This was sent to me by a fellow Fred`s TDIer. Sorry for the length but I think it is quite informative.
Ron:
I believe my post is on the second page of the "General Maintenance" section
this week, it was posted two weeks ago. Regardless, I am including it
below. Removing the leftward-most frost plug is the hardest part of the
job, it's difficult to tap out with a hammer. But once correctly installed,
you'll wonder how you did without it- truly saves fuel and battery/starter
power and strain when cold. Plugging it into a suitably watted pool timer
from Intermatic and having it go on 4 hours before starting up saves your
electric costs as well. This worked like a charm.
Regards,
-Jim
Block Heater Selection and Installation- 96-97 Passat TDI, by Jim Dolan, JD
Since block heater information has been frequently requested on the site, I
have prepared the following to provide others with information needed to
successfully select and install block heaters. My TDI is a 1996 Passat, so
the information I provide may have to be modified for those who own Jetta
and Golf A3's equipped with the TDI engine. If you have an A4, these
instructions will likely be useless. An entrepreneur from Minnesota has
apparently designed a recirculating coolant heater which installs into a
radiator hose for the A4's. Information is posted elsewhere on
www.tdiclub.com <
http://www.tdiclub.com/> .
A Disclaimer: Car Maintenance And Repair May Be Dangerous! Should you follow
the instructions below, you elect to do so with the knowledge that their
author is not a professionally trained, licensed, or certified mechanic by
any private or governmental regulatory body. You also understand that the
author provided these instructions for distribution on
<
http://www.tdiclub.com/> www.tdiclub.com without expectation of
compensation and such distribution was motivated only by and for educational
purposes. In short, what you do with the information is your own call to
make and thus entirely at your own risk!
I. Selecting a Block Heater
Of the various companies producing aftermarket VW block heaters,
certain constants may be observed which should be noted when selecting a
unit.
Size of Block Heater
The frost plug holes measure 36.5 millimeters, and as such you must
obtain a heater having this outside diameter to seal the hole properly.
A. Part Numbers
Two manufacturers seem to be the most popular, Zerostart and Kats.
Both of these units appear to be widely available. I used a Zerostart
product purchased at a local NAPA store. The NAPA part number on this block
heater was 605-3230, and it measured exactly 36.5 millimeters in diameter.
It is a Zerostart product according to the instructions, and because it fits
the same VW and Audi vehicles listed in Zerostart's 2000 catalogue, one can
safely assume it is also Zerostart part number 3100034. As will be seen
below, I had absolutely no problems getting this unit to fit securely into
the 36.5mm Left Rear (LR) frost plug hole.
B. Pick a Hole, Any Hole. . .Well Almost!
The primary difficulty with installing a block heater in the TDI
concerns where the frost plugs are located. The side of the engine closest
to the radiator has absolutely no frost plugs whatsoever. A quick removal of
the engine compartment under cover (if so equipped) and under-engine
examination will reveal that the engine has three frost plugs, all located
on the backside of the engine about 6 to 8 inches from the firewall (rear of
the engine compartment). Assuming you will be on your back staring up at the
rear of the engine block (with your feet protruding from under the front
bumper), you will see three frost plugs. All of these are somewhat
obstructed.
The plug on the far right is not a candidate for removal, as it is
located behind the turbocharger and would be impossible to remove. The
Zerostart Installation Guide recommends removing either the center or left
hand frost plugs. While the center plug could be used, it is located quite
close to the vacuum actuator control rod for the GT-15 turbocharger on this
car and as such, might be a bit too close to either the intense heat of the
turbocharger, the vacuum actuator control rod's movement, or both.
Furthermore, removal of this center plug is made difficult by having the
right hand CV drive shaft obstructing the use of any tools to remove the
plug. It is alleged that the right hand CV drive shaft must be removed to
install the block heater in this center hole, although I read of one person
on
www.tdiclub.com <
http://www.tdiclub.com/> who was able to do so without
removing the shaft. Thus, the appropriate candidate for removal was the Left
hand plug, based on its relative ease of removal.
