What did you do to your MKIV today?

[Nuje]

Guided the son through changing his gear oil in his 01. Fluid that came out looked fine, but there was only about a third of a gallon. Took two full quarts of Pennzoil Synchromesh, which was all he bought. I had some leftover Redline MTL, so we added a bit of that and got it full. We had the car up on ramps in order to get that little extra in.

I hate that "fill 'til you spill" method, so last time I pulled out the VSS at the top of the diff and filled through there. 2L in with zero spillage.

 

[burpod]

The peened the hex head end over! The triangle socket doesn't cost THAT much...

i think its not so much that, simply they've mistaken which bolts to loosen. since the triangle one is "on top" some people think the other 3 top bolts are what need to be loosened

 

[J_dude]

This pic got sent to me. Gotta say I'm intrigued, only held in check by lack of insurance for something like that

Wow interesting, Jeep chassis?

 

[gforce1108]

I hate that "fill 'til you spill" method, so last time I pulled out the VSS at the top of the diff and filled through there. 2L in with zero spillage.

I noticed recently after pulling a side cover to address rust causing seepage that fluid still drained out the fill hole while 5th was completely empty. Nose has to be high to get enough fluid to refill 5th. Previously I did them on jackstands. Now that I have a lift it should have been easier!!!

 

[PakProtector]

Timing belt on Gertrude (2dr Golf) yesterday with @PakProtector and my buddy Jason. Went smoothly with all the MetalNerd tools and IDPARTS timing belt kit. Only stumbling block was the 11mm IP we swapped on, the previous owner beat the living $#!+ out of it attempting to hammer mod it. They hammered the IQ so out of whack, the car barely ran. @PakProtector almost instantly knew the symptoms, out came VCDS, hammered IQ back into tolerable range (3) and she runs great. Timing was advanced above the green line, but a small adjustment brought that right back into where it should be.

That pump had hammer marks in both directions. It was otherwise OK... and a 22mm open-end/box also fits the tie-rod jam nuts too...

Douglas

 

[J_dude]

Well I’ve been pulling my suspension apart over the last couple days, have Koni Special Actives, all new associated hardware and bushings, and control arms with TT bushings to go in. But, it turns out I forgot to check first and should have ordered new springs and rear axle bushings as well. Are the Cupra R bushings still a good choice over stock? I don’t want the stiffness of poly.

 

[jmodge]

Well I’ve been pulling my suspension apart over the last couple days, have Koni Special Actives, all new associated hardware and bushings, and control arms with TT bushings to go in. But, it turns out I forgot to check first and should have ordered new springs and rear axle bushings as well. Are the Cupra R bushings still a good choice over stock? I don’t want the stiffness of poly.

I've been running Whitelines, front and rear, in mine since I've had it. Sythetic rubber, firm but a smooth tight ride. two piece rear bushings, a breeze to install.

 

[dieseldonato]

You guys are killing me with all the suspension stuff.... I know I need a suspension refresh, but you dang guys keep adding $$$$ to the parts list lol.

 

[Fahrvegnugen]

3 years on the cupra rear beam bushings and they feel fine. They helped with wallowing at higher speeds. I like it well planted and smooth and tight. On just paved roads it feels like a new ride. Bilstein HD and TT control arm bushings. The oe rear bushings are probably good too with Koni.
I don't mind feeling every bump.
$$$$$

 

[03TDICommuter]

I like the Cupras on the rear of the Beetle. BTW, I used polyurethane front strut mounts on both the Jetta and Beetle and like them too. (PowerFlex purples). Gave me a little more height as they don't settle like the stock rubber does, and I don't feel them to be harsh.

 

[norbert77]

Wow interesting, Jeep chassis?

Guy on phone says custom frame but i doubt it. Probably yj frame. Also claims a 355 chev

 

[PakProtector]

I have the Cupra-R on all four of ours. Making that upgrade was the first thing I did when the 2DR Golf arrived and I really should put a set on the shelf... They are quite easy to install with a bit o' 7/16 all thread and the HF kit one would use to install/RR front hub wheel bearings. Getting the olde ones out is no chore either; a big air hammer and a bushing splitter chisel makes short work of it. It can get a wee bit messy if the oil from the OE ones has not yet left the building...

All in all, sounds scary, but is really simple. On the car no less...

Douglas

 

[J_dude]

I have the Cupra-R on all four of ours. Making that upgrade was the first thing I did when the 2DR Golf arrived and I really should put a set on the shelf... They are quite easy to install with a bit o' 7/16 all thread and the HF kit one would use to install/RR front hub wheel bearings. Getting the olde ones out is no chore either; a big air hammer and a bushing splitter chisel makes short work of it. It can get a wee bit messy if the oil from the OE ones has not yet left the building...

All in all, sounds scary, but is really simple. On the car no less...

Douglas

Cool, thanks for the tips! Now if only I had an air hammer...

 

[Judson]

Hey folks for those who have special actives, what springs did you pair them with? I’m using new stock springs and I don’t think it’s a good combination but I don’t want to lower the car…

 

[J_dude]

Hey folks for those who have special actives, what springs did you pair them with? I’m using new stock springs and I don’t think it’s a good combination but I don’t want to lower the car…

Ahh hmm now you’ve got me worried, I’m just about to order a set of stockers to go with my Special Actives. What is it that makes you feel they’re not a good combo?

