Mechanics tips and other stuff to know
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to 1000q: the turbodiesel FAQ and "how to" index for the VW TDI
Introduction
This article has some neat mechanic's tips that I've come across and other basic mechanical knowledge that you may have been wondering about. At the bottom are tips on keeping organized in your garage. It will make every job faster and less frustrating. Do you have any good tips? Post them in the myturbodiesel.com forums.
SAFETY FIRST! - The following or any other information on this site is not a substitute for following common safety practices, professional supervision of a certified mechanic, proper instruction, and common sense! If at any time you have any doubt of your safety of your persons or property or anyone else, do not continue working on your car and consult a professional. Never expose open flames or other sources of ignition to any flammable objects around the car or when working with any kinds of flammable objects around the car. Always make sure there is adequate ventilation and that hazardous vapors or flammable liquids are fully evacuated before you work on your car! By continuing, you agree to the TOS legal disclaimer.
Tips for the mechanic
Secure the car as much as possible when underneath it - When you are under your car, your life depends on the car being as secure as possible. Place the jack stands in an appropriate and safe location and on a solid, flat, even, safe surface as specified in your factory service manual. Never get under the car unless it is fully secured and stable, never get under the car if it's on a hydraulic jack. Do not let minors work unsupervised on the car.
After raising the car and resting it on jack stands, I use the hydraulic floor jacks to add additional securing points as a backup only. It's bad for the jack to hold up the car for a long time, so just have it as a backup in case the jack stand fails. Jack stands can fail and they do tip over! Wheel chocks (wedges of wood or other material) around the wheels can help prevent the car from rolling forwards or backwards.
In my opinion, using only 2 jackstands is not safe because if 1
jackstand fails, slips, is knocked over, or the asphalt underneath sinks and cracks on
a hot day from the
weight, the car could fall down and you could be seriously injured or killed, or
result in damage to property and/or other persons or property. I
prefer to put 4 jack stands (2 sets) under the car along with any wheel
chocks. Always make sure the jack stands are rated for the weight that you
intend them to support. Also apply the
parking brake and put the car in gear as appropriate. You can put wood planks under the jackstands to
spread out the weight, especially on a hot day when the jack stands could sink
into the asphalt. Never get
under the car if the weight of the car is on the hydraulic floor jacks
only. These could blow a seal and collapse, get tipped over or
slip, or have the jacking point slip, etc.! If you've ever seen a
hydraulic floor jack fail, you know how quickly you can die from a
failure! Never get under the car or put yourself in a position to be
injured while the car is on a hydraulic floor jack or rely on the "widowmaker"
scissor jackstand in the trunk. Many people have died because they went under the car
for just a second and were crushed when the car fell over. Shake the
car a little to test how secure it is before you get under and never get under
unless it's secure!
Do not use cinder blocks as jack stands either, unlike wood blocks, you cannot see rot and they can suddenly blow out and crack.
I think the best value hydraulic floor jack right now is the costco 3 ton "arcan" aluminim jack. Not every store may carry it. It's about 58 lbs vs. 100 lbs for a comparable steel jack, has a lower padded bar to avoid scratching your car, is about $145 after everything, and has a range of 3.7-19.3" so it will fit under most lowered cars but lift high too. It is not a racing "quick drop" jack so lowering it is safe and controlled, avoid racing jacks in general. It also has a quick lift feature. Craftsman jacks tend to leak and stop lifting after a while due to dirt clogging an internal valve. They can be cleaned and rebuilt but I avoid craftsman jacks now due to their current design.
You could also make your own blocks like the ones pictured below. Use large
coarse decking screws to secure 2x4 treated wood pieces under a solid layer of wood. Position the
end pieces to hold the tire. Do
not use 2x4 that are
not securely screwed together or soft wood otherwise it could crack or shift
resulting in serious injury or death. Below are examples of home made
blocks. The last picture also shows ramps that can be purchased at any
auto store. Here are more suggestions on how to make wood blocks in 1000q:
making wood blocks.
+ 
=
Here is a good picture of an assortment of jacks, ramps, and jack
blocks.
