What did you do to your MKIV today?

[Fix_Until_Broke]

Loaded it on the trailer...

Stay tuned for the "rest of the story..."

Ok - some back story before the "rest of the story..."

The above Roadmaster wasn't out of winter storage yet so was going to use the Jetta to pick up some items for a friend of mine using my smaller trailer (lots of pics in the towing thread). I've been daily driving the Jetta all winter, no issues other than a starter and battery that were replaced. The Jetta sat for the month of April as I drove a different vehicle for a while - drove it to it's parking spot, no indications that anything was amiss.

So, go to start the Jetta the night before the trip with the trailer, key on, cranks over fine, fires up a bit rough/stumble (normal), runs on all cylinders for ~15 seconds then dies. Hmm - that's weird...

Hit the starter again and it cranks over super fast and easy, doesn't start. Uh oh... Try it again, same thing. ***?
Start checking things - can't find anything wrong, timing belt is good, tensioner is good, no lifters are spidered, etc
Grab the compression gauge - 150 psi in 3 of 4 cylinders (didn't do #4 because it's a hassle to get to and with the results of the previous 3, doesn't really matter anyway...)

So, because I'm spoiled with a good friend that let's me use his shop with a hoist, I drive the other vehicle to get my Roadmaster out of storage, borrow my uncles trailer (shown above), bring that home with my other car on the trailer, push the Jetta on the trailer to take it to my friends shop to dig into it deeper. I don't know what's wrong, but I don't want to tear into this outside in my driveway.

Get to my friends shop, double check everything, cam/IP/Crank timing are spot on, another lifter check, pull the crank damper pulley, no issues with the timing belt - can't find any reason that it has 150psi compression.

On a lark, try to start it again and it starts to catch, then a bit more, then running on it's own (2 cylinders maybe), and after a few more seconds on all 4 cylinders. It starts to stumble and die again, but saves itself and keeps running. So, put everything back together, clean up my tools, take it out for some "exercise" and it runs fine. Shut it off, restarts fine. Let it sit overnight, starts right up the next morning. So, load it back up on the trailer and bring it home. Did a compression test tonight and got ~380 psi on the same 3/4 cylinders (cold engine, 18:1 CR, Stage 2 Cam installed straight up, etc)

Best guess is that the rings got "sticky" and were not sealing well, therefore low compression, sounds like it's freewheeling when cranking and no start.

My friend says he's had this happen 2 times in 40 years on diesels - Both were manual transmission trucks and was able to tow them in gear to get them spinning fast enough to make enough heat to start combustion. One of them was 10+ years ago and still runs fine today.

I was expecting to find something catastrophic and for it to be the end of the line for this car, but not yet .

As the late Paul Harvey would say..."now you know, the rest of the story"

 

[SilverGhost]

One in a million chance rings lined up on multiple cylinders?

Jason

 

[GlowBugTDI]

Ok - some back story before the "rest of the story..."

The above Roadmaster wasn't out of winter storage yet so was going to use the Jetta to pick up some items for a friend of mine using my smaller trailer (lots of pics in the towing thread). I've been daily driving the Jetta all winter, no issues other than a starter and battery that were replaced. The Jetta sat for the month of April as I drove a different vehicle for a while - drove it to it's parking spot, no indications that anything was amiss.

So, go to start the Jetta the night before the trip with the trailer, key on, cranks over fine, fires up a bit rough/stumble (normal), runs on all cylinders for ~15 seconds then dies. Hmm - that's weird...

Hit the starter again and it cranks over super fast and easy, doesn't start. Uh oh... Try it again, same thing. ***?
Start checking things - can't find anything wrong, timing belt is good, tensioner is good, no lifters are spidered, etc
Grab the compression gauge - 150 psi in 3 of 4 cylinders (didn't do #4 because it's a hassle to get to and with the results of the previous 3, doesn't really matter anyway...)

