B3 Passat GT - 1990

[Gambit]

So the fuel pump underneath, dizzy cap, rotor arm and HT leads didn't fix it

Have you checked the timing?

 

[puzzlement13]

Have you checked the timing?

Yeah, checked timing, it's bang on!


Update again, changed 1 knock sensor, and there's an improvement (also found a crack in it) changed in tank pump too.
It drives and is ok, but when you accelerate and hold it there it'll be a bit spluttery. Higher revs it's fine.... It's slow and boggy in lower revs.
Going to check plugs again tomorrow and see what they say, and thinking the cat might be blocked.

 

[puzzlement13]

So it's fixed!
Well the big issue - tried a friends distributor and then took the cat out to discover it was probably about 95% melted together and blocked. Tapped the stuff out, and it's back!
Playing about with idle now and ignition timing as it's hanging a bit high and was lacking a bit last night.

4 months pretty much off the road to a blocked exhaust

Nice to be out again today

 

[Gambit]

Check the fueling/mixture also as that's likely the cause of the melted cat

 

[puzzlement13]

Check the fueling/mixture also as that's likely the cause of the melted cat

The fuel pump died just before this so thats what I was thinking! Hoping to get it to someone to see if they can check it and work with the metering head. I wouldn't want to touch it with them being so sensitive and not having a clue what to be at with it lol

 

[Gambit]

if you can get someone with a wideband get them to log it while you give it a run up the road - that will give you a good idea of how its behaving

you'll be hard pushed to get anyone to look at a metering head over here - even across the water there is only one place really that deals with them - KMI Injection - and basically you just send the metering head over to them and they'll rebuild it. last time i enquired back in 2020 it was £320 + vat, for metering head rebuild/mod for + 20% top end fueling increase

 

[puzzlement13]

I need to replace the lambda sensor too, as Dee's cut it off and its stuck in my decat section. I think that hasn't helped, it's great when cold, but I think it's throwing fuel at it when is up to temp. Mpg drops a good 10, and it starts to feel a bit slow. (Nothing like before though)

With the metering head, I had got talking with someone last year who gave me the number to a mechanic that's good and faffed about with these before for years - I'm hoping so. I've two metering heads though and the one that was in the red one had been played with before you can see it's definitely been tampered with - whereas my original one hadn't. I was thinking of sending it on with the tampered one and hopefully they can do something. Worth a shot lol


I didn't know there was a rebuild place, I couldn't find anything along those lines a few years ago

 

[puzzlement13]

Not fixed

Still around 3k its like popping a trailer on.

Lambda changed, ****ed about with it some more. Waiting until this Bentley manual arrives to faf some more and expecting to redo the engine loom to eliminate wire breaks etc.


While I can I'm thinking of attempting to make a us style front bumper so I need black texture bumper paint.. will do the whole kit and both bumpers - should tidy it up.

Think we nearly always use the Passat as base point at shows

 

[Apis]

While I can I'm thinking of attempting to make a us style front bumper so I need black texture bumper paint.. will do the whole kit and both bumpers - should tidy it up.

Any suggestions for this? I'm doing something similar on van mirrors. Is it like Raptor paint or something else?

 

[puzzlement13]

Any suggestions for this? I'm doing something similar on van mirrors. Is it like Raptor paint or something else?

I was hoping someone would give me a suggestion

I'll watch some YouTube and read up a bit and see what comes back. I need something with texture for when I'm moulding/ plastic welding stuff together otherwise the smoothness would look naff

Raptor paint is what I was thinking too but never used it!

 

[Blackie]

I was hoping someone would give me a suggestion

I'll watch some YouTube and read up a bit and see what comes back. I need something with texture for when I'm moulding/ plastic welding stuff together otherwise the smoothness would look naff

Raptor paint is what I was thinking too but never used it!

@Rover Repair has used raptor paint in the past, perhaps he can offer some advice?

