2012 (13,14) VW Passat Oil Filter Housing Replacement

This plastic housing frequently fails leaking oil and/or coolant. This short video demonstrates the replacement steps.

[@oOoMasterblasteroOo]

I watched your video to help me with my 2014 Passat TDI. For those of you who wish to NOT spend hours grinding bolt heads off because you stripped the bolt (like I did) listen up!!! I didn't know that the bolt type that VW uses is specific!! I thought one would just use a hex or torx bit. BUT you don't!! VW uses the TRIPLE SQUARE bit for those bolts! Save yourself some time and money and get the appropriate TRIPLE SQUARE bit for those bolts!

[@3rdstallgarage]

Yup. Those triple square bits are important to have. They are readily available on Amazon or at local auto supply stores.

[@omarperdomo1482]

8mm to be exact

[@MarekBiernacinski]

Only video I've found that has the version of the B7 Passat with the intercooler. All the others just had simple hoses attaching to the throttle body, which I chose to take off to make for easier access to the oil filter housing. Much appreciated for posting this video.

[@3rdstallgarage]

Glad I could help

[@wesleycole2582]

Very nice in depth video, I just got quoted $1,700 for this repair from the shop. Think i will have to get the car from them and tackle this one myself!

[@3rdstallgarage]

Glad it helped

[@user-pf2yy9ro7w]

Thank you so much for making this video. Did repair today with little to no issues. Once I pulled off the oil filter housing I noticed one of the seals for a coolant section was out it’s channel partially, which lined up with where the leak seemed to be coming from. Seems to be holding tight, no leaks! Thank you again! Also, I got the triple square heads from advanced auto parts, a 6 or 7 piece set for $60.

[@3rdstallgarage]

Glad it helped

[@68mustangrestoration34]

As I watch you repair this issue I noticed that although the amount of engineering they put into these cars nowadays is 100 times more than our old cars the same issues come up regarding materials and cost. If that oil cooler piece was anything but plastic you would not be doing this, and yes it lasted this long but in reality todays manufacturers design for a 10 year lifespan (to get out of warranty). Great job explaining the issue and how to best correct it. keep it up

[@3rdstallgarage]

Thanks! Yes, modern cars are quite different than my 66 mustang. Some days I think it would be fun to try to meld the two and put an all electric drive train with modern amenities in a classic body.

[@68mustangrestoration34]

@@3rdstallgarage I saw a video where they put a 69 Mustang body on a 2014 chassis and interior. That is a great meld of form and function as everything but the skin is 2014.

[@corinanicholson2286]

Your video is bang on! You saved me a ton of time. Thank you!

[@3rdstallgarage]

Oh good! Glad to hear it. It's not a fun job, but doable.

[@MarshMarlowe12]

Man I can't tell you how much I appreciated this video. Just did the repair today, and this was a huge help. Absolutely awful job

[@3rdstallgarage]

I'm so glad it helped. Thanks for letting me know. It's not a real fun job, but it's helpful if you know approximately what to do. The first time I did it, I didn't really know what to do and ended up blundering my way through it inefficiently. I hope your repair solves all your problems.

[@MarshMarlowe12]

@@3rdstallgarage I think the hardest part was getting all the hoses to come free. I had to use my heat gun on a few to get them to let go. I ended up removing the little coolant pump where you drained the coolant. I found that was easier than separating the rest of the hoses from the intercooler.

[@andrewthomason3857]

Thanks for this very helpful video. I would add a few notes: (1) Regarding the plastic rivet thing that holds the dipstick tube to the oil filter housing, make sure when you put the new filter housing in place that the ear on the housing is *under* the ear on the tube. The holes in the ears will not align if you reverse this. Don’t ask me how I know this 🤬 There is a video on the Josh’s Jettas channel that covers this job, and he includes a shot of the plastic rivet before it is removed ; it shows the proper orientation. (2) If I was doing this again, after removing the fans I would cut a piece of Masonite or thin plywood to the same approximate size and mount it over the radiator to protect it from being gouged when the intercooler is being removed and replaced. (3) If you don’t already have a set of the special pliers that are designed for the hose clamps VW uses, buy them before you start this job.