So, because I'm spoiled with a good friend that let's me use his shop with a hoist, I drive the other vehicle to get my Roadmaster out of storage, borrow my uncles trailer (shown above), bring that home with my other car on the trailer, push the Jetta on the trailer to take it to my friends shop to dig into it deeper. I don't know what's wrong, but I don't want to tear into this outside in my driveway.

Get to my friends shop, double check everything, cam/IP/Crank timing are spot on, another lifter check, pull the crank damper pulley, no issues with the timing belt - can't find any reason that it has 150psi compression.

On a lark, try to start it again and it starts to catch, then a bit more, then running on it's own (2 cylinders maybe), and after a few more seconds on all 4 cylinders. It starts to stumble and die again, but saves itself and keeps running. So, put everything back together, clean up my tools, take it out for some "exercise" and it runs fine. Shut it off, restarts fine. Let it sit overnight, starts right up the next morning. So, load it back up on the trailer and bring it home. Did a compression test tonight and got ~380 psi on the same 3/4 cylinders (cold engine, 18:1 CR, Stage 2 Cam installed straight up, etc)

Best guess is that the rings got "sticky" and were not sealing well, therefore low compression, sounds like it's freewheeling when cranking and no start.

My friend says he's had this happen 2 times in 40 years on diesels - Both were manual transmission trucks and was able to tow them in gear to get them spinning fast enough to make enough heat to start combustion. One of them was 10+ years ago and still runs fine today.

I was expecting to find something catastrophic and for it to be the end of the line for this car, but not yet .

As the late Paul Harvey would say..."now you know, the rest of the story"

Maybe look into doing a hotsoak with seafoam or b12 to let it seep past the rings and break things down that may be causing them to stick. Just to be sure it doesn't happen again. Just as an extra step of caution. If it's been running for a few days now without issue its probably ok.

 

[Mozambiquer]

20240515_193030.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 16, 2024

20240515_191953.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 16, 2024

20240515_191944.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 16, 2024

I picked the beetle up.
The drivers side door and the front frame horn are bent, and the engine mount is broken. The engine is going into my sister's Jetta, but I'm undecided on fixing up this beetle or parting the rest of it out.
It has no rust, which is a big plus, and the white bug is just simply a nice look, but I am not sure whether I should add to my list of things to do...

 

[STDOUBT]

the white bug is just simply a nice look

Agreed! I really like the A4's in white.
Those wheel covers are hella cool - never have seen any quite like that before!

 

[Mozambiquer]

Agreed! I really like the A4's in white.
Those wheel covers are hella cool - never have seen any quite like that before!

Yep, regardless, I am thinking what I can do with the wheel covers...

 

[KrashDH]

Yep, regardless, I am thinking what I can do with the wheel covers...

Make a belt buckle

 

[burpod]

Make a belt buckle

that seems like a bit blazing saddles outlandish!!!

 

[benmarks]

After 3+ years of searching, and two false starts with sellers in Australia, Cascade German came to my rescue and just informed me that my carpeted trunk trim from a 4Motion Jetta/Bora sedan donor car finally arrived! These were the last parts I needed before my conversion would be complete (in a 4Motion MK4, the rear floor sits 5 inches higher):

4motion_trunk_trim.png

• benmarks
• May 17, 2024

 

[irvingj]

Idiot time.. was trying to get a 1982 Yamaha Virago 750 up on its main stand and it tipped... and put three deep gouges in the paint on my 2005 J Wagon's left rear quarter panel... grrrrrrr!

 

[csstevej]

Finally had time to work on youngest daughters 03 NB’s A/C system.
Pressures were even on both suction and pressure so I ordered a RCV from polar bear along with seal kit.
It was pretty straight forward to do , but was unhappy as the oil wasn’t clear but had an grey tint and I didn’t have time to replace it nor the oil .
So I trudged ahead and replaced the RCV installed new gaskets , vacuumed system for 30 minutes and checked for leaks , which were none .
I serviced the Freon to the correct amount and pressure and suction was good , I got 36 degrees out the vent .
I know in the future I’m gonna be replacing parts , but this gets her on the road for now.

