Messages

1

VW Water Cooled / VW Passat Battery - Different Size

« on: March 16, 2008, 08:51:25 PM »

Hi,

I've just replaced my battery on my VW Passat 1999 TDi.  I had seen the signs of it going for a few weeks but not got round to changing it.  It finally died and had to get a replacement from... Halfords due to it being down the road.  I removed the old one with not too much trouble but, when I came to fit the new one, I couldn't get the clamp to hold the new battery in place.  The new one was slightly shorter in its length.  The battery starts the car fine but I just can't secure it properly and therefore can't drive around.  I rang Halfords to double check I had the correct one and they assured me that it was.  There appears to be a series of holes in the base of the battery "shelf" but the clamp doesn't appear to fit in these.  Is there a different clamp that you have to buy if you have a different sized battery or are Halfords not really with it?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Cheers

Chris

2

VW Water Cooled / Passat Shock Absorbers

« on: December 06, 2007, 01:01:15 PM »

Hello,

I've got a VW Passat 1.9 Tdi (1999 on a V Plate) - the 110 BHP model.

I'm going to replace all 4 shocks over the Christmas break as it's currently like driving water bed.

As this is when alot of shops are closed, and therefore it's difficult to nip out for something you forgot, is there anything that the Haynes manual doesn't mention or any good tips from people that have found out the hard way.

I have full socket set/axel stands/trolley jack/torque wrench.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Chris

3

VW Water Cooled / FREE VW Brake Pads

« on: March 11, 2007, 10:46:34 PM »

I have a set of front pads (Golf/Jetta/Sirroco/Passat I believe) which are free to anyone who can pick them up from my house in Sheffield.  They have never been used and were for my dads car which we never got round to fitting and then sold forgetting to pass on the pads.

They are GSF Part Number 64286.

I hope these are of some use to someone.

Cheers

Chris

4

VW Water Cooled / 1999 Passat Brake Caliper Piston Retraction

« on: January 30, 2007, 09:34:57 PM »

Hello all,

I hope someone can help me with this.  

I have a 1999 VW Passat TDi and need to change the front discs and pads.  The Haynes manual suggests the method for rewinding the caliper piston to account for the new, thicker, pads is to clamp the flexible inlet pipe and slacken the bleed nipple off so that when you wind the piston back in it expells all the brake fluid via. the bleed nipple  This is apparently so brake fluid does not get back into the system as the ABS sensor is hyper sensative to dirt and could get clogged by any dirt in the old fluid.

When I tried to do this on my back brakes I found that the "flexible" brake pipe was quite thick and not that flexible and couldn't clamp it off.  Is there another way to do this without clamoing the "flexible" pipe or is it really that important?

Also any recommendations on a good, cheap brake bleed kit would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Chris

5

VW Water Cooled / VW Passat - Head Gasket????

« on: November 10, 2006, 12:20:34 AM »

I hope someone can help.

I own a 1999 VW Passat TDi (110 BHP) with 110,000 miles on the clock - full VWMDSH.

I dropped my car into a local VW specialist to sort out my drivers side electric window (and first non VW service) after some good advice on this website.  I also asked them to look at a coolant leak I'd noticed (about 1-2 litres every 200 miles).

After pressure testing the system they couldn't find a problem and suggested it was either the cylinder head or the pressure cap on the expansion tank.  As the pressure cap was pretty cheap they replaced that and suggested I keep an eye on it.

I haven't done many miles but it is still losing coolant.  There's no mayo in the filler cap but the coolant in the expansion tank has some small bubbles in it (even after it's been left for 24 hours).  The coolant isn't the pink VAG G12 coolant (I only just found out about that...) but it's not orange (rust) or brown (sludge when the normal and VW coolants combine).  I really feel like I'm grasping at straws but I had to replace the head gasket on my last car and I really don't want to have to do it again.  Could these symptons be because of anything else or do I have to bite the bullet and get a new head gasket?

