Volkswagen TDI Models

dieselgirl · October 2005

What is the penalty for NOT registering your car until it hits 7500 miles, assuming you get caught? Where do you go to buy a new TDI if you live in Los Angeles - I assume Vegas? Or is there somewhere closer? Any tips, tricks or stories anyone is willint to share? :shades: I gave old faithful - 1980 Diesel Rabbit (56 MPG) up a few years ago at 250,000+ miles and now have a Suburban. Guess who's going to Vegas REAL SOON!!

dieselgirl · October 2005

You can go to Joanne's fabric and get enough "pleather" plastic vinyl leather and cover up your potential problem areas. Pleather runs about 54" long and sells for about $6 a yard. For $20 you can blanket your car and TRUNK, too!

elias · October 2005

maybe you can get nevada temporary/transit tags somehow, and then clock 7500 miles in the temporary 20 days! road trip! i dunno, you might find it impossible to buy the tdi if you use your cali address... maybe in nevada you can register it to a mailboxes etc address. doubtful... btw i heard there is an exemption to the 7500 mile rule if you drive a clunker out of state and it certifiably breaks down outside cali. supposedly then with a letter from the nevada mechanic saying it would be too costly to repair, then you can register the nevada-bought car in cali. again, sounds doubtful, huh?
as for penalties, good question. aside from any diesel/7500 mile rule, i recall it would cost you about $100 per month penalty, for example if you drive a car with valid NH plates for N months in california before registering it there. that's a different situation than what you are goin for. go girl !! let us know if you get your tdi!

gagrice · October 2005

The car has to be used with 7500 miles. It would have to be registered in another state prior to registering in CA. I bought mine in Portland Oregon. I am an Alaska resident so I registered to my AK address. If I sell in CA it will have to have 7500 miles before the new owner can register. Oregon is best to use. They do not charge sales tax and the license is low. You will have to know someone with a legitimate address like a relative. It is not the easiest. There are a couple dealers in the LA area that sell used VW TDI cars. Usually they are after top dollar. Good luck.
PS
VW TDIs run great on ARCO/BP ULSD. Go to their website to find all the stations in your area.

mrjette · October 2005

I wonder if a dealer in Oregon or Nevada would be willing to put a TDi on the road as a demo car? Let a salesman drive it around for a few months to get the mileage required by California, then sell it to someone from that state. It sounds win-win if you were to ask them or put a deposit on it?

gagrice · October 2005

They might consider a rental deal for a few months, then sell it as used for CA license. I can see a cottage industry in the making. The sad part is still the fact that CA is so short sighted. They would rather have a fire breathing Powerstroke diesel truck on the road than a little Beetle TDI. Makes no sense to me.

pruzink · October 2005

Once again, just to clarify things diesels don't have a throttle like a gas engine, the TDI's do however suffer from intake manifold pluggage. Most people pull them and mechanically clean and remove the carbon deposits. I would suggest that you go to the tdiclub website and read up on the BG chemical cleaning procedure as a # of members have gone that route with good results (either way it is cleaned it is costly). You are supposed to replace your fuel filter every 20K miles, however, I seriously doubt that this will have any affect on the interval for dirtying up your intake manifold. A CCV coalescing filter would be a good modifiacation to prevent this oily mist from mixing with your EGR gasses to form these deposits. Driving habits do have a big impact also. On the 2002 model a lot of members have used Vagcom software to bias there EGR flow down. I replaced the stock fuel filter with a 2 micron Cat fuel filter primarily to reduce injector wear. I installed a Provent Coalescing CCV filter which does an outstanding job of removing any trace of oil from your crankcase ventilation gases before they get sucked back into you intake manifold. Occasionally I do try to get the PRMs up to 3000 as this is supposed to help clean things out.

