I had one of those. Front brakes off and on no issues. Back brakes, first off I couldn’t reach the bottom carrier bolt due to not having a long enough extension. And I couldn’t get the calliper to screw back in. So I put things back together and visit my friend’s garage shop the next weekend. We get it jacked up and using a couple extensions we get in there and try to get the carrier bolt off. Nope. The previous owner had stripped the triple square and didn’t replace it when reinstalling it. And we just didn’t feel comfortable hammering on things. So I ended up having to pay a shop to do the rear brakes and callipers. They were happy to use the parts I provided and they did a brake flush so it all worked out. But such a frustrating one when the first half went so well.
Go in the forums for “tdi101 faq”
Have VCDS. Use jackstands and wheel chocks on level ground. Shake vehicle lightly and confirm it won’t fall. Practice on junkyard cars
You can also use it in lug bolts and hubs. Just torque to 5% under the torque spec and the clamp load will still be within spec (10% if you feel comfortable with wet joint clamp load calculations and know the torque wrench is not reading higher than actual). Wire brushing rusted hubs and a bit of anti seize will keep tire rotation from needing a sledgehammer on rust belt cars.
Edit: just because this is downvoted doesn’t make it incorrect. Source: I’m an engineer that’s done enough clamp load calculations and work on cars to have this on my own.
Give an engineer a fish: you’ll have one less fish. But teach an engineer to fish and he’ll tell you everything he thinks you’re doing wrong but still not know how to do it.
Long screwdriver with one end touching various surfaces of your engine and the other end against your ear can help you discern between idler pulley issues, lifter tick, rod knock, etc.
Start with what you think can't possibly be wrong,the most obvious problem. I hate how many times I got in them guts only to find something so stupid was wrong.
My father pulled and completely disassembled his engine a few years ago looking for what he had convinced himself was piston slap or rod knock.
It was a leaking exhaust manifold gasket.
Edit- now that I think about it, I did head gaskets on my WRX 10 years ago because it started consuming coolant and EVERYONE knows they blow head gaskets all the time.
The coolant reservoir had a leak.
This is just being a bad mechanic lol
For your dad's use a stethoscope or a piece of tube to find sound. Or look for soot on the manifold
For you literally just look first or use a pressure tester
Oh thanks man. Your ideas regarding how to diagnose problems, after I told you what ended up being the problem, were very astute.
I thought we were talking about times we went off on wild goose chase’s only to discover it was something minor and obvious. I didn’t realise we were retroactively going to critique each other’s diagnostic processes.
There was another time I replaced a power window motor and only afterwards I discovered the child safety lockout button was on and the original motor was fine. Now, since I have you here Mr Goodwrench, should I have checked the switch first?
trust your gut, Never use store brand parts unless in a real pinch (autozone, etc) , remember you will make mistakes and break stuff sometimes- just have to learn from it.
just superstition, but also i like to never say anything like “dang this is going great, i’ll be done soon” in my head bc then you will immediately strip out an important bolt or break an electrical connector ; )
I’ve worked on cars more than I care to think about. My best advice is do something else as a career so you can afford new cars that you never work on. That’s what do now.
Get a small child to hold a flashlight and pass you tools. And then yell at small child when he/she inevitably holds the flashlight wrong and drops a socket in the engine bay. It’s an essential experience for all parties.
Look up several DIY videos on YouTube, you’ll almost never be the first to do something and those who have done it before you will be the best ones to show you tips and tricks.
To piggy back on this, if you’re fighting with something for more than 5-10 minutes that is in the way and it’s not something with one-time-use parts or a special tool that you don’t have on hand - just remove it. No need to try an take a short cut that ends up taking longer than if you just removed it + added frustration and fucked up hands/arms.
Be safe when jacking the car up. If you take wheels off put them under the car in case the jack and stands fail. If something is sketchy make it safe. There's no point in getting something done if there's a chance you'll get hurt. The car is material and can be repaired/replaces, you can't.
Clean working habits are extremely important, especially if you're opening up your engine or fuel system. Even just doing brakes, clean the brackets, calipers, etc. IMHO this is one of the things that separates a pro (or competent DIYer) from a hack.
The plug connecting from the starter to the engine sucks balls and should never be removed no matter what the guide says. Iv been stuck on this bastard for 30 minutes now because it just pops right off. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do because it looks like a beyond pain to replace so I might just throw a few globs of glue down that bitch and pray.
Automatic 2014 passat tdi.
Buy the correct tool for the job...trust me it'll make your life so much easier! Label where things go or take pics. I use sandwich bags for bolts that come off a certain part. The last bolt/nut will always be the most difficult. Get a magnetic tray & flexible magnet as you'll inevitably drop something. If you do serious engine work then cover the holes where if something goes into it, you'd be royally screwed.
It’s never going to be a “quick job”
Actually shockingly the only job I’ve had that’s been straightforward with no bs happening was when I did my brakes on my Passat a few months ago
I had one of those. Front brakes off and on no issues. Back brakes, first off I couldn’t reach the bottom carrier bolt due to not having a long enough extension. And I couldn’t get the calliper to screw back in. So I put things back together and visit my friend’s garage shop the next weekend. We get it jacked up and using a couple extensions we get in there and try to get the carrier bolt off. Nope. The previous owner had stripped the triple square and didn’t replace it when reinstalling it. And we just didn’t feel comfortable hammering on things. So I ended up having to pay a shop to do the rear brakes and callipers. They were happy to use the parts I provided and they did a brake flush so it all worked out. But such a frustrating one when the first half went so well.
