Geordi's GDE Experiences

geordi · **Posted:** Sat Aug 08, 2009 4:18 pm

Well, I bit the bullet. After 5 months and about $8,000, I finally have the CRD back, but the mileage was DISMAL. It was difficult to start when cold, got about 21mpg HIGHWAY driving back up from South Florida to Savannah. Ok, I was towing the old engine on a tiny trailer, but PLEASE. 21mpg? The trailer is an open 30"x48" little thing that sits about equal in height to the bumper.

Driving around up here, it wasn't any better, about 19mpg, and still hard to start when cold. Like about 4-5 seconds of cranking time. The auto-start would have to attempt twice usually before it would catch.

It smoked on take-off, even at part throttle, so I knew that something was rotten in there. I thought it might be the Edge, so I pulled that, and it is still available. It worked great for me on the old engine, on this one... Not so much. But it wasn't the Edge's fault. The problems didn't change.

I swapped in the other TCM that I got with the new engine, b/c I noticed that the part number was older. I *think* I may have gotten an unmolested one. The power seemed better, but still smoking and hard starting... So I knew the mileage wasn't any better. The EVIC wouldn't read any higher than 23mpg, 24 for brief periods.

I called and talked to the guys at GDE, explained the problems I was having, and asked what they thought. Even before I purchased, they were helpful and tried to offer solutions. Nice guys. I thought that the injector coding might have been a factor, they said that it only affected a small percentage of the functionality. Yea, but between operating and operating WELL could be a small percentage difference.

So I took a chance. I just got the spare ECU back today, so I'm able to compare it to the F37 if anyone wants to visit Savannah and drive both for a bit.

First impressions - The boost does seem to be more available, but the overall power actually feels a little less to me compared with the Edge or even stock with the mis-programmed injector codes. I'm inclined to think that the codes mean more than anyone is giving them credit for. It started RIGHT UP when I asked it to, within a half-second. And it was stone-cold, I didn't drive it yesterday at all.

Mileage... Look at the picture:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=32328851&l=f41d6ff84e&id=23705433

If only that would remain true!

I'll update this as things progress. I'm taking a trip to Atlanta next weekend, so that will be a nice long drive at highway speeds. Hopefully the numbers will be close to that picture.

kdlewis1975 · **Posted:** Sat Aug 08, 2009 4:41 pm

Gosh, that would be nice...you could brag to the Jetta guys.

I'm glad to see you have your rig up and running again.

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Sat Aug 08, 2009 5:12 pm

The first thing I noticed was how quickly it now starts :lol:

Maybe there will be less starter and Optima problems now

stoutdog · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 12:16 pm

geordi,

I followed the link and saw what you were saying to your buddies. Just to give you an idea, my ECU (which reads ~3mpg high) is hanging around 32 with in town driving and hit 37.2 on a 40 mile highway run. It was still climbing at the time!

You ain't gunna get 48, but I bet you can get that CRD into the 30s on your trip!

Good luck!

geordi · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 2:07 pm

I'm trying to not be too hopeful, but I know what you mean. In just running around yesterday since I put it in, going to the food store and such, it seems to have settled in around 33mpg. That would be FAN-FRELLING-TASTIC if that was my in-town, and the hwy is 3-4 mpg above that.

I mentally remove the 3mpg that the EVIC seems to always read high, so 30 mpg for in-town? I'll take it! :!:

CRD Joe · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 5:15 pm

Looks like GDE's website is down.

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 6:56 pm

I had no trouble just now 6:55 PM eastern 8/9/10 :?:

http://www.greendieselengineering.com/g ... ethod=home

Joe

CRD Joe · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 7:14 pm

doesnt work here. 16:15 pacific

GreenDieselEngineering · **Joined:** Sun Jun 07, 2009 5:10 pm **Posts:** 1111

We just checked the website at 7:30PM Eastern Time and everything is working.

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 7:40 pm

Must be a "left coast" thing :lol:

Joe

CRD Joe · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 7:43 pm

Well why the heck cant I get it to work?

CRD Joe · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 7:45 pm

Joe Romas wrote:

Must be a "left coast" thing :lol:

Joe

Wise guy!

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 7:49 pm

CRD Joe wrote:

Joe Romas wrote:

Must be a "left coast" thing :lol:

Joe

Wise guy!

Have you tried the link I posted above? Just a guess..

CRD Joe · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 7:52 pm

Joe Romas wrote:

CRD Joe wrote:

Joe Romas wrote:

Must be a "left coast" thing :lol:

Joe

Wise guy!

Have you tried the link I posted above? Just a guess..

Yes it doesnt work.

dgeist · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:55 pm

geordi wrote:

I'll update this as things progress. I'm taking a trip to Atlanta next weekend, so that will be a nice long drive at highway speeds. Hopefully the numbers will be close to that picture.

Where in ATL are you headed? I can recommend a great place for quality B20 in north-metro if you're into that kind of thing.

Dan

geordi · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 10:51 pm

Holy Threadjacking Batman! :lol:

Dgeist: I'm going to the concert at Piedmont Park, but they have said that there isn't any on-site parking and that everyone should take Marta. Can you verify the lack of parking there? I'm not familiar with the park, but looking on Google Earth, it's frelling HUGE where they are putting this thing. Figure at least 500 feet wide and 1500 feet long.

So anyway, That is in the afternoon. I'm going to be getting to Atl probably in the mid morning-ish, aiming for around 9 (so I get there by 1030) and parking somewhere. Ideally, I could park at a Marta that is only a stop or two away from Piedmont, so after the concert I can get out reasonably quickly. Where is the Bio place? I've also got to figure out the Marta system and how to get downtown to the CNN / Coke / Aquarium tourist-plex... But I don't know what my family will have in mind to do for a few hours. Thats all TBD.

dgeist · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:41 am

PM Sent. Sorry all.

UFO · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:44 am

Geordi, any thoughts on why your factory ECU performed so badly? Changing the factory ECU/tune is not the first thing one should consider when troubleshooting starting and drivability issues. It seems as though that was the problem, but I'm wondering how the factory unit went south....

geordi · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2009 12:39 pm

I have a theory... It wasn't that the stock tune 'went bad' so much, as that I believe that the injector codes tell the computer more than we may fully understand. The difference in starting is the biggest indicator for this. 5 seconds of start time on my Jetta TDI was caused by a failed seal in the injection pump. 5 seconds here, thankfully, was electronic in nature.

The injectors aren't controlled by pressure like on my Jetta TDI. Those were "dumb" injectors that opened only when their individual line from the VE pump was pressurized above the spring tension. Our CRDs have to be opened by the computer, and obviously the computer and the injectors were speaking the same language after the engine was replaced, because it DID run and drive... But they were losing something in the translation.

I believed the guys at GDE when they said that the codes only affected minute performance differences, but maybe it is a little more than a "minute" effect. When the engine was changed, the shop doing it couldn't have known about the codes being important, and it was news to me too. They wouldn't have been able to fix the difference anyway. It was either GDE, or risk my CRD by going to a dealer and asking them to do it without buggering something else up.

Geordi's GDE Experiences

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