What did you do to your MKIV today?

[Nuje]

I haven't needed to install thread inserts in the block yet, but did have to do the other end of the engine mount, both on my car and a friend's 2.slow.

The Timesert kit hurts to initially buy, but it does the job well in this application.

I found some M12x1.5 helicoil-type thread-repair "springs" on AliX that had sufficient length (22mm, I think) a little while ago. Drilled then tapped the hole with M14x1.5 that I have for cleaning out the the lug threads on hubs. Torqued to 100Nm and it felt rock solid.

 

[oilhammer]

The Helicoil type works fine once, but on something you know you will have to take loose again some day, they don't. Because they often won't stay put and back out and make a bigger mess... because they can jam in between the bracket and mount, and effectively stick the two together with the bolt. I've had several of those that I had to break out the Sawzall to get apart. Not fun... and not cheap.

 

[Sting]

Well, in the last couple of weeks, I tried the cheap "unplug the hose from the EGR" mod. No engine codes, seems to pull a bit better, I think. I already had the adaptation in for the EGR and things didn't look very dirty at all, except for some surface stuff. Probably a couple of good hill climbs will solve that.

On the weekend, I pulled up my rear carpets above where I had some floor work done, and got some POR-15 on the inside of that work. Did some other little touchups and such.

Getting things set up with Nuje to do a timing belt. Also researching a new front subframe and thinking about doing a clutch job while in there. If it wasn't so much labour, I'd just get someone to do it... but man, shop time is so expensive now. Ugh.

Otherwise just driving it work daily...

 

[csstevej]

We’ll just finished up installing a new a/c compressor with new clutch set up due to the fact that the old a/c clutch bearings gave up the ghost and severely overheated the new clutch coil I put in two months ago.

Daughter called me up and said her car smelled funny, couldn’t pinpoint it being electrical or brakes. I suspected two different components being the issue, told her don’t shut the car off and if the alt light comes on find a well lit place and I’ll come get her.
She was able to limp the car home and went outside and coul smell what she was talking about.
Had her pop the hood and over by the alt area it was strong but it wasn’t the issue.
Got underneath and saw the a/c clutch intermittently turning with dust clouds coming out of it.
Asked daughter if a/c was on and she said it hadn’t been on all day.
Made the mistake of touching it with car off and burned two of my fingers, my bad….if I can I will upload photos and video.

 

[JonA]

The Helicoil type works fine once, but on something you know you will have to take loose again some day, they don't. Because they often won't stay put and back out and make a bigger mess... because they can jam in between the bracket and mount, and effectively stick the two together with the bolt. I've had several of those that I had to break out the Sawzall to get apart. Not fun... and not cheap.

Would you say the same is true of Timeserts as well, or is Helicoil just not as good as other thread repair options? Have had to Helicoil in the past and expect I will in the future, would rather not create larger messes for future me to deal with if possible...

 

[GlowBugTDI]

Wifes jetta decided to spit out its coolant temp sensor so I made a trip to her work and put it back in. Thankfully she made it just in time that morning. The low coolant light came on just before she got there.

 

[oilhammer]

Would you say the same is true of Timeserts as well, or is Helicoil just not as good as other thread repair options? Have had to Helicoil in the past and expect I will in the future, would rather not create larger messes for future me to deal with if possible...

No, the actual inserts are peened into the part, they won't ever back out. I've done countless jobs with them, never ever had a single problem. But, they are not cheap. Our machine shop charges us $25 per hole to do them. But $50 for a perma-fix (upgrade) is cheaper than a new $250 part that could potentially strip out the aluminum again some day.

 

[northern diesel]

I got boxes piling up of things I ordered that finally came in- doing the timing belt - and suspension this weekend - as well as LCA’s.
I’m upgrading bushings to be a little stiffer.
I got a lift on my wagon- and thinking about a sway bar. Old threads on here hyped them up and made them sound almost necessary to try to reduce under steer.
any opinions or thoughts anyone has on this?

also just simply wondering what anyone’s got for the lowest ET they would recommend - on 16” rims - having a tough time finding the right wheel set up.
I wanted 16s so I could throw a beefy tire on them.
if anyone wants to send me a direct message - to not distal the current thread .. I’m all ears !
Cheers

 

[J_dude]

I got a lift on my wagon- and thinking about a sway bar. Old threads on here hyped them up and made them sound almost necessary to try to reduce under steer.

What is Handling?

Hello Everyone, As some of you may know, I'm just a guest here, as I own a GTI, not a TDI, and have only recently registered with your very fine forum. But I'm a friend of Peter (Pyce), and having received an email from Peter saying that he's going to consolidate some of our postings from the...

forums.tdiclub.com

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Lifted MKIVs tend to understeer more because front wheel camber goes positive when the car is lifted. Since there's no camber adjustment, you're stuck with that. Makes them want to go straight.

A rear bar might help, but don't go too stiff, it'll make the car rotate too easily, especially in slippery conditions. Ask me how I know.

