Volkswagen Jetta VR6, Prep of Coolant Parts - Part 4

In this video, I'll be getting the coolant parts and other items ready for a 2001 VW Jetta with the VR6 engine prepared for its installation.
Enjoy and thanks for watching!

[@jimthecarguy]

Hi Terry ,Very nice video.I'm with you when it comes to tightening the bolts in the plastic housing .I also don't use the torque wrench for the same reason.Keep up the good work.

[@stuzman52]

+jimthecarguy Thanks Jim for sharing your thoughts and good to hear that we agree on the tightening of bolts in plastic. Thanks again!

[@MrWoowootila]

Great videos, I would suggest putting two coolant temperature sensors in the thermostat housing. I had one fail and it was difficult to replace, because of the location. I ended up pulling the plug next to the original coolant sensor and putting it in that location. I made a mental note to put two sensors when you change the thermostat housing and all I would have to do is switch wiring harness plug and not have to pull a sensor. I read on several forum that these coolant temperature sensors have a high fail rate. Mine failed at about 97k miles.

[@stuzman52]

+Johnny Woo Good suggestion if I was going to keep the car. But it shouldn't be that bad if it needs replacing since it's on the outside. Thanks Johnny for sharing your thoughts and glad to hear you like the videos.

[@Badgertronix]

I have no affiliation with them but UROtuning sell handy kits with everything you need to do this job including new bolts for the thermostat housing. Your thorough prep work will make for a quality repair. Super grease sounds super... I used Permatex Aviation form a gasket - if it's good enough for planes it's good enough for a VR6.

[@stuzman52]

+Badgertronix Hey Badgertronix and thanks for dropping in and sharing your thoughts. Yes, I ran across them while doing research for this project. Looks like they're pretty well stocked also. And sounds like you've worked on these engines too. Have a good one!!!

[@teamempressive7730]

Grease and slimy uhummm!!!😂😂 good video thanks for the tips 👍

[@stuzman52]

Carlos Leon You’re welcome Carlos!

[@nicknicu1787]

Great series sir! You should've used the upgraded aftermarket kit : aluminum pipe and aluminum thermostat housing. That's a lifetime repair. I'm amazed at the poor and cheap quality of these cars!

[@stuzman52]

+Nick Nicu I looked into it Nick and seemed like some people love the metal and others hated it because of leaks. With aftermarket metal pipes and different vendors, I wouldn't know about how good their tolerances were when the parts are made. Although the parts are plastic, it did last well over a 100K miles. I just wanted to be sure there wouldn't be any leaks.

[@wtbm123]

Getting closer

[@stuzman52]

+wtbm123 You are correct Terry!

[@RICKAFIX]

I am going to have to find that super grease...as for the hose I wonder if there is a product that would bring the rubber back to new condition or does the rubber dry from the inside out?? nice video Terry cant wait the the next one

[@stuzman52]

+RICKAFIX Thanks Rick for dropping in and leaving a comment. Don't know if there is a rubber conditioner that really works. Probably when it's worn out, it's done. And couldn't tell you if the rubber wears out from the inside or not.

[@EXOVCDS]

Nice prep work Terry... should be smooth sailing the rest of the way! Have prior oil filter changes showed any signs of the filter element collapsing? Looks like the core support that is in the filter cap is missing half of it. You probably change the oil early so the filter doesn't have a chance to buckle-in due to lack of support from the inside.

[@stuzman52]

+Thomas EXOVCDS Yes, I have noticed that Thomas. The adapter support was broken even when the car was purchased. Never put it together that this could make the filter collapse. Time to get another adapter. Thanks for the tip!

[@stuzman52]

+Thomas EXOVCDS Just ordered that oil filter housing cap. Holy, moly...that piece of plastic is $75. Thanks again...

[@EXOVCDS]

+stuzman52 Sorry Terry... didn't mean to add to your expenses... would have probably been OK till you decided to let the car go. I see filters cave-in when customers push the oil change interval... the core does a good job of holding the element in place.

[@stuzman52]

+Thomas EXOVCDS Ah, don't be sorry Thomas as I appreciate you letting me know this. I should have known this, but alas, we can't know everything. And besides, I try to fix issues and not pass known problems off to another person. Thanks again Thomas...

[@nivasylstrongman4352]

I have a 2000 Jetta VR6 2.8L. The Black wire going to S177, melted the side of the power distribution unit on top of the battery for the second time in one year. 10 month ago triggered a fault on the ABS module. I changed the box, cleaned the black wire, and cleaned the negative battery wire tip and the part bolted to the chassis. The ABS light went out and everything was good for a while. This time it’s causing the A/C not to work. I have no fault lights on my dash. Thank God. I replaced the power distribution box for the second time in a year. All fuses are in good shape and only the black wire is dark. When I turn on the A/C, the fan will not come on and the compressor clutch will not engage. The car is not over heating; temp stays at 190, and the regular fan come on. So that’s a good sign. I don’t have any Freon leak. I will troubleshoot the A/C system tomorrow. My question is that, I did some research and I found that people are installing new robust set of positive and negative cable from innovativewiring.com for $120.00. I took a quick look at most of the battery cable going to the alternator; starter and I see no cuts on the insulation. I was thinking of taking every thing apart cleaning all the power cable (ends) instead of spending $120.00. What do you think? Will changing all the power cable fix this problem?