 

[PakProtector]

Cool, thanks for the tips! Now if only I had an air hammer...

Look for '7x Rivet Gun' on ebay and hunt up a used one... The '7x' means it is for setting up to 7/16" steel rivets. The rivet gun trigger is FAR better than the usual air hammers( they call it 'teasing'...a blow just when you want it ). A 715C CP gun should take care of things w/o needing to go to .498 chisels...

Douglas

 

[Judson]

The stock springs seem just a bit sloppy to me, not as controlled as they should be. And she crashes over the rough roads here in Cheyenne.

actually I just looked them up and Neuspeed is not only still in business but they still are selling their softsport springs for the mk4. 1/2” lowered (12mm) is probably the best I can expect

 

[Nuje]

On recent cars, I've gone with wagon springs front and rear on Golf (with 20mm lift spacers) and have been pretty happy with the ride. I'm not "performance"-driving by any stretch, but more looking to avoid road debris (the number of shredded tires off of semis / logging trucks on the freeway here these days is astonishing) trashing the underside of the car.

 

[Zak99b5]

actually I just looked them up and Neuspeed is not only still in business but they still are selling their softsport springs for the mk4. 1/2” lowered (12mm) is probably the best I can expect

i recently installed Nuespeed SofSports and have a thread about them in this forum. They are fantastic.

 

[Judson]

Cool thanks for letting me know! I’ve done some searches - could you post the link? Can’t seem to find your post.

 

[dieseldonato]

Well got to my uncles shop, recovered 742g of refrigerant. Basically full according to the sticker under the hood. Chucked the car up on the lift and pulled the head off the compressor, swapped out the little regulator and receiver dryer. Vacuumed it for a while and charged it up. 40 psi low 190 psi high side pressure and she makes good and cold.

 

[J_dude]

On recent cars, I've gone with wagon springs front and rear on Golf (with 20mm lift spacers) and have been pretty happy with the ride. I'm not "performance"-driving by any stretch, but more looking to avoid road debris (the number of shredded tires off of semis / logging trucks on the freeway here these days is astonishing) trashing the underside of the car.

You put spacers in the front to level it out I assume?

I don't *really* want to go any higher with this car, I have a truck if I want to off-road lol but I don’t want to lower it either because clearance is already an issue... hmm

 

[J_dude]

Cool thanks for letting me know! I’ve done some searches - could you post the link? Can’t seem to find your post.

I assume he’s talking about this one:

Suspension Upgrade

I wanted to do this when I bought the car, but I had to do quite a few repairs and get caught up on maintenance right away, including wheels and tires (just a set of Avus) as the originals were bent, rusty steelies with bald tires. There wasn't just enough money at the time. But the car came...

forums.tdiclub.com

 

[Judson]

Ah, thanks. Not paired with special actives but oranges though I’m betting not that big of a difference. I do think I will make this upgrade at some point in the future.

 

[PakProtector]

Well got to my uncles shop, recovered 742g of refrigerant. Basically full according to the sticker under the hood. Chucked the car up on the lift and pulled the head off the compressor, swapped out the little regulator and receiver dryer. Vacuumed it for a while and charged it up. 40 psi low 190 psi high side pressure and she makes good and cold.

Thanks for writing that up...am curious as to how much oil might run off? I too am planning to do it on the car with just the head off...

Douglas

 

[J_dude]

i recently installed Nuespeed SofSports and have a thread about them in this forum. They are fantastic.

I wonder where a guy could get those in Canada...

 

[csstevej]

Thanks for writing that up...am curious as to how much oil might run off? I too am planning to do it on the car with just the head off...

Douglas

From every thing I’ve seen and read , no oil will be lost as Freon will go to gas as it’s evacuated. But there is a certain amount of oil that has to be put into the receiver dryer if it’s being replaced….I believe it’s in the Bentley on the Quanity of oil needed when a component is replaced.

 

[dieseldonato]

Thanks for writing that up...am curious as to how much oil might run off? I too am planning to do it on the car with just the head off...

Douglas

I just added 4 Oz and called it a day. I didn't really get any out of the dryer and the compressor dribbled a little out when I pulled the head. I didn't think about it, or I would have tried to catch it and measure it. Either way I'm sure it will be fine. I contemplated adding the whole 8oz bottle of oil, but it definatly wasn't that much that came out of the head. Whole process was pretty easy. Only thing I can say is make sure everything is very clean. Don't need dirt getting in the compressor.

 

[Nuje]

You put spacers in the front to level it out I assume?

I don't *really* want to go any higher with this car, I have a truck if I want to off-road lol but I don’t want to lower it either because clearance is already an issue... hmm

Yeah - wanted some balance to it. I put some spacers in the back as well so it rides a little butt-up, but I also have +1-size tires (205-65-15) so it doesn't look too weird.

 

[J_dude]

Yeah - wanted some balance to it. I put some spacers in the back as well so it rides a little butt-up, but I also have +1-size tires (205-65-15) so it doesn't look too weird.

Hmm where can I see pics of this?