Radiator mounting bushings

My 1996 b4 has recently developed a squeak, a loud high pitched squeak at idle. Very annoying. After some looking it appears the lower radiator mounting bushings are shot and the radiator is rubbing on the backs of my headlights. My local dealer and foreign car parts store can't find a part number for the lowers. Does anybody have a fix or suitable replacment idea? Or even spare ones willing to sell? This noise is driving me crazy! Thanks for help in advance!

I R&R'd my DD's radiator in March 2015. Per my 3/10/15 post here in this forum, the lower radiator mounts, do have grommets are removed and transferred to the new radiator, along with the ferrules (spacer bushings) after the 10 mm hex head bolts are removed.

The big picture from Autopartmaster:

http://autopartmaster.com/en/?actio...d=85578&added_=volkswagen passat/santana 1997

Per diagram, 13D is the spacer bushing/ferrule: 3A0121385 and

also per diagram,13C is the bushing retainer: 3A0121367B.

Delete the B suffix, 3A0121367 and you wind up here:

http://www.autohausaz.com/pn/3a0121367

from autohausAZ. This is shown as a Meyle part, for the Radiator Mount; Upper. I'm not sure if it can be modified. Two years ago is a long time for my memory. It's the best I can offer. Jeff

It looks like anywhere I find the part number listed says discontinued I will have to pull it and take a look I wonder if they are the same as the b3 GLX I have one local I might try and go get them

There's two different versions of the mounting system apparently, be sure you know which one you have before ordering up parts.

As a side note I've never actually seen a B3 or B4 with the radiator mounting type mentioned by NH Nam Vet, everything I've ever seen has had pins on the lower ends of the tanks which engage into mounting points in the lower rad supports

Based on what I saw in the parts catalog before and what I found in various JY's I came to believe that the mounting system NH Nam Vet mentioned was exclusive to AT cars since I'd never seen it.

The VR6 cars all use one type of mount, the pin mounts that fit into the holes in the radiator with small rubber cone washers. If your TDI uses that same system the bushing will be the same. If it uses the alternate it won't. You won't know until you check to see what you have on the TDI.

Steve

After some scouting at the local JY I found the b4 tdi is different than both the A3 2.0 and the B3 GLX. The GLX has 2 pins that sit down into the front rad support, the A3 has 2 feet that are at the base of the rad and have large rubber grommets in it with 2 very small pins in the top. The B4 tdi has 2 feet that come off the side of the rad a few inches from the bottom, and have small ( 3/4 in diameter max) rubber grommets slid into the feet with a small steel case and m6 bolts through them. My issue was the grommets had deteriorated and sagged allowing the top pins to partially lift out of the top bushings, thus allowed the quite heavy rad and condenser assm. To sag forward and rub on the back of my high beam covers in the headlights, I fixed it by shimming those grommets up enough to put the top pins back into the top bushings. Finally fixing my squeak! This is the price I'm paying for the polyurethane engine mounts.

cal327 said:

After some scouting at the local JY I found the b4 tdi is different than both the A3 2.0 and the B3 GLX. The GLX has 2 pins that sit down into the front rad support, the A3 has 2 feet that are at the base of the rad and have large rubber grommets in it with 2 very small pins in the top. The B4 tdi has 2 feet that come off the side of the rad a few inches from the bottom, and have small ( 3/4 in diameter max) rubber grommets slid into the feet with a small steel case and m6 bolts through them. My issue was the grommets had deteriorated and sagged allowing the top pins to partially lift out of the top bushings, thus allowed the quite heavy rad and condenser assm. To sag forward and rub on the back of my high beam covers in the headlights, I fixed it by shimming those grommets up enough to put the top pins back into the top bushings. Finally fixing my squeak! This is the price I'm paying for the polyurethane engine mounts.

Click to expand...

I think VW employed two different systems here. I've seen GLX 'type' pin mount radiators (3A0121253AB) on B4 TDI's. The donor 96 TDI (and at least one 95 GLS 2.0 car) both had pin mounts and same part numbers. The lower rad support I'm running right now is from the 96 tdi and it's carrying a B4 GLX radiator (3A0121253C) with pin mounts.

All I'm saying is don't be surprised if what you find is different than what you expect.

Steve

sorry to jump the thread, my rad is loose on drivers upper, cannt find a pic of what its supposed to be, has a screw/pin coming down from what would be considered the radiator support, or front crossmember, as it supports rad, +headlights, +grille, and i suppose it also ends up supporting bumper/ part of bumper assy. so on the drivers side i have the pin/bolt/screw sticking down, but not supporting radiator, as its an aftermarket rad. car had been cracked up some years ago, i figure its not the most expensive rad, as also looks like im having condenser problems. but thats another subject, as it came with not-so-expensive rad, condenser 'unit'. there is a clip that looks it may hook into pin/screw sticking down from support, or perhaps another 'clip' is needed to complete radiator support(then i have to hook it up). seems from just looking at it the other 3 rad supports seem intact; what is it, 2 lower, and one on pass side(upper/-pin also). thanks.

found a rubber bush looks went missing, going to have to try to trace down a part#, sometimes veedub is stuffy over looking up part#s, although i can call partsplace. i may want a new pin/screw while im at it. rubber bush is the clip im missing, i described above.
hopefully it (bush) will fit into rad 'clip'.