B3 Passat GT - 1990

natogreen16v

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Looks good. Get sorted with the rear brakes? We've just done a heap of work to Lee's including a steering rack. That wasn't fun :worried:

Connor
 

puzzlement13

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Looks good. Get sorted with the rear brakes? We've just done a heap of work to Lee's including a steering rack. That wasn't fun :worried:

Connor
Oh flip I'm sure! Yeah, finally sorted those, it actually had the Mk4 upgrade kit on the back, so once we knew that it was easy enough. Only need to change the sliders over now. Just to sort out the revs/isv!
How's the Mk3 doing?
 

natogreen16v

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The mk3 is next on the list for a few bits then mot. Mounting an electric power steering pump under the car and lines run to the rack to keep them out of the bay, I've a rear mounted washer bottle to fit and finish dying the interior. Also need to sort a chassis notch. All once the Passat is outa the road then its back to getting thrashed :laughing:
 

puzzlement13

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Well a lot has changed since I last posted here..
From then prep for dubshed/mot probably started, which I got a new set of coils, APs are what I went for in the end. Mot prep was more wheel bearings and a weld in the rear arch area. It then failed on a ball joint! Anyway it failed and passed in the same day ready for Dubshed...
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Also new set of wheels, and the stickers to tie it in, made up our name in the syncro style font that syncro Passats would have had! Removed the red stripe too...
Next thing I remember is all red rears
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I forgot about the sound, speakers and subs all swapped over for kicker stuff, and a denon amp from the era of the car. Definitely made a huge difference from the blown ones in before :grinning:
Mainly between Jan and now it's been maintaining it, tidying little things headlights, making fogs work all the time etc..
In the last few weeks I've done head gasket, clutch and manifold.. engine had to come out for clutch and manifold though.
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Heat wrapped too...



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Love it! Love the sound! Now to sort out fuelling and actually do the vac lines!

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Last week with the cg in there too :grinning:
 

puzzlement13

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It's days like the last few I feel like I regret taking on an older car as a daily...
Sunday I set out for the Fintona show, got onto the westlink and constant burning oil smell.. checked at boucher and of course the rocker cover gasket I'd just replaced was letting oil out everywhere. Actually, before I even got past Carrick my starter basically died at go.. lol... Anyway, lucky enough if stopped at Mcdees
Rocker cover off and see if it could be re seated any better, didn't want to risk it up towards Fintona so headed back towards home for the BMW show in Carrick. Lucky that we did, parked up and suffered back to the car to see it with a puddle underneath... fook sake. Nursed it to my garage, again rocker cover off, done rear wheel bearings (again), changed starter over from another car, it works ok-ish.. This all started to take its toll as I leave for the ferry early on Tue.. couldn't sort the gasket out on Sun, got a lift home, lift back up today.. no luck with a new gasket, phoned everywhere, called out on facebook, nope, nadda! Silicone gasket got, last option, let's see how far I get on this trip!
Thanks @Geoff Campbell for help, pushing and patience with the car and me


....wish me luck
 

puzzlement13

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There are 2 types of rocker gasket for 16v's including ABF, you need the later one going by the rocker cover on your engine
I only found that out recently, what are the differences? I haven't a clue which one mine is, but the latest one I got seemed like hard rubber. I'll ask for a later one next time!
 

Gambit

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I only found that out recently, what are the differences? I haven't a clue which one mine is, but the latest one I got seemed like hard rubber. I'll ask for a later one next time!

Yours is late rocker, you can tell by the rocker cover as it doesnt have the recessed centre holes

all detailed here:- 16v cam cover & gasket types FAQ

The early gasket has a ridge which fits into the rocker cover itself, where as later ones are flat rocker cover but gasket has a ridge that fits into the cam caps on the head instead

GSF Part numbers are still valid on that link.

Early
ROCKER / VALVE COVER GASKET 110VG0160

Late
ROCKER / VALVE COVER GASKET 110VG0170
 

puzzlement13

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Yours is late rocker, you can tell by the rocker cover as it doesnt have the recessed centre holes

all detailed here:- 16v cam cover & gasket types FAQ

The early gasket has a ridge which fits into the rocker cover itself, where as later ones are flat rocker cover but gasket has a ridge that fits into the cam caps on the head instead

GSF Part numbers are still valid on that link.

Early
ROCKER / VALVE COVER GASKET 110VG0160

Late
ROCKER / VALVE COVER GASKET 110VG0170
Thanks, I'll have a proper nosey at those soon! Really handy to know now


So we're on a boat! Roadtrip time soon enough!
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Gambit

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o aye and your duff starter...have you double checked the earthing points on the car after you had the engine out? the big one on the gearbox and then the smaller on at the dizzy that bolts up behind the coil.
 

puzzlement13

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o aye and your duff starter...have you double checked the earthing points on the car after you had the engine out? the big one on the gearbox and then the smaller on at the dizzy that bolts up behind the coil.
Yeah that was the first thing I checked, the wires were a bit naff on mine, thankfully I had a spare one sitting about which I fitted just before the trip! Thanks :grinning:

So, on the boat home!
The 700+ miles it worked OK, the only hiccup I had was on the way down from Scotland. As soon as I hit traffic near Wigan the temp rose very fast... the fans had stopped working! Stopped in traffic ran out and tried hard wiring the fans for constant use. No joy. Stopped, put £20 of fuel in and drove the longest possible way to get air in, and that worked. Burnt threw the fuel in no time going at least an hour out of my way to get back lol
Anyway got back to the house, went the next day for supplies and a scrappy run as I'd spotted a g60 corrado.
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So the corrado had nothing left to use, halfords down the road had everything needed to wire the fans up to a switch.
Did manage to get a set of clocks from the Rado, which means I have mpg again, on average I got 38 to 45.. happy enough with that
Tested the fans out on the way back up today, as there had been a huge hold up, and it done the job.. now this week to go back to work and have a think if what way to keep the car cool!
Pictures don't seem to be uploading very well on the boat, I'll do that when home
 

puzzlement13

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Update...

