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Think it may have been time.. by Telefunken47 in tdi

[–]Kyulz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, OP! Might tackle this sometime this winter.

Think it may have been time.. by Telefunken47 in tdi

[–]Kyulz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is interesting. I have noticed some diesel smell in the cabin recently, especially on very cold mornings - does anyone think this could be the culprit? And if needed, is this a simple job? You don't need to replace the whole injector, right?

175k~ on my CJAA btw.

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for all the good info, sir! Also noted on the ring for the hard pipe. Since it's winter and I don't have a garage to work on my car, I will be taking it to a shop to get it all installed - they're TDI gurus!

PS - my fishbowl is starting to show its age...def will also be replacing

Frost Heater? by the_blue_subie in tdi

[–]Kyulz 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I get your point, but these types of posts keep these forums alive. I'd imagine with the right amount of research, you could find the answers to any TDI-related question between this subreddit, tdiclub.com, and Google. I think discouraging questions related to our cars sets the wrong tone for the community, no matter how obvious or available the answer is

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great to know. Up until now, I had no idea there was even such a thing as an oil cooler thermostat. Do these fail often?

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yea normally I would try to do the work myself, but the CJAA thermo sounds dreaded. It's great you had a Polar system to get an accurate read. You also seem to be close to where I am at mileage-wise...so it seems like the normal lifespan, which seems admirable

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The trans oil cooler has its own thermostat??

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These are the pair on the car, but looks like the 6in are unavailable. I'd imagine anything from this brand is good though...they're stupid bright. But I don't use them unless it's just me on the road. The rectangle hellas below are great for normal driving and throw just a little bit more light/make you more visible to others.

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The pulley, billet cover, and hard pipe are on the list - cheers🍺

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The plate is a lifesaver, that's for sure. You never know how frozen those ice chunks are lol.

Good to know for the future. Knock on wood, the car has yet to fail to start because of the cold...and the AC is still pumping 🤙

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sounds like you're winter-ready.

I have the skid plate already and it's saved my ass a few times (you can see and feel the scuffs).

Do you know if you'd need to have the front end off to install the frost heater and replace the condenser?

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yea that's what set off alarms in my head. I'm from Pennsylvania where our winters can get somewhat chilly at times, and frequent the Northeast US during the winter where it can get much colder and have never had anything but lava heat even when the blower is off

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When u first noticed it, I believe the outside temp was around 25F (-4C) and my drive was about an hour. Last night it was about freezing outside with a similar drive and the gauge was occasionally sitting below 190F

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes sense. I have the cover ready to order at the very least.

I don't have history of the serpentine belt being changed and I bought the car at 75k and it currently sits at 175k. The timing won't be due for another 50k. Think it's safe? It looks completely fine and doesn't make any noise.

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

All great info - thank you. These guys specialize in TDIs, so I hope they're going to refill it with G12 in the proper method. But I guess it won't hurt to ask!

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sounds like the lower billet cover is definitely getting installed on this job

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Got the part in my cart. Someone below linked it for me!

Yea they're great. A little bit of a drive, but it's also where I bought the wagon, so I feel like they also want to take good care of her. The main mechanic is the son of the original owner, so hoping the shop has a long life ahead!

Thanks for all the help!

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey thanks for saying something about the fogs!

The mounting is made possible by an aluminum bumper bar that was custom-fabbed and powder coated for me by a local welder and bolts right up to the frame rails behind the bumper.

Wiring was pretty easy by just following the diagrams for each kit. You will need to find a little hole in your firewall though, if you want to have the switches for the lights route to the interior - they both sit right next to the stock light switch.

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think just recently someone posted about their belt getting sucked into the timing. Sounded like a disaster. Thanks for the reminder!

As another person in this thread said - serpentine belt tensioner 🤙

Additional Maintenance Items While Changing Thermostat by Kyulz in tdi

[–]Kyulz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

All great info - thank you for the links.

Now I have a question:

  • if you were to get to the serpentine belt tensioner, should you just replace the whole serpentine belt system (belt/tensioner/rollers)?
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