Not a new member, just a new car. (1996 B4 Passat TDi maintenance/mods)

[poomanchu]

Cool. I'm really interested in TDI's, I like the interiors a bit more than my Honda's. Nice pickup for 400!

[Christ]

Darin - Yeah... yeah I do. lol

I get bored. That's a problem I have lol

At least I'm still working on the Festiva D swap though... just takes time.

[American Viking]

Originally Posted by Christ

I didn't really want to fix the VR6. I needed something better on fuel than my van, and really prefer diesel engines in general. The VR6 did sound pretty badass, though, so I may use the GLX wagon I'm getting to fix the Jetta and take the brake parts for the Pasta from that one. Well see.

I prefer the Diesel as well, but around here Diesels are coveted.
ex. My 2005.5 Jetta 2.5l with no know issues was less than $5600, whereas a 2006 TDI base with 197,000 (more than twice the mileage of my 05.5) plus a boatload of issues was listed for $7900 (and it needed probably another 2500 to pass inspection).
In the end I'm thrilled with the 05.5.

[California98Civic]

Welcome back. I sometimes wondered what had happened to you. Glad you have returned! Subscribed.

[Christ]

I come and go, man. I'm a drifter.

As far as how many cars I go through... you guys don't even know the half of it. Other than the ones that have been detailed on this forum, I've had an additional 15 or so in the last 7ish years. No big deal to me, cars are like underwear... they get a little uncomfortable after you've used them so long. :P

[Christ]

I got my silicone vacuum lines in the other day, and I've had the headlight I needed to replace for some time now, but since it got fairly warm out today [37F], I decided to get off my duff and work on the car some.

It's had a fairly obvious oil spray under the hood for awhile now, to the tune of about a quart lost every 2-3 days, which has literally turned EVERYTHING under the hood a very shiny shade of black lately. At first I assumed it was coming from the dipstick, since it seemed to accumulate most there, but I was wrong. Anyway, dipstick tends to tell you that you have either excessive blowby, not enough ventilation [plugged PCV/CCV], or in the case of the TDi, a very bad vacuum leak.

Figured I'd check the CCV filter first, since it's easy to get to. As I'm removing the lower block vent pipe from the filter on top of the engine, I notice LOTS of excessive movement... take a quick look down there and realize that... umm.. the flange is broken in about 18 places. FOUND THE OIL... LEAK.

Apparently the VR6 engine uses the same part [maybe] so I'm gonna check that out tomorrow [Sunday, my birthday] and if not, I'll be ordering a $23 piece of friggin' plastic.

In addition, I changed the headlight and got the front looking... less broken.

But now [dun dun dunnnnnnn] the battery light's been on for about 2 days. Started out intermittent, now it's on steady, but here's the kicker - the battery hasn't died yet, including several cold starts in that time. The lights are significantly more dim while the alt light is on, but the alt is clearly still charging to some extent.

Anyway, the VR's alternator is 130A, which is an upgrade to the existing one, and it's not like I have any other use for it than a spare, so I'll toss it on and rebuild my existing one as a spare in the mean time. While I'm in there, I'll more than likely remove the AC components, too, for some weight savings and less belt drag, since I'll never use it.

Next up, complete vac line swap... all 35 feet of them.

[Christ]

There used to be a hose running between the two red circles. Fixed the oil spray issue using stock block plate and a cap from a can of 'Start ya *******' (actual brand name, not actually the brand I used) and a stock hose clamp. Later, Ill be plumbing a crankcase evac system and catch can.

No progress on vac lines as yet, nor brakes/suspension upgrades.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I wish I could get a Passat TDI for 400 bucks back here...

Anyway, that's still a nice ride, a good base for many eco mods.

[Superfuelgero]

Originally Posted by Christ

No big deal to me, cars are like underwear... they get a little uncomfortable after you've used them so long. :P

Have you tried washing them?

[Christ]

Originally Posted by xntrx

Have you tried washing them?

Nope. Woman does that.