Great Success!

After many hours of wrestling with the stubborn heater box, I was able to extract it and get to the actual repairs. Popping in a new blower motor and heater core only ended up taking about 15 minutes, and most of that time spent on realigning the flaps to close the heater box.

Everything tested out fine. The blower motor kicked on nice and strong right away. Heat started pumping out as soon as the engine started warming up. Nice! However, before I can truly say I'm done I should really flush the coolant and refill the whole system for the new winter season.

Putting everything back together should go fast, and usually does. I think it took me about 1/3 the time to put things back together compared to the amount of time it took me to take it all apart.

One advantage to performing your own repairs is finding out what other people screwed up in the past. It's also really frustrating. I found electrical connectors that had been left disconnected, lights left out of their sockets, vents not properly connected, etc. Just by taking the time to work on this particular problem I was also able to:

• reconnect the controls for the passenger seat heater
• reinstall the ashtray light
• reinstall the lighter light
• optimize the routing of electrical cabling - it was a rats nest
• properly install the trim paneling
• properly connect two air vents
• properly install the boot for the gear shifter

I'm also better set up to tackle some other nagging issues. Now I know how to remove the trim to gain access to a defective switch which tells me my parking brake is permanently engaged, how to access the wiring for the stereo, how to replace my windshield wipers, etc.

The biggest downside to performing your own repairs is knowing when you cut corners. I didn't have enough rubber foam for the heater core installation, so it's not tightly fit. I should have sealed some components with silicon sealant, but I didn't have any on hand. I should have flushed the system right away, but I just wanted to call it quits for the night.

The most important lesson I've learned this time is to pay close attention to whether or not electrical components should be reconnected prior to reinstalling them. I failed to hook the windshield wipers up, thinking I would still have enough space afterwards. I ended up having to pull them back off. Thankfully, I was only set back 5-10 minutes.

With all the work completed, it's worthy to note that the cold outside is so much better when it's warm inside.

Blower Motor and Heater Core

Winter is setting in, and I'd like to meet the cold with a little heat. Problem is, Casper's blower motor went out last spring.

I put off buying new parts until the weather began to turn. Once it was cold enough for my windows to be frosting over in the morning, it was evident enough that the $140 for a new blower motor and heater core would have to be forked. Over.

So why a new heater core? Well, getting to the blower motor inside the heater box on Casper is pain enough that the heater core may as well be replaced at the same time. It's going to burst eventually, so why not take care of it early on? That's better than having coolant seep into the foot wells. Thankfully, a heater core for Casper was only ~$35.

Today I spent several hours in pre-repair dismantling. The water box cover (don't ask me why they gave it such a nonsensical name), the windshield wiper assembly, the center console, and a few other pieces needed to be removed. For those, I was very glad to have the Bentley repair manual for my car. For the next steps, however... Let's just say that the four-inch thick manual was worthless.

In my past reading regarding this procedure, I had run across the SJM Autotechnik website, run by a helpful man named Scott who also posts on the Audi World forums. He lays out the information in a manner vastly superior to the Bentley repair manual on a page devoted to the disassembly of the heater box.

I ran out of time to finish on Sunday, but thankfully I have all day Monday. I have no choice but to be finished before Tuesday, as I need my car to get to work! I'll keep you posted!

Warranties and Helping Friends

Whew, close call.

The passenger side window regulator just busted in the Beetle. Thankfully, the window regulators are still warrantied until January 4th, 2009. Now I need to call up VW and arrange warranty services. Methinks I will need to set aside a day to drive the car to the authorized dealership in Fargo.

In other news, I (somewhat) helped a friend troubleshoot his car problem today. His 1999 Chevy Blazer started once and quickly died. He wasn't quite sure where to start, which surprised me since he's an authentic North Dakota farm boy. I took charge and asked him to pop the hood.

Oh. My. God. There is no space under the hood of a Blazer! There's more room under the hood of my Audi!