pruzink · October 2005

If you read up on people that had pretty plugged intake manifolds, the usual complaint is lack of power not that the car would not start. The glow plugs are really only needed to start the car when it is cold out. There is an anti-shudder valve on the intake to your turbo that closes off the air to the engine when you turn it off. The anti-shudder valve is strictly open or closed and is vacuum operated, a vacuum leak to this could prevent the valve from opening and cause a no start. As with any vehicle, you really want someone that is very knowledgeable diagnosing your problem, I would question your dealer on the experience level of the mechanics on their diesel engines. Once again, tdiclub has people in areas that are truly VW TDI diesel experts and will work on people's cars, I would also explore that route.

karelprochazka · October 2005

Well, I was checking with the Volkswagen dealer here in sacramento, and they told me that the specs for Passat 2004TDI are exactly the same in Europe and in here, besides the emissions. I wonder since the car will be used, the DMV should mnot have the problem registering it. Since on used cars (if I am right) there are no emissions/smog checks, it should be no brainer. Right?

jrct9454 · October 2005

As noted above in at least one other post, just because the "specs" are the same DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT IS DOT-CERTIFIED. It may be the "same car", but unless VW or an approved source is willing to CERTIFY it as DOT-compliant, the game is over.

This can be cheap or costly, depending on who does it and what has to be changed. It seems like too much trouble to me, but to each his own...

bpeebles · October 2005

I have to agree with you. If a vehicle was not "approved" for sale in USA, then it would be considerd what is called a "grey market" automobile. Some "grey market" cars can even be 'smuggled' in from Canada or Mexico too.

I actually knew somone with a "grey market" BMW. He looked into getting it "legal" in the USA... It turned out that some VERY MAJOR items such as safety beams in the doors and built-in roll-cage simply did not exist on his car. This did not even begin to address the emmissions controls on the engine.

Since it may cost auto manufacturers hundreds of thousands of dollars to just have a model TESTED (wether or not it actually gets approved)... I would assume that a single individual would not be in a position to finance such an endavor.

gagrice · October 2005

I tried to import a diesel Ranger back in 2000. I gave up as it was not going to happen. If Bill Gates cannot get his $900,000 Porsche registered, how is a small time millionaire supposed to fight City hall?

karelprochazka · October 2005

OK

You finally got me. LOL. So where do I get Passat Wagon TDI 2003-2004? Did they even sell them at that time? Any suggestions where to turn. I am from Sacramento. I am driving now GMC Safari and it costs me $75 a week to drive. HELP!!!
Thank you guys for all the info. You are the best forum I have been to in a long time. Thanks

philbpsd · October 2005

My 2000 Jetta TDI needs a catalytic converter. I have had 2 places tell me that the gas catalytic converter and the diesel catalytic converter are the SAME???? I find that hard to believe. The VW dealer says there are two different parts. Can anyone confirm?

Thanks.

bpeebles · October 2005

Did you know that the Catalytic Converter is covered under FEDERAL EMMISSIONS WARANTEE for 10-years 100,000 miles?...or perhaps you have too many miles on your Jetta?

philbpsd · October 2005

Yes, thanks. I have 135K on my Jetta. This has been a real tough issues for the parts employees.

jdonald · October 2005

I need some advice from you good people/

I rolled into work with a few car problems.

I have some views on it myself, but here's a few symptoms that have caused a few concerns:

The throttle started out okay, but after re-filling this morning and some light motorway (cruising at 50 in the rain in fifth gear) i noticed the accelerator being a little hesitant. SO I thought I'd drop a gear and cruise and a higher rev to allow the engine to breath/clear whatever might have caused the impaired response.

Then I noticed big plumes of black smoke pouring out of the back, while I was accelerating and, loads of it. Dense, black. this wasn't apparent when stationary.

None of my warning lights were on.

The Oil is okay (or was, I checked last week).

The Smoke is black (No hint of blue, which would suggest burnt oil)

It doesn't want to pull off in first gear with anything less than 2000rpm (usually it likes to do it at 800).

the turbo seems to be whistling fine, and the lack of blue smoke would suggest that the turbo (i really really hope) is cool.

The economy is worse maybe by 25% on the mpg.

It still performs quite well at the top end of gears. But still smokes.

