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The "Official" DIY/FAQ MkIII Post

936K views 489 replies 349 participants last post by  KelvinQ 
#1 ·
By popular request here it is.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please **ONLY** post the information you have and **NOT** debate it within the thread. If you do I'll delete the posts in order to save the thread.
If you have a question about something in the FAQ please post in the forums and DO NOT post it in the FAQ or it will be deleted.
Please make sure the "Append signature to this post" box is NOT checked before posting.
----------------FYI Basics on car stuff Facts etc---------------------------
Tire Size Calculator
everyone wants to know about Octane Boosters!
Do you havea DE?
Drivers editions were made in 1997 only info
Vortex mythHeaders and exhaust systems 2.5" diameter and larger are NOT too big for properly tuned 2.0L 8v motors and do NOT take away your torque.
What's the difference between OBDI & OBDII
Do I have OBDI or OBDII?
Suspension TuningLiink
Another great MkIII/A3 resource Link
The Hidden TachLink
MKIII Display diagnostics how to...Link
Link
the differences in all models/trims/editions of jettasLinkLinkLinkLink
----------------Lighting and external electrics-----------------
The easiest way to remove DRL's (Daytime Running Lights)
*another way to eliminate DRLs (daytime running lights)
*Another way to disable DRLs
*The easiest way to disconnet the day time running lights
Enabling Rear Fog Light on US-Spec Mk3 Golf
Cheap tail light tinting or smoking
PIAA Ion Crystal and MaxGold bulbs are good yellow bulbs for fogs and headlights
Air Condition Light
European Headlights - est. time to complete: 3:00 hrs
wiring up MK4 look or e-codes
The best instructions for a installing the rear foglight on a golf:
How to add a jumper / bridge to enable high / low beams with fogs:Link
How to enable the rear fog light on a Jetta.Link
Bulb Types for Dual-Chambered Lights and FogsLink
Bulb Types for other headlamps/lightsLink
----------------Interior related how to's and modifications------------
mk4 cabrio (99+) guage cluster swap
My steering wheel is making a scratchy or gritty noise when I turn the wheel...what's going on?
Mk3 Cigarette Lighter fix
Programming Keyless Entry Remotes
How to fix your door-lock if you turn it and nothing happens, or it comes out...
FYI for Cutting/Shortening shifter
How to's on switchblade keys
removing door panels
2.0 Push-Button Start howto: (might be same on vr6)
Installing TT pedalsLink
How to install a Euro switchLink
One-Touch Sunroof Open (Back only, not up)LInkLink
How to take out the needles on the instrument clusterLinkLink
What Is The Thread Size for the Shifter On a 2.0?Link
Trunk Light for OBDI Cars Link
Trunk LightLink
Retrofit GloveboxLink
Remote Keyless EntryLink
MKIV Knob/Boot in a MKIII Link
----------------Brakes and Suspension------------------------------------
explanation of a Suspension Install
Mk3 VR6 spring and shock combos will fit 2.0L cars if you use the VR6 strut bearings and bushings
98+ Jettas have different front brakes
Canadian GTI Rear Strut Bar Polish modLink