My question for you guys is …… is there a good write up on what needs to be change and how to flush out the system.
I know I’m looking at a compressor , condenser , receiver dryer , expansion valve.
Also what good compressors are there to be had , I know they’re nissen , Valero , Bosch and sanden plus after market ones .
Thanks In advance.

 

[skyking1]

Hello all, long time no see.
I have a gunmetal 2003 Beetle with 181K on all original stuff. Brakes made a noise so I checked them and I'm ordering up parts tonight.
It has been ducking and weaving for a while on the OEM struts, so I think new strut assemblies, rear shocks, loaded control arms as well as the brakes.
Still choosing struts. Too many options for these MKIV.
Someday I want to cut up a TT and frankenQuattro the beetle. For now I will just drive it.

 

[Nuje]

My question for you guys is …… is there a good write up on what needs to be change and how to flush out the system.
I know I’m looking at a compressor , condenser , receiver dryer , expansion valve.
Also what good compressors are there to be had , I know they’re nissen , Valero , Bosch and sanden plus after market ones .
Thanks In advance.

Given the specific question and probably good answers, I'd suggest starting a bespoke thread for this topic - easier to find for future searchers (I'm thinking of myself here, too, of course ).

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Hello all, long time no see.
I have a gunmetal 2003 Beetle with 181K on all original stuff. Brakes made a noise so I checked them and I'm ordering up parts tonight.
It has been ducking and weaving for a while on the OEM struts, so I think new strut assemblies, rear shocks, loaded control arms as well as the brakes.
Still choosing struts. Too many options for these MKIV.
Someday I want to cut up a TT and frankenQuattro the beetle. For now I will just drive it.

I'd go with Bilstein B4s or B4 Sports. They work great with the NB's lower ride height.

 

[csstevej]

Given the specific question and probably good answers, I'd suggest starting a bespoke thread for this topic - easier to find for future searchers (I'm thinking of myself here, too, of course ).

Lol yes I’m going to start a new thread , just wanted to throw what I did and potentially where I may be going to next.

 

[Zak99b5]

With the arrival of warm weather, I am now able to use the fob to lock and unlock the driver's door. Rest always work with the remote; the actuator in driver's door is lazy and takes a break from October till mid-May.

 

[GlowBugTDI]

20240515_193030.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 16, 2024

20240515_191953.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 16, 2024

20240515_191944.jpg

• Mozambiquer
• May 16, 2024

I picked the beetle up.
The drivers side door and the front frame horn are bent, and the engine mount is broken. The engine is going into my sister's Jetta, but I'm undecided on fixing up this beetle or parting the rest of it out.
It has no rust, which is a big plus, and the white bug is just simply a nice look, but I am not sure whether I should add to my list of things to do...

Sad to see it banged up. Looks like a sweet ride. I see the side markers below the mirrors are gone and covered with decals. I haven't seen that before.
It'll be a lot of body work for you. As much as I hate to say it good luck on straightening that front end. I'm sure it can be done, but it'll be a lengthy process trying to get it perfect. On the beetles it doesn't take much to have the front end lines be off. Especially since there isn't a whole lot of room you can fudge with on those. Everything is bolted to everything up front. My beetles front clip is still about 1/2-3/4" off to the drivers side. I think part of it could be resolved with replacing the rad support, but even so it took multiple attempts replacing structures and trying to figure out what was bent for me to get it this close. What might make the difference is someone with experience or with the tools designed for straightening a car. I just couldn't figure out what or where it was off as everything looked and measured almost perfect except the rad support.

20240521_075233.jpg

• GlowBugTDI
• May 21, 2024

Note side to side the difference in body lines adjacent to the hood where the bumper and fenders meet.

