2000 New Beetle GLS 2.0L (Wreck-Repair)

[heart_crafter]

I bought a wrecked New Beetle couple weeks ago. - june 18, 8PM
Needed some bending lol, almost done fixing that... used a hammer, car-jack and engine hauler

Needed a new radiator... got it from PepBoys; it did not fit! returned... and ordered online... - radiator is in and working now.

Radiator Core Support was almost bad... fixed it using steel epoxy...

Need a new hood probably... tried to bend it back (that was fun... by putting the hood under a Dodge Dakota rear wheel/tire, about 50 times)

Need a new bumper cover also i guess... (ill try using hair dryer, see if that works) - hair dryer did took out the dent. heated it up and pushed the dent out.

And probably head lights also...

Reason for making this thread?
I want to know if i should change/check anything while beetles whole front is accessible.
Car was starting up fine, it was just over heating. (just need a new battery, needed a jump-start)

Trying to fix the car without putting much money as possible - ill update how much i spent later on...

Open to any suggestions

Thanks!

I'm a novice(and a new user of VWVortex), this is the first time i opened up a car like that
Probably need some kind of a manual soon (lol). - got "Bentley "Volkswagen Jetta, Golf, GTI MK4 Service Manual- 1999-2005" that is kinda similar from inside.

Pic from seller:


Hood off in my garage:


Radiator off (front end crushed):


Radiator off (bents almost out):

[heart_crafter]

If i put LeBra on the front end, you think it would hide much of the defects ?


Or DI-NOC Carbon Fibre Vinyl wrap on the hood will be better?
-maybe i can do some filling on the hood smooth it out and put DI-NOC Carbon Fibre Vinyl...

[Rockerchick]

I'd do a timing belt/water pump job if you don't know the last time it was done, or done at all. Easy to get to everything, so why not?

[heart_crafter]

I'd do a timing belt/water pump job if you don't know the last time it was done, or done at all. Easy to get to everything, so why not?

Thanks for the suggestion! i'll surely look into it.

Edit:
can i use http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sk...gs+Best+Seller

or do i have to order it from the dealer ?

[Rockerchick]

That does not have nearly all the parts needed. I'd get this: http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-...Timing/ES8452/

[heart_crafter]

Nice! that looks good

Thank you.

[heart_crafter]

Should i also flush the coolant some how before installing the new radiator/water pump ?

Can i ?

[heart_crafter]

any other tips/suggestions?

[Rockerchick]

If you are keeping the same coolant type (which should be pink G12) then no need to do a full on flush. Doing the timing belt/water pump job will result in draining the coolant anyway.

[heart_crafter]

when i bought the car... it had no coolant in there... so I'm not sure what kind it was...
and i thought flushing and draining are two different things, aren't they? or flushing is more for the radiator rather than anything else...

edit: will install new radiator...

edit2: if you see the third pic... the AC lines on the left(beside the headlight) are bent, you think i should try to bend them back? or keep them as is since there is no leak (yet)

[JimmyD]

Might as well check if you have any worn out vacuum hoses since you're in there. They're cheap to replace and the OEM hoses would likely be rather brittle after 12 years.

[msellards]

Did the airbags go off...? Just curious...

[heart_crafter]

Might as well check if you have any worn out vacuum hoses since you're in there. They're cheap to replace and the OEM hoses would likely be rather brittle after 12 years.

sure... thanks

Did the airbags go off...? Just curious...

No they did not... but i do see that Air Bags light is ON on the dashboard.
Car went under a van... so it wasn't enough of an impact on the bumper carrier.

[Rockerchick]

If the airbag light is on, the airbags are likely to not deploy when they need to. You'll need VAG-COM in order to scan the car for that to figure out why the light is on so you can fix it and get the light off.

[heart_crafter]

If the airbag light is on, the airbags are likely to not deploy when they need to. You'll need VAG-COM in order to scan the car for that to figure out why the light is on so you can fix it and get the light off.

hmm, so i have to get this usb cable... and VCDS i guess
any idea where to get this cable from ? so i can use VCDS on a laptop...

thanks!