----------------Bodywork, Painting, exteriors, wheels----------------
left hand door handles will work on the right of your car
how to take off your golf/gti rear glass spoiler
Fixing Your Non-clip-on Door Moldings
Debadging
Removing Factory Sideskirts (all models except Cabrio)
easiest, cheapest hood struts
Ghetto HoodliftsLink
another faded doorhandle solution
"Where do I get spacers/adapters to go from 4x100 to 5x100"
European bumpers – est. time to complete: 2:00-3:00 hrs (depending on how you choose to install rear rebar)
How to Polish ALL Aluminums..Link
My How-To for DIY Painted Door Handles Link
Fixing Your Non-clip-on Door MoldingsLink
(93-95) How to delete your passenger side keyholeLink
Blackend VW EmblemLink
How to add a Blue and White emblem to the back.Link
Painting parts of your engine bay.Link
How to clean wax and stuff off textured plastic.Link
"Help" on installing Euro VR6 Lip Link
Swapping in the rear Euro license plate frame/tub:Link
Installing the Bonrath Mono-wiper:Link
CL style plugged rear wiper for mk3 golf's and gti'sLink
VW accessory lower grille coversLink
Fuba InstallLink
How to paint your 2.0 inatake manifoldLink
SEAT Toledo Lip Spoiler InstallLink
----------------=Engine and Exhaust=------------------------------------------------
Performance:
GIAC (Garrett) chips is one of the best performing chips out there, dyno proven:
to swiss cheese your air box
CatBack Exhaust
VR6 Throttle body coolant line bypass,
Various manufacturers camshaft specs for 2.0L 8v motors:
Can I see an ABD Big-Bore Intake / or is it worth it?
What headers are available for the Mk3 2.0L 8v?
Modifying the air box for better performance as well as the real story about the Air Temperture Control system Link
Another Airbox Mod
Link
Maintenance or how-to:
Changing Spark Plugs on a 2.0
Timing Belt on a 2.0
Serpentine belt, Brake pads, Tinting Lights, Exhaust Install
Easy VR6 Upper Intake Manifold RemovalLink

--------------------=Transmission & Clutch=-----------------------------------------
How Do I Install my Short Shift Kit?Link
What Is The Thread Size for the Shifter On a 2.0?Link
---------------=Other & Maintenance=------------------------------------------------
changing fuel filter
How Do I Hook-Up an Air Fuel Gauge?Link
How Do I Hook-Up an Oil Pressure Gauge?Link
Where Are the Intake Heatshield Instructions?Link
How to make a heat shield:Link
-----------------=European Mods or other----------------------------------------------
European Radiator Support - est. time to complete: 4:00 hrs
European bumpers – est. time to complete: 2:00-3:00 hrs (depending on how you choose to install rear rebar)
European Headlights - est. time to complete: 3:00 hrs
Enabling Rear Fog Light on US-Spec Mk3 Golf
How to install a Euro switchLink
Swapping in the rear Euro license plate frame/tub:Link
end of page
Link
Link
Link
Link

Have fun.

Modified by abtvento at 1:13 PM 11-19-2004

Modified by jhayesvw at 6:36 AM 10-17-2006
 
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1
#278 ·
Airbag/steering wheel removal.

Proper removal of steering wheel and airbag.
sorry if it'd been posted.
Quote, originally posted by Bentley »

1. Disconnect negative battery cable.
2. Center steering wheel in straight-ahead position.
3. Remove both socket head screws from rear of steering wheel.
4. Carefully remove airbag unit from steering wheel and disconnect harness connector from rear of unit.
5. Remove trim below steering column switch. Disconnect wiring harness connector (remove foam sleeve from connector if fitted).
6. Remove hex nut in center of steering wheel. Make matching marks on steering wheel and steering column. Pull steering wheel off steering column.
CAUTION-
-The airbag spiral spring on the rear of the steering wheel must be "locked" in its centered position. To do this, hold the wheel in the normally installed position. The with wire on the spiral spring facing downward, turn the connecting ring just until the spiral spring locks in position.

7. Reinstall steering wheel in reverse order of removal. Use new self-locking bolts to mount airbag to steering wheel. When installing trim, ensure that airbag harness connector sits in recess in trim.
8. After installing airbag unit and reconnecting airbag electrical connectors, switch ignition on, then reconnect negative battery cable.
WARNING-
-DO NOT reconnect the battery cable until airbag and steering wheel installation is complete, including reconnection of harness connectors.
-the ignition switch must be turned on BEFORE reconnectiing the battery cable.

