B5.5 Intake/EGR cooler removal

Lukario45

New member
Joined
Jul 7, 2020
Location
Pennsylvania
TDI
B5.5 Passat Wagon TDI
Im at my wits end with this thing. I need to get the intake manifold off. I haven’t had any luck finding videos or anything.

I have all of the bolts off of the EGR cooler except the one behind the vnt actuator. Its is mostly out, but it is pressed up against the actuator. I can't turn it in any direction anymore because it's stripped at this point. I can't get enough leverage to turn the intake manifolds bolts with the cooler in the way. If the the bolt behind the actuator was angled up just slightly there would be no problem.

Any suggestions? Am I going to need to remove the entire turbo? Or can I even do that without getting the intake manifold off?
 

yahmon

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Location
canada
TDI
04 passat tdi 6spd stage2 webasto TC3 , 04 passatW8 6 spd, 10 Jetta TDI 6spd stage 1
loosen the actuator and it will come out, 2 m6 (10mm wrench)nuts on the bottom of the pot
 

Lukario45

New member
Joined
Jul 7, 2020
Location
Pennsylvania
TDI
B5.5 Passat Wagon TDI
loosen the actuator and it will come out, 2 m6 (10mm wrench)nuts on the bottom of the pot
I put the wrench on and when I tried turning it the nut warped. This happens to basically everything I try to take off this car.

I'll keep trying tomorrow. I'm out of daylight.
 

yahmon

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Location
canada
TDI
04 passat tdi 6spd stage2 webasto TC3 , 04 passatW8 6 spd, 10 Jetta TDI 6spd stage 1
I put the wrench on and when I tried turning it the nut warped. This happens to basically everything I try to take off this car.

I'll keep trying tomorrow. I'm out of daylight.
You must be very unlucky, I have done a few of those and never had trouble loosening those nuts
 

Lukario45

New member
Joined
Jul 7, 2020
Location
Pennsylvania
TDI
B5.5 Passat Wagon TDI
You must be very unlucky, I have done a few of those and never had trouble loosening those nuts
Unlucky is an understatement with this thing 😂 i got it late in maybe the end of June, early July. Drove it for 3 days, had the balance shaft chain snap and the engine seized. Sat for about a month until I could find another bhw, and find a mechanic willing to put it in. Drove it for another 3 days with the new engine but had to stop because now it overboosts and goes into limp mode, (it doesn't go into limp after it warms up) and it vibrates between 1800-2200rpm, which I believe to be a misfire. Pretty sure I'll need to get the camshaft done soon since it appears to have premature wear and scoring on it. Still haven't found the source its oil leak, but banking on some seals in the tandem pump.

With all of the money I've spent between the initial car cost, tools i bought specifically for it, the bsd kit, timing kit, new engine, and mechanic work, I could have put a hefty down payment on one of the buybacks.

The only thing keeping me going is my unwarranted love for this car. I havent been able to find any other wagons as clean or low miles as this one. Despite me having the passenger side of the interior apart right now bc the tcm was flooded, and a few tears in the driver seat, its amazing in there. And the only noticeable body damage is the hood and bumper.
 
Last edited:

Mozambiquer

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Location
Versailles Missouri
TDI
2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
Im at my wits end with this thing. I need to get the intake manifold off. I haven’t had any luck finding videos or anything.

I have all of the bolts off of the EGR cooler except the one behind the vnt actuator. Its is mostly out, but it is pressed up against the actuator. I can't turn it in any direction anymore because it's stripped at this point. I can't get enough leverage to turn the intake manifolds bolts with the cooler in the way. If the the bolt behind the actuator was angled up just slightly there would be no problem.

Any suggestions? Am I going to need to remove the entire turbo? Or can I even do that without getting the intake manifold off?
When I removed the egr cooler on my wagon, I had the same problem. What I ended up doing was cutting the bolt, which worked well, since I wasn't leaving the cooler in. It had an internal leak, so I deleted it.
 

Lukario45

New member
Joined
Jul 7, 2020
Location
Pennsylvania
TDI
B5.5 Passat Wagon TDI
Update for anyone who may stumble upon this in the future. I got the intake manifold and egr cooler off without removing the egr cooler entirely from the intake. The only cooler bolt I didnt get off was the one behind the actuator

I was able to reach all 6 intake manifold bolts with a long 6mm allen key. There are two and seem obnoxiously behind the actuator. The one towards the front of the car i was able to reach from the front of car using the bent part of the allen key and having the whole key behind the actuator. Once it was loosened a little i went from the side with the long end to make turning easier. The other one behind the actuator was much easier than I thought it was going to be. I was able to reach it with the long end of the key by going UNDER the actuator. It seemed like going above the actuator was the correct path, however it was much easier under.

The furthest back bolt was a little tricky because of the oil feed for the turbo. Luckily for me I already broke the oil feed line trying to get the turbo off, so I just bent it out of the way.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Ball-ended long reach Allen bits make that fairly easy. And yes, you can get all six manifold bolts out with the EGR cooler still attached if that is what makes it easier for you. Good tools make all the difference.
 
Top