Now I think that it's a case of me not servicing that bad boy for 20000 miles. And that the air filter is in need of replacing (I sight the fuel economy and delayed throttle time as symptoms to this). Maybe my car just can't breath (and that's why it likes the top end of gears still?)

Rough

Your thoughts?

Thanks,

James

strato435 · October 2005

Hi,

I'm interested in getting a 2005 Passat TDI or a 2006 Jetta TDI -- but it seems that high gas prices have robbed the local VW dealers of all TDIs (I live in the mid-Atlantic). Is this a national trend, or are there actually TDIs for sale somewhere in the US?

A local dealer told me that TDIs were being discounted a bit off of sticker in August, but that by September there were no more discounts, and by October there were no more TDIs!

Any advice?
Thanks,

bpeebles · October 2005

You are on the right track in assuming that the engine it not getting enough air (compared to the amount of fuel it is receiving) Generally, the turbocharger will "make up" for any restrictions in the intake system. (as compared to a naturally-asperated engine)

I would suggest that you start by cleaning your snowscreen. On most VWs, it gets pretty pretty plugged up and needs cleaning at least annually.

Here is link to snowscreen cleaning and other TDI how-to;
http://www.cincitdi.com/richc/

If that does not help, then start thinking about MAF (MasAirFlow sensor) or perhaps leak in intake tract between turbocharger and engine.

sebring95 · October 2005

Considering this happened right after refueling....I would be most skeptical of the fuel quality. I've had mediocre diesel that caused smoking and low power. I'm sure some very bad diesel could do it to the extent you're experiencing. I would look at refueling with some new fuel and see if the symptoms improve. I would also want to get that fuel filter out of their once you burn this off if the fuel is the problem. I would also drain the water seperator a couple times while burning this tank. I've never had this problem with my TDI, but have seen this with diesel pickups. I have a Cummins which will burn about anything, but I've been on trips with others that got some bad diesel and they would have similar symptoms.

jdonald · October 2005

Cheers Fellas,

Bad diesel is ever more common these days her in the UK. Typically Supermarkets now suppliment their fuel with bio-matter variants by 5-7% (depending on on the store), I only fuel up there if I really have to - sometimes you can really feel the difference under your foot.

I filled at Texaco today.

I have a two hour drive home today so hopefully a steady motorway drive will eat up a lot of that fuel -maybe not as much as i'd like (the only time I'll curse at Diesel Economy - it will take about 500 miles to burn off). I'll stop off on the way and get soem premium RED EX and chuck it in the tank, see if that doesany good, or atleast helps ease that tar through my injector.

My friend has a pit in his garage so I'll pick up a new fuel, oil and air filter kit and operate on her tomorrow.

Also need to change some fuses too (a realLy seemed to have blown the interio lights, the remote locking and the electirc windows) - of course, you can only get these from VW.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers once again.

James

ruking1 · October 2005

So my guess is you probably took on a spot of H20, and /or with a batch of contaminates, enough to cause a problem with combustion. In the very worst case you might have to pump out your fuel tank and purge your fuel system. Hopefully, it might be nothing more major than a fuel filter swap. Or perhaps as minor as adding a touch of fuel additive to make the water molecules/bad batch either combust or wind up at the bottom of the fuel filter.

After 67k on a TDI, I must confess ignorance on the subject of bad fuel and smoke.(thankful for dumb luck?)

Be that as it may, I started off after some research on www.TDICLUB.com using a fuel additive. (Primrose 405/C) In the USA, the product provides a 3/6 cetane boost (depending on dilution rate of course), deemulsifer/emulsifer (there are two distinct camps here, sort of like American political parties) , and fuel system lubricity. I understand with the advent of the 2006 low sulfur fuel standard, probably implemented sometime in 2008

, the need for cetane boost might be moot. This of course would still leave the requirement for deemulsification and/or emulsification and fuel system lubricity.