 

[r16vka]

I got this stuff off ebay

Which turned this...

Into this...

I'm planning on doing the bottom of my audi 80 bumpers and side skirts. Time will tell how well it lasts, bit it appears to be decent enough

 

[clrrk]

I was hoping someone would give me a suggestion

Get some of this stuff. I was recommended it years ago when I had my mk2 to repair a bumper that had scuffed plastic. Ended up doing all the plastic trims with it and it saved the whole having to get them back to black every couple of months.

Heres me testing it out on an old bumper (hence the overspray)...

And a comparison of the freshly painted parts compared to the old greying stuff.

Also this was a great read Sarah. Had no idea the work that went into the new Passat, always just assumed it was a completely new car, not that it was built with the parts of the old black one. It's very cool to see it on the road!

 

[puzzlement13]

Something I'd forgot to put in just before Eurotreffen - painted the mirrors body colour which I think looks really good.

Also thought this was cool - copied from my post on Facebook -
Sooooo... I was out driving the other night and on our way back from Belfast we caught sight of a B3 saloon . Turned in the road and tried catching up to it, I got stopped at traffic lights and we lost them. After having a drive around the area we spotted them, & stopped to say hello.
They have drove from Switzerland and were looking somewhere to camp in Belfast, found a place for them but we were glad to have found them! They'd been through Scotland the day before and are currently traveling through Ireland. They gave us a sticker to scan and see their vlog etc.

I thought it was class

 

[Gambit]

doing a bit of stalking speaking of which that was me passed you yesterday about Greenisland in the wee red mk2 golf

did you get to the bottom of your running issue yet?

 

[puzzlement13]

Get some of this stuff. I was recommended it years ago when I had my mk2 to repair a bumper that had scuffed plastic. Ended up doing all the plastic trims with it and it saved the whole having to get them back to black every couple of months.


View attachment 370048


Heres me testing it out on an old bumper (hence the overspray)...

View attachment 370049


And a comparison of the freshly painted parts compared to the old greying stuff.

View attachment 370050


Also this was a great read Sarah. Had no idea the work that went into the new Passat, always just assumed it was a completely new car, not that it was built with the parts of the old black one. It's very cool to see it on the road!

Thanks, I think that's what I like about documenting it, is that most people wouldn't think about what's gone into it!

I like the finish with the stuff you used, did you fill any parts on the bumper? I've a big groove on my bumper that I'm hoping to fill / repair but with sanding back it'll be smooth - worried it might not have enough texture and it'll stick out like a sore thumb.

 

[puzzlement13]

doing a bit of stalking speaking of which that was me passed you yesterday about Greenisland in the wee red mk2 golf

did you get to the bottom of your running issue yet?

Had to

Ahhh! The mk2 looked great! I do like seeing other older stuff out on the road lol
When we seen you I pulled out into the lane and it bogged.. so no! Running issue is still here. I did find a sticky injector but replaced with my spare set which isn't much better and I'm running it with the cold start disconnected as it doesn't eat fuel just as much. I'm getting to the point now that I might just get it to a mechanic I know thats retired but is meant to be a whizz with that era.

Just a bit stubborn and thought I'd have figured it out by now lol

 

[Gambit]

You know its going to be something really simple that it just takes that person with the experience to look at, and after about 30secs say thats your prob there....its always the way

 

[PeteM]

Something I'd forgot to put in just before Eurotreffen - painted the mirrors body colour which I think looks really good.

View attachment 370387View attachment 370388View attachment 370389

Also thought this was cool - copied from my post on Facebook -
Sooooo... I was out driving the other night and on our way back from Belfast we caught sight of a B3 saloon . Turned in the road and tried catching up to it, I got stopped at traffic lights and we lost them. After having a drive around the area we spotted them, & stopped to say hello.
They have drove from Switzerland and were looking somewhere to camp in Belfast, found a place for them but we were glad to have found them! They'd been through Scotland the day before and are currently traveling through Ireland. They gave us a sticker to scan and see their vlog etc.