[@3rdstallgarage]

Good input for everyone! Thanks.

[@TheMachiningman]

Thanks for the video, great job explaining the process. My coolant has something in it like crystallized saw dust. Did you coolant look ok?

[@3rdstallgarage]

Hmm...my coolant looked a little dirty, but overall not alarming. I'm not sure what you are seeing.

[@brianhayes2271]

I have a 2015 Passat and have a coolant leak that I've traced to the oil cooler....is it possible that the coolant is leaking from the cooler itself, or is it just from one of the hoses connected to the cooler? There is a puddle of coolant on top of and below the cooler but I'm not sure if it's coming from a leak ed hose or the cooler itself.

[@3rdstallgarage]

I suppose that’s possible but that wasn’t my experience and I don’t think that’s a common way for it to leak.

[@JoseRodriguez-iw2dy]

I was looking for housing bolts torque specs all over internet and couldn’t find them, the only difference is that the car I’m working on is a VW Amarok, but is the same 2.0 TDI. Since this video has 10 months, I would like to know if you have had any leaking issues. Thank you very much😎👍🏼

[@3rdstallgarage]

No leaking that I've noticed yet and it's been about a year. Sorry I didn't respond right away, I missed this comment somehow.

[@JoseRodriguez-iw2dy]

@@3rdstallgarage Thank you very much for your video and your answer😎🤙🏼👍🏼. God Bless you🙌🏼

[@cas2561]

Working on one of these right now but having some issues finding the right triple square bit. Another shop stripped the top 2 so I know I'll have to extract those somehow but I want to try to remove the bottom 2 before extractor set, they don't look as bad. Any chance you or someone remembers which size triple square?

[@3rdstallgarage]

I don’t. Sorry. I should have included that in the video. Sorry.

[@aphat911]

M8 is the size. How did you get the stripped bolts out? I have one that is stripped

[@cas2561]

@@aphat911 ended up having to weld Allen keys into the bolt head. Got them all out that way. Replaced the bolts with same threads and length but went with hex heads to avoid this issue again.

[@cameronsouthard1295]

I have a 2012 Passat TDI and love it but it is having a hard time holding oil pressure. Would this help with keeping my pressure up or not really? I would like to talk to you a little bit more about it if we can? I have a ton more questions.

[@3rdstallgarage]

Cameron, shoot me an email at [e-mail] and I'll do my best to help.

[@shalimuddin1]

hi ive got the same issue my car is having problem holding oil prssure..any advice

[@3rdstallgarage]

@@shalimuddin1 my car seemed to be holding oil pressure just fine but it was leaking oil from the front of the engine block. If yours isn’t leaking oil then this may not be your problem.

[@shalimuddin1]

@@3rdstallgarage ok ive been running up and down trying to fix the issue..ive had oil pump issue but was fix with new oil pump kits and sensor.how ever when i drive and engine gets warm it send the oil pressure warning light even full oil and drives and sound fine...

[@woodybrush2017]

Question? Did you put any stop leak in the coolant reservoir to have a temporary fix? What should I use to clean out the build up from the stop leak in my coolant system? TYIA

[@3rdstallgarage]

Good question. I didn’t try any temp fix other than to keep adding coolant when it got low. The leak was pretty slow. I haven’t used stop leak before but if you did, then you might want to fully drain your coolant system when you replace the housing

[@philipsterner469]

I wouldn’t do that. You might end up clogging your heater core. Clogging is a known issue, but mine was out of warranty.

[@philipsterner469]

Re-reading your question, it sounds like you already used stop leak. I would try flushing the cooling system, and IIRC, using a wet vac to suck out the coolant via the fill/overflow tank. During production, solder flux could contaminate the coolant and clog the core, and I suspect stop leak could do the same.

[@charkitasmith8788]

Did you have to loosen the tension pulley or adjust the alternator in anyway to replace the oil filter housing?

