RacerTodd
Veteran Member
I just completed my first How-To guide, showing how to replace the radiator mounts in an A4-chassis Golf/Jetta in-car. The procedure may be similar on New Beetles. I haven't worked on a Beetle so I don't know exactly what differences there are compared to the Golf/Jetta.
Replacing the mounts in-car is done by moving the core support into the "service position". There is an official VW service position tool that is needed to do this, but the guide shows how to make my patented El-Cheapo Service Position Tools for a few dollars with common items from your local hardware store.
The service position is also used to gain access to replace the radiator without having to remove the fittings from the AC condenser. This saves the cost and hassle of discharging and re-charging the AC system.
I believe on the VR6 cars the service position can be used to improve access to certain components on the front of the engine. Don't have a VR6 so I'm not 100% sure.
The tools are handy if you're removing the core support in order to pull the engine out the front. Insert the tools, pull the core support forwards, giving you easier access to the coolant hoses and AC fittings. Once everything is disconnected, slide the core support/radiator/fans assembly forwards and off the end of the tools.
When installing the core support assembly, slide the core support onto the tools and let it rest there while you attach all the hoses, fittings and wiring. Once everything is hooked up, slide the core support back up against the frame rails and bolt it on.
What led me to replace the mounts was that I noticed that the bottom of the radiator on one side was quite floppy, moving in and out much more than the other side.
Upon replacing the mounts, I found on that side the upper mount was broken, the plastic shell had cracked. Don't know if the upper mount failed first, putting more stress on the lower mount or if the lower mount got all floppy and contributed to the cracking of the upper mount.
In any case, I figured having the radiator banging around wasn't good for it and it was better to replace the mounts before the vibration caused the radiator to crack or something.
Radiator mounts aren't a real common failure item. Cars with high mileage (mine is past 400K) or in climates that are hard on rubber items may see this issue. As these cars begin to enter their 2nd decade of use, this situation may come up more often.
Tools needed are minimal:
Torx T25 socket
Torx T30 socket
13mm socket
Appropriate ratchets and extensions for the above
1 pair El-Cheapo Service Position Tools, the guide shows how to make them
The front bumper cover needs to come off to do this. I don't go into details on how to do that as there are plenty of guides on this site, VW Vortex and Myturbodiesel.com on how to do that. And the Bentley manual shows how to remove it.
Total time for the procedure is 1-2 hours or so, depending on your skill level.
I'd rate the difficulty as a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. If you can handle an oil change, you can do this.
The guide is in the form of a PDF file, making it easy to print out and refer to while doing the procedure. Get it here: http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/Radiator_mounts_install_guide_v2.pdf
Replacing the mounts in-car is done by moving the core support into the "service position". There is an official VW service position tool that is needed to do this, but the guide shows how to make my patented El-Cheapo Service Position Tools for a few dollars with common items from your local hardware store.
The service position is also used to gain access to replace the radiator without having to remove the fittings from the AC condenser. This saves the cost and hassle of discharging and re-charging the AC system.
I believe on the VR6 cars the service position can be used to improve access to certain components on the front of the engine. Don't have a VR6 so I'm not 100% sure.
The tools are handy if you're removing the core support in order to pull the engine out the front. Insert the tools, pull the core support forwards, giving you easier access to the coolant hoses and AC fittings. Once everything is disconnected, slide the core support/radiator/fans assembly forwards and off the end of the tools.
When installing the core support assembly, slide the core support onto the tools and let it rest there while you attach all the hoses, fittings and wiring. Once everything is hooked up, slide the core support back up against the frame rails and bolt it on.
What led me to replace the mounts was that I noticed that the bottom of the radiator on one side was quite floppy, moving in and out much more than the other side.
Upon replacing the mounts, I found on that side the upper mount was broken, the plastic shell had cracked. Don't know if the upper mount failed first, putting more stress on the lower mount or if the lower mount got all floppy and contributed to the cracking of the upper mount.
In any case, I figured having the radiator banging around wasn't good for it and it was better to replace the mounts before the vibration caused the radiator to crack or something.
Radiator mounts aren't a real common failure item. Cars with high mileage (mine is past 400K) or in climates that are hard on rubber items may see this issue. As these cars begin to enter their 2nd decade of use, this situation may come up more often.
Tools needed are minimal:
Torx T25 socket
Torx T30 socket
13mm socket
Appropriate ratchets and extensions for the above
1 pair El-Cheapo Service Position Tools, the guide shows how to make them
The front bumper cover needs to come off to do this. I don't go into details on how to do that as there are plenty of guides on this site, VW Vortex and Myturbodiesel.com on how to do that. And the Bentley manual shows how to remove it.
Total time for the procedure is 1-2 hours or so, depending on your skill level.
I'd rate the difficulty as a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. If you can handle an oil change, you can do this.
The guide is in the form of a PDF file, making it easy to print out and refer to while doing the procedure. Get it here: http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/Radiator_mounts_install_guide_v2.pdf
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