So we got home from that trip fine, drove it loads and I can't even remember what happened. In 2017 the following year from this I remember having fuel line issues and finally getting it sorted, mot'd and it was freshly painted for it all to go wrong after districts show in B&Q at boucher.
Car was well and truly written off the next day, but I kept hold of it, and was stored away for the last 4 years as I couldn't part with it. Nothing compared to the passat, and found myself always missing it no matter what I got.
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I did have a mk1 mx5 which helped fill my passat shaped hole in my heart, but then I got pregnant and that wasn't going to work for long.

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Fast forward to selling the Mx5 in Dec 2020, and 2021 to Freya turning one and I finally made a purchase.

I got Big Red with no engine in it and needing some big love. This would have been around January time and the plan was, everything from Black Jack would go over, as I was also never fussed on the grey interior, and I loved the abf in Black Jack.


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Over the next 5, 6 months this was happening, abf out of the black one, into red, black one stripped, red one stripped, found leaks, rust all the crap, got the windscreen out had the holes fixed, painted it ourselves (terrible paint match but it's better than nothing..), new wi dscreen fitted, changed inlet from 40mm to 50mm.
I'd found a set of votex lights that were similar to the ones I'd always wanted before, so I done the buy, secretly feeling a bit unsure about them.
So engine was in, running, all good. Fitted a glass sunroof again from a b4, changed the headliner and put my original ap coils back in. Went for welding and then mot first week of July. When it was back from welding the full interior was refitted, bar dash.. Still to fit the black one!
We passed mot on Thursday before Eurotreffen on Saturday. Caliper changed as it started sticking, and ready to go the following day.

I've missed loads, but I can't remember everything right now 😂

Friday night felt like Christmas for me, I'd kept this car a secret from a few friends, and I honestly couldn't wait for them to see it. Saturday morning, day of the show and I flipping slept in, nevertheless it was a great day, @Geoff Campbell & Marc got to see the car and I was pleased to not have a secret anymore.

Then portmuck after the show and pictures to compare our cars from 2015 to now..
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So much still to do, but it's on the road, now I can enjoy it and do things alongside having it out.

Read spoiler, gt badges and definitely exhaust are hopefully soon!
 

Geoff Campbell

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Still can’t get over the fact that you kept it a secret for that long.

You know exactly what I think of the entire project as a whole and at least now I know I can stop sending links to B3s for sale :joy:
 

puzzlement13

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Wee bit of an update.
Really should try to remember to keep posting 🤦

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So went to Eurotreffen, (looking forward to this year 🤞)
After that we took a trip to England during the summer, Cairnryan down to Manchester but had belt squeal the whole way down which ended up being the water pump failing. New one got and changed while there, few random niggles while we were there but overall good trip and the Passat done well.

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Enjoyed summer and ended up selling my Klutch wheels and got Autostarts, in the snowflake style - just before Titanic Dubs. Painted the front wing and spoiler too! Also made headrests for the rear from spare front seats.

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All was going quite well until just before Christmas when the original fuel pump went, got recovered to home, and fitted a 2nd old pump.. it was around Christmas so cash was tight..
Kept thinking about getting a new fuel pump and then started having problems as it got closer to dubshed. At this point with the Passat getting unreliable I needed to out the Arosa back on the road finally. My first car that I'd had as an ornament for the last 4/5 years.

General tidy up on it, service, brakes, a good clean and tyres it was ready for mot - it passed!

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Passat problems got worse, cutting out randomly, misfiring, eating fuel - I can't remember what else. Changed temp sensor which stopped it cutting out. Tested lots of stuff, as in putting old stuff on and no changes. Really,just left it sitting while I've been able to get myself together and fork out for both fuel pumps, also had it welded in 2 spots while it lay. The current problem is that it has no power under acceleration, stays running but just doesn't have any go. Hoping the pumps will fix this 🤞

Awaiting parcels today 😁😁😁
 

ace275

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Didn't know there was a MUK thread on here! I know the previous keeper. It was fairly quick for what it was, ended up doing some silly speeds trying to pass MUK one day on a 'Private Road' in my old 1.6tdi company Passat

Sad to see how it ended, but glad it lives on in the new car
 

puzzlement13

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Didn't know there was a MUK thread on here! I know the previous keeper. It was fairly quick for what it was, ended up doing some silly speeds trying to pass MUK one day on a 'Private Road' in my old 1.6tdi company Passat

Sad to see how it ended, but glad it lives on in the new car
Aye it's here! I had for a few years, devastated when the accident happened... Still a bit raging lol
Hopefully I can get Big Red running better again, to be at least similar as it was then!
 
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