The past week in Car repair

[CalAltaDubber]

Of course the cold -20 C didn't help. a small plastic piece broke in the Golf, now the rear hatch won't close properly, or the damn door open light illuminates.

Naturally, the car alarm will not engage.

Any way, I went to the dealer and the piece that broke (just the striker guard) cost $63.
Now get this, the next higher assembly which includes the striker guard is only $78.

Guess what I'm replacing this week end.

[bLac K aBriOleT89]

I rather have a lot of snow with the cold, at least it looks pretty and is more of an adventure!
Yesterday morning was -13 C with the wind felt even colder!

[Briano1234]

Replaced the Plastic Outlet flange Again, on my Green Bunny, but I got the permanent fix.
No more plastic frigging parts............

[Calimus]

Dude, you go through way to many of those. Either they don't make plastic parts like they used to, or you have something else wrong. Did you attache a bilge pump from a destroyer to the car to act as the water pump or something?

[Briano1234]

Dude, you go through way to many of those. Either they don't make plastic parts like they used to, or you have something else wrong. Did you attache a bilge pump from a destroyer to the car to act as the water pump or something?

MMMM thought about it...

I have determined that the engine vibration as in front to back especially under torque load from the tranny does a couple of things.
1. The upper radiator hose will pull on that plastic part.
2. The vibration of the engine and the heat of the engine will eventually warp and distort the plastic as well as putting all the stress on the
bolt ears of that frigging part.

Now when I use one I get a replacement to have on hand, but I am getting tired of those failing, some I attributed to cheap "Chinese" parts and plastic rosins that they use. But the last two, were from Ireland, and both approached the 6moth to 1 year mark. I use a torque wrench to tighten the bolts so it isn't a over or under torque condition.

So I have found that thread where Ron had mentioned it in passing, and I started to investigate the metal replacement.
After going through the Bentley for CIS-E, CIS, DIgifant, 1 and 2, then the 16V I had the eureka moment, and determined that I could replace it.

Spec'ing out the sensors I found that the oil temp, and the water temp sender was the same and that the 16V CTS sensor was a semi direct fit, being the connector is only different. Hopefully I have now eliminated the condition, as 20 years of driving my diesel I never had one of those metal ones break..... I replaced the O-rings when doing a Head gasket but that is all. How I envy your CIS'ers that have that part of metal.... BUT NO MORE.
I am rocking METAL ones now...including the t-stat, and the heater hose barbed fitting... So the points of failure are the hoses...
yeah baby........... And the how to is there for all to see........... And for those digifarters that want to run an VW oil cooler, they can get the parts and install that too. I would prefer they rock and external, but hey...

[Briano1234]

Replaced the fuel filter in the Pissan Nathfinder, and fixed the door where my son popped the latch rod off the outer handle.

[Calimus]

Well, now that we are looking to get into some warmers temps, i think it's time that crabby got some attention. We are in the middle of a house refi, and monday the hot water tank blew, so my plans for getting some parts this month went right to the crappy. Thats ok, March will do just fine. So here's the list for getting crabby back into service.

Must Haves
1. New Top
2. Replace suspension - Coil Overs
3. Replace battery

Would Like to Haves
1. Properly geared trans

Short lists, but also not exactly cheap. However, I think I'm going to be able to get them accomplished now.

[Briano1234]

Lets see. I want to drive my green one off a cliff. Oh but wait it won't start...
It died on me at 141 and State Bridge. Pushing it off the side of the road at rush hour, well as it was rolling downhill, it got away from me and I was dragged about 30 feet. I tore the hamstrings on my right leg, and got a nasty bleeding strawberry and swelling on my left knee. Tore my 3 day old new shoes up... Tore my favorite pair of jeans. It only stopped dragging my ass when my foot got caught under the tire sideways like a chock. To top that off it took over 4.5 hours to get it towed home. Bruised Battered swollen, and irritable barely hits the mark.

All I know for sure is that the fuel pump primes, engine turns over but never catches. So I figure that there be some issues probably the dizzy or the ecu fried.
Leaning more towards the ECU as I can't swear that the fuel pump is running was the dizzy is spinning. Ruled out the timing belt. But will check time first followed by spark... fecking pos.....opps did I say that out loud?

[Briano1234]

Well, there is no spark. Charged the battery, tested for spark with the screw-driver, and timing light...
Later on I spose I will get a meter out and test the hall sender. but as I have to hobble about a bit, I am moving slower than I want.

Well the green white wire is going hi/low out of the dizzy and the timing is on for 6btdc so now the biggies are is it the Coil, or the ECU....
Or the hall generator? any guesses?

[Briano1234]

TA---DA.... Ignition control Module. The coil tested out ok, and well so did the ICM, but alas I had a spare ICM, and no spare coil.. So I said why not.
and as soon as I swapped in the ICM, I had a running car.... again.

[Calimus]

Sorry I've not been a round to see this. All i do is work and get about 4 hours of sleep a night. Glad it was just the icm, sorry the car used you as a human wheel chock.

[Briano1234]

Replaced the heater valve as it was leaking again, I used one of my new metal ones.... Not the summit, as I still have to figure out how to re-work it. Then the heater control mount broke... repaired and made a DIY for ya.
The heater valve works really good, there is no heat transfer at all when it is in the cool position.
Hot will burn your ass out as it is almost as wide a flow as the hose.

Now I am having a intermittent screw up, either the tranny or the dizzy... leaning to the dizzy as it only occurs on bumpy roads, and the tach goes to zero....
Check the tranny for the intermix and I don't smell 90 in the atf but a dirty valve body can cause similar issues.

[Calimus]

No actual car repair, but today Cristines Scirocco was sold back to Nick (he's they guy we traded the 92' Cabby to for the Scirocco back in 06'). She was very sad to see it go, but the proceeds are going into Crabby Cabby. FedEx and UPS are about to start loving us again. Along with GAP, ECS and a few other parts sources.

[Briano1234]

The Tranny in the green Rabbit started acting up....won't down shift to Neutral at park, but manually shifts like butter. As it warms up it shifts better.

Should ATF fluid look black and be thick? I am thinking I have the intermix 90wt with the ATF.
Sooooooo Tranny swap and drop time, I still have a good differential on a spare, and will probably have to take the old on apart and clean the bejeezers out of the valve body, and torque convertor. PNP only has one Auto..... But the differential seals were leaking and I would have to change the cups out from the 90mm axles. So I am thinking I will swap the differential off the spare to this one.

[Calimus]

The seals and cups arent hard to swap. Did that on the trans that's in crabby. If you need a hand Brian, let me know.