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hello from 05 Jetta A4 PD owner

1039 Views 4 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  wojtow, 
W
Hi,

Familiar with the other TD groups but somehow didn't find this forum until now. I have an 05 Jetta A4 PD with the BEW engine. Love it. Now that the warranty has expired am not afraid to do my own repairs when possible.

Working on the timing belt at the moment (using instructions from another forum) as its at 78K. [LOL: Been getting threatening letters from dealer warning of the very dire consequences of timing belt failure... which they'll be happy to replace for at least four figures.]

Currently stopped with the head of a 6mm hex socket snapped off and stuck in one of the harmonic balancer bolts. :annoyed (that's what I get from buying cheap tools - someday I'll learn). Seems that everyone says you'll likely need a Bolt Grip/Bolt Out to get them out anyway. Don't have a set of those yet, so waiting until morning to head out (in wife's functioning car) and buy that.

History:

  • 20K miles: The turbo blew. Replaced under warranty. OK since.
  • 30K Driver's window came out of clamps and fell inside door (glad it was a nice day)... fixed under warranty
  • 60K Glow plug #4 went bad... diagnosed "check engine" w/ my cheap but useful generic OBD II reader
  • 70K Passenger window came out of clamps.. was smart enough this time to not try to open it. Fixed myself
  • 76K partially cracked underbelly pan. off at the moment may eventually replace w/ fancy metal one
  • misc: key/remote in poor shape but unwilling to spend $$$ on a new one

Hope to keep it going a good long time!

Drove a non-TDI 2010 Jetta last year that I got as a rental on vacation. Not nearly as nice. (plus it died in the middle of a busy intersection...w only 6K miles on it)
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W
Thanks for the encouragement. Got the bolt out with a Bolt-Grip and continued on my way. Compared several different instructions for putting the new belt on and yours seems to be the best. Belt on, and both pins go back in after two rotations, so am happy.

Quick question, if that's appropriate here: The 16mm bolt that goes in the upper left of the engine mount. Not sure how I even got it out, but had to try about 15 different combinations of sockets and adapters before getting one to fit into that space. In your writeup you say to "raise or lower the engine to gain access". My question is, how far can the engine be raised or lowered on the one side without breaking something? It is actually possible to gain straight in access to that upper left 16mm head bolt? Otherwise I might get it tightened but can't get a torque wrench near it.

Thanks!
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W
New belt is on and mount is back in place (except for tightening that one bolt) so it doesn't need to be worked around.

Unfortunately a thin wrench and a torque wrench generally aren't the same thing. I have maybe (if even) 1.5" of space between the face of the engine mount and the frame/wheel well. Big torque wrench might fit up there, but only with no socket attached (and if socket is preplaced on bolt, there isn't enough room to move wrench forward to engage it). My smaller torque wrench isn't really much thinner and most smaller ones won't have the necessary upper range to torque that bolt.

I certainly understand the importance of proper torque on something like that, but in absence of a way to get at that, I might have to do that one by feel (or perhaps a bit more quantitatively that the other two took approx 1 turn beyond finger-tight to reach proper torque)

Thanks again for your help and this excellent forum!

I have a number of notes based on my experience in comparison to your excellent directions, along with a photo of the new-improved (and completely different) Metalnerds crank lock tool attached that I'll compile and send you when done.
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