 
#279 ·
Re: The "Official" DIY/FAQ MkIII Post (Grandma Higgins)

hello all...here you go, all of mine broke the same way so i figure most of yours did too...
first you want to take off the door panel. first i removing the speaker


and then unsrewing the door lock pin

and then you unscrew all of the torx screws on the sides and bottom of the door. and then you pry off the top half of the handle

so that you can get to the two screw holding the door panel to the door

after everythings unscrewed take off the panel being careful not to snap the door pull. and you should have this.

you then take off the speaker bracket thats screwed into the door and then peel the vapor off from the outside of the door to the inside draping it near the door jamb

you then loosen the bolts on the window clamp and then pull the window up all the way...it should stay barring noone vibrates the car alot

with that done your now ready to loosen the regulator bolts and pull it out of the door



and now to the culpritt.....you can pull the window clamp off the track and look where its broke now. at the top of the picture youll see a small recessed plastic square. at the top of this, there is a plastic quide that guides the cable that is broken off which in return allows the metal piece on the wire to pull out of the recess leaving your window broke due to nothing supporting the clamp.


to fix this is very ghetto but it works. youll need a somewhat strong wire tie and a wire butt connector(pretty thick)...see what i mean ghetto...very thick butt...
... heres what you do. you first thread the wire tie under the cable on the track right above the metal piece thats attached to the wire. and thenbring both ends of the tie through the clamp as you set it back on the track

you then place the butt connector over the whole to bridge the gap and the pull the wire tie as tight as you can


in the process of doing this youll see whats happening...your basically making a wire guide so that the clamp will stay attached to the track.
after doing this, replace everything and your window should work again. just make sure that when you clamp the window back on give it a few test runs to make sure the window is straight and not struggling on the way up. i hope this helps and i hope i can save alot of people from forking over the benjamin at the dealership

if theres any questions im me

Modified by smokedvdub at 8:30 PM 12-30-2004
 
#281 ·
Broken Upper Glove Box handle DIY - because it will always break.

Okay, I know everyone that has an upper glove box, no matter if the early vento version or the regular version, has had the handle break, rendering this great space in an otherwise space-conservative car useless. And if it hasn't broke yet it will very soon...trust me. The problem is in the design of the manual accuator inside the handle. It is a bannana-looking piece of plastic that is part of the right side hinge. The hinges for the handle are extremely thin and weak, so all that pressure on the one side will only last for so many openings until it cracks apart. Buying a new handle is pointless because the problem is in the design, thus a new one will eventually do the exact same thing. All you need to do is beef-up the original to fix it and have it never bother you again. I did this with a little help (materials wise) from some friends that work at a body shop, but I did all the work and it was fairly simple as long as you have a steady drilling hand.
Let us begin.
To start you have to remove the handle. Open the glove box and take out the two left-most screws and the handle should shimmy out easily.

Keep the screws in the glove box for safe keeping.
By this time you will see how the hinge/latch is broken at the thin parts of the plastic. If it has completely fallen off it is okay; if it is hanging by a thread make sure to keep it that way, it will be much easier to apply the adhesive if it is not all the way off yet.
To get the handle out you have to remove the metal dowel on which it swings. It comes out to the right, so use something to push it out from the left. Pull that out and don't lose it.
Now for fun part. I used a product called Speed Grip. This is like plastic welding or using bondo or using epoxy. I would reccomend Speed Grip because the stuff is like plastic concrete, but if you can't get it then use any plastic bonding hardener that is strong enough to drill through and sand.
When applying your bond of choice the most important part is making sure the latch is in the right position because you only have one shot at this part. Once you have it in the right spot goo away, be very liberal with your bond - fill the hollow of the latch, fill above it, fill below it, fill in the hole where the dowel goes, make it look like a terrible mess of goo all around the latch.
Make it look like this or more if you like.