That said, I could access the fuse relay box and one spark plug wire, which was all I figured was necessary for diagnosis. We swapped around the fuel pump relay with a matching relay for the horn, and the relay itself checked out fine. A socket set was handy so I attempted to pull a spark plug out to test for spark. A note for anyone unfortunate enough to own one of these disasters: forget about it. You cannot remove your spark plugs unless you possess gear you simply have no way of possessing as a mere mortal home auto mechanic.

Plan B was to remove a spark plug from a different car. Three cars later (Outback, Cutlass Sierra, and a Tempo, I think...) I was finally able to (barely) remove a spark plug for testing. We got everything set up, and sure enough there was spark. That pretty well narrows the problem down.

Before jumping into all this testing the first thing I had noticed was the lack of a hum indicating the fuel pump was doing pumping of any kind. I noted this at the start, but my observation was treated with about as much respect as dirt. Now we'd officially narrowed the problem down to one of two things: the wiring to the pump or the pump itself.

I was happy. I was right.

That Durned Under Body Cover

The under body cover on the Meanie dropped again. This time one of the screw holes stretched and snapped. I've e-mailed the seller with pictures, and hopefully will be sending it back for a refund.

I had considered requesting a replacement, but Gary had a better idea: make one out of aluminum. The cost for the sheet aluminum will be less than the cost for the after-market cover. As an added bonus, it should be much lighter. Oh yeah, it will also hold its form much better, unlike the old one which sagged.

One More Time

I called up a local VW dealership late in the winter and purchased a TDI badge for a Jetta to apply to the Blue Meanie. The vanity plate "MEANIE" was not available, nor was "TDI". I was shocked when the DMV informed me "DIESEL" was not yet taken.

Blue Meanie, World; Plus More!

Finally, pictures of the Blue Meanie!

The underbody cover had come loose again, so I brought it over to Dusty and Gary's to resolve the problem. I put the car on ramps and added some oversize washers so the plastic would have a more difficult time stretching around the retaining screws. While I was at it I snapped some pictures to send off to Terry Frost, the man who sold me the cover and the TDIheater (a ZeroStart with custom bracket and pre-bent hoses).

The cars have been running like champs lately. The Blue Meanie is due for an oil change, and while I'm at it I'll check the manual's service schedule and see what else there is for me to do.

Lately, I have been going over the interior electrical system in Casper (the Audi 200TQ). So far I've fixed one of the rear speakers (loose solder joint on the cone) and a rear seat bench heating element (contact pulled loose on the embedded switch).

Since I've been pulling out much of the interior for the headliner replacement, I have an opportunity to thoroughly clean every piece of trim. It is time-consuming, but rewarding!

While in the car, you never really get a clear picture of how filthy things become over time. Once you get a piece of the car in the same lighting under which you live, it is very difficult to ignore its filth. I sure hope things don't gradually end up this way in the Blue Meanie!

Battles Won and Battles Pending

Today I was able to remove the "C" pillar coverings, the rear seatbelt fixture coverings, and the "shelf" where the speakers are mounted. I went ahead and removed the speakers for testing, as some of them do not presently work. I began ripping out the headliner, and am about 50% done with that particular task, if I exclude the work involved in cleaning up all the sticky orange foam.

Now I'm held up. It is not inherently obvious how to remove the "A", "B", and "D" pillar coverings. I can get by with just the "A" and "B" coverings removed, but there are some electronics behind the "D" coverings that I would like to test. I would also like to be able to thoroughly clean all of them.

Additionally, I have not yet been able to figure out how to remove the sun visors. The Bentley has been completely useless in this matter. I may be looking in the wrong section, though... It's so much information, I'm never sure if I'm in the right spot.

I decided to quit removing things for the day and then retired to the apartment. Once inside, I began cleaning some items I had removed, namely the rear headrests and the "C" pillar coverings. Afterwards, I began testing the rear speakers.

One of the speakers worked great, but the other had not been putting out sound at all. I put a AA battery to the non-working speaker, and was still getting nothing. I made contact closer and closer to where the speaker wires disappeared into a pile of hot glue-ish goo, but with no success. I was beginning to think it may be the time to post on the Audi World forums to request a replacement speaker, but then I got to thinking...

