Thread: New member - D1 300tdi 96 upgrade / mods advice needed

My only problem with just a low water alarm is the fact that the engine can run hot even tho it's perfectly full of coolant!
I had issues over the summer with my Tdi running (what I think was) too hot under load with air con on. Air off, not a problem.
So the issue with just a low coolant alarm is that it doesn't tell you how hot she's actually running at any given moment.

You can get gauges that 'alarm/warn' you when the coolant has reached a specific temperature.

Originally Posted by steveG

They're not low coolant alarm as such, but I'm personally a fan of the Engine Watchdog units for engine temperature monitoring. I've got them in 3 vehicles and they have saved me from major engine damage more than once.
I've got both the TM2 and TM4 (dual sensor) versions. Both work well, but I prefer the TM2 as I find the TM4 difficult to read.

ENGINE WATCHDOG TM2, Engine Temperature Sensor and Low Coolant Alarm

Steve

I run one of these units as well.
It doesn't matter what the cause of overheating is (blocked radiator, viscous fan, hot weather or low coolant) you can attach the sensor from these units to the cylinder head and it will tell you the exact temp in degrees celsius regardless. I have mounted the display in a visible location right near the other gauges in the dash and glance at it all the time.
Mine is the dual sensor version for cylinder head temp as well as oil pressure - as it's nice not to worry if the original factory low oil light in the dash will always work!

Originally Posted by Chin_chef

....point me in the right direction for any mod/accessory purchase locations in relation to diff / steering guards, front recovery points etc. Thank you.

Specifically talking about diff/steering/recovery - if you don't have don't recovery points built into the brackets (straight onto chassis) on your bar, get a set of APT recovery points. If you need a front diff guard, you can either go a big wraparound one that acts more like a slider or one like i have that just bolts over the front and stop rocks cracking the thin sheet metal of the pan. The factory steering rods are not that great either (not that strong and rust in the ends as well) so a set of heavy duty rods are nice - I have a Terrafirma set i bought online.

Do you have a heavy duty rear tow bar with recovery block that takes a shackle?
A couple of rock sliders are always good, plus if they are good quality you can use the hi-lift jack on them. I was lucky and picked up a second hand set of ARB sliders that were just re-powdercoated...

Another couple of mods that are a bit off topic are:
An alloy coolant header tank to replace the plastic one is great in my opinion... Allisport makes them in the UK.

Another odd mod is getting rid of the gigantic windscreen washer bottle! Seriously, who needs a washer bottle that BIG! I replaced mine with a small 1L bottle and now have tonnes of space to work around the turbo area. I wash my windscreen a couple of times a day when driving and have still not refilled the bottle in a few weeks!

There are a million possible mods but it depends on how much you want to spend.

One other major point for the OP to note that all the mods in the world isn't going to make your vehicle better, if the fundamentals (ie. service/maintenance/common sense) things aren't taken into account too.

eg. check all fluids(transfer/diffs/power steering/clean engine inlet system/coolant/etc).

If you're looking into or thinking diff guards, steering guards and recovery points, I'd suggest you may be better off starting with mods like the actual diffs themselves ie. lockers or ATBs), or a winch .... and stuff like that.