[Vwdiesel] Exhaust sound

[Tyson Cragg]

I took my 1997 Jetta TD (1.9 AAZ) to the muffler shop today (Meineke on 
Victoria St. S. in Kitchener, ON).  They have a custom guy named Dennis who 
did a fantastic job.  2.5" custom bent, welded to the cat.  Very 
throaty-sounding, but as usual, not loud like some pimped-out Integra.  You 
can really hear the turbo through the exhaust, and mid-range response is 
definitely better.  I bought this car as a cheap tinkering car last summer, 
and it has not disappointed me.  I would have like to have acquired a 
'97-'99 A3 TDI Jetta (or '93 to '97 Golf TD), but the TDIs were about $2000 
more than the AAZs.  I knew the 1.9 TD could make more power than stock, so 
I asked a fellow VW nut who has an intercooled 1.9TD Scirocco to give me 
some advice, and boy, what a difference you can make with a screwdriver and 
a couple of wrenches.  Here's what I've done:

-Removed snow screen and induction muffler from airbox
-Adjusted max fuelling screw one full turn
-Adjusted residual fuel screw
-Disabled timing advance limiter
-Modified wastegate so that it remains closed off idle and opens later, 
increasing boost
-2.5" straight pipe

I drove my dad's 2006 Jetta TDI as a comparison, and I think my '97 would 
actually beat his car in drag race.  I would love to get my car on a dyno 
and see what it could pull.

--Tyson Cragg