What if I just melt this stuff off? I can't ruin the speaker any more than it's ruined already, right? I took my soldering iron to the wires running into the glob, gently pulling on them while heating until they slid out. I took a hair dryer to the globs and slowly worked them off with my Leatherman. The soldering joints which lead to the speakers internal wiring were fully exposed. I took my battery to them and hooray! Sound! It took some "precision" work, or at least "precision" for me to get things resoldered, but now that everything is put back together the speaker is working great.

Victory!

Heated Seats?!

I am in the process of removing the necessary interior trim on Casper to be able to remove the headliner. I figured that, while I'm at it, I may as well tackle some electrical issues that have been bothering me, as well as get some cleaning done.

So I ended up removing the back seat. Entirely. I'll be cleaning it indoors, which will allow me to get every nook and cranny.

When I pulled the seat I noticed something I have not noticed before. There is electrical wiring running directly into the bench and the backrest! Now, I've noticed the electrical wiring lashed to the bench, but I had never noticed it went into the bench. I experienced a moment of exhilaration. Could this be?! You see, Casper has a heated front seats. Well, they don't presently work but they are there. Could it be we have heated rear seats, too?

I ran inside and grabbed my trusty Bentley Publishers Audi 100, 200 Official Factory Repair Manual: Volume 3 which contains every electrical wiring diagram. Right there on page 719: the wiring schematic for the heated rear seats. Woohoo!

Now I've really got my work cut out for me!

TODO:
Remove/replace headliner
Clean/condition the leather interior
Fix short on relay #10 (interior lighting, locks, lighters, stereo, etc...)
Fix non-functional speakers
Fix/replace all seat heating elements

The Lawn Mower

Hooray, I have a new problem! Err...

The lawnmower has been dying on me, which gives me a small engine to troubleshoot! Could this day be any better?

Yes. It could be. You see, it's almost 4AM, which means it is night time. As such, I can't work on the lawnmower. This day could be better by being daytime.

Down Time

Since things have been working well lately, I've taken to listening to Car Talk on NPR. It's a fun show, and gives good insight into how a mechanic would systematically deduce the source of car problems.

http://www.cartalk.com

Headlights #2

After much research, I have decided not to go HID in the Blue Meanie. There are some electrical issues which would very likely crop up further down the road. It just doesn't seem worth it.

I was able to find a distributor selling Osram H1 Long Life (64150L) bulbs in the US. These bulbs are rated for a life span of 500+ hours and cost just under $7 per bulb when purchased as a 10-pack. In the long run this is just as good a deal as HID, but without the future electrical issues.

The Blue Meanie Gets A New Fuel Filter

The Beetle up and quit one day while Linnea was out. It simply refused to start for her. It would crank, but there was no combustion. Sometimes you could hear combustion on the first crank, but that would be it.

I stopped by the same night to get a feel for what was happening. My first guess was the fuel filter might be full of moisture. As it was past 10PM, I knew there was no way the car would be running in time to head to church in the morning. Thankfully, the Audi was ready for the Sunday morning trip.

Following church, my friend Brett used his mad connections from his former job to score a new fuel filter for $20. Brett also helped me swap out the fuel filter, which only took 10-15 minutes. On a New Beetle TDI the fuel filter is located to the left of the plastic engine cover, and the only tools you need are a large screwdriver to loosen the bracket and pliers to un-clamp the hoses.

Replacement is straight-forward enough, you shouldn't need any directions.

Now, a few lessons learned:

1. Replacement of the fuel filter should happen at every oil change for diesels (10k miles for TDIs). If you're cheap you can get by with draining at 10k and replacing at 20k, but you must do something about the moisture build-up.
2. Oh what I would have given for some diesel to pour into the new filter! I had to crank the engine for some time while the filter filled back up with fuel. The poor car sounded terrible, and spewed a small cloud of black smoke upon the first successful start. Do yourself a favor and prime the filter prior to installing.
3. That was quite painless. There's no reason anyone couldn't do this on their own.

We drained the old filter into a glass jar for an idea of how much moisture was in there. There was definitely enough to fill the filter to the brim. What this meant was that initially diesel would be delivered to the engine, but as more fuel flooded into the filter it would stir up water which simply won't combust.

