What did you do to your MKIV today?

[JDSwan87]

Oil change. Only lost a half quart over 10k miles, pretty darn good for 230k miles!
Noticed when I dropped the pan that both my inner CV joints have slung a little bit of grease on the panzer plate. I inspected both boots visually and with the ole finger and I am unable to find any type of tear. All clamps are still intact also. These were new OEM from IDPARTS roughly 30k-40k miles ago... Thoughts?

 

[jmodge]

Are you sure it’s grease and not something that dripped on the axles? When is the last time you dropped that skid plate?

 

[JDSwan87]

Are you sure it’s grease and not something that dripped on the axles? When is the last time you dropped that skid plate?

It COULD be something that dripped but its even inside/under the little heat guard thingy that deflects heat from the turbo away from the boot. The material is directly in line with where the boot is secured with the metal band on the large diameter.
Last I dropped the plate was March 2020.

 

[jmodge]

That CV Grease is unmistakable, it’s the tackiest hardest to remove paste there is on an automobile

 

[JDSwan87]

That CV Grease is unmistakable, it’s the tackiest hardest to remove paste there is on an automobile

Nah, this was runny grease. Definitely not hard to remove or tacky. Strange, I wonder what it is?

 

[03TDICommuter]

Nah, this was runny grease. Definitely not hard to remove or tacky. Strange, I wonder what it is?

did you use a gasket on the flange?

 

[JDSwan87]

did you use a gasket on the flange?

It's an automatic, the shafts are sealed.

 

[Nero Morg]

It's an automatic, the shafts are sealed.

They can still seep out. Just did a 01m replacement, was surprised to see geese squeezing out between the plate cover.

 

[JDSwan87]

They can still seep out. Just did a 01m replacement, was surprised to see geese squeezing out between the plate cover.

It was about 3 tablespoons of grease, should I be concerned?

 

[Nero Morg]

It was about 3 tablespoons of grease, should I be concerned?

I wouldn't worry about it until it starts making noises. Could take a while.

 

[Nero Morg]

Well finally time for my own update, loaded the EUH code manual trans into the back of my wagon, going to steam clean it at work in prep for a peloquin.
Curious how the slightly different gear ratios will affect my fuel economy. Currently have an EGR code in my car.

 

[03TDICommuter]

It's an automatic, the shafts are sealed.

didn't know that, thanks.

 

[Kitsune]

10k oil / filter. Glow plug light came on, tested it and there's a shorted one. Oh well, it's been a couple of years, time to swap'em out I guess.

 

[Luckydog58]

Had my gross purple wavy tint removed and replaced with new tint. Sad thing is now I can see the imperfections in my original glass I also had to make the choice of a back defroster that "MIGHT" work or new tint. Taking off the old tint (professional done) and the former owners abuse of the wires on the window made it so I had a 10% chance that the defroster would work. I have seen defroster that you can install yourself on top of tint, so I guess if I can not survive winter with out a defroster I'll look into it.

 

[Figit090]

Does California not require a front plate?

Oh they do, I've been pulled over for it before. It's back on now. This photo was literally two minutes after I drove it out of the garage

 

[Figit090]

Almost missed it you typed inside the quote! I'm glad you like it!

It's been 1k miles and I need to do more calculation and trips without a full load, Yakima box, and bikes on the back. Right now, it was about 7% off from Google mileage and no idea how different from previous tire size so my odometer is WAY different.

I lifted it 2" outside the struts, rather than a compressed spring; the suspension is probably good for 2.5-3" fender lift and tires another inch, but I have to measure again to see for sure. It's plenty tall! Some go higher but I didn't want to push it. Mk5 strut conversion was a nice update too. Check my Instagram for photos.

 

[DeeJay]

Replaced the broken stock antenna on 2000 Jetta with an amplified shark fin that used all new wires. Since I've had the car, the antenna was crap, so can't compare signal strength. Seems to be 3/4 strength or so of what the old fender masts were capable of. I also ran a new wire from the keyless entry antenna into the base of the shark fin for longer range from the fob. I now get about 50% more range. That's in preparation for the window module from ECS. Tiny bit hesitant about that module though. Have read that it may lock out certain aspects of the comfort module... Wrote ECS and they said "shouldn't"...sigh.....Contacted Ross Comm. They said "shouldn't".... I don't get why there is a maybe in there at all. Next is chasing the never ending vibration and the brake shudder that had left for 6 months then came back. Why couldn't they have made a good car around these good drivetrains?

 

[dmitri15]

Totaled out my 2003 golf, bought a pos $1200 2001. Swapped all fun parts over(turbo, injectors, ecu…)
10k miles later and should probably do some maintenance. Drain plug stripped. Pan in poor condition.(no oring on filter cap when I bought it, can only imagine the idiot that changed this oil) No problem, order up a new pan. One of the hidden bolts was cross threaded into the lovely nutsert on the oem plastic rear main. Needless to say it cracked and part of rear main came down with pan. I suppose I’ll do a clutch while apart. If I’m doing the rear main and clutch, I’m pretty invested in this car now so timing belt, water pump, etc.
All I wanted to do was an oil change

oh well. Now damn near everything is new.