II. Preparing for Installation
A. Securely Support Front of Car on Jackstands or Ramps!
Everybody is aware how low these TDI's sit to the ground, although I
believe the 96-97 Passat has a bit more ground clearance than the Golf or
Jetta. It goes without saying that you should use ramps or jack stands to
support the car and give you some quality working room. Of course, if you
have access to a vehicle hydraulic lift you would certainly find this
beneficial. I placed two jackstands at the rear of the "H" cradle that
suspends the suspension and engine compartment. Whatever you do, make sure
the vehicle is securely supported on a firm surface (i.e. cement pad), and
if you have any doubt, DO NOT crawl underneath it! Last time I checked the
statute, improper vehicle support was not a defense against enforcement of
the laws of gravity.
B. Remove Engine Under Cover
If this hasn't been done already, undoing the three bolts at the
rear of the cover and two on each side (or whatever configuration your car
has) and swinging the cover down from the front tab mounts will remove the
cover.
C. Drain Engine Coolant
This is an unpleasant job, made more difficult by the fact that the
car has no radiator drain or block drain to make removal of the coolant
easy. Before beginning, remove the cap from the expansion tank, turn the
heater controls on high, and obtain a plastic drain pan of about 2-2.5
gallon capacity (8-9 liters). Find the water pump. There is an elbow-shaped
plastic fitting that returns coolant to the radiator. Remove the little
spring clip that holds the elbow to the water pump and slowly pull the elbow
from the pump fitting. You may need to wiggle this fitting or use a
screwdriver or similar tool to separate it from the pump. Take care that you
do not break the plastic. When it is pulled off of the pump, a torrent of
red antifreeze will pour into the drain pan. I found that removing the upper
heater core hose on the firewall of the engine helped relieve any air
locking to drain more coolant and made refilling the block and head easier.
D. Familiarize Yourself with the Engine Compartment Layout
As discussed above under Roman numeral I, section C, infra have a
good look around your engine from the rear, and decide which of the two
holes would be easiest to remove with the least amount of hassle. For my
money and time (and yours, I would strongly argue), removal of the LR (left
rear) plug is easiest. Visualize how you would go about removing the frost
plug, installing the block heater into the hole, and routing of the power
cord, etc. Think before you swing!
III. Installation Procedure
A. Removal of Frost Plug
This is undoubtedly the most unpleasant part of this job. With my
full permission to laugh, it took about three hours for this shade-tree
mechanic to remove the plug based on the tools I had available and the
obstructions needed to work around. I imagine there is a perfect combination
of tools available, but as this is generally a one-time job I am unable to
provide any advice as to what the exact combination might be. Take a good
long look at the obstructions that exist while you are under the car and you
will understand what I'm saying.
You will have to have something sufficiently long enough and angled
enough to exert enough force on the frost plug to cause it to pop out of the
hole and remove it from the block with pliers. The following is what I used
to accomplish this:
1. One Sears Craftsman Mechanics Prybar, with a 10 degree angled
bend
2. One 10" long 3/8" drive socket extension coupled with a deepwall
socket over the conical end of the prybar.
3. One 24 Ounce (1.5 pound/3.3 kilogram) maul or hammer.
Of course, you could probably find something else to finagle the
obstructions better than what I have described above. Use whatever works
when applying reasonable force with the maul/hammer. Make sure that the
tools selected allow you to remove the frost plug without knocking it into
the engine as removal from the water jacket would be extremely difficult due
to the holes obstructed location. I used the prybar by working it back and
forth among the obstructions and applying direct force to the plug by
striking the end of the prybar/socket extension with the maul. It took a
great deal of effort but as I said, it does pop out eventually. During the
course of this work you will likely put a hole into the frost plug. When
this happens, be prepared for a small torrent of G-12 antifreeze to come out
of the hole, and have a small plastic pail to catch as much of this as
possible. Once you have bent the plug enough it will not fit securely within
the circumference of the hole and will start to move. Do not knock this into
the engine block, just gently pry on it a bit with a drift and see if you
can wiggle part of it out of the hole. I used a really small channel lock
pliers to pull/pry it from the block.