I of all people am surprised I got this one right on the first try.

Headlights

I've learned the hard way: Sylvania Silver Star headlights basically suck.

Following the previously mentioned headlight fiasco I dug into some solid facts regarding Sylvania's Silver Star headlights. In short, H1-ST bulbs have a lifespan of - take a deep breath - 135 hours. Seeing as how our low beams also function as our DRLs (Daytime Running Lights), it's no wonder they failed so quickly.

We are basically forced into using Halogen or Xenon bulbs. This is fine, really, as both are far less expensive than Sylvania Silver Stars. A set of two H1-ST bulbs cost just under $40. A set of two Xenon H1s (non-HID) set us back $12 after shipping.

We should be seeing a lifespan of about 1200-1400 hours on our low beams, minimum. This should solve the problem!

April Update

The cars have been working great, so there isn't much to say. I have not yet had an opportunity to install an inline coolant heater for the VW, which I regret... But winter is basically over, so there is presently not much advantage to install one.

Today I replaced another low-beam on the VW, and am wondering if the light going out was merely a fluke or if it is a sign of a larger problem. I had replaced both low-beams in January. I did notice the headlight fixture doesn't seem to be fully sealed, so moisture may be an issue.

I also replaced the under-body cover for the VW today. For this it was necessary to purchase ramps to drive the car onto. It was $40 for a set that can handle 6000lbs directly (3000lbs per ramp). During the replacement process I had noticed one of the plastic pieces the under-body cover attaches to was cracked badly, so my friend Gary patched it up by riveting a piece of aluminum sheeting across the cracked portion.

I am glad to have the under-body cover replaced, as the previous cover was barely hanging in place and made awful flapping noises at interstate speeds or when driving into a strong headwind.

The Audi rarely gets taken out these days, mainly because I don't really have anywhere to go.

If I had the opportunity to scrap the Audi in favor of a Mercedes-Benz 300D/300SD/300SDL in very good condition, or if I had the scratch to afford a 2001-2003 VW New Beetle RSi ($58k, as only 250 of them exist) I would in a heartbeat. That's not to say I dislike the Audi. On the contrary, I love it. It's just that the other two would be so much more fun!

I've made it my goal for the year to test-drive an Audi R8 TDI. On a closed track.

The Blue Meanie

[redacted]

This post was spiteful and mean and good for nothing (but trouble).

A less obnoxious edit follows:

The car was pumped full of straight #2 diesel due to a misunderstanding about the forecast. As a result, the fuel nearly gelled. We tried to make the best of it and spent the evening driving around town looking at houses, but after three hours we had still only used 1/4 tank of fuel.

I should have topped off with straight #1. Instead I guessed standard pre-blended diesel would suffice. I was wrong.

Today the car will not start, as the fuel is totally gelled. We don't have much for options. Basically, Linnea has no way to go to work tomorrow and I will need to find a ride to class. Lesson learned!

In Need of Heat

In the last two days we have seen the temperature fall nearly 50 degrees (Fahrenheit) here in North Dakota. With wind chill, we're looking at "feels like -50F" outside. It is not a pretty situation.

People start to notice things about their cars in this kind of weather, namely things like a failure to start. Batteries are so cold they simply cannot provide the power the starter requires. Oil is too cold to be an effective lubricant. Antifreeze may potentially be frozen.

This is why we use block heaters: coolant heaters, freeze plug heaters, oil pan heaters, etc. The main goal is to raise the temperature of the engine to something civilized prior to turning the key.

Now, I cannot stress this next point enough: if you live in similar conditions and lack some kind of preheating mechanism (preferably a coolant heater), you are murdering your car. Unless you park in a heated garage, that is.

I am a bad owner, as neither of my cars have a block heater. The temperature drops and I can't drive anywhere... But no more! I have ordered an in-line coolant heater for both cars, and will have everything installed in a few days. Never again will I contend with cranking the engine more than a second or two, and never again will I have to allow the car to "warm up" before I drive away.

In other news, the fuel gelled in the Beetle today... Gary brought over his 10,000BTU propane heater and we were able to fire it up after warming for about an hour. Never again will I be forgetful of the blend ratio of our diesel!

