VW Jetta MKIV "Bora" repairs and sourcing parts
Of the past few months Ive been looking into repairing the trusty runabout i own, a Volkswagen Jetta MKIV "Bora" 2.0 litre 4 cylinder engine.
Why ? well below is a list of problem that we were having with the car.
http://www.vwvortex.com
http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au
VWVortex is where I recommend you look for proper technical discussions regarding all things VW.
DIY thread for the 2.0 litre engine Jetta / golf MKIV is here
Either way if your going to undertake a job such as this without any previous knowledge of mechanics I recommend you study what it is that your actually doing and why you are replacing / repairing / cleaning that part. Some are obvious such as timing belt needs to be done at a certain time but some things arnt.Otherwise its going to be an expensive exercise.
Saying that you will need to get yourself the VW MKIV Bible, the Bentleys Volkswagen Jetta / Golf MKIV Service Repair manual.
This is the download i collected from the net somewhere, its close to 200mb of PDF and it will be you one true source of information. Download all three parts uncompress and be prepared for bolt by bolt detailed instructions.
OK, so you've made it this far you should have the knowledge, now you need the parts.
When I first started asking around about what it might cost in repairs and labor, especially parts, i was a bit shocked at prices quoted. So with that in mind i started to look into alternatives.Even if I didn't want to do the work myself i was sure i could find parts cheaper. Below is a list of some of the online stores that offer parts :
All three have very good prices from what I can see on OEM spares and after some deliberating I chose to purchase all my goods from Autohausaz.com. Mainly because of their willingness to provide help, assistance and guidance over the phone and via email. I had an issue where I didn't receive some controller arm bushings in my order. They agreed to resolve the issue quickly by re posting the missing items. No questions asked. I will definitely be going back to them when ordering parts.
list of Items I ordered are as follows :
After we have a good knowledge of what we need to do with manuals and instructions on how to complete the task at hand, then also collecting the parts.
Next step is to make sure you have all the necessary tools to get the job done.
I recommend buying some quality tools. I know it might sound expensive to pay extra but if your going to start out doing repairs like this then you should considering having tools that are fit for the job. Simply put tools that wont fail on you after a single use. I know people have different ideas on quality.. I mean Id love to have the 8000 piece Snap-on tool kit but realistically you can get away with buying specific tools for the what your doing and build your tool kit piece buy piece over time. Just make sure they are made of quality material and they have a reasonable warranty.
List of must have items.
ANOTHER thing you may consider is air tools if you have them anywhere near your disposal. GET THEM.
My plan was to remove the valve cover replace the lifters at the same time replacing the timing belt, accessory belt, water pump and thermostat. Everything comes apart pretty easily, if you follow the DIY and the Bentleys book. You shouldn't have any problems pulling the engine bay apart the trick is pulling it apart in such a way that you can then remember how to put it together again. One thing that I learned as I went along was to place every part that i removed in a single filed line on the floor with the bolts I needed right next to each item. That way when I was piecing the engine back together I knew the sequence of fitting the parts on. I Cant tell you how much this helps when your attempting to put everything back together again.
As you work you should also clean of the dirt, grime and oil from everything everywhere. You will be thanking yourself as you put them all back on. When replacing your timing belt just make sure your engine timing is SPOT ON! this is the most important part
There is a trick used here and its not something that's talked about it books.
good luck!
Why ? well below is a list of problem that we were having with the car.
- Ticking - Lifters were ticking rather aggressively. It started a year ago but wife continued to drive it and didn't really bother letting me have the car for long enough to have a good look into it.
- Shocks - They have been getting worn over time but in the last year these worn shocks started to leak and when we went to re-register the car it failed due to the leaking.
- Brakes - pads are OK... but the discs are now due for replacement.
- Major Service - considering the car has never had a proper VW service and considering we are now sitting on 105000km, i think its due for a Major service with the lot. Which I thought should include : Timing belt and tensioner, accessory belt, fuel filter, oil and oil filter, air filter, thermostat, new coolant and water pump.
http://www.vwvortex.com
http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au
VWVortex is where I recommend you look for proper technical discussions regarding all things VW.
DIY thread for the 2.0 litre engine Jetta / golf MKIV is here
Either way if your going to undertake a job such as this without any previous knowledge of mechanics I recommend you study what it is that your actually doing and why you are replacing / repairing / cleaning that part. Some are obvious such as timing belt needs to be done at a certain time but some things arnt.Otherwise its going to be an expensive exercise.