 

[wonneber]

Ok - some back story before the "rest of the story..."

The above Roadmaster wasn't out of winter storage yet so was going to use the Jetta to pick up some items for a friend of mine using my smaller trailer (lots of pics in the towing thread). I've been daily driving the Jetta all winter, no issues other than a starter and battery that were replaced. The Jetta sat for the month of April as I drove a different vehicle for a while - drove it to it's parking spot, no indications that anything was amiss.

So, go to start the Jetta the night before the trip with the trailer, key on, cranks over fine, fires up a bit rough/stumble (normal), runs on all cylinders for ~15 seconds then dies. Hmm - that's weird...

Hit the starter again and it cranks over super fast and easy, doesn't start. Uh oh... Try it again, same thing. ***?
Start checking things - can't find anything wrong, timing belt is good, tensioner is good, no lifters are spidered, etc
Grab the compression gauge - 150 psi in 3 of 4 cylinders (didn't do #4 because it's a hassle to get to and with the results of the previous 3, doesn't really matter anyway...)

So, because I'm spoiled with a good friend that let's me use his shop with a hoist, I drive the other vehicle to get my Roadmaster out of storage, borrow my uncles trailer (shown above), bring that home with my other car on the trailer, push the Jetta on the trailer to take it to my friends shop to dig into it deeper. I don't know what's wrong, but I don't want to tear into this outside in my driveway.

Get to my friends shop, double check everything, cam/IP/Crank timing are spot on, another lifter check, pull the crank damper pulley, no issues with the timing belt - can't find any reason that it has 150psi compression.

On a lark, try to start it again and it starts to catch, then a bit more, then running on it's own (2 cylinders maybe), and after a few more seconds on all 4 cylinders. It starts to stumble and die again, but saves itself and keeps running. So, put everything back together, clean up my tools, take it out for some "exercise" and it runs fine. Shut it off, restarts fine. Let it sit overnight, starts right up the next morning. So, load it back up on the trailer and bring it home. Did a compression test tonight and got ~380 psi on the same 3/4 cylinders (cold engine, 18:1 CR, Stage 2 Cam installed straight up, etc)

Best guess is that the rings got "sticky" and were not sealing well, therefore low compression, sounds like it's freewheeling when cranking and no start.

My friend says he's had this happen 2 times in 40 years on diesels - Both were manual transmission trucks and was able to tow them in gear to get them spinning fast enough to make enough heat to start combustion. One of them was 10+ years ago and still runs fine today.

I was expecting to find something catastrophic and for it to be the end of the line for this car, but not yet .

As the late Paul Harvey would say..."now you know, the rest of the story"

The "cranks over super fast" is what I had when my ASV was gummed up and occasionally stuck closed after shutting the car.
I know it's spring open but after I cleaned the sludge it was OK again.
This was on my 03 JSW BTW.

 

[Fix_Until_Broke]

The "cranks over super fast" is what I had when my ASV was gummed up and occasionally stuck closed after shutting the car.
I know it's spring open but after I cleaned the sludge it was OK again.
This was on my 03 JSW BTW.

I had a friends 03 Jetta do that to him - took us a while to figure it out .

My ASV fell off ~15 years ago, so pretty sure that wasn't the issue this time

 

[Rob Mayercik]

From yesterday:

First, ordered these (they arrived this morning, in all their shrinkwrapped, 11.5-pound hardcover glory):

Then, on the way home I pulled over for a moment to take this pic:

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

That's pretty cool that you got to a half a million miles before your needed a repair manual.

 

[Rob Mayercik]

I actually bought it on CD from Bentley years ago, but I recently read somewhere on here that suggested that getting support from them for the ancient e-bahn reader that the electronic manual ran on was somewhere between extremely difficult and impossible (and I've not had my electronic one working for some years now), so I figured I should lay my hands on a paper copy and found that one on Amazon at a reasonable price.