Oil Change Time!

This month I changed my own oil for the first time. It was worth doing for the knowledge alone, but I will likely never do it again. Likely, I will bring it to cheap oil change place and watch them like a hawk while they do it for me.

Some quick points:

1. Change it hot, change it often
2. If there is no clearance to get under your car then you will have a very difficult time
3. Keep an eye out for any leakage after any change

The whole oil changing process is pretty simple:

1. After the engine has had time to warm, shut off the car.
2. Allow the oil to cool to a manageable temperature, maybe 2-5 minutes.
3. Remove the oil filler cap for quicker drainage.
   
4. Remove the petcock on the oil pan and drain the old oil into an oil collector.
5. After the dripping stops, replace the petcock.
6. Remove the oil filter and allow it to drain into the oil collector.
7. Clean the oil filter socket (carburetor cleaner is fine).
8. Rub new oil on the gasket of the new oil filter, as well as in the socket (creates a seal).
9. Install the new oil filter and tighten by hand.
10. Start pouring your new oil.
11. Run the car for several minutes, watching for leaks. Specifically, watch the petcock and oil filter.
    
12. Bring your old oil someplace which handles oil recycling (it's free).

Congratulations, you've changed your oil. Simple, huh? But it's dirty. Really dirty. Plus we've skipped another common service given by those quick lube places: air filter change. No worries, though! I changed my air filter, as well.

It was a huge pain in every imaginable body place.

The Audi doesn't have an easily accessible air filter. Truthfully, the Audi doesn't have an easily accessible air box. I had to remove the metal piping going to my intercooler (cools exhaust headed for the turbocharger), an electrical wiring harness, and a headlight just to get to it. Even then, it took some careful maneuvering to remove and replace the air filter. I'm told I should be doing at least this once a year. I'm also told it's much simpler in most cars. However, since it's a royal pain in mine I will likely rely upon the quick lube places to sort it out. I'll just need to watch them very closely to make sure they actually change it.

I could have ended my punishment there, but no! I am a glutton. I decided it was the perfect opportunity to change my fuel filter, as well. I believe I'm having fuel delivery problems which have been worsened by the cold weather, and had reason enough to believe there may have been moisture in the fuel filter. Surprisingly, the auto parts store had the filter I needed in stock.

I couldn't find an official procedure in my repair manual for replacing the fuel filter, so I had to wing it. My friend Dusty noted there must be some way to depressurize the fuel lines, which I guessed would be pulling the fuel pump relay in the fuse box and turning the key. Close enough, I think. Following this, I disconnected the battery.

The fuel filter was tightened down strong. It is basically a large cylinder with one fuel line coming in one side and another fuel line going out the other side. While loosening the fuel filter, fuel began to leak into the engine compartment. Oops. I guess I didn't *really* depressurize the system. Better luck next time! The fuel filter itself was full of fuel, and needed to be drained. Dusty's garage is vented, so we ran the fan to clear out the vapors and odor. Replacing the fuel filter was simply the same process in reverse. Well, switch around starting the car and installing the fuel pump relay in the fuse box. And reconnect the battery last. All in all a very simple process.

That wrapped up my work on Casper for the night. I learned a few things:

1. It is very likely to be cheaper, and will very likely be faster to have your oil and fuel filter changed by a service... Just watch them closely and complain if they don't fully drain your oil. For serious.
2. If you do change your own oil, get your car up off the ground. You can likely reach everything while it is not, but life is so much simpler when it's jacked up.
3. Hot oil is hot, and I don't mean sexy. Unless that's what you're into.
4. An oil change every 3000 miles is a decent choice, but my repair manual calls for one every 7000... and states explicitly to use synthetic. Be familiar with what your manual says, not what the oil change place says.
5. If you're noticing your oil looks dull and black, change it more frequently. It gets this way as the filter is not able to remove small pieces of metal and other pieces of waste that end up in the system. For this reason, I appreciate that some oil change places will actually show you what your old oil looked like without being asked. So maybe your manual says 7000, too, but changing at 3000 still yields filthy black oil. Change it sooner!