Okay, let that set-up for a while. Depending on the bond you chose this could take a few hours or maybe overnight.
Once dry and fully hardened you need a drill and some sandpaper, something rough (between 50-100) is fine, it doesn't have to look pretty because will never see sunlight again.
Sand down the excess bond until it you have a block of bond around the hinge and latch.
Grab your drill bits and grab the metal dowel for the hinge pivot and find the one that is exactly the same size (I forget exactly what size it was, but matching the dowel to the bit isn't rocket science). Always go smaller at first if you are hesitant about drilling. When you drill your new hinge hole you should have some kind of leveling device and a table clamp or workstand clamp, it is of utmost importance that your new hole is level and straight with the left hinge.
Drill the hole. This is what it should look like after this step:

That is pretty much it other than fine tuning the sanding and test fitting and putting it back in the car. You will probably have to sand a little and see if it fits right and then sand some more, you want to keep it as beefy as possible while still being able to fit and swivel inside the housing. Here is another picture explaining this aspect.

Well, that is it. After this the handle should be good for the life of your car and you can use that precious space again.
If I left anything out when you did this let me know, I am not the best at explaining mechanical things.
-Dave
 
#282 ·
I've always wanted fogs on a car of my own, but I didnt want to go the cheap Wal-Mart route. So I managed to suck up a couple bucks and do it the right way. Thanks to Parts4VWs.com, Martin, Wes, Juan and all the helpful vortexers out there that made this possible.
First off, You're gonna need the essentials.. The fogs themselves (duh), lenses, screws, a good understanding of what you need to do,
A headlight switch capable of the foglight ability

A 30amp automotive relay ($6.75 at Radio Shack)

and..
The foglight wiring harness (that comes with instructions!)

To prevent any hair pulling, take the 30amp automotive fuse and locate your fuse box, and remove the cover with the 2 screws on each side:

Now find the empty spot with a "10" marked on it. This is where that 30amp fuse goes, simply line up the prongs to the holes on the board and it should pop right in.



Then, do what the wiring harness instructions.. and that's to take off the black tray that sits under the hood with the 3 bolts that hold it down.

Under it, you'll see a big connector

Twist and pull this sucker apart, then read more instructions on the wiring harness.. Says to locate the female side (receiving end of wires) and locate a GRAY with a YELLOW pinstripe.

Now on the male side, locate it and take a strong WD40 straw and start pushing it through from the pin's side.


After that damn green thing is out.. Feed the gray wire on the wiring harness through the hold to fit in with the other pins there.


After that is done, line all the pins back together and connect and push together while twising. It should close back all the way (this took many trial and error runs before I got it)

Safely run the wires down the wires where the big connector sat, there should be wire clips where you can interlace these new wires to keep them safe from the belts and coolant lines.


I put the fogs in without the lenses as a test run to make sure they worked (always a good idea in case they dont)

Keep in mind, if the fogs are switched places, they will not turn on! That already happened to me and I'm glad I figured it out.
Now turn on the foglights via Turn & Pull out and you should get the little green light


Now piece everything back together. Clamp the fog lenses on the fog lights with the torx screwdriver and secure it to the frame with the holes provided.
Finished:

MMmm

Some vanity shots (Car is dirty.. damn that pollen!!)


Enjoy!
 
#283 ·
Re: Push-Button Start (Alternative)

Needs:
2 X equal lengths of 10G wire;
1 X heavy-duty push-button switch;
1 x length wire shroud
2 X female spade terminals
1 X 30A in-line fuse-holder + fuse
1 X cable-tie
How to:
1. Disconnect + terminal on battery;
2. Disconnect + terminal on solenoid and use cable-tie to secure;

3. Remove drip tray cover (battery side);
4. Remove grommet (against bulkhead) and punch hole into rubber centre;
5. Feed new wires through grommet;
6. Feed same wire into the cabin through grommet's hole;
7. Remove cigarette lighter housing (including bulb) from green housing and install push-button switch;

8. Route new wires into engine bay and shroud;
9. Fit in-line fuse to battery end of new wire;
10. Fit a terminal connector to ends of each wire;
11. Connect wires inside the cabin to push-button switch and replace panel;
12. Replace drip-tray cover;

13. Connect new wire (without fuse-holder) to solenoid;

14. Connect wire with in-line fuse to battery.
 
#285 ·
Re: (SnubbedMK3)