I thought it was class

View attachment 370392View attachment 370391View attachment 370390

Those lads were on the boat from cork to roscoff y/day

Got a link to their vlog?

 

[clrrk]

I like the finish with the stuff you used, did you fill any parts on the bumper? I've a big groove on my bumper that I'm hoping to fill / repair but with sanding back it'll be smooth - worried it might not have enough texture and it'll stick out like a sore thumb.

Yeh i filled it with a bit of plast x flexible filler first. the paint re-adds the texture, you can notice a little if you know what you are looking for but not massively. just use as little filler as possible and don't worry about your repair being completely smooth.

 

[puzzlement13]

**** sake! Does it ever end lol

Passat got really, really loud, found out the manifold is cracked at the bottom. Was planning on going to Bangor so got the manifold off, quick nip to my brother to weld it and fitted again - wee wash on the way up too. Couldn't believe it the problem I'd been facing since about February this year wasn't happening, mpg was up again and it seemed all was well.

On the way home I think my new fuel pump is starting to fail. **** SAKE!

Pretty much accelerating now it just starts to cut/stumble/hiccup.. feels like it's not getting enough fuel.


Plan is to fit the standard exhaust see how it goes before I start buying fuel stuff again.

 

[Gambit]

at least you're making a bit of progress - does your car still run the 5bar kjet pump underneath? what brand pump did you put in it? i wouldnt use anything other than a bosch pump in them

its usually cheaper to source the bosch pump alone then transfer the wiring harness connector. Bosch 5bar stamped part number on casing is 0 580 254 021 -

i've a spare known good pump out of my 16v if you want to take it and try it?

 

[puzzlement13]

at least you're making a bit of progress - does your car still run the 5bar kjet pump underneath? what brand pump did you put in it? i wouldnt use anything other than a bosch pump in them

its usually cheaper to source the bosch pump alone then transfer the wiring harness connector. Bosch 5bar stamped part number on casing is 0 580 254 021 -

i've a spare known good pump out of my 16v if you want to take it and try it?

Thanks! That would be really handy if that's ok.. do you have any spare fuelling stuff you would like to sell? Lines/accumulator etc

I bought a cambiare pump before

I knew it wouldn't be a good buy but it got me by! The pump itself is £100 on autodoc at the mo but mine isn't pretty under there so want to replace it all. Thinking of getting the lines from a mk2 - the fittings are the same but the lines are longer. Seems with mine theyre shorter and specific to b3/corrado.

So plan is get exhaust sorted today and see how it goes, see if the blow out could really cause so much problems and go from there. Looking an isv too, would you stick with OE stuff?

 

[puzzlement13]

Done well enough for a coast run and a trip to Currys/Barry's with family

 

[Gambit]

Thanks! That would be really handy if that's ok.. do you have any spare fuelling stuff you would like to sell? Lines/accumulator etc

I bought a cambiare pump before

I knew it wouldn't be a good buy but it got me by! The pump itself is £100 on autodoc at the mo but mine isn't pretty under there so want to replace it all. Thinking of getting the lines from a mk2 - the fittings are the same but the lines are longer. Seems with mine theyre shorter and specific to b3/corrado.

So plan is get exhaust sorted today and see how it goes, see if the blow out could really cause so much problems and go from there. Looking an isv too, would you stick with OE stuff?

i rebuilt all mine 2yrs back as it was similar to what you say yours is with all crusty pipework (Seen here in the bucket) - it was always something i was wanting to do.

I sold the old accumulator i had in those pics but i do have another which you can have - it looks rough but is good. I've a few golf 16v fuel pump lines about also which i can dig out and see if they suit yours - ill dig out the stuff from garage and drop you a message once ive gathered it together and you can see what you want to take.

ISV generally don't go wrong, they can get gummed up though and get sticky - handy enough to clean out with carb cleaner or petrol.