[heart_crafter]

as i was cleaning up the 10 yr old dirt/grime from the front end, I found out that there were some pieces intake was broken... i fixed it using steel epoxy... cleaned the air filter since it was k&n... then found out there was another filter that goes even before the air-filter under the driver side fender where the air actually goes in, this filter was totally sealed with dirt, sprayed some k&n filter cleaner and tried to wash it of, that did not cleaned it completed so i opened the part up using a flat screw driver in the holes on the side... and took out the filter an washed the dirt off it by hand... also cleaned MAF sensor grill like filter using a wooden skewer.

waiting for some parts(radiator support mount) to be delivered so I can mount the radiator, change fuel filter, oil, oil filter, flush coolant and add coolant.

I took of the cover on the timing belt, it look pretty good, since the mileages are around 140,000 someone probably already changed it once. So i feel like i don't need to change it at the moment, plus I have a limited budget at the moment.


Vacuum hoses? I am not sure which one would that be, most of the hoses feel fine, i broke the windshield washer hose i wonder if shrink tubing would work on it. Any suggestions?

maybe shrink tubing then steel epoxy on top ?

Still haven't ordered hood and bumper yet will wait till all else is fixed. Also needs a battery still

Anyone knows an easy way to take out the wipers arms? took of the bolts but the arms are stuck really good in there, i don't want to break the motors or something. I did put wd40 but that didn't help either.

I think that's it for now

Thanks

[billymade]

The timing belt is LAST thing you want to cheap out on; even if you are on a limited budget. If it lets go; it will trash the head and possibly much more... then your "budget" will won't be so cheap after all. The price of the kit is way cheaper then the cost of a major engine repair from a timing belt failure; please reconsider replacing the timing belt. We have too many stories on here; of people having this problem, many people just sell or junk the car at that point (especially considering the value of the older new beetles now). If anything; if you need to, hold off on some cosmetic issues/repairs until you get more money and get the mechanical issues handled first, especially something as crucial and the primary failure point on these VW's. All of us here want you to have success with your new beetle and have a reliable car to enjoy! Don't neglect the timing belt!

MJM has a kit that is a little less...

http://www.mjmautohaus.com/catalog/p...roducts_id=496

[Rockerchick]

^x2. And you honestly don't know if its been done before or not. And even if it was, when? Get it done. You already have everything apart. You can get a kit for less than $200!

[heart_crafter]

Grr Alright I'll reconsider it. I guess you guys are trying to save me for future thank you

I'm just scared about what other problems this car might have I gambled on(bought) this car to see if I can fix it cheap and make it run

Car was running fine until it heated up (hole in radiator/broken radiator inlet)... so I'm hoping there aren't any other problems. And of course the airbag light.

I'll try getting the kit Rockerchick suggested.

I'm in no hurry, so I guess ill take my time. And manage my budget accordingly

Thanks again for convincing me :p

[heart_crafter]

I started NB yesterday... with a new radiator.

Left the car on for 10 min... no over heating... no red overheating light... and no engine light anymore(made me very happy)...
Turned on the heat, worked fine.
Turned on the A/C, no cold air (maybe freon got out from somewhere)

Main problem: When A/C was turned on, none of fans on the radiator ran.

• Tested driver side in-dash fuses with ohm meter.
• Checked fuses on top of battery.
• Turned ignition switched to ON position, took of the connector from "thermal switch"(19 on the image N19-0192) from the radiator, and connected a copper wire from red to red-stripes on the connector (8 on the image N19-0192).
  
• As I read, by doing this the fans should run on 2 speeds. But they don't at all.

So now I need to check if the fans are getting any power at all and I am not sure how to do that
Should I plugin the fans in an A/C adapter and see if they run? if so what what wires do I plugin in the 12v A/C adapter?
What wires provides current to fan?

So since fan is not turning on with A/C on. Car is getting overheated. Red overheat light comes on, water boils... and another problem (maybe). Water drips under the car on the passenger side. See image(circled red where water drops from)

some more images I took...
Fan Module:


Rust and Oil:


Oil Leak source?:

Haven't dripped any oil since i got this car. Not sure how to get this cleaned/fixed.

Behind the block:


Fixing the fan is the highest priority.

So let me know your suggestions !