Saying that you will need to get yourself the VW MKIV Bible, the Bentleys Volkswagen Jetta / Golf MKIV Service Repair manual.
This is the download i collected from the net somewhere, its close to 200mb of PDF and it will be you one true source of information. Download all three parts uncompress and be prepared for bolt by bolt detailed instructions.
- http://rapidshare.com/files/15966006..._OCR.part1.rar
- http://rapidshare.com/files/15964398..._OCR.part2.rar
- http://rapidshare.com/files/15958102..._OCR.part3.rar
OK, so you've made it this far you should have the knowledge, now you need the parts.
When I first started asking around about what it might cost in repairs and labor, especially parts, i was a bit shocked at prices quoted. So with that in mind i started to look into alternatives.Even if I didn't want to do the work myself i was sure i could find parts cheaper. Below is a list of some of the online stores that offer parts :
- German Auto Parts (USA) - ph: +518 899 7807 - www.germanautoparts.com
- MJM AutoHaus (USA) - Ph: +210 382 7278 - mjmautohaus.com
- Autohaus Arizona (USA) - www.autohausaz.com
All three have very good prices from what I can see on OEM spares and after some deliberating I chose to purchase all my goods from Autohausaz.com. Mainly because of their willingness to provide help, assistance and guidance over the phone and via email. I had an issue where I didn't receive some controller arm bushings in my order. They agreed to resolve the issue quickly by re posting the missing items. No questions asked. I will definitely be going back to them when ordering parts.
list of Items I ordered are as follows :
|
After we have a good knowledge of what we need to do with manuals and instructions on how to complete the task at hand, then also collecting the parts.
Next step is to make sure you have all the necessary tools to get the job done.
I recommend buying some quality tools. I know it might sound expensive to pay extra but if your going to start out doing repairs like this then you should considering having tools that are fit for the job. Simply put tools that wont fail on you after a single use. I know people have different ideas on quality.. I mean Id love to have the 8000 piece Snap-on tool kit but realistically you can get away with buying specific tools for the what your doing and build your tool kit piece buy piece over time. Just make sure they are made of quality material and they have a reasonable warranty.
List of must have items.
- HEX key set Metric
- Allen key set Metric
- Socket set Metric with extensions and elbow joints.
- Wrench Set Metric
- Screw Driver set
- Mallet
- Pliers needle point and large ones
- Vice Grips
- Trolley Jack
- Jack Stands
- Torque wrench small and large
- cleaning products brake cleaner, degreaser etc
- lubricant
- Timing belt tensioner wrench - I got away with using carefully using the vice grips but id reconsider this next time I took on this task.
- Strut mount wrench - I purchased a 21 mm spark plug socket with a square outside edge so I could grip it with a wrench. The spark plug socket is a through socket with will allow you to feed a allen key through the middle as you would need here.
- Strut brace spreader - This is a TOUGH job. Id recommend you find a tried and trued spreading tool/technique. Ive seen and heard of wacky wild ways to part these jaws of death. One way is to get an Allen key and file two sides of it down to create an EYE shape. Either way good luck.
ANOTHER thing you may consider is air tools if you have them anywhere near your disposal. GET THEM.
My plan was to remove the valve cover replace the lifters at the same time replacing the timing belt, accessory belt, water pump and thermostat. Everything comes apart pretty easily, if you follow the DIY and the Bentleys book. You shouldn't have any problems pulling the engine bay apart the trick is pulling it apart in such a way that you can then remember how to put it together again. One thing that I learned as I went along was to place every part that i removed in a single filed line on the floor with the bolts I needed right next to each item. That way when I was piecing the engine back together I knew the sequence of fitting the parts on. I Cant tell you how much this helps when your attempting to put everything back together again.
As you work you should also clean of the dirt, grime and oil from everything everywhere. You will be thanking yourself as you put them all back on. When replacing your timing belt just make sure your engine timing is SPOT ON! this is the most important part
There is a trick used here and its not something that's talked about it books.
- Before removing the old timing belt, you mark the gears and the belt with nail polish or paint or white out. So as to show where the teeth on the gears meet on the belt EXACTLY.
- Once the belt is removed you place the new and old timing belts side by side or on top of each other, then you proceed to mark out exactly where the teeth should be on the new belt.
- With the new belt marked you put it in place getting your markings exactly..
good luck!
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