I think that we in the USA have been looking to Europe as the "nirvana" when it comes to "higher quality" and low sulfur fuel. I think if anything, the perception here is you all do not have anywhere near the problems that we do in the USA with #2 diesel !? So what I did was to use the correct dilution rate dose for the majority of filling. I never experienced any fuel related problems so I let my 20,000 mile fuel filter change go to 65,000 miles and in fact have just recently changed it out. Again no problems.

mitchc · October 2005

Pretty much all the new TDI's sold out in almost all 50 states the first two weeks after Katrina. The Passat TDI was discontinued for '06, or so I was told, however, that may be incorrect.

They have a new golf, which is not yet available in the U.S., so I'm not sure of you can get a golf TDI right now.

You can definitely "pre-order" either a Jetta or Beetle TDI at many dealerships in the country. Some are heavily over booked. I recently purchased one in Texas, which seems to be a pretty decent state to get one from - although they charge MSRP. In some states, the dealers are asking above sticker.

You can expect to put a $500 deposit down and wait as little as a month or as much as 3-4 to get one. Of course, there are always folks who pre-order one and when it arrives, turn it down, so you might be able to purchase one of those.

As far as what the dealer said, he is essentially correct. Rumor has it, one dealership in CT tried to order 1000 of them, but VW of America couldn't support it. Considering that it's essentially the only diesel car in America under $40K, I'm not surprised demand is where it is. Definitely more fun to drive than a Prius.

mrjette · October 2005

I went to WallyWorld today to get a bottle of fuel additive. They had 2 choices by PowerService:

Grey bottle called Diesel Kleen
White bottle called Diesel Fuel Supplement

Both contain a cetane boost. Both clean injectors. Descriptions are very similar, but the white bottle 'prevents gelling'. Does anyone have advice on which is better to use?

bpeebles · October 2005

Grey bottle in summer
White bottle in winter

jdonald · October 2005

The saga continunes....

Okay then lads, So I drove home friday with some fuel additive in my tank, and got myself down to my local VW garage and got myself a new air filter. Hot foot it over to my friends yard where we replaced the air filter (lots of dirt, straw, dust, rocks a sheep...loads of crap). Drained the Fuel filter into a jar - noticed about a table spoon of water and some yellow grit. checked oil (desperatly needed a top up).

Drove home, no difference (remember i still haveabout 100 miles worth of fuel stuck in there still).

Now, we noticed an odd sound from under the hood when the engine was switched off... something sounded like it was winding down. Could this be the turbo unit? Over worked and taking longer to wind down?

So I dorve it around on short trips on Sunday and some life started to come back under the foot, only small jumps and leaps here and there in 3 and 4th gear (first and second - no life there, it's feels like it needs a push start sometimes).

Drove to work again monday (150 mile hop) still no joy, sam problems, maybe more surges of power here and there. got the fuel down to a low level and filled up with the most expsensive high grade deisel I could lay my hands on (£1.01 a litre). added soem different fuel treatment and drove home.

Drove to work again this morning, no results, until i was nearly at work, first time since friday first gear seemed pretty lively and the surges were more frequent.

This suggests that the engine is spending all the crud fuel and is recovering possible?

Or, sould this be a problem with the fuel pump?

And what about that wining sound?

Got it booked for a hard service on Friday (earliest appointment) - this garage is frankly a little crooked, so not looking forard to what they have to say.

Gents, your thoughts?

James

sebring95 · October 2005

Since you found water in the fuel filter, I would consider draining it again now that you have fresh fuel. It likely just filled again if there was water in the fuel. I would do that a couple times and then change the fuel filter. As long as there is water in the fuel filter, something is probalby wrong with the fuel and you'll have similar symptoms. Most folks rarely ever find a drop of notable water when draining the filter.

bpeebles · October 2005

I agree -- most folks NEVER EVER find any water in the fuel filter....over thousands of miles.

Another VERY strong reminder to only purchase diesel where it "flows like wine". If you see truckers at a place getting fuel all the time... that is the place you want to go too.

Dont forget that diesel fuel actually gets moldy if it sits around for any length of time. The mold spores can plug up a fuel filter.

