2008 vw jetta low temperature on gauge

[s900t8v]

Anyone got an estimate of how long this job would take ?

Remove alternator then it's easy to get to right ?

[s900t8v]

Anyone got an estimate of how long this job would take ?

Remove alternator then it's easy to get to right ?

HA

well this was a nightmare job! should have tried to find the manuals recommendations for th job!

took me about 5 hours on the BVY motor because I didnt know how to approach it

Anyway now I have a car that reaches operating temperature really quickly and stays there even on the highway it doesnt move off 90! THANKFULLY, fresh load of coolant in... while I was doing the job I noticed the battery + was rubbing on the frame and shorting, could have started a fire.. thankfully didnt - anyway I fixed that too


so what I did

- removed the bumper
- removed the R) wheel arch trim
- removed the windscreen washer bottle
- locked the tensioner remove the belt
- removed the VW labrinth piece on top of the intake manifold - pry out/off the emissions lines
- moved the charcoal canister out of the way to get to alterantor bolts easily

- jacked the car up and support on jackstands
- removed the two bottom bolts for the brace that holds the intake manifold onto the block you dont need to undo the top braces - (these increase the clearance available for the rigid pipe that goes into the thermostat)
- removed the air con compressor 2 pin plug and the bolts and let it hang down carefully
- removed the alternator 2 pin plug before undoing the alternator. you can leave the 12V line connected
- removed the alternator bolts and pry it out and sit it on top of the air con compressor so nothing is stretched

- removed the lower hose clip on the thermostat and pull the hose clear - splash of dirty old useless coolant
- removed the torx screw holding the rigid heater pipe in place in the thermostat housing
- removed the 4 clamps holding the intake manifold rubber bellows
- removed wriggle and cursed the unit out of its home and disposed of it in a way that is the most satisfying
***the thermostat I bought came with a block mating o ring but not a rigid pipe o ring (so dumb)
- greased with vaseline
- installed new thermostat with rigid pipe assembly


- reassembly reverse of removal!

[Umai Naa!!]

Woah...

I should've gotten to this sooner.

Pretty much everything is done from up top, besides removing the undertray to drain the coolant. Don't need to remove the bumper, the A/C compressor or anthing like that. You do need to remove the alternator, which is easy enough. It does fit out the top once you've unhooked it. Probably a 2hr job tops, including burping the coolant.

[s900t8v]

haha well ya didnt so not much use are ya! haha just kidding of course

all good got it done its a mates car now anyway I just sorted it out for him to save him some cash...

the lack of clearance makes it a pain of a job... are you saying you removed the intake manifold? I can see it being easy/from the top if that was what you are supposed to do. but couldnt find service instructions anywhere so I went from the bottom partially because I had the bumper and skins off for plastic welding anyway but partly because I though the intake manifold would be too much of a pain to remove - in hindsight it would have been much easier! oh and the car doesnt have an undertray dunno where it went haha so maybe thats why I thought it would be easier to go from bottom

[MEL744]

For future reference I think this guide is for the 2.0 na engines, although no specific codes are given. MK5 FSI Thermostat Replacement How-To | Club GTI Need to do this on my Jetta also a BVY.

[Umai Naa!!]

Yeah, that'd be applicable to the BVY.

Once you fish the alternator out, it's fairly simple. It doesn't look like it fits out the hole, but you can rotate it into a postion where it'll come right out.

I don't take the manifold off, mostly because it's a pain, and there's stuff like breather pipes and dipstick tubes that break if you so much as look at them funny.

[MEL744]

Perfect, thanks! Good to hear it's not necessary to remove the manifold, will report back my experiences once its done. Going to try to reuse the coolant since it was changed when I had the timing belt done, or is this not advisable?

[Umai Naa!!]

As long as you can avoid contamination you'll be ok.

[MEL744]

Went to VW to get the thermostat today, going to fit tomorrow. Just wondering if anyone knows the torque specs for the thermostat housing?

EDIT: Just checked Haynes manual again and sure enough it was there. 15nm

[MEL744]

Tried it today, turned to an absolute disaster. Couldn't work out how to get the alternator out without removing the intake manifold. Ended up breaking a purple electrical connector that was attached to the alternator, as well as a PCV pipe and the dipstick tube. Managed to get the new thermostat in but now I can't get the lower coolant hose to connect properly. At the point where ideally I'd like a mobile mechanic to come put it back together. Can anyone recommend someone in south east Melbourne that would be able to help out?

Cheers

[s900t8v]

It's a real piece of a job. I really want to swear to describe it accurately.

I struggled but luckily didn't break anything. I didn't remove the manifold just listed it up.

Regarding the plug you broke on the alternator it's probably just the brush pack regulator plug - you can just buy a new brush pack on eBay for 13 dollars.

[MEL744]

I agree, managed to get it back together after $190 on parts and more coolant. Luckily the prongs of the connector didn't break off so it was possible to simply glue the plastic socket back on and plug it back in. A word of warning to anyone attempting this, work out what you are going to do about the hose clamps that connect the plastic intake manifold onto the block. They are called Clic clamps and are easy enough to take off, but unless you have the special pliers they are extremely difficult to get back on using a set of needle nose pliers and a screwdriver (I spent many hours on them).

[s900t8v]

Dude those clips are effed. What A POS JOB

[whichonetoget]

I’m having similar issues with the temp never getting close to 90 unless idling in traffic.

How much will I be up for to replace the thermostat at an indy specialist?

I’m planning a 2000km road trip soon, so considering whether to replace it now or wait until my next service. I feel that my fuel economy could be suffering as it’s almost as bad as my M3!

[Umai Naa!!]

Shoot me a PM with some details, and I'll quote it up for you if you like?