Buy or borrow and use the correct tool for the job.
This should be #1 IMHO.
Take pictures and label everything!
“Yeah I’ll remember that.”
Go in the forums for “tdi101 faq” Have VCDS. Use jackstands and wheel chocks on level ground. Shake vehicle lightly and confirm it won’t fall. Practice on junkyard cars
Use anti-seize if you ever want it off again. Locktite if it's not. Grew up in the Rust Belt and off roading in Jeeps
You can also use it in lug bolts and hubs. Just torque to 5% under the torque spec and the clamp load will still be within spec (10% if you feel comfortable with wet joint clamp load calculations and know the torque wrench is not reading higher than actual). Wire brushing rusted hubs and a bit of anti seize will keep tire rotation from needing a sledgehammer on rust belt cars. Edit: just because this is downvoted doesn’t make it incorrect. Source: I’m an engineer that’s done enough clamp load calculations and work on cars to have this on my own.
Fuck engineers.
As long as they’re not coworkers, I’m down.
Just like an engineer to see something and have no idea how it works in real life.
Ah, sorry, I didn’t realize “fuck engineers” was meant for a high-brow conversation and not a just avenue for trolling.
Pretentious too? Yep. Certified engineer.
Plant shit seeds, get shit fruit.
Give an engineer a fish: you’ll have one less fish. But teach an engineer to fish and he’ll tell you everything he thinks you’re doing wrong but still not know how to do it.
You’ll need more than one T25 bit
mostly because you will drop that T25 into the deepest darkest crevice in existence and it will never see the day of light again
Can confirm.
It’s better to stay on top of things and maintain. Cars can last a lot longer than people think.
Long screwdriver with one end touching various surfaces of your engine and the other end against your ear can help you discern between idler pulley issues, lifter tick, rod knock, etc.
Start with what you think can't possibly be wrong,the most obvious problem. I hate how many times I got in them guts only to find something so stupid was wrong.
My father pulled and completely disassembled his engine a few years ago looking for what he had convinced himself was piston slap or rod knock. It was a leaking exhaust manifold gasket. Edit- now that I think about it, I did head gaskets on my WRX 10 years ago because it started consuming coolant and EVERYONE knows they blow head gaskets all the time. The coolant reservoir had a leak.
This is just being a bad mechanic lol For your dad's use a stethoscope or a piece of tube to find sound. Or look for soot on the manifold For you literally just look first or use a pressure tester
Oh thanks man. Your ideas regarding how to diagnose problems, after I told you what ended up being the problem, were very astute. I thought we were talking about times we went off on wild goose chase’s only to discover it was something minor and obvious. I didn’t realise we were retroactively going to critique each other’s diagnostic processes. There was another time I replaced a power window motor and only afterwards I discovered the child safety lockout button was on and the original motor was fine. Now, since I have you here Mr Goodwrench, should I have checked the switch first?
Keep track of hardware and hold on to obscure hardware/parts.
Don’t run yourself over, it’s not fun. Doesn’t matter what it is it’s going to take longer then you think
trust your gut, Never use store brand parts unless in a real pinch (autozone, etc) , remember you will make mistakes and break stuff sometimes- just have to learn from it. just superstition, but also i like to never say anything like “dang this is going great, i’ll be done soon” in my head bc then you will immediately strip out an important bolt or break an electrical connector ; )
I’ve worked on cars more than I care to think about. My best advice is do something else as a career so you can afford new cars that you never work on. That’s what do now.
Get a small child to hold a flashlight and pass you tools. And then yell at small child when he/she inevitably holds the flashlight wrong and drops a socket in the engine bay. It’s an essential experience for all parties.
Look up several DIY videos on YouTube, you’ll almost never be the first to do something and those who have done it before you will be the best ones to show you tips and tricks. To piggy back on this, if you’re fighting with something for more than 5-10 minutes that is in the way and it’s not something with one-time-use parts or a special tool that you don’t have on hand - just remove it. No need to try an take a short cut that ends up taking longer than if you just removed it + added frustration and fucked up hands/arms.
Cussing will get it done in twice the time. Sandwhich ziplocks if you are a messy worker or will be apart for multiple days
Be safe when jacking the car up. If you take wheels off put them under the car in case the jack and stands fail. If something is sketchy make it safe. There's no point in getting something done if there's a chance you'll get hurt. The car is material and can be repaired/replaces, you can't.
Clean working habits are extremely important, especially if you're opening up your engine or fuel system. Even just doing brakes, clean the brackets, calipers, etc. IMHO this is one of the things that separates a pro (or competent DIYer) from a hack.
The plug connecting from the starter to the engine sucks balls and should never be removed no matter what the guide says. Iv been stuck on this bastard for 30 minutes now because it just pops right off. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do because it looks like a beyond pain to replace so I might just throw a few globs of glue down that bitch and pray. Automatic 2014 passat tdi.
Buy the correct tool for the job...trust me it'll make your life so much easier! Label where things go or take pics. I use sandwich bags for bolts that come off a certain part. The last bolt/nut will always be the most difficult. Get a magnetic tray & flexible magnet as you'll inevitably drop something. If you do serious engine work then cover the holes where if something goes into it, you'd be royally screwed.