If I were you, I would be concerned about damage to the fuel pumps. Dont forget that the PD engine has a seperate fuel pump for each cylinder. It has been said that a SINGLE DROP of water will ruin a diesel fuel pump. (Change that fuel-filter often until this is cleared up)

jdonald · October 2005

I'll keep this routine up

I'm worried that it there might also be a problem with the MAF sensor.

Or worse, the turbo (still) as ti can here something winding down (sort of high pitched)when i switch the egnition off. It's a gentle kind of wind down noise and it doesn't sound like a whistle.

Never heard this before Friday?

Ideas?

James

bpeebles · October 2005

Dont get carried away with this. Fuel never comes in contact with MAF nor the turbocharger.

If you are not allowing your TDI to idle for a short time before turning if off, you may hear the turbocharger spin down. This means that your turbocharger is spinning down WITH NO OIL FLOWING thru it. You may wish to consider a routine of at least 10 seconds idle-time before shutting down the engine. (lengthin the time after 'spirited' or highway driving....such as a rest-area on the interstate)

dumbblond · October 2005

TDI Jetta owners:
I am new to the message board but not new to the 2004 Jetta TDI coolant leak. My car is in the shop today for the second time in two weeks. They said they pressure tested and there is no leak, but it has to be going some where! I havent seen coolant on the ground and I have added about 3 cups in three week. I drive about 450 miles a week and the issues started three weeks ago. I will suggest the EGR gas cooler to the dealer. Any thing else I should know about?

bpeebles · October 2005

The EGR cooler is a good place to look, apparently there were some defective ones which would slowly leak antifreeze right into the intake manifold (only when very hot). Obviously, an external leak is never seen and the exhaust has only a slight amount of steam coming out if it that may not be detected.

From your comments, it sounds as if your dealership does not even belevie there is any leak!?!? They need some lessons on customer satisfaction! It is not agreeable to call the customer a liar.

If your dealership REALLY wants you to be a happy customer, they would just replace the EGR cooler under warantee just to make CERTAIN it is not the problem. (Why would they mess around with having a customer keep coming back?)

pruzink · October 2005

Just a FYI. When you change the air filter, I would recomend removing the lower half of the air filter box completely. There are 2 sources of air that feed the air filter. Outside air that has to make it through a very tiny mesh snowscreen that get plugged pretty solid, and there is a flapper valve that allows air from inside the engine compartment. After you remove the lower half of the air filter box, there is a plastic intake duct that goes just behind the drivers side headlight that can be removed. There are 2 phillips screws that allow you access to clean that screen. How many miles has it been since you changed your fuel filter? Do you have the clear fuel hose leaving your filter to see if you are getting air in your fuel? That thermostatic valve on the filter should have had it's orings replaced when you removed the filter to drain it.

jimlockey · October 2005

VW has had some heater core leaks in the past. VW replaced the heater core on my 05 Passat TDI. They have to pull almost everything in the dash to get to the heater core. Sorry about that.

bpeebles · October 2005

Excellent reminders!

You are talking about the "snowscreen" which should be cleaned much more often than the air-filter is replaced. If one allows the snowscreen to get SOOOO plugged up that the spring-loaded safety-flapper enguages, then you are waiting WAAAYYYY too long between snowscreen-cleanings.

(Dont forget that it is your engines power that is being wasted pulling open that spring-loaded safety-flapper)

Here is the videoclip about snowscreen cleaning.
http://www.cincitdi.com/richc/snowscreen.html

ruking1 · October 2005

I clean mine every 5,000 miles! Once you have had it apart a few times it will almost be like " riding a bike" to clean it.

Another interesting tip is: only separate, disassemble or open the air box when you have to or when changing the air filter. Otherwise when you go to remove the snorkel for cleaning just remove/move the WHOLE air box out of the way This tends to keep the seal around the air filter very secure, so there is less tendency to leak "unfiltered" air past a mal seated seal.

jdonald · October 2005

Cheers for the advice fella's.

I had to concede defeat and take it to my local Stealership.