For wheel chocks, you can use wedges of wood. I use this rain gutter
guide. It's shaped perfectly for a wheel and heavy enough so that it won't
move.
How to torque your fasteners properly (aka using a torque wrench) - The tendency is to overtorque small bolts and to undertorque large bolts, so be aware of this when tightening small fasteners...VW loves to use allen, torx, and 12 point (not torx) head sockets in various places so make sure you have these tools ahead of time. And note that almost all torque specs are dry - without oil, grease, threadlocker, or anti-seize. See 1000q: torque wrench FAQ for more tips and a detailed look at how a torque wrench works, brand recommendations, etc.
Avoid parallax with proper viewing angles - While looking at the same spot, close one eye, then the other. See how the object doesn't appear to be in the same spot? This is a type of viewing error called parallax and a similar type of error can cause stripped bolts, improper timing and other problems. Always try to view bolts, timing points, timing belt index marks, etc., at a perpendicular angle. If you can't see it or visualize it, then use a mirror to take a look it. Note that threads, marks, or pulleys, etc., are not always 90o to the surface. For example, the glow plugs on VW 4 cylinder diesel engines do not thread 90o to the head - they are threaded at different angles. If you can't see the bolt, then try to visualize it at the correct angle to get the threads engaged properly and try turning it counterclockwise for 1 full turn before tightening it - this can help you "feel" the threads.
When setting the timing belt index marks on the injection pump, or using a timing gun on a gasoline engine to check the timing, always view the marks at an angle that will cross its axis, otherwise you could misread the mark. Another example would be tightening the timing belt tensioner to the proper mark on a VW. Some cars have a mark on the tensioner that must be lined up with a mark on the engine block. Because the tensionser isn't easily viewed from above, I recommend using a mirror to view the tensioner marks and to double check that it is set properly, otherwise it could result in timing belt failure.
Here
is an picture illustrating the correct and incorrect viewing angle when
examining the green mark pictured below.
Here is a another example of the importance of index marks and parallax: when placing the injection pump
locking pin on some VW TDI for a timing belt job, there is more than 1 spot that the locking pin will fit
into! It may be to the left or right of the actual hole that you
want. The only way to make sure is to remove the pin and check that it is
inserted into the key on the injection pump pulley or when viewed inline with the axis of the pump pulley, is lined up with the
center of the square mark on the pump. Not viewing these 3 marks in line
can cause you to misplace the pin and it happens quite often! The timing
belt articles on this site show multiple pictures of this pin location to help
positively identify the correct pin location.
Use vinyl gloves - use vinyl gloves or mechanix gloves. Gloves help keep your garage clean, your car clean, and your tools clean. Good gloves are the blue or purple vinyl gloves that you can find at any auto store, avoid painter's rubber gloves because they fall apart at the slightest scratch. "Black Lightening" brand vinyl gloves are also tough. In the winter time, I put a cotton glove under the vinyl glove and it also keeps you warm and clean. Mechanix gloves work well but they will absorb grease and oil so I save them for cleaner work. You can find them on sale for about $10 but I feel that they are still too expensive to be thrown out, I end up washing them or covering them with a vinyl glove.
Always use a torque wrench on lug nuts/bolts, also try wrapping the sockets in masking tape to avoid scratching wheels - They sell plastic coated sockets for lug nuts to avoid scratches but you can just wrap them in masking tape to avoid wheel scratches. Impact wrenches can damage lug nuts lug nuts and even crack the wheel so always use a torque stick with an impact wrench. Always use a torque wrench, torque stick, or other way of measuring torque on the lug nuts. I always remove and install the lug nuts with a breaker bar by hand and torque them by hand. Excess torque will not only damage the wheel and lug nuts, but also may cause wheel vibration.
I always use anti-seize on lug nuts because it would be impossible to remove a wheel in an emergency situation due to seized lugs. Disclaimer - almost all torque values in your VW service manual are dry values, without lube or anti-seize. As noted above, do your research before playing with torque values or coatings.
