Alternator Removal & Refit 05 VW Passat 1.9TDI

[@mikelincoln8395]

Hi Niall, Your a life safer! Followed your instructions and job completed with no issues, 2 hours. Thanks for making and putting up the video.

[@seamusmurphy67]

Just removed alternator to replace pulley following your instructions. Thanks for posting this excellent video.

[@robertmccann380]

Seems to be the easiest way to remove and replace alternator, compared to the other DIY video's on KZbin and the only one that looks like my engine.

[@lloydwattslw]

Excellent! Thank you for this video I changed my Alternator the weekend no problem.

[@polishandprotect]

Very helpful Niall. I removed mine following your instructions. My fan does not have the slot for the bolt that other commenters mention, so I had to remove the fan pulley. I held the pulley with a Boa strap wrench so that I could undo the 8mm Allen bolt.

[@NialPowerCork]

Great, glad it was I’d some use.

[@jedlicka3]

Thanks a lot!!! This is real lifesaver!

[@bodgitandleggitgarage]

Hi mate thanks for leaving the comment on my video but I have found a lot easier way of doing this put the front slam panel into service mode 4 little Bolt 2 on each side you can do it in seconds a lot easier than this way

[@Lmarjorie1]

Do u have v video showing how to do it on a VW 2005?

[@TheDudeOP]

There is a gap in the fan, use that gap to pull the bolt out :) And use the belt tensioner to take the serpentine off. Lower down, left ot alternator

[@nordicresilience]

Maybe on more recent models, I have the same issue on Skoda Superb 1.8T 2003 and there's no gap in the fan that the bolt can travel into on that model (and likely not VW Passat from the same period either). It was the first thing I was checking for as I didn't expect the design to be as retarded as it is.

[@zaluq]

Thank you for the video , but my fan had an area on one side where the bolt could slide all out ,maybe it changed?

[@arsenbaic]

Thynk You.

[@goonugoodthing]

Awesome video. Thanks mate 👍

[@andrewrobertson7358]

Useful video but you skipped the hardest part....how do you stop the fan pulley rotating while undoing the Allen bolt.

[@NialPowerCork]

Pretty sure I showed that, not ideal but I used a lever against the pulley wheel. It worked.

[@andrewrobertson7358]

@@NialPowerCork After watching again, you did indeed talk about using a bar, but at the end when putting it back on. I was only interested in getting it off so didn't watch to the end. I actually used a filter chain wrench, but was a faff. No dis-credit to your vid though. It showed me the way to go. Thanks.

[@NialPowerCork]

@@andrewrobertson7358 they’re a great ole car aren’t they! Getting old now not so many people changing alternators! Between myself and my youngsters we must’ve had 4 or 5 of them, handed down like old clothes. Down to just one now, almost 20 years being a daily driver, still reliable, still economical. I’m restoring a 50 year old Triumph TR6 now and whenever it’s fighting me I always say to myself “hey, it’s not as awkward as a modern VW”.

[@andrewrobertson7358]

@@NialPowerCork Agreed. Ours has 216,000 miles on it, I've heard of higher. Over the 14 years of owning it has cost very little to maintain. Be very sad when it dies. We also own several older American cars.

[@liviocaduff4240]

I cannot remove the termostatic fan. If i rotate with the allen key the fan rotates. So i grab da fan and try it again. Now the other thing between where the belt goes around starts do rotate as well. Last time i did it i had no problems at all, but this time i cant remove this thing

[@NialPowerCork]

Livio Caduff there are a couple of ways you should be able to hold that pulley. Sure enough as the fan is thermodynamic it’s going to rotate, I’ve used a lever (tyre iron or very large screwdriver) to lever that pulley using one of the other pulleys or the engine block as a fulcrum to keep it from rotating whilst unscrewing the Allen screw. Bit of fiddling around it does work. Honestly I don’t recall if it was this vehicle or another but I’ve sometimes used a vice grips when the pulley is hollow if you know what I mean, ie where it’s mounted on its front and the back of it overhangs at the back.

[@robertmccann380]

Niall can you find a inexpensive automatic transmission for a 2005 Passat trip. My tranny is stuck in 4th gear and the Garage told me to get another car?

[@NialPowerCork]

Is it a DSG box? Not that makes a great difference of course other than they tend to be bloody pricey and that’s possibly where your mechanic is coming from. In terms of getting a box I’m afraid I wouldn’t have any better options than looking on the net for one in a breakers yard. If it’s the early 2ltr B6 Passats there should be loads of those scrapped they were so troublesome, except the DSG gearbox! Where are you located?

[@robertmccann380]

I will have to get the manual to see what transmission was originally in the v dub.

[@robertmccann380]

Hay Niall I put on my alternator, but now my low oil pressure light comes on and when I put it in gear and drive, the hose pops off and the car stalls. Any tips to solve problem?

[@NialPowerCork]

Bloody hell Robert, hard to see how the oil light and alternator are connected, other than electrically of course. Give me a bit of background, was everything fine other than the car not charging so you needed to change the alternator? What hose are you referring to?

[@robertmccann380]

The Emissions Workshop caution light was coming on when first starting. The hose is about a 3 inch diameter formed hose, that has aluminum rings at both ends. It connects near the Antifreeze resovoir and bends down to a port on the right of the Radiator. When I removed to get to the fan pulley bolt there was a small amount of oil in the hose.What say you, Niall? I have put plumbers clamps on both end to reinforce the original clamps , but am very hesitant to drive do to Low Oil Pressure and Stop engine light.

[@NialPowerCork]

@@robertmccann380 I’m guessing from your description that “hose” is the intake air from the inter cooler, ex the turbo in other words so that runs at pressure as the turbo spools up and they do commonly blow off, it would be normal to have that pipe wet with oil internally. There are kind of fancy C clips on the ends which if they are worn or broken allow it to blow off when the boost comes on, when you loose that pipe you loose all the boost and the engine management system so the engine makes no power, wouldn’t have thought it would stall but no power certainly. Take a look at the clips and make sure you get that pipe seating properly, making a seal and staying on, those clips are fiddly but they work and you have to wiggle the pipes a bit to get them to go all the way home. The oil light I don’t have much on, mechanically there is nothing about or around the alternator that would effect oil pressure, by any chance have you inadvertently disconnected the oil pressure sensor during the intake pipe removal, it sounds very like something of that nature, look for the oil pressure sensor and make sure it’s connected, make sure there are no disconnected cables, it’s an easy oversight to make. If the engine was not giving any trouble in terms of oil pressure before this job and you removed nothing other than the intake piping (for access) and the alternator and there is oil in the engine and no major leaks then it’s hard to see how the oil pressure wouldn’t actually be OK but sensed as not OK as the light comes on, which points to an electrical problem, check the basics, is the sensor connected?

[@robertmccann380]

Thanks Niall for the advice. I'm heading out now to check the oil sensor cable and give it a spin around the block. Again many thanks, and God bless.

[@robertmccann380]

Hay Niall my garage mechanic told me to get another car. The transmission is stuck in 4th gear( automatic transmission) my brother in law told me to find a club that restores 2005 Passat do and see if I can get a quality used transmission. What say you brother?

[@tylerfraser3454]

How did you get the allen key bolt off? It is extremely tight to get off with the allen key.

[@NialPowerCork]

I used a ring spanner as a lever on the end of the Allen key to get some leverage. Space is tight in there but it’s a case of adding a bit of leverage and fiddling around for the space. I’ve done it before and used an Allen key socket and a ratchet , that’s easier if you have one.

[@jondoucette4103]

Makes no sense. Can’t get the fan bolt out it just spins