 

[csstevej]

Sorry about the totaled car , glad you got the new to you going.
It’s amazing what PO‘s do to there cars and call it maintenance…….

 

[Hyde7278]

Got my alt pulled out and pulley changed out, replaced a/c compressor and removed muffler and front “resonator” and strait piped it. Now sounds really good.

When replacing the pulley it was stuck on so had to break out the secret weapon for rust (Kroil) and let it sit overnight and the pulley came off like butter also used some on the bolt slides on the alt and a/c compressor and I was able to push them in with a pair of pliers. Great stuff and well worth the price tag.

 

[Andyinchville1]

Replaced the broken stock antenna on 2000 Jetta with an amplified shark fin that used all new wires. Since I've had the car, the antenna was crap, so can't compare signal strength. Seems to be 3/4 strength or so of what the old fender masts were capable of. I also ran a new wire from the keyless entry antenna into the base of the shark fin for longer range from the fob. I now get about 50% more range. That's in preparation for the window module from ECS. Tiny bit hesitant about that module though. Have read that it may lock out certain aspects of the comfort module... Wrote ECS and they said "shouldn't"...sigh.....Contacted Ross Comm. They said "shouldn't".... I don't get why there is a maybe in there at all. Next is chasing the never ending vibration and the brake shudder that had left for 6 months then came back. Why couldn't they have made a good car around these good drivetrains?

HI,

I tried to do the antenna mod for better key fob range but for the life of me I cannot find the wire .... by chance could you describe where it is ?

My range is so poor I have to be within 3 feet of the door before it works .... I've given up on unlocking remotely ( I did check the battery).

Thanks

Andrew

 

[Luckydog58]

It was a slow day for working on my MK4. I changed out the antenna since the old one wanted to stay somewhere in Minnesota or Omaha when I bought the car. So when I pulled down my headliner a little bit to get to the antenna I noticed there was a lot of "soot" everywhere under the headliner. After searching, I found the problem - under the spare tire (which wasn't even the right size) I had two big "drain" holes with nothing in them anymore. Guess that would be how soot "exhaust" was sneaking in my car. I plugged the hole, but now I need a new spare tire and rim. Changed out all the broken plastic in the car (under steering wheel, center counsel, dome light/sunroof controls). Spent the rest of the night reorganizing my tool box since I have a use for all my tools again.

 

[DeeJay]

HI,

I tried to do the antenna mod for better key fob range but for the life of me I cannot find the wire .... by chance could you describe where it is ?

My range is so poor I have to be within 3 feet of the door before it works .... I've given up on unlocking remotely ( I did check the battery).

Thanks

Andrew

I did a bit of research to make sure that I had the right wire. Can't remember where or if I actually fount the wires pin number. It was however the only wire with a clear coating. Here's a link that should help.

Extending Key Fob Antenna Range BY VW Vortex’s bootymac

I read that some of the first cars(mk4's) didn't even have an antenna because VW forgot to put them on. I pulled my connector apart and soldered a new wire to the tiny metal pin, then snapped it all back together..It's not easy to pull that plug apart, but is doable.......With that being said, there's a good chance that it is your fob that is bad, even if the batteries are brand new. You can try the antenna first if you please, but I'm guessing that it is you fob. There are a few different options to replace that. You could get a used one or buy a new aftermarket one; both would have to be reprogrammed. You would have to put your "key" half(with the immobilizers transponder chip) on top of the new fob or put the fobs circuit board inside of your old fob. Any way that you do it, you would have to reprogram the fob. Not sure how good the aftermarket ones are from my own experience, but haven't heard many complaints from the people that bought them. They really are quite inexpensive though. Before I swapped out my fob, I had to hold it close to the back window to open the trunk. After changing the fob, I had roughly 70 feet or so of range. Now I get maybe 125 or so. Hope this helps.

 

[Mozambiquer]

I did a bit of research to make sure that I had the right wire. Can't remember where or if I actually fount the wires pin number. It was however the only wire with a clear coating. Here's a link that should help.

Extending Key Fob Antenna Range BY VW Vortex’s bootymac

I read that some of the first cars(mk4's) didn't even have an antenna because VW forgot to put them on. I pulled my connector apart and soldered a new wire to the tiny metal pin, then snapped it all back together..It's not easy to pull that plug apart, but is doable.......With that being said, there's a good chance that it is your fob that is bad, even if the batteries are brand new. You can try the antenna first if you please, but I'm guessing that it is you fob. There are a few different options to replace that. You could get a used one or buy a new aftermarket one; both would have to be reprogrammed. You would have to put your "key" half(with the immobilizers transponder chip) on top of the new fob or put the fobs circuit board inside of your old fob. Any way that you do it, you would have to reprogram the fob. Not sure how good the aftermarket ones are from my own experience, but haven't heard many complaints from the people that bought them. They really are quite inexpensive though. Before I swapped out my fob, I had to hold it close to the back window to open the trunk. After changing the fob, I had roughly 70 feet or so of range. Now I get maybe 125 or so. Hope this helps.