Use a breaker bar - if you find yourself struggling with rusted or high-torque bolts/nuts, use an extension or breaker bar. This is a hollow metal tube of sufficient strength to break loose the bolts. Here is mine - yep, just a pipe. Just make sure that the socket isn't twisting on the bolt, otherwise it will strip it.
You can also
buy a breaker bar with a 1/2" square drive. I use a ratchet with a
pipe because craftsman has a lifetime warranty on their ratchets. If it's
really bad I get out an impact wrench but to use these you need an air supply,
impact wrench, and impact wrench rated sockets. Be careful
when using any extension because when it comes loose, you may scrape your hands
badly or damage whatever is behind the breaker bar. I suggest wearing
gloves so that your hands are not cut up.
Using your legs instead of your arms - if you can't fit an extension, or are under the car, etc., try using your legs to push the wrench,. Your legs are a much longer lever and are much stronger than your arms, so using your leg to push a wrench will be faster, easier, and leave you less tired. This especially applies to wheel lug nuts. When (not if) the bolt suddenly breaks free and your leg slips, your shoe will help protect your foot and using your leg will help you control the force. Otherwise, your arms and hands will be over stressed, slip, and get cut.
Position your arm/head to be prepared when the bolt breaks - often you can't use your legs to torque a wrench and have to use your arms. When applying force, position your body so that it is braced for when the bolt breaks or the head gets stripped, so that your arm/head/hands will not suddenly jerk free and injure yourself. Even if you do follow this piece of advice, you will still occasionally slip and get cut, only less so, but it still helps a little.
Label everything that your remove! - If you are doing work on your car that involves many parts, label everything with a piece of tape/paper, tag, anything. Part of the reason some professional mechanics do such poor work and others do good work is because they don't take the time to be organized and put everything back where it was. Time is money, and they either can't or don't want to take more time to do the job right. If you remove 3 bolts, tape them together or put them in a bag with a label. If you remove a hose or electrical plug, label both sides so you can easily identify both sides.
If you think you will remember what goes where and don't feel like taking the time to label it, you are exhibiting the same problem as the bad mechanic that you probably once cursed. While waiting a few days for parts to arrive, while this and that gets delayed, you will not remember every little detail about everything. Lastly, quick identification of parts and their order will really speed up reassembly, so the time investment to label everything now will save you time later. See below for more methods of organizing the parts removed.
Use a hexagon 6 point socket instead of a 12 point socket - Try to avoid using sockets which are not 6 sided for 6 sided nuts/bolts. 12 point sockets tend to strip bolts under high torque. 12 point sockets are better for nuts/bolts where you do not have a good range of motion to loosen the fastener. Don't substitute a torx bit for allen wrench sockets either. NOTE: some VW/Audi sockets are "triple square" bits. These are specialty VW/Audi bits and are not torx.
Get PB Blaster - this is similar to wd-40 in that it lubricates, but it can also penetrate/loosen seized bolts by seeping into the threads of a fastener. If you are having trouble breaking loose a bolt, spray PB Blaster around the edges and let soak for a minute. It will creep into the threads and help you loosen seized bolts. It is not wd-40, so don't be a cheapo and try to substitute because WD-40 will not penetrate in the same way. You will find that the brakes or suspension will always benefit from pre-soaking since these are exposed to water and road salts. Other brands include liquid wrench.
PB blaster also works on removing seals. Rear main seals or any other pressed in seal can be hard to remove, especially when you don't have the right size drift to press it out. It's better to spray the seal with PB Blaster and let soak then to scratch the sealing flange and have a leak.
Also try using a propane torch to loosen seized fasteners - But never use near any flammable objects or vapors. Heating seized nuts or bolts can loosen them just enough to remove them. For more heat, try MAPP gas. For the most heat, use an oxyacetylene welding torch. Be careful when using oxyacetylene, as it can also cut through steel when used as a cutting torch. Never use near the presence of any flammable liquids, objects, or vapors. Beware of vapors from nearby sources. Also be careful of any fuel lines, flammable liquids or flammable vapors when using an open flame. Always maintain adequate ventilation when using a torch and make sure that any flammable vapors or liquids are fully evacuated before using any flame or spark.