Getting the electronic version seemed like a good idea at the time, but I never really used it much (largely because of the headaches caused by trying to move it from one computer to another with the former not functioning (and eventually a hard drive upgrade on the newer one). In retrospect, I probably should have gone with the paper one instead originally, as I won't have to worry about sunglare, low batteries, or grease on the keyboard this way.

I probably should have done this a while ago, but it'll definitely come in handy soon - I've got an "intermittent electrical fault" code for the left rear ABS wheel speed sensor to run down, so the manual's first use will likely be for the pictures of how to get at that and check it for damage

 

[J_dude]

I won't have to worry about sunglare, low batteries, or grease on the keyboard this way.

Well, it's a good idea to print off the pages you need before starting a job anyway, and that still applies to the paper manuals too. I'd say scan the ones you need and print em because you don't want to get grease on those books.

 

[Rob Mayercik]

True. I'm usually good about wiping my hands (or stripping off the gloves) before touching the book (have a paper service manual for my Jeep as well, and have managed not to mess it up, as I usually find the page I want and then just paperweight the pages in place and simply look back at it), but I certainly don't mind the reminder/suggestion.

 

[P2B]

I've got an "intermittent electrical fault" code for the left rear ABS wheel speed sensor to run down, so the manual's first use will likely be for the pictures of how to get at that and check it for damage

That's usually caused by the tone ring rusting and contacting the sensor. You can pull the rotor and clean up/file down the tone ring to keep it a going another year or two, or just bite the bullet and get a new hub and sensor. You'll find tips on the easiest way to do those jobs here, but not in your Bentley

 

[Rob Mayercik]

Interesting, what I'd found searching yesterday indicated that the wiring harness was a common source of this. I just had the wheel bearings/brakes replaced back in the fall, but I suppose if I don't find any wiring damage I can pop the rotor and check the tone ring. If nothing else, the Bentley will at least show me what it should look like...

 

[KrashDH]

I've had an aftermarket sensor cause abs issues because it didn't sit at the same depth/distance from the tone ring as OEM. It was out of the spec tolerance range

 

[Zak99b5]

Trick I’ve found for removing abs sensors is to get a chisel and chop off the part sticking out of the wheel bearing housing. Then use a punch and a bfh to drive out the rest. A Dremel with a ball file bit cleans up the bore nicely.

 

[Zak99b5]

On #2 son's 01 Tdi sedan, helped him install some used Koni Yellows with H&R Sport springs. I think they are too low, but it’s not my car, so. We were also going to reboot his right front cv joint boot, but my triple square bit set was MIA. Found it later, so we will do the boot next month. He also didn’t get the crimping tool for the clamps, so I guess it’s just as well.

We ran into the usual (for upstate NY) rust issues, as well as VW hardware being replaced with SAE-sized stuff. Rear shock mount removal (he neglected to buy new) from the old shocks was a pita. The flat on top to counterhold the shaft from spinning just twisted off on both. Luckily (kinda) the shafts were both rusted into the mounts, so an impact zipped them off. Then we had to support both mounts in a vise and wail on the shock shafts to drive them out. I had old VW lower rear shock bolts in the shed (from when I put the rsb on my car), so we were able to replace the sae that was on one side and the bolt we had to cut with a sawzall on the other. Good times.

 

[Rob Mayercik]

I've had an aftermarket sensor cause abs issues because it didn't sit at the same depth/distance from the tone ring as OEM. It was out of the spec tolerance range

Sensors should all (including this one) be OEM - I've owned the car since new and don't recall ever having those replaced.

Trick I’ve found for removing abs sensors is to get a chisel and chop off the part sticking out of the wheel bearing housing. Then use a punch and a bfh to drive out the rest. A Dremel with a ball file bit cleans up the bore nicely.

Good to know. Really hoping for an actual wiring issue, since pulling the sensor doesn't sound like fun (and neither does replacing the hub)