[@stuzman52]

I would be concerned about the fuse circuit of S177, 110A which is feeding the alternator B+. Have the car running and turn on all the accessories that you can so the alternator will put out some current. Take an amp clamp and throw around this black wire feeding the alternator and see what kind of amperage you're getting. You should be well below 110A. Whatever your amperage is, take and see what size this wire is. You can measure the diameter with a calipers and then look up its amperage online. Europeans like to use metric size wiring. It amperage rating has to be at least as big as the amperage you're seeing on the amp clamp. Volkswagen does seem to under size some of their wiring to the fuse rating. Next take your voltmeter while all of these accessories are on and place it across the black wire. You want to see a voltage of less than 0.2VDC. If you see a voltage higher, then you have an issue with its connections or the wire itself. Do the same voltage drop across the ground circuit of the alternator. This would be from the dc- post of the battery to the alternator casing. Should be less than 0.2VDC. Next, measure the voltage drop across the fuse S177, 110A. You should see voltage in the mV range. Keep in mind that you can also measure the voltage drop from the dc+ post on the battery to the fuse. This would check this entire circuit. Again, you should be seeing very small voltages. All of these voltages are measured with a load on the alternator. As for the cables that you mentioned, if your cables and terminations look fine, I wouldn't spend that kind of money. Why replace cables if they check out fine. Good luck on your a/c repair and keep me posted what you find out on your issues.

[@nivasylstrongman4352]

I forgot to mention something on the previous note. the fuse box melted a few days ago while driving, I pushed the A/C button several time to turn it on and off. When I popped my hood, I saw that the fuse box was melted and the A/C stop working. Wouldn’t it be better to fix the A/C first since it draws a lot of current? And then do your test. A wolkwagen mechanic told me that the black box melting is a common problem for the mk4 and that wolkswagen is being sued in federal court. An auto shop put a gage in my A/C and they said that the Freon level is good. Next, I unplugged the A/C power plug and put a volt meter on it. I got 9VDC. Is that a bad A/C relay.

[@stuzman52]

Looking at the wiring diagrams for both manual and automatic climatronic controls, there are no relays. The a/c clutch wire (brn/blk) neg goes to ground on the frame. The pos wire, grn/blk goes to the coolant fan control module, pin 11. This module is located on the left front side of the engine compartment. Although you have an issue of having nine volts with your voltmeter, you should keep the load, (a/c clutch) connected. If it's easier to unplug it, then use a test light to load the circuit. You can go back to pin 11 on the module and see what you have there. It sounds like you don't have a wiring diagram. You can get a free one at www.bbbind.com Good luck in what you find.

[@stuzman52]

Also, if you believe that your issue of the fuse panel is coming from the a/c, then by all means start with the a/c electrical.

[@nivasylstrongman4352]

thanks you for responding. now i know that the system is full of freon. i disconnected the a/c compressor power plug and applied power to see if the compressor was bad and the clutch did not engage. i will check pin 11 voltage tomorrow. my car runs fine. one cooling fan comes on when the car gets hot, but not both fan when i turn on the A/C. my worst fear maybe coming true. that i have a bad A/C compressor.

[@bernardaflores1720]

If I where doing all this work, I probably would find a way to relocate the air pump to make some room and easier to service.

[@stuzman52]

Yep, it's a tight engine in there and finding a spot for the air pump could be very challenging. That's probably why the engineers stuck it on the side of the engine. 😊

[@bernardaflores1720]

@@stuzman52 My other toy has it below the battery tray, not sure if possible on this car.

[@SteveRobReviews]

Ok Terry you cant get away with using that super grease on everything but brushing your teeth and not tell us why its so good, I use the silicone paste and yours is silicone free , so is the non silicone free better to use. Ha a little dabadoya I bet al lot of viewers don't remember that commercial. Looks like its ready to go back together, cant wait. Good stuff.

[@stuzman52]

+Steve Rob Don't know if it's better than silicone paste, maybe not; it's just what we use at work and after hours and hours of operation, we've found O-rings and gaskets still pliable when torn down for PM's. Yep, probably the younger folks won't remember that Brylcreem commercial. Here's a link to one of those commercials for the curious kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWepZXqqrreZqtE

[@SteveRobReviews]

+stuzman52 Ha I'd take them day over again if I could. Fantastic thanks ....

[@stuzman52]

+Steve Rob Me too Steve and man, would I change a few things? Like not meeting my first two ex-wives HaHa!