How to disassemble BBS RXII wheels
Since I've recieved numerous questions about taking apart and assembling RXII wheels I though I better write a how to since getting the proper tq settings are not easily attainable. Sorry I didn't take any pictures, but the steps should be easy enough to understand
Step 1. You will need to pick up a 8mm triple square. Snap-on carries these as well as most autoparts stores. Sears/lowes/home depot does not.
Step 2. Evenly remove all the bolts. Loosen the bolts in a star pattern. Don't take a bolt out one at a time. Since the wheels need to balance, minimizing the warping is key.
Step 3. Seperate the 2 pieces. It may require a bit of force to separate the 2 sections. I had one person hold the barrel and another tug on the centers.
That is it for the disassembly. While they are apart I would suggest stripping the clear coat so it won't fail.
Now to reassemble.
Step 1. Use a tap/die to clean the threads on the barrel/bolts. The leftover thread lock can bind the bolts. Then when you try to remove the bolt, it will strip the threads.
Step 2. Place the centers back. Put thread lock on the bolts and start the bolts by hand, bringing them down evenly.
Step 3. Torque the bolts down to 18 ft/lbs. (TQ specs from BBS of America) Bring the tq up slowely. Start at 5 lbs, then 10, then 18. ALWAYS use a star pattern to make sure that the center is correctly mounted.
Stand back and enjoy the final product.
 
#286 ·
Heated seat heater replacement and replacement of seat padding

Here is how I replaced the foam and the seat heater harness on my 98 Jetta GLS. I was tired of having a part not work and even more tired of sitting off to the side at an angle for the past two and a half years. Here we go:
Disconnect the battery if you have side airbags. This may be optional seeing that you can unplug the bag under the seat anyway. But it’s probably a good idea anyway. What I’m using here is a highly specialized tool only available direct from Germany. Errr…no. It’s a piece of wire used to drain the battery of any remaining charge. Just touch it to both terminals.

Now go into the car. Remove this nut. It’s a 5mm allen key and a 10mm wrench.

This is what is under the seat. I had already taken the heater harness out a few days ago, but put it back just to show what it looked like in there. The red connector is the seatbelt chime, the yellow 2-pin connector to the right of the red one is the airbag, I think, and I’m not sure what the small yellow connector is, but unplug it anyway. The third picture in this series is with the harness in place. To the left of the seat adjuster rail is where the relay would plug in. To the right and down of the red and yellow connectors is the harness plug that goes to the seat. The plug to the right of that one goes to the switch in the dash.




Here’s the seat. Go ahead and raise the height. It might help later. Loosen the screw in front of the trim piece and the screw in the height adjuster handle. Also pop off the backrest angle knob. What I didn’t take a picture of was the pushpin setup for removing the side cover. There are two pins that you must push all the way through with a narrow screwdriver or similar object. Watch for them and catch them as they fall out. Then the trim piece just pops right off. Then remove the spring clip and the Torx bolt. Then do all this on the other side. There is a latch for the bushing under the Torx bolt. Pull back the bottom of it and the backrest will come off.

The console side.

Now to remove the cover. There are two pins in the back corners that anchor a sort of wire that stretches the cover on its frame. Unhook those. The cover is also hooked on the sides in two places using just a hook on the frame. It helps to stretch the cover and then pull it over the hooks. Then just work your way around the frame, pulling the cover up over the foam. You don’t have to completely remove the cover, but it is attached to the top of the foam with two long wires that are hooked at both ends—these are a real pain. Don’t rip the heater wires!

and after that…..

Cover’s off! Now the heating pad is glued down to the foam, so peel it off carefully.
And this is why I was sitting sideways….

You will have to notch the back of the foam to make room for the cable. The new foam is on the bottom.

Yeah that brown line is a burn mark. Nothing a little fiberglass can’t fix. And don’t bother with the duct tape…it doesn’t stick to the frame.

Here’s the new foam on the frame with the wire pad attached. I used a bit of spray adhesive to stick the edges and corners down.