Thank you.

edit:
Also the battery light is on!

edit2:
i just got the "Bentley - Volkswagen Jetta, Golf, GTI MK4 Service Manual- 1999-2005", can this manual be used with my New Beetle?

edit3:
Looks like that manual will work where I need it

[69bug]

first, where the water is coming from under the car where the red circles are, there is not water there. those are fuel lines and vacuum lines.

i would check to see if you're getting power at #8. #8 tells the fans to turn on.

http://www.germanautoparts.com/Volks.../Cooling/208/1

then i would check to see if you're getting power #18.

http://www.germanautoparts.com/Volks...e/Cooling/85/2

it could also be your thermostat not opening to allow the car to cool off.

where you're getting oil from under your car you can do two things, replace the half shaft as a

whole

http://www.germanautoparts.com/Volks...Drivetrain/8/1

or replace the torn boot and put new CV joint grease in it.

http://www.germanautoparts.com/Volks...rivetrain/33/1

[heart_crafter]

thanks for your input 69bug

I'll try to figure out where the water is coming from. It will be difficult to figure because it only happens when I let the car over heat. ( i tried twice)

I'll see if #8 getting any power.
- By putting a tester into red-wire and ground. (please correct me if I'm wrong)

If I get power there I'll post back for more info

Just FYI, I did not put the coolant in yet because I was planning to flush the system out first.

I'll get a new thermostat or thermal switch if I get power at #8.
Ill also try this as I read this in Bentley manual "To quickly check if the thermostat is opening and if coolant is circulating through the radiator, allow a cold engine to run at idle and warm up. As the temperature of the coolant rises, carefully feel the heater and expansion tank hoses. They will get hot. Feel the radiator hoses, particularly the lower hose. They will stay relatively cool to the touch. When the thermostat opens, the radiator hoses will quickly get hot and the radiator fan should cycle on shortly thereafter."

"Replace the torn boot and put new CV joint grease in it"; I'll have to look into this, not sure what I'll have to open to get that (boot/shaft) out

Thank you again for all the help

[heart_crafter]

finally checked some voltages and figured out that it was a at the top of the battery. FUSE WASN'T BLOWN up. It was the connection where fuse goes in, that place was kind of melted.

this is what i did.
1. checked the ac fuse 16 from the in-dash fuse box. all fine.
2. jumped fans using a jump-start battery to see if the fans r ok. all good.
3. checked the fuse again on top of battery. wiggled some wires...
4. checked volts on switch connector they looked better now, so i shorted the fan switch connector again to see if the fans come on. and they did for 2 sec.
5. so now i was confused... wigling wires everywhere, fuse on battery... and volts bumped up again on the switch connector, so i took off the fuse and cleaned it up with sand paper, and tried to clean the connection where fuse goes in as much i could.
6. pluged the fuse back... volts still normal...
7. started the car up, warmed it up... turned the ac on... and voila, fans worked!
8. turned of the ac, reved a lil, made the car a bit hot, and fans came on again (with some probs)

so im getting some progress...
just when fan kicks in, i see water dripping ( about half an ounce)
fans shaking the whole car...
i might of broke something... ( right half-shaft not working)


water drips?
cant figure out yet i hope it is not something in heater core or something )

why fans shaking the whole car?
could be couple reasons...
1. maybe because one of the bigger fan is kinda broke. (peice missing from the side of the fan)
2. the condensor is bent from the middle so i had to put some spacer between the screw connections to the radiator, so the a/c dryer(i think, long thin oilfilter like device to the right of rad) is touching the fan's assembly border. i think fans does not have enough room to move(to tight) and tranfer the vibration to radiator mounts.
3. old fans, wigling very easily

half shalf(i guess)?
while i was warming up the car, i shifted the gears... to get the car get hot.............. arg... and i had emergency breaks on, i heard some cracking noise and then my indash guages started making a beep sound so then i saw the brake light and lowered the emergency breaks.
now the left side axel (whatever runs the tire) does not move anymore, it moves a lil bit if i turn the wheel all the way to the right of left...
n i hear cracking like sound when i switch gear to park now ( remember this car is automatic trans)
i was thinking, maybe when i put the tires back on and lower the car, it might fix it self? maybe something got out of position while standing on those car stands.



melted fuse box

[billymade]

A/C not kicking on because of the melted top fuse box is a common issue; this might help!

http://www.aircondition.com/tech/que...gen-New-Beetle

I had the same issue; I cleaned the fuse contacts with sand paper and sprayed with electrical contact cleaner, blew out with compressed air and bent the contacts to create a better connection. Worked temporarily, A/C kicked on normally again (when depressing the button); until I replaced the fuse box on top of the battery with a new one; so far... haven't had any more problems. Good luck!