I had that box right off, we don;t have snow guard n the UK spec. I'm thinking it's more electronic - although i checked the MAF sensor and it looked cool. I think it might be this, a split pipe (causing the winding down noise and the slight popping noise) - causing a loss of pressure, or finaly, the turbo boost sensor (i couldn; check it as it was a bi hard to get to (that and i didn;t think it would be that after i changed the filter).

The Fuel filter was last changedin March/May - i will get a new one at the weekend and change it (it the theives at the garage don;t do this for me and charge me tripple).

But the fuel coming out of the filter looks good.]

If they sight the MAF sesor as a problem they will charge (and i checked this out) 150GBP for a recon sensor (that'saround 280 USD) and another 50GBP for fitting it (Another 90 USD) I'm not even going to tell you what a brand new one is going to cost. i can pick up a new one from anywhere for 50 quid and the fitting is the easiest job in the world ever, easier that doing the filter.

Now, I sit and wait for the call. it's the wrong side of payday for majorstealership work

i'll keep you posted.

James

bpeebles · October 2005

OWCH... that sounds expensive. A new MAF here in USA is about $400 USD. (just the part... not diagnosis nor labor)

You are correct that replacing a MAF is easy-peasy. I have MAF removed and replaced within 3 minutes. (I have done it in the rain so I was under pressure to be quick.)

Not to make you feel bad....
My daughter just had her MAF replaced on 2001 golf.... it was all FREE of charge because VW has extended the warantee of MAF to 7years/70,000miles for specific model years.

I am curious.... what is year/milage on your car? (That 110HP TDI is very rare in USA)

csm · October 2005

Hi. I am interested in the best manual (least cost) for maintance on an '03 jetta TDI. I want to be able to change coolent, brakes etc. A search of this comes up with several books widely differing in price. Any ideas on a good all around book?
Also, I am installing a TDI heater this wknd and have searched the files on this and other sites, gleened info, and noticed that someone said it was hard to find the G-12 coolent needed. I purchased some at the local VW dealer - for a very expensive $28 a gallon, and I got to thinking - why can't I just use what I am going to take out of the car and return it. Not having any manual and not having removed the belly pan yet - I assume that I can drain the coolent the same as any other car. Right? Why can't I simply drain and save and then return the coolent to the system when finished? I have new coolent because of a wreck and the car just coming out of the shop.
Thanks for any info

pruzink · October 2005

The best service manuals for these cars is the Bentley (the Haynes manuals really aren't much help for many jobs). Unfortunately, the Bentley manuals are rather expensive. Check "www.worldimpex.com" and "www.tdiparts.com" for prices on manuals and anti-freeze. No matter where you get the anti-freeze from it is rather expensive (compared to Prestone), the stuff that the dealer sells is red, some of the stuff (G-12) that the on-line places sell is purple (I'm not sure if they reccomend mixxing them, although I would think it would be OK if they both have the same rating). No problem with re-using your existing antifreeze. Just one word of caution however: I installed a TDI heater on my 04 PD automatic Jetta last year, depending on how and where you disconnect the hoses, the coolant doesn't always go where you want it to (if it runs over some dirty engine parts it might get contaminated trying to collect it) so you might want to give some thought trying to suck it out of the radiator into a clean container before you start breaking hoses. PS: You will love the TDI heater, just used mine today for the 1st time since last winter, I plug it in while I'm in work so my windshield stays frost free and you get heat right away.

pruzink · October 2005

Not sure where you are located, but you will get the best deal anywhere on a TDI from the VW dealer in Langhorne PA. They are about the only place in the country selling them a few hundred dollars over invoice. They have been posting some prices on wwwtdiclub.com.

csm · October 2005

thanks for the heads up regarding the contamination issue when disconnecting hoses. Until I get the belly pan off and check the unit out, I don't know - so, can you tell me, is there a pitcock or drain plug for the coolent system? I actually thought of sucking it out - I have a new pella 6000 that I have not used yet. (I think it's a 6000 - it's the small round one) I couldn't find anything in my owners manual about the quanity held in the system. And I looked at my car under the hood today and could only see the round resivoir container and not an additional radiator cap that takes me directly into the radiator. I am not sure if I can extract the coolent from the round container.
Also, when I get the belly pan off and I am under there, I want to treat the cv boots. I read somewhere, here or on Fred's TDI perhaps, that someone recommended treating them twice a year to help keep them serviceable longer. After having them have to be replaced on othe cars that I have had, I am determined to keep these in condition as long as possible. It seems prudent anyway.