 

[norbert77]

Doing a lot of getting in and out to clean the mold and wire the fuel pump and other things so I decided she needs a bath before I scratch her

 

[[486]]

Lifted MKIVs tend to understeer more because front wheel camber goes positive when the car is lifted. Since there's no camber adjustment, you're stuck with that. Makes them want to go straight.

A rear bar might help, but don't go too stiff, it'll make the car rotate too easily, especially in slippery conditions. Ask me how I know.

a4 chassis just has crappy winter traction all around no matter what
it is an econobox with macpherson struts and a beam axle in the back, just like fox body mustangs, you can replace every single part of it trying to make it handle like a stock '95 civic and still fail at getting comparable results

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I don't think MKIVs have any better or worse winter traction than any other FWD car.

True, the suspension is pretty primitive, but it's better than a Fox Mustang. Instead of a heavy rear axle bouncing around the MKIV has trailing arms, meaning much less unsprung weight. I've driven TDIs extensively with and without IRS, and there isn't that much of a difference.

Hondas did benefit from a more sophisticated suspension, but it doesn't matter to a lot of drivers. Which is why VW, and now Honda, have decided to save cost with simpler setups.

 

[PakProtector]

I got introduced to TimeSerts at a Porsche specialist I worked for some decades past. The 2.7's cases would pull the studs out. And pull out heli-coils. TimeSerts did not fail...

Douglas

 

[hey_allen]

I learned about them from my time working with MB's, years ago, where they were used to repair stripped out head bolt threads in the aluminum M117 blocks.

Quite a vote of confidence, when they were specified to repair head bolt threads!

 

[pkhoury]

What I did yesterday -

Wasn't super happy about the timesert sat (it's possible it might've been 1-1.5 mm too tall for the hole in the engine mount bracket), but I followed the instructions, replaced both, and was able to torque both brand new TTY bolts to 74ft lbs. Finished up my timing belt install, let the engine heat up, adjusted timing below the red line (so beyond the range for retarded), per Guthrie's suggestions, and holy f*ck, does this car RIP! Also had some broken plastic of some sort in the coolant overflow tank, so I tried cleaning that crap out (something fell apart in the coolant tank).

I then adjusted timing for DSOL as well to be around the same mark and also took it for a test drive. I have my new ecode headlight wiring harnesses today that came from VXTuning (they are NOT good at reponding to phone calls or emails, but they eventually shipped it out a week after my order). So I gotta install that today, as the old wiring isn't in the best of shape, and replace my low/high beam bulbs while I'm at it (some of the high beams went out, anyways, which is what brought me to inspecting the wiring faults).

 

[pkhoury]

Yeah time serts are the only way I go now….

@alphaseinor and another best friend who owned a Volvo/Saab shop for several decades both swore by timeserts, and I value both of their advice, so yeah...

Eventually I need to get a longer timesert (probably 12mm or so) and redo one of the holes for the accessory belt tensioner on DSEL. Knock on wood, it's been running fine for the last three years on two holes, but I'd rather get that fixed for peace of mind. Probably the scenario where I'll use my 90 degree angle Milwaukee drill, to get in that tight space to drill out the old threads. Also picked up a tap socket adapter, so I can use that instead of a tap handle for doing the seat and cutting in new threads.

 

[norbert77]

Continuing the in tank fuel pump conversion. pump is in, wiring is pulled to back. Went to wire pump, I had ordered the plug from Idparts but the stupid kit didn't include the 2 new prongs needed. So I gave up. Then I decided to at least finish the relay part, stole power from the rear power outlet, and then I realised the plug off the power outlet had 2 similar size prongs, I will see if I can make it work.

Like really, a small fortune for a pump upgrade and a plug, vendor should have included 2 prongs, or at least put up a note saying hey buy these 2 metal pieces you will need with an upgrade

 

[Mozambiquer]

Yesterday I was driving the manual swapped bew that I am getting ready to sell for a family member, and one of the shifter cables broke. Well, I guess I have one more thing to fix before it's ready to sell.
I am WAY too tempted to keep it, but I've got a nice alh Jetta I'm building an engine for , and plan to use it for my daily later on.
Now to figure out which cables this one has, and I know I need to replace the rest of the shifter bushings too, as they were loose. That contributed to the failure, I know

 

[pkhoury]

The Helicoil type works fine once, but on something you know you will have to take loose again some day, they don't. Because they often won't stay put and back out and make a bigger mess... because they can jam in between the bracket and mount, and effectively stick the two together with the bolt. I've had several of those that I had to break out the Sawzall to get apart. Not fun... and not cheap.

Just mentioning the Helicoil to Brian Hague and my other bestie Christian, was pretty much met with a bunch of "f*ck that" and "use a timesert" comments. I've heard horror stories from both, and both were professional mechanics like yourself, so I figured they know what they're talking about, so it's best to use their advice.