Any help/ advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Chris

6

VW Water Cooled / 1999 Passat Window Motor

« on: October 07, 2006, 07:41:05 PM »

I hope someone can help.

I have a 1.9 TDi VW Passat saloon which has been a really good car apart from my drivers front electric window.  It started to make noises during operation and has now completely give up the ghost (luckily whilst closed) and just makes grinding noises when I try to lower the window.  This now makes simle things like car parks with barriers and toll bridges a royal pain in the bum.

The really problem is that to remove the window component carrier the Haynes manual helpfully says "move the window until the clamp bolts are accessible".  Obviously with a non functioning motor this is impossible... Does anyone have an idea of what the problem is (i.e. motor or cables) and how to access it when I can't move the window.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

7

VW Water Cooled / VW Passat Battery - Different Size

« on: March 24, 2008, 09:33:00 PM »

Just a quick update.

It appears there is a second type of battery clamp which allows for different battery sizes.  This was purchased from my VW dealer for a very reasonable 4 quid.  I also took this opertunity to clean out the drain holes under the battery shelf.  They were very clogged so I recommend anyone that hasn;t done this one their passat does so to prevent the water building up and working its way into the interior.

Cheers

Chris

8

VW Water Cooled / Passat Shock Absorbers

« on: December 20, 2007, 08:15:28 PM »

Plateletboy and Neo,

Cheers for the advice - you've saved me a bit of grief over Christmas.

Have a good one.

Chris

9

VW Water Cooled / FREE VW Brake Pads

« on: April 22, 2007, 08:01:05 PM »

Neo - I did try and flog them on E-bay but nobody bid ( hence trying to just get them somewhere they'll be used (I have throwing working stuff away).

Plateletboy - Sorry about the delay in the reply - I'll weigh them and let you know what the cost would be if you still want them.

10

VW Water Cooled / FREE VW Brake Pads

« on: April 11, 2007, 08:14:55 PM »

So I really can't give these away...

It's a shame but unless someone posts a reply in the next 7 days I'm going to bin them.

11

VW Water Cooled / 1999 Passat Brake Caliper Piston Retraction

« on: February 08, 2007, 12:08:09 AM »

Cheers Stan.  Once again you've really helped me out.

Cheers

Chris

12

VW Water Cooled / VW Passat - Head Gasket????

« on: December 05, 2006, 12:11:16 PM »

Just to close this out - it was the cylinder head gasket that had gone and not the water pump (no rust on the cogs and no water dripping down anywhere).

Many thanks for all the advice though as at least I knew I was paying for the correct fix.

Cheers

13

VW Water Cooled / VW Passat - Head Gasket????

« on: November 10, 2006, 02:10:17 PM »

Cheers Stan,

I think the cam belt was changed at 60,000 miles (haven't got the service book with me) but it's due at the 120,000 mile service in just 10,000 miles time.  I'm not sure if the water pump was changed at the same time as the last cambelt but it does sound like a reasonable explanation (especially as I've been losing coolant for a while but it's just started to speed up).

I'll have a look this weekend to check for rust as you advised.

Cheers

Chris

14

VW Water Cooled / 1999 Passat Window Motor

« on: October 17, 2006, 12:06:30 PM »

They are oooppp North.  I live in Sheffield and they're based in nearby Dronfield.  I haven't had the work done yet but they sound pretty good (ex Main Dealer mechanic) and had some good reviews on a few forums I looked at.  Let me know if you want they're details. They're picking the car up a week today (they had earlier avaiability but I'm busy this week) so I can comment personally on them after that.

15

VW Water Cooled / 1999 Passat Window Motor

« on: October 16, 2006, 10:31:40 PM »

Stan

Cheers for the advice. Managed to locate a good specialist in the nearby area who rekons it's an hour job + parts (he's just had to do it on his wifes golf) so I think I'll drop it off for him to remove the skin from his knuckles...

Cheers again for the help.