[heart_crafter]

thanks.. that is what i kind of did...
see my post above i just updated it...

please read and advise


thank you all

[billymade]

Well, all of this sounds kinda confusing; referring to so many different things! I think these are the issues; you are mentioning:

1. overheating (confirm water pump ok? Pressure test cooling system, for leaking problem (pin point the source of the leaking coolant)? What type of liquid is leaking (coolant, water, trans fluid, oil, brake, power steering fluid, etc?) broken fans contributing to the issue? Has the cooling system been fully filled; eliminating all air pockets with a vacuum coolant filling tool?

2. A/C not working (system physically damaged?)

3. fans damaged (maybe creating a draw; that melted the fuse block? Are some of the blades missing; thus not balanced anymore... causing all the shaking? Do they operate a low/high speeds and are they binding when you turn them?) If the fans are trashed; I would just replace the whole assembly, not too expensive.

http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1...w=1024&bih=749


4. axle shaft leaking from the cv boot (cv's damaged or broken? Once the grease flies out of the CV's; it is just a matter of time, until they self destruct! The CV joint may have come apart, too!)

Overall; when working with cars that have been in a impact accident, it may take awhile to work out the "bugs" and figure out what works or doesn't work. Many times it will take using the car to find out what is broken; as the parts will fully fail, at this point... they could just be damaged.
Let me know if you think the above is the narrowed down problems at the moment... whew!

[heart_crafter]

1. over heating...
- it is not overheating anymore since the fans started working.
- fans just shake alot, might need a new fan assy
- also the ac condensor is kind of bent so i had to space it out from the radiator. that might be contributing to this issue.
- it is definately leaking what ever i put in the cooling system, currently water because i planned to flush the coolant off before using antifreeze (didnt wanted to waste that.) so what happens is that when the temp reaches to kick fans on i see water arround thoes fuel lines. see pic above.

2. ac not working.
- it works since fans started working.

3. damaged fan.
- bigger fan is kind of broke, not missing the fin but a small piece of part that goes arround the fins.
- fan was touching inlet hose of the radiator that might haf caused the melted fuse connection.
- ill try to bend the ac lines back so the fan/radiator/accondesor have more space to move when fans kicks on. ill post pics inthe morning to ask if i can bend one of the ac lines or will it break.

4. axel.
- that pic i have posted here was from the righ half-shalf inner boot. but the issue that came up is in the left half-shalf, not moving much when put in drive.

5. battery
- battery is dead, have been using a battery from different car... and battery light is not turning of in the dash board.

6. cosmetics....



Sent from Doubleshot.

[billymade]

Sounds like all these components having contact; have you had the front pulled and or straightened? I don't see any pics of the damage but if all the things you said were damaged (radiator, fan, radiator mount, fender, hood etc.); I wonder if you need to have everything straightened before replacing all the other things. Sounds like you are a hands on type of guy; you can actually do all of pulling with a come along or a rent or borrow a hydraulic puller from somewhere. Sounds like replacing the fans and top battery fuse box would be a good idea. On the charging issue; I would have the whole charging system checked and or have the battery tested now that its out. Checking the axles; might be easier with the wheels on the car and it in motion; have someone walk beside the car to listen for sounds. You have allot of work ahead of you; just break it down into priorities: fix things step by step... when money and time allows.

[heart_crafter]

I used some home techniques lol... used a jack and hammer.
-for left side; i hadn't had much experience at this point so i used an engine hauler, hammer and someone asked me to use a torch.
-for right side; i had put the jack on the engine mount and pushed out the frame from inside out. also some hammer work. this was much easier(even though i had to take the headlight mounts) and cleaner way.

