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!