Now pull the cover over it all and fasten it to the frame. It just kinda tucks up underneath the frame. And there are those two fabric hooks on the sides to help you. The picture below is of one of the two ends of the wire. I couldn’t stretch those all the way back to the holes they came out of, so I attached them to the frame instead.

Once you have the cover on, assembly is the exact opposite of disassembly. Just make sure you don’t pinch any wires. Stretch the side flaps of fabric over the studs, then the bushings, and snap the backrest on. The marked hole on that black piece goes over the marked stud. On the outside side (non-console), you want to put the big trim piece in place before moving the black piece into place.

Put on the small side covers with the pushpins, pop on the handles and you’re done. Oh yeah…here’s a bad picture of the passenger side heater harness in place on the drivers’ side.

On the far left is the relay. Then you see the airbag (yellow 2-pin), door chime (red), mystery yellow one (above the red one), heater harness connector to dash switch (black 6-pin), harness connector to heating element (far right).
Any questions, comments, corrections or whatnot, feel free to ask or PM.


Modified by Bariman82 at 10:15 PM 1-19-2005


Modified by Bariman82 at 12:15 AM 10-13-2006
 
#287 ·
RADIO pinout !


Multi-pin connector II, T8g, 8-pin, brown
1 - Right rear speaker (+)
2 - Right rear speaker (-)
3 - Right front speaker (+)
4 - Right front speaker (-)
5 - Left front speaker (+)
6 - Left front speaker (-)
7 - Left rear speaker (+)
8 - Left rear speaker (-)
Multi-pin connector III, T8, 8-pin, black
1 - Alarm system connection, to alarm system control module -J284-
2 - Open
3 - Open
4 - Ignition key on/off connection (from ignition/starter switch (D), terminal SU)
5 - Switched positive voltage (B+) for amplified roof antenna (GTI and Jetta GLX only)
6 - Radio illumination, terminal 58b
7 - Battery positive voltage (B+), terminal 30 (from fuse -S22-)
8 - Ground (GND), terminal 31



Modified by Sh0cker at 11:42 PM 2-12-2005
 
#288 ·
Re: RADIO pinout ! (Sh0cker)

TWO IMPORTANT NOTES TO ANYONE DOING SPARK PLUGS!
1.) Use some compressed air to clean out the grooves underneath the plug hole before removing plugs. When you are reinstalling the plugs if you touch the tip in this crap it will stick to the plug.
2.) DO NOT put anti seize compound on the threads. I know alot of people say to do this but the plug grounds out through the connection that the threads make. If there is anything between this connection it causes resistance. My reccomendation is putting bosch platnum 4's in, they will last longer then the car.
Have fun. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
 
#289 ·
Re: Complete Dash Light Color Change (1bad16V)

what you need:
- 7/16 open end wrench or an allen wrech
first thing: remove the screw that keeps the seat from sliding out, this is done using the open end wrench or the allen wrench.



next remove the plastic pieces behind the track


after that is done pull the handle and slide the seat all the way back and pull it up. the seats should slide off.
before you slide it all the way off make sure you disconect the heated seats and seatbelt warning wires.

 
#290 ·
Re: MKIV Knob/Boot in a MKIII (DubberFromCT)

For the Actual Mannie - remember - you CAN put it in an oven at 350 for about 10 minutes. Make sure you let it cool naturally - i.e. - let it sit in the oven for a while with the door cracked. Beleive it or not - this will harden the paint and "bake it" onto the metal. I reccomend doing this BEFORE the clearcoat. sometimes, the clearcoat will heat up too fast and burn. High temp paint can handle it, and if something is going to go wrong (i.e. missed gunk) you want it to happen Before it get's re-assembaled.
This is an Old Trick I used to use as a fabricator. You still need plenty of time for the clearcoat to dry - but you know you wont chip the paint afterwards.....
 