I just switched from dropbox to my ftp site for the images. So the images on first post are updated now.
Also in there you'll see that a/c line is almost touching the alternator. You think that i can bend that line back without breaking it?

Thanks for reading

[heart_crafter]

Put the tires on...

Lowered the car from jack stands...

Started the car...

Put in drive and car did not move :O! (i had a brick under rear tire lol)

So I'm happy to see both axles are working. (I'll still try to fix the boot on the right inner shaft)

Need a battery; tired for swapping battery from my work car.

Will try to bend the condenser back in it's shape to (maybe) fix the shaking issue.

On firday, i'll help my brother change his rear shocks/springs on his Honda Oddesy. Feel free suggest anything on that! (if anyone following this thread ) - all done in 3 hrs

That's all for now...

[heart_crafter]

... so
i took of the radiator core support again... to fix the vibrating issue.
took off the radiator
put the old radiator back in, screwed 2 of the right screws from the ac condenser to the radiator and inserted a 2 inch wood stud in between radiator and condenser.
Used longer screws on the other side and started tightening up the condenser. Doing this almost perfectly straightened up the ac condenser.
So instead of using 3 nuts and couple washers to hook up the condenser, now I used only 3 washers.

So i put everything back in and left the radiator fan's(big fan) connector of the power. And started the car and A/C. And there wasn't much vibration!

Now i put the other fan on power also... and it vibrates a bit less since radiator and a/c condenser has room to to move. But still vibrates enough, so it needs to be fixed...
main problem is the big fan that is wiggling so much because of a broken piece on the blade. (as billymade suggested that fan might not be balanced)

Now I am thinking if I should order the full Dorman Radiator Fan assembly or just buy 1 fan. (probably the whole assy) and i will aslo try to get a better radiator support mount(that's kind of broken/hard to screw in).


That's it for now...

[heart_crafter]

I am not sure how long it's going to last like this but it saved me $100 for now.
Check out the before and after pics. hehe

Before:


and after cutting, sanding and little bit of cleaning.
36 min later... :


The fan is so smooth now that i don't even hear it spinning lol, I guess it's now lighter also and might help the fuse box to NOT melt any more

Very happy hehe, I almost ordered the fan assy yesterday but then I thought of this idea and I am glad I tried it

So what was the reason for vibration and shaking of the beetle near the radiator?
Radiator cooling fan was unbalanced due to a broken plastic piece on the blade.
And A/C condenser was touching the Radiator Core Support so fan/radiator/ac condenser did not had any space to move and was transferring the vibration to beetle's body.

Fixed it by cutting all the plastic around the blades thus balancing the fan out!
And bent the a/c condenser back in its shape so it has space to move around and stop to vibration at radiator mounts.


That's it for now!

Edit:
Oh ya and the battery light turned off by it self.

Why battery light not turning off after replacing the dead battery?
I think beetle takes couple of days to figure out the battery power then switch the light accordingly.

[heart_crafter]

just bought a colant system presure testing tool...
tested the system and the system is not holding preasure...

i pumped in 18psi... in 15 min it slowly went down to 8psi....
and stopped.

i dint see any colant dripping anywhere when testing... tried twice.
colant just dissapears somewhere... maybe evaporates from tail pipe?... i see no smoke...

maybe there is a combustion leak... i see lil bit of greenish residue(like corrosion on the battery) in front of the block...
maybe i should get some kinda die to see where the leak is coming from...

im putting the bumper and fenders back now...

any suggestions will be appreciated.

thanks

[heart_crafter]

bought used some stuff last week from 2002 beetle 6speed...

2 head lights / with harness
hood(red)
radiator support
big fan/fan assy
winshield water pipe



1 problem
I am not sure how to wire up the new headlights!
My old harness got 3 pins and the one i bought has 4...
anyone got a guide to wire this up?

thanks!

[Rockerchick]

That's because the parts you pulled off are from a Turbo S, which have an extra light in the housing I believe. You should be able to hook them up, but I'm not certain how. Have you been over to newbeetle.org? Lots of good how-to's there and much more active.