Thanks for the feedback!

bpeebles · October 2005

Why drain the coolant? When I installed "TDI heater", I lost less than tablespoon of fluid. (Although I did have a gallon of ready-to-go premixed G12...just in case)

The "trick" to not losing much fluid is to PLAN the installation while considering the charactoristics of how fluid behaves in a closed system. That way, you can "clamp off" specific hoses, remove the lower end then raise that end up above the engine, then , when the clamp is removed, the coolant flows INTO the engine still connected on the other end of the hose....then move clamp to next hose in the plan.

One gotcha that you should heed.... after installing "TDI heater", reach below the battery and feel if the heater-body is touching the metal power-steering pipe that runs under the battery..... I had to add some "coushioning" between "TDI heater" and that pipe so the vibration of the engine did not wear thru the power-steering pipe.

csm · October 2005

thank you for the tip regarding the possibilty of rubbing at the bottom of the TDI heater. that's good to watch for. But, i guess that I don't understand your method of using clamps on the hoses. If the bottom hose is to be remove at the base of the oil filter housing - how can I keep the fluid that is above that area from being lost out the opening - not of the hose but the oil housing, which is on the low side of the engine. I understand that a straw hold water if you keep your finger on one end, and that is the mechanics of fluid, so I guess that is what you are refering to? Well, If I am going to clamp off these hoses, it would seem that i would clamp off the lower hose at the oil cooler remove that - attach the TDI heater straight hose, then clamp that one off and remove the top of the same hose (at the upper water outlet) that I have just remover from the oil cooler? After having connected the curved TDI hose....now will I have a air pocket in the system? How is that dealt with?
What do you suggest for a clamp? Vice gripes?
Just in case I prefer to drain the radiator - I have done that many tiimes on other cars, is there a pitcock on the system. Can you tell me how to do that? I recently purchased this car, and I have not had the belly pan off yet. When i have this up on the blocks and ready to go this weekend - I want to know what I am doing. I am trying to figure out how to be able to take back a unopened gallon of $28 antifreeze - if I can - and not have to use it. The coolent in it is new and toped off by the body shop at VW after having been put back together from a wreak. I have just purchased a pella 6000 and could possibly extract it as well if that is possible - but I don't see how, because I don't see a typical radiator system here. Anyway, thanks for the imput.

bpeebles · October 2005

I will try to answer your questions.

You are correct in that the lower hose is the "trickiest" one to deal with.

Since it was 2 years ago, I am going by memory here...
I am thinking that I used 2 clamps for the hoses. (DO NOT use anything with sharp edges that may damage the hoses)

After getting the TDIheater physically installed and its hose-ends near their designated connection-points. (Make SURE the upper hose from TDIheater is higher than overflow tank level)

1) slice the seperator between the original hoses so they are seperate entities.
2)clamp both hoses near the oil-cooler
(work the hose nearly off the cooler leaving the slightest connection)
3) with one quick motion, pull hose off the cooler and push the new on from the TDIheater on.
4) Remove clamp from OTHER side of cooler. (not one on hose you just pulled off)
(Since the other hose from the TDI heater is high, the TDIheater will fill with coolant via the cooler... but not quite come to top of exposed hose)

At this point there is only a single hose connection to make. The hose from the eingine is still clamped. and the open hose from the TDI heater is not quite filled to the top.

To finish up:
1) put freed-up clamp on un-connected hose from TDIheater to keep the coolant in.
2) Lift hose from engine up high and remove clamp. (most the coolant will go into engine.)
(work the hose nearly off the engine leaving the slightest connection)
3) with one quick motion, pull hose off the engine and push the new on from the TDIheater on.
4) Remove remaining clamp.

