What is correct Front Grille?

dtrvler

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2017
Location
Las Vegas
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI 5 spd
Yeah, the air can travel from between the horizintal members of the grill...i was thinking that in a driving rainstorm, less water would make it into the air filter element without the vents.
Off topic:
Im getting 32 mpg with 1500 mi on the rebuild.....i cant figure out why the bhw gets lower mpg than the brm cars....there is not much difference....the weight of a passat bhw wagon is within a couple hundred pounds of a brm car....just weird...of course its a new rebuild...not loose yet....may improve.
Stage 2 Mike TDTuning tune. Maybe i need to try a Malone tune and a bigger turbo. The Mike TDTuning tune is pushing 27.5 psi out of the stock turbo. I also noticed that the specified MAF is 900 or 1000 and Actual is 350 or 400 or so at idle. Ill ck it at speed today....
The boost spec and actual is tracking well
 
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mozark

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 7, 2018
Location
Mon Nat'l Forest, West Virginia
TDI
'05 Passat Wagon, Silver, 5sp '05 Passat Wagon, Indigo, auto
Give it some time. I get 34-35 in the mountains in WV. Stock everything except EEN manual, Malone 1, 215k, so nicely broken in. Out in the flatlands it's over 40. The other wagon with the autobox, all stock, is a couple mpg off those numbers.

I'd suggest starting small/simple. Alignment. Sensors. Stance. Hadn't you said in another thread that the car sat low in the rear/high in the front? Do you have the belly pan in place?
 

Uberhare

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2006
Location
Ontario, Canada
TDI
Too many.
My TDI was vented. During a major snow storm I had it fill up the entire airbox with compacted snow which turned to ice and cause severe power issues! I was doing a 1500 mile trip, so I had to remove it and drive without it for a few hours. Put the filter and bottom half under the passenger side vent to melt.
 
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Scubanero

Veteran Member
Joined
May 30, 2007
Location
Calgary AB
TDI
2005 Passat Wagon
My TDI was vented. During a major snow storm I had it fill up the entire airbox with compacted snow which turned to ice and cause severe power issues! I was doing a 1500 mile trip, so I had to remove it and drive without it for a few hours. Put the filter and bottom half under the passenger side vent to melt.
I suspect your snow screen was torn as well. My grille is closed but I lost a lot of power travelling in a snow storm. When I got to my destination and looked, the airbox was full of compacted snow and the filter was deformed upward. The snow screen had a tear in in. If the snow screen plugs, the air comes in through a somewhat hidden opening near the firewall that opens into the space below the air filter and after the snow screen. I keep a closer eye on the snow screen now.
 

dtrvler

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2017
Location
Las Vegas
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI 5 spd
Mozark:
"I'd suggest starting small/simple. Alignment. Sensors. Stance. Hadn't you said in another thread that the car sat low in the rear/high in the front? Do you have the belly pan in place?"
Yeah. Ill go for an alignment. Also i have the evolution skid plate. Just did my 1500 mile oil change... im done cking for leaks on the rebuild......so ill install that....that will be more aerodynamic. What sensors?. I have no codes. Just had to do the #4 ,glow plug connector. Small electric AC fan went out on the first hot day.
.Ordered that today....
 
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mozark

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 7, 2018
Location
Mon Nat'l Forest, West Virginia
TDI
'05 Passat Wagon, Silver, 5sp '05 Passat Wagon, Indigo, auto
The belly pan will make a surprising difference.

When I was getting the project wagon up and running I had some intermittent sensor issues for a week or so. Mostly dirty connectors. I think that short drives, constant error clearing etc really messed with drivability and my sense of the cars performance.
 

dtrvler

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2017
Location
Las Vegas
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI 5 spd
Oh. I fixed the rear sitting low with some 1.25" spacers in the rear. Im still doing the springs later
 
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Mozambiquer

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Location
Versailles Missouri
TDI
2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
My first wagon got around 32-33 (automatic) and my second one is getting closer to 40 mpg highway. I took a trip out east and got an average of 38.75 mpg with 40 being the highest and 37.9 being the lowest. That included mountain driving and the tail of the dragon as well as a few days in washington DC area traffic. (That's with an automatic and RC1.5 tune)
Check your torsion value as well, i have mine set at -3.4° which gives better fuel economy. Another huge thing is how you drive it, and what tires you have. I have bridgestone ecopias on the new wagon and Pirelli p4 on the other one. Running with sticky tires or low pressure will drop the economy as well. Another thing is being that you just rebuilt it, it'll have a break in period and will start to get better later on.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Non-vented is for 4 cyl cars (gas or diesel), part number 3B0-853-651-L. Both my BHW and AWM Passats were born that way.

Vented grill is for 6 & 8 cyl cars, part number 3B0-853-651-K.

ETKA even has pictures for these.
 

DeliveryValve

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2007
Location
Western US
TDI
Passat GLS Wagon
My original BHW grill was non-vented, it cracked and then I picked up a W8 grill that is vented.
My snow screen "seems" to collect more bugs and junk now. Performance wise, seems the same.
 

dtrvler

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2017
Location
Las Vegas
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI 5 spd
Update:
2500+ on the rebuild: mileage combined is 35 mpg now. Getting better!
 
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