That's kinda cool! I use the fob to head trick sometimes. It helps, somehow... I remember seeing a myth busters episode on it, and they had some explanation for how it helps extend your range. My wife still doesn't believe it though.

 

[Figit090]

That's kinda cool! I use the fob to head trick sometimes. It helps, somehow... I remember seeing a myth busters episode on it, and they had some explanation for how it helps extend your range. My wife still doesn't believe it though.

I do it a lot, Jeremy Clarkson did it on Top Gear too, lol. I've tested it and it's easy to prove if you lock your car over and over near the edge of the range until it stops working, walk a few more feet, then have someone try it with and without using their skull as a booster.

Not sure about the RF radiation damage to my skull, I should probably do the antenna mod. The only problem there is the fact I've got remotely operated windows and sometimes squish my key fob, rolling the windows down. short range keeps me from doing this when I'm in the house! lol....

Speaking of key fobs; I got a cover for mine to match my wheels. It's the little things.

In other news, while it wasn't today, I did make some time while camping to install some Hella off-road lights on the Red Eye Cafe Moto light bar. Click that link for Seth's instagram, I'm not sure if he has an account here but his light bars are awesome!

Driving lights work great, I still need to solder and connect the 12v to the spot lights.

Wires from Hella went very nicely through a grommet just above the brake booster

switches routed to the empty space on the dash; I'll probably drill out the placeholder button and mount them here:

Here's the lights mounted up:

AAAAAnd after some mud:

Hella DRL's on, still working on a better front plate placement... :

 

[gmenounos]

Replaced the left rear wheel bearing / hub on the wagon as it wasn't feeling as smooth as the right side one that I replaced a week ago and I don't want to risk having it fail on a road trip (like the other one did a couple weeks ago). Also replaced the dust shield, which had rotted away to almost nothing.

However, I feel like I'm fighting a never-ending battle to get the brakes to not drag on both of my cars. The wagon has almost new TRW calipers and carriers, rotors and pads on both sides of the rear as well as the newer heavy duty parking brake cables (also recently replaced) and return springs. I lubed everything that slides with Sil-Glyde. After replacing the wheel bearing and winding the caliper back, before stepping on the brakes and using the parking brake for the first time, I mounted the tire and spun it and it spun for a seemingly forever. Then I stepped on the brake pedal a bunch of times, then applied the parking brake a bunch of times, then spun the wheel and I was lucky if it spun twice before stopping. I've read other posts that say that it should spin 5-6 times around if the brakes are not dragging. Is that right?

Now I've had this car for 12 years and haven't been diligent about replacing the brake fluid every 2 years, so maybe that's the root of my problem. I did bleed all 4 calipers when I replaced the rear ones but didn't go through the whole ABS bleed routine with VCDS. Has anyone beside @oilhammer successfully done this? It seems like I need the car on a lift, 2 bleed bottles and 6 liters of brake fluid to do this according to the book.

I've read some threads where people have said that the brake lines can degrade internally so I'm going to replace the ones on the rear beam while I'm doing the axle bushings. (Yes, I'm throwing parts at the problem, but at 230K miles and living in the Salt Belt, this car does deserve some new parts and my labor is free.)

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I had a similar problem with the rear inside brake pad wearing faster than the outside, on both sides. Last time I put brakes on it (got 130K out of the last set of rears, so the issue can't be that bad!), I cycled the piston through its travel twice, wire brushed everything, and used new clips (I rarely replace these). So far, so good. Carriers have been renewed and parking brake cables have been replaced a couple times, but, to my amazement, the calipers are original. As some point I'll replace those, maybe at the half million mile mark.

 

[Nero Morg]

Well... Parked my wagon, until I decide to fix the leaking EGR pipe. Guess I get to drive the ol IDI for a while.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Took IBW to Kraftwerke to have Chris replace the wiper linkage. I didn't know it was failing until I recently drove my Golf in the rain and noticed how quickly the wipers were moving, or, rather, how slow they were moving on the Wagon. The linkage is original to the car, so I can't complain.

I also had him check the A/C because it didn't seem to be blowing as cold as I remember. It had lost some of its charge, and it appeared to have a small leak at the expansion valve. He replaced the o-rings, vacuumed the system, and oiled and re-charged it. Now it's cold:

 

[Figit090]

Took IBW to Kraftwerke to have Chris replace the wiper linkage. I didn't know it was failing until I recently drove my Golf in the rain and noticed how quickly the wipers were moving, or, rather, how slow they were moving on the Wagon. The linkage is original to the car, so I can't complain.

I also had him check the A/C because it didn't seem to be blowing as cold as I remember. It had lost some of its charge, and it appeared to have a small leak at the expansion valve. He replaced the o-rings, vacuumed the system, and oiled and re-charged it. Now it's cold:

Very nice! what outside temps was it dealing with to output that low? I need to get mine checked, replacing the driver's side fan helped a lot but I think it still needs a boost.