 

[pkhoury]

Yesterday I was driving the manual swapped bew that I am getting ready to sell for a family member, and one of the shifter cables broke. Well, I guess I have one more thing to fix before it's ready to sell.
I am WAY too tempted to keep it, but I've got a nice alh Jetta I'm building an engine for , and plan to use it for my daily later on.
Now to figure out which cables this one has, and I know I need to replace the rest of the shifter bushings too, as they were loose. That contributed to the failure, I know

Too bad I'd need a weird box size, because I have extra shifter assemblies I could sell you. Bought a few from the junkyard in years past to use as spares, of which I've actually used two spares for problems like the U shaped plastic for the reverse gear disintegrating.

 

[pkhoury]

Continuing the in tank fuel pump conversion. pump is in, wiring is pulled to back. Went to wire pump, I had ordered the plug from Idparts but the stupid kit didn't include the 2 new prongs needed. So I gave up. Then I decided to at least finish the relay part, stole power from the rear power outlet, and then I realised the plug off the power outlet had 2 similar size prongs, I will see if I can make it work.

Like really, a small fortune for a pump upgrade and a plug, vendor should have included 2 prongs, or at least put up a note saying hey buy these 2 metal pieces you will need with an upgrade

Just make sure you add in a fuse for the pump. I don't remember the value, but I think 15 amps is what comes to mind. I don't remember if I added a fuse for the 53 relay, but definitely did for the pump itself.

 

[P2B]

Just make sure you add in a fuse for the pump. I don't remember the value, but I think 15 amps is what comes to mind. I don't remember if I added a fuse for the 53 relay, but definitely did for the pump itself.

Fuse should be before the relay so as to protect it and the pump.

 

[pkhoury]

Fuse should be before the relay so as to protect it and the pump.

When I wired up mine, I had a separate electrical feed for the pump and fused it. I don't remember if I fused the relay, but I know I'm not using the same electrical feed for both.

 

[norbert77]

Just make sure you add in a fuse for the pump. I don't remember the value, but I think 15 amps is what comes to mind. I don't remember if I added a fuse for the 53 relay, but definitely did for the pump itself.

The power outlet comes with its own fuse in the fuse box

 

[dieseldonato]

Timeserts are pretty decent as far as thread repairs. Cost vs longevity they strike a nice balance. The machine shop I used to work for used them occasionally. They preferred full torque inserts from lock-n-stitch. Something about how the threads were cut was superior to timeserts and the ability to order small amounts of custom inserts/plugs etc. The tooling is very expensive, so I don't use them at home. On the off chance a timesert won't work for me, I run down to the machine shop and "rent" the tooling and get the inserts off them.

Full-Torque Products On Lock-N-Stitch

Browse Full-Torque Products in the Lock-N-Stitch catalog including Standard Thread Repair Insert Types,Shouldered Type Inserts,Special Application Inserts,Solid & Pre-drilled Plugs,Tapered Pipe Thread & O-Ring Boss Inserts,Spark Plug Hole Thread Inse

castingrepair.locknstitch.com

 

[Zak99b5]

Pulled the battery to replace the city light that had burned out in my car. Then I tried to replace the injector return lines (more for fun) with clear PVC fuel line, but the wall was too thin to allow me to slide it over the nipples.

Also, I had the “opportunity” to change the spark plugs & wires in my daughter's 05 Golf. This time I removed the upper intake mani, and it made the job so much easier. Just 7 bolts and a few hoses. I didn’t have a new gasket for it on hand, so I just reused the old one. Seems to be fine. But damn, the wires and plugs came to $220. Glad I don’t have any on mine.

 

[oilhammer]

No, just have a significantly more expensive fuel injection system to deal with, LOL.

(never seen anyone pull the upper intake on a 2.slo for spark plugs, I got a chuckle out of that... I suppose it *would* be easier, but it isn't exactly hard in the first place).

 

[pkhoury]

Finally replaced faulty wiring in both headlights on DSOL. For those who are confused, DSEL and DSOL are my two golfs and referenced in my signature (they are also the license plates on each car, with a heart in front for "love diesel").

Anyways, did some modifications so my leveling motors had power (great for while towing and the ass end of the car is lower, making the front slightly higher) and got everything tested.

That being said - where do y'all set your headlight levels to? I put mine a little high (I never adjusted them since I replaced some assemblies that were damaged in comp collisions), so I could see better. I live fairly rural, so a lot of my driving is on country roads with not much traffic. If anything, I can use the levelers to aim the lights down a little, but before, I couldn't see $hit that far ahead of me, even with high beams (and all these new cars with LED headlights aimed from the factory are way brighter than my car with high beams on, anyways).

 

[spifflifkin]

For those who are confused, DSEL and DSOL are my two golfs and referenced in my signature (they are also the license plates on each car, with a heart in front for "love diesel")

I was wondering that that meant. Now it's obvious that you pointed out they are in your signature.