50 on the highway. Slowed down and stopped fine, but a VR6 brake upgrade in the future would be nice.
thechoochlyman
Vendor , w/Business number
On a whim I decided to de-sticker and de-badge my rear window and trunk lid. Imagine my surprise when I found green paint under the VW badge. I wonder if my trunk lid was changed at some point and they just painted an existing green one black. So anyway, I made a new one on the cricut.
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gboss
Member
Todd,
Who is your local body shop? Where does Pete work? Are you happy with them?
Who is your local body shop? Where does Pete work? Are you happy with them?
gboss
Member
Added an Infinity Primus 6004a to the old gal. Stashed it behind the knee bar, where it fit pretty well. Moved over some speakers from one of the other cars and the sound quality has been dramatically improved.
(cleaned up wires after this photo was taken before buttoning it back up.
(cleaned up wires after this photo was taken before buttoning it back up.
ToddA1
Top Post Dawg
I wanted to speak with Pete before replying… he’s the owner. Unfortunately, Pete does not want any outside work, like I bring him. He deals with me, because I understand his bread and butter is insurance and dealership work. I get back burnered a lot.
The work I took him still isn’t completed. The door came out lighter than he liked and told me to pull the everything off the fender and rear door, then he’d blend everything the next day. That didn’t happen and the car sat for days. I eventually took the car back because I needed AC. He told me someone from Subaru needed a favor; they needed to get one of Ken Block’s old cars ready for an event. Then an old friend needed his kid’s car worked on, while he was out of town. He’d call me when his workload lightened up, but the call hasn’t come in. No problem for me, because I need AC. I’ve been driving around with the car lightly disassembled for weeks.
Am I happy with the work, yes. The back burner part doesnt bother me, but I’m sure it’d bother others. I was told 2 weeks when I got the project car painted… that took 4 months. It wasn’t a big deal for me. I told him he’d be painting a Rabbit GTI for me, next. Crash work pays his bills….I’m not expecting a quick turnaround,
-Todd
TDeanI
Veteran Member
I had a super fun weekend. Stupid heater core replacement and finally fixed the blend doors. At least I will have heat now
thechoochlyman
Vendor , w/Business number
Made a day trip down to Nashville (about 150 miles one way) to pick up a roller 96 parts car. No drivetrain and the interior is mostly trashed, but the body is totally straight.
Attachments
Steve Addy
Top Post Dawg
That's a lucky find, most of those are gone now. If I could find a southern carcass I'd get it.
Steve
thechoochlyman
Vendor , w/Business number
I think it was from south Carolina originally. I'm really impressed with how clean the body is, but apparently it sat with the window down for about 8 years.
There are three more B4s on my wishlist at the moment. Once I get my project B5 sold hopefully I can go rescue them.
Steve Addy
Top Post Dawg
You run into that a lot, especially with part outs, most sell off the few lucrative pieces right away and the rest just sits. I honestly have felt like people would get more for selling the complete car and letting someone have the opportunity to repair it if necessary, but today it seems there's nothing but part outs going on. For some I can see it....rusting and rotted out, big damage, but when it's a southern car with a good body it's a huge waste.
There's another white B4, in Tennessee I think, also needs a motor, but they seem to be stuck at $1200 for the carcass....which is a too much.
Steve
thechoochlyman
Vendor , w/Business number
I've seen the same ad, pretty ridiculous. Might shoot them a low-ball offer eventually.
starrd
Veteran Member
This week I finally got my MFA cluster totally working. I added the oil temperature sender and the outside air temperature sensor. The wiring for the oil temperature sensor was there, but the outside air temperature sensor wiring was not. There were the 2 wires from the fuse box but they went to a 2 prong plug about 6 inches away from the fuse box. I also managed to re-program the cluster eprom so the MFA cluster tach works propery using the the TDI face plate. I also re-programmed the mileage - 822,000 km's