[@3rdstallgarage]

I don't think so. But its been a little while since I did this job. So I'm not 100% sure.

[@krazykool7929]

Has anyone else had the 6mm Allen strip on you? How did you get them out?

[@3rdstallgarage]

Mine didn't. Sorry. Sometimes tapping the wrench into the bolt head helps it seat a little better and grab. Good luck!

[@danielhertz7266]

Is there anyone making an aluminum oil filter & cooler relocation plate for these yet? I can only find older models with it available.

[@3rdstallgarage]

Not that I know of...sorry.

[@woodybrush2017]

Thank you for the video, it was a helpful explanation....hopefully we don't have to do this again for as long as we have our Passats

[@3rdstallgarage]

I hope so too!

[@MarshMarlowe12]

So did this repair eliminate the oil leak and the coolant loss?

[@3rdstallgarage]

Yes it did! No more problems.

[@alexkunkel5423]

Do u know if u take this oil filter housing off can u get at the crank sensor?

[@3rdstallgarage]

I don't know. Sorry.

[@hardcore4476]

Yes that’s what’s needed to get to crankshaft position sensor. You can see it when he shows the housing removed. That’s why I’m here I have to do it today.

[@dave2574]

Does anyone know what the triple square bolt size is and where to get the tool?

[@3rdstallgarage]

Sorry for the slow reply. I don't know the size off the top of my head, but I bought a set off amazon years ago. Your local auto parts store probably has them too.

[@JerryG-te9bl]

What size triple square socket do I need?

[@3rdstallgarage]

I don't remember for sure. Sorry. I bought a cheap set of four at my local auto parts store.

[@benjaminburgess6382]

Does coolant run through that

[@3rdstallgarage]

Yes, coolant and oil run through the housing.

[@MarshMarlowe12]

Great video. Did you use OEM for the replacement oil filter housing?

[@3rdstallgarage]

I struggled with that decision. The cheapest OEM one I could find was about $400 shipped. I’ve had pretty good luck with IDParts products, so I went with there’s. It was about half the price of OEM. I hoped it was better than the $50 eBay ones. Ask me again in a year if I regret it.

[@BudHeavy64]

@@3rdstallgarage Well not quite a year, but I just bought mine from IDparts as well. How's it holding up? And what size is the triple square by the way? Thanks in advance

[@troyblack7452]

I need to buy one how did that brand hold up?

[@BudHeavy64]

@@troyblack7452 I just replaced mine over the weekend with the Magneti Marelli unit that came from IDparts and so far this week I haven't had any issues! Mine also came with an oil filter in the housing so that's a plus that you don't have to buy one

[@bcool9288]

These bolts seem hard to find, where can I get them???

[@3rdstallgarage]

Replacement bolts? You might need to go to the dealer. Sorry...not sure.

[@hardcore4476]

They are supposedly one time use torque to yield stretch bolts. VW doesn’t have them in stock and are special order. Was bummed to hear that and wish I would have ordered them with my other parts.

[@bcool9288]

@hardcore4476 we reused the originals, so far so good about 2,000 miles in

[@jonathansaxon2883]

I take one you removed is cheap ebay Amazon one when look at the 2 oem is thicker wall has 3 split in one wall

[@3rdstallgarage]

I assumed OEM was thicker or stronger.

[@derkaderkastan420]

The Jetta cjaas lucked out. We have aluminum housings.

[@3rdstallgarage]

Be thankful!

[@derkaderkastan420]

@@3rdstallgarage definitely am. Doing the gasket was simple. Just did a full exhaust egr and egr cooler delete as well.

[@hardcore4476]

What year is your cjaa Jetta because my 11 Jetta tdi has plastic oil housing.

[@derkaderkastan420]

@@hardcore4476 2014

[@derkaderkastan420]

@@hardcore4476 if it’s plastic someone ordered the wrong one once upon a time or you have a Passat. Look up cjaa oil filter housing and it’s aluminum.