Take care to wash off any splashed antifreeze/coolant from your
body- it's neither particularly pleasant nor healthy to have on you.
B. Install Block Heater Into Engine Block
Use a small magnet on a string or a telescoping magnet antenna tool
for removing all metal chips and or flashing from the inside of the hole. I
had several small chips, which were all removed from beneath the hole inside
of the block water passages. It helps if you wrap the telescoping magnet in
plastic wrap as you can easily take the plastic off and throw the plastic
and metal chips away without re-introducing these in the engine. Use the
magnet inside the block two times to remove the chips.
Next, take a clean shop towel or paper towel and put some lacquer
thinner or other similar solvent and wipe the inside of the hole surface
completely out. Take the block heater, remove the O-ring supplied with it
and place a bead of silicone spark plug boot grease on the groove the O-ring
fits around. Do not use a petroleum-based grease, as it will eat the rubber.
Put a bit of this grease on your finger and place a coating of it inside the
empty frost plug hole. Place the block heater securely inside of the hole
with the element facing upwards at the 6 O'clock position. It should fit a
little snugly into the block, you will feel a bit of resistance at first but
it will "pop" into place.
Take a 5/16" or 7mm socket and begin tightening the screw securing
the heater in place. The accompanying literature supplied with the block
heater suggests that this bolt should be tightened to a torque of 2.5-3
Newton-Meters or 20-25 inch-pounds, but I defy anybody to use a torque
wrench in such tight quarters. When I felt resistance different from that I
originally felt after awhile, I simply put another 1.5 to 2 additional turns
on this bolt. If you cannot move the metal block heater housing from the
engine block, you have it just right.
C. Routing of Block Heater Cord
I routed the heater cord by threading the smaller plug for the block
heater through the grille first, up and around the side and back of the
battery in the engine compartment, across the expansion tank to engine
antifreeze return line, and then plugging the cord into the block heater.
Secure the cord to the coolant return line with a zip tie where it connects
with the metal support bracket and union for the heater core return lines,
taking care to ensure sufficient tautness. Use another zip tie to secure the
cord to the battery bracket before the cord goes around the rear of the
battery. In any event, make sure that the power cord is adequately suspended
above and away from the various cables and levers for actuating the
gearshift, which are directly below the cord.
IV. Post Installation
A. Reconnect Opened Coolant Fittings
B. Refill Block
C. Refill Expansion Tank
D. Start Engine
E. Add Coolant Via Expansion Tank
F. Check For Leaks
V. Advantages
Upon October 2000 installation here in Northern Minnesota, I tested
the block heater by plugging in the heater on an evening when the mercury
reached 15 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. The yellow preheat light came on
for about 1 second if that, and the car started right up without the usual
puff of smoke. The car also warms up a great deal quicker than normal, thus
making a block heater an prime candidate for winter days where your car is
only driven on short distance errands that ordinarily do not sufficiently
warm the engine to operating temperature. I also hazard to guess that use of
the block heater also prolongs the life of your TDI's glow plugs, since
these are used only when absolutely necessary during the winter. Lastly,
because these cars have an oil cooler/heat exchanger which uses the coolant
to regulate the temperature of the oil, it follows that the use of the block
heater should assist in warming up that synthetic 5W-30 or 5W-40 in the
crankcase.
In my experience, the car may be plugged in 3-4 hours before startup
before the upper radiator hose will be warm to the touch (about 70-80
degrees Fahrenheit or so). At home, I placed my block heater on a timer such
that it comes on for three hours before the morning commute and three hours
in the late evening at the end of the workday. You can select timers which
allow you to increase the number of on/off periods throughout the day to
take into account your own schedule.
That's all folks. . . best wishes!