Now, you can finish things up by twisting hoses on the nipples or and other adjustments. Finally, clamp the hoses in place.

After several heatup-cooldown cycles, recheck all clamps and top up coolant as needed. (All air in system will end up in the resivour bottle.)

========================

To answer your other questions:
I do not recall that VW has EVER had a draincock on any watercooled engine. It would cost more to add it and be a source of failure. Most draincocks on other cars I have used simply BREAK OFF when you try to open them anyway.
If you MUST drain the coolant... simply remove lower radiator hose. (that does not drain the ENGINE though.)

csm · October 2005

Thanks for the imput. I felt that these were pretty silly questions, but I was just trying to slow or stop the "duh" factor - if you know what I mean.

After mulling over your comments earlier, I was thinking the pretty much the same as you as you are describng when I considered my options on clamping what hose etc..

I have come to find out that there is no pitcock, and I do have the pressurized cap opening which I can't see until I remove the top shield - which I will do tomorrow. Someone suggested that I could take my new pella and suck the coolant out, but I have decided to do as you suggest.

I have the car up on the rino ramps now, and in the morning will get started - on a cold engine basis.

also, while i have the belly pan off - what would you suggest for cleaning and treating the CV boots with? Any ideas? It seems to me to be a good idea to do this in that it may prolong their life. Any thoughts?

And thank you for answering these questions.

charles in Indiana

ruking1 · October 2005

I wish I had known you were selling!!! I would have loved to have bought your 6k mile 2005 Jetta TDI.

As an observation, it took a lot of guts to say what you said about the maintenance requirements, given you have an AP license. No doubt one of the things I resolved to do when I got my TDI was to be able to get my hands greasy now and again. I hope you enjoy the new 2006 Honda, I hear it is almost perfecto!

I have a 2003 Jetta and 2004 Honda Civic VP side by side. It would seem from my reading of both sets of techincal orders (shop manuals to be precise) the Honda Civic has the "slight edge " when it comes to more maintenanance, spark plugs at app 100k. The tires and brakes seem (projected) to wear a tad faster on the Honda. The TDI Jetta has a requirement for 20k fuel filter changes or 5 changes in an 100k interval.. Also as you have probably noticed, both require a water pump (recommended) and timing belt change (almost mandatory) at app 100k.

csm · October 2005

csm · October 2005

I pressed return instead of tab....but I want to thank you bpeebles for the advise. I am afraid that i didn't take it though. By the time I got frustrated trying to get those factory clamps off in such a confined space - I let the coolant drain out of the lower hose into a clean 5 gal bucket - and after the install I simply returned it to the cooling system. It was a great install, and took me just over 2 hours start to finish. I made life simple by using a small hack saw to notch out the battery tray. A set of snips had little effect on the composite material - but a hack saw blade - like a knife through butter. I don't know what the big deal is about maintenance. I don't have to change oil nearly as often as I did in my gasser, and the attention to detail with the water pump and the timing belt, well, every car has something to take care of. And the spread between gas and deisel has to be pretty large before it's more cost per mile on a diesel. I love to do my own maintenance and i looked at that before I bought this car. One of the major - if not the major reason to but this car, was sites like this that are so helpful in this regard. Once I know how to do something I am not afraid of it any longer, and with the exception of doing the timing belt - I plan on doing most of the on going stuff myself.

thanks again

Charles in Indiana

bpeebles · November 2005

Sounds as if you got your TDIheater installed Charles. 8-)

Dont forget it is best to use a heavy xtension cord (at LEAST 12 guage-- 10 is better) and a heavy-duty outdoor timer to run your TDIheater. I do not usually plug mine in until below 10F. I find that 2-3 hours is usually sufficent. If you are meling the snow off the hood - cut back on the time. (too much time just empties your wallet... it really uses some watts)

BTW -- I used a hacksaw blade myself to notch out the battery tray 8-)

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