Always open the fill plug before you open the drain plug - If you can't open the fill hole refill the fluid after draining it, just take it to someone who can open the fill hole or else the car will be stuck. They may have to weld a bar to the plug or use an impact wrench on the plugs if it is too rusted/seized/stripped.
Get a good creeper - I used to use a lousy wood creeper that got caught on every pebble. I had to struggle to move around, and this wears you out after a few hours of work. Get a good creeper that glides smoothly and has 6 wheels. The 4 wheel models can get stuck on small dips and put more pressure on less wheels.
Do a boost leak to detect any air intake leaks - (for turbo charged vehicles only) This causes you to lose power due to lost air and makes the turbo work harder and put out hotter air than it should. See 1000q: boost and vacuum leak detection for more details.
Keep the battery terminals clean - This is something that every car owner should know. Over time, the
battery terminals will corrode. Clean them with battery post cleaners,
pictured below. When pulling the terminals off just wiggle them off, don't
pull them hard! A little baking soda and water is optional. If you
don't drive the car often, a trickle charger will help the battery hold a
charge. You can also put on some battery post sealant afterwards to
help prevent future corrosion.
A battery post cleaner - each end has bristles. It's about life
size.
Before and after cleaning. Don't let it get to this point!
To dispel some myths, storing the battery on a piece of wood won't effect the charge one way or another. Also, a regular car battery is not a deep cycle battery, so try to minimize the drain while the engine isn't on and charging the battery. Listening to the radio, leaving the headlights on while you walk away, etc., will drain the battery if the engine is off and reduce it's lifespan slightly. If you let the battery drain a few times in "deep cycles", it's lifespan will be greatly reduced or completely fail.
Battery safety notes - don't let the positive side (+) touch the negative side or let a wrench, wedding ring, dangling necklace, or anything else that conducts electricity contact the positive side and a ground such as the body of the car or engine. This will cause an arc and you could be seriously injured or killed. Just remove the negative (-) side first and reconnect it last for maximum safety. Also always wear eye protection and observe all prudent safety practices when you are near a battery when starting, charging, working on the battery, or jump starting the car. Batteries are most likely to explode at that time due to the load and a spark. If they overheat or get low on water, it will create hydrogen gas which can explode and throw acid all over the engine bay and all over you. If this happens, immediately disconnect and remove the battery and wash the acid off with baking soda and water. If it gets on a person, seek immediate medical attention.
Tips for garage organization
How to avoid extension cord tangles - Are your extension cords tangled in a ball or twisted in loops? The reason is because you are twisting them when you coil them. Sailors and electrical gaffers deal with long lines all the time and proper coils = less time/money/frustration. Do not buy extension cord keepers because they coil the cord too tightly.
When you coil them, do not twist them. Just fold the line over itself. You can also try looping the coil once overhand, once underhand. Tie it with a string tied to the end of the extension cord. Do not just tightly loop the end of the cord to tie it - this damages the cord and leads to tangles. If you have more than one cord or a very long cord, you can coil it inside of a large round bucket - the ones with a warning and an outline of a baby falling in work great! This way you can also carry the bucket around with all the cords inside easily!
How to keep track of what bolt/hose goes where - When you are doing any larger job, make sure to label everything. Each bolt that you remove should go into a zip lock bag that has been labeled with permanent marker. You can also wrap them in tape and write on the tape. Any hose should have both ends marked and labeled so you can quickly identify both ends. More than likely, while you are working on your car, some of the tape markers will get wet or slip off, so do not be lazy and only label only one end of the hose!
You can also use a particle board peg-hole board to stick bolts/screws into. These are those brown boards with rows of holes that you stick metal hangers onto. The advantage of this is no wasted plastic bags. You can also write on the board and thread the screws into the soft wood slightly. The disadvantage is that bolts can fall out and many larger bolts won't fit into the holes.
A third method is to use masking tape and tape it to any part that you remove. This way, each bolt/nut stays with it's respective part.
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