#292 ·
Re: Setting Readiness ABA or AAA engines (slammedvwgolf)

straight from the bentley
Note: engine must not be switched off during the test sequence.
interuptions will require a restart of sequence.
1. switch ignition on for approximately 30 seconds but do not start engine.
2. start engine and let run at idle
3. increase engine speed to 3000-3500 RPM for 90 seconds to heat up the three way Catalytic Converter (twc)
4. with the vehicle stationary, run the engine at idle for 40 seconds.
5. test drive for a minimum of 13 minutes
manual trans -3rd gear
auto- range 3
test drive must be carried out without interruption, which means steady pressure on the throttle so that deceleration fuel shutoff is not activated nor is the throttle allowed back to the idle position.
6. allow the engine to run at idle for a minimum of 13 minutes
7. after completion of the test sequience, reconnect to the scan too and observe display.
repeat if still not set.

damn that was lots of typing.
 
#294 ·
Re: (mrkil)

My buddy fixed my cruise control today..
Thanks aaron..
Funny thing to becuase it worked up until my tranny went..
After it never did. But when i was wiring in my amp last week i noticed when i took the dash bottom apart this white plug fell to the floor. i thought not much of it but we got the bentley today and followed the steps the stalk worked and such but after taking the brake button out for the cruise i noticed the white plug on the end.
Voiala! the clutch one was missing so the cruise didnt activate
popped it back in and works haha..
very very simple fix.. bentley didnt even mention it too.
For all you who have dead cruise.. check tha
 
#295 ·
Discription of the MFA -- Multi-Function Indicator

Straight from the owners maual:
The MFA or multi-function Indicator generates the following useful information:
-Clock time
-Driving time
1 - single trip memory
2 - total trip
-Average fuel consumption
1 - current trip
2 - all combined single trips
-distance driven
1 - current tip
2 - combined trips
-average speed
1 - single trip average speed
2 - all combined single trips
-engine oil temp
-ambient outside temp
 
#297 ·
hey if anybody has an idea if the belt driven fan on a 95 vr6 is useful for cooling or is it just for the condensor my electric fan is the only one that works right now will my car overheat my temp gauge doesnt work either so i have no idea how hot its getting.......dont want to do another head gasket on it..... rough job
 
#299 ·
Re: The "Official" DIY/FAQ MkIII Post (David@vwvortex)

HOW TO REMOVE YOUR LCA'S FOR YOUR VR6!! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
Well, Thadose and I decided to replace my bushings in my lower control arms the other day, which seems like a relatively easy job. Would have been probably if it wasn't for the VR6 engine sitting in the way! So I thought I would post this just so others might not have the same problem. I haven't looked around really to see if anybody else had posted this, but when we were doing it, the internet wasn't working so we had to figure it out ourselves.
When you try to take off the LCA on the passenger side, the last big horizontal bolt won't come out, it comes about half way and then hits the oil pan. We were thinking about removing the oil pan, even went to get a plastic pan so I could empty my oil into it and went to get a gasket, but we decided to try and lift the motor instead. This turned out to be a much better approach. Once you remove the intake and piping, you can get to the back mount and then the rest are relatively easy. Just jack the motor up enough and voila. Much easier to do it this way. Just thought I would put that out there in case anybody else runs into the same problem. Good luck!
 
#301 ·
Center Console Lid Locked? THE FIX

Center Console Lid Locked? THE FIX
I accidently closed the lid on my center e-brake console unit in my MKIII Jetta.
I didn't have that key as I swapped my tan console out for a black one. No key.
If you get a long and skinny flathead screwdriver until the right (lock) side of the lid, you can carefully pop the lid latch out of the locking groove.
You may crack some of the plastic under the lid, but superglue can fix that. No one can really see that it is cracked anyway.
Grab a hacksaw file and carefully file off the locking latch in the console. Won't lock anymore.
And besides, who are we kidding. Any screwdriver or sizeable knife blade can pop that lock anyway.
This way you'll know you can get to your garage door opener or the rear trunk button without too much trouble.
 
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