[GpzGuy]

So last weekend I was struggling with my daughter's new to her 2004 2.8 Passat GLX. She bought it for $500 due to a broken timing belt. Car is in great shape, other than the timing belt and improper coolant causing the heater core to plug.

So anyway, I'm in the process of pulling the heads to replace all the valves and lifters and recondition the heads, just like I did for my other daughter's 2002 last year. The heater core flushed out nicely, and things were going well until...

Couldn't get the damn viscous fan clutch off...my VAG 3212 tool just wasn't giving me enough holding torque, and I actually bent it....the arms bent in the wide direction, not the skinny way if that makes sense...

So I bought a far superior tool than the VAG 3212. It's made by OTC. The 6613 Variable Pin Spanner Wrench made for Toyota cam pulleys. It has several different size pins, (VW needs 5mm pins), is very strong, and most importantly has a square hole on the end for attaching a ratchet or breaker bar. It took me about a minute to get the fan clutch off with this tool.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my success with this tool and that I highly recommend it over the VAG 3212 tool.

Anyway, I'm off to pull the heads, flush the block and radiator with a 50/50 CLR mix, replace all top end gaskets and seals, including the pesky coolant pipe O-rings and Kombi valve gaskets.

Anyone else have any tool recommendations?

Oh yeah, I want to share some advice someone on here gave me last year about pulling the heads on the 2.8. It's much easier leaving the exhaust headers in place on the heads and unbolting the 3 bolts that flange the header to the exhaust pipes and lift the head and exhaust headers in one piece than it is to try and unbolt the headers from the head while they're in the car.

 

[ylwagon]

Anyone else have any tool recommendations?

You will definitely need the cam-lock bar and crank holding pin set, when it comes time to install the new belt and rollers. That should be about it for the 2.8.

 

[CntrlNJPassatGuy]

You are a great dad...Will you adopt me?

You mentioned top end gaskets...How about the cam chain tensioner kit?$170 well spent if it keeps you out of the doing this work again.

 

[Emry]

I learned the value of quality tools hard way. Let me put it this way: I'll never cheap out on tools. It simply pays off for itself.
I used to make a lot of visits to HF but not any more. The British have an old saying: "Buying cheap is actually too expensive to afford".

 

[AndreasPassat]

Oh yeah, I want to share some advice someone on here gave me last year about pulling the heads on the 2.8. It's much easier leaving the exhaust headers in place on the heads and unbolting the 3 bolts that flange the header to the exhaust pipes and lift the head and exhaust headers in one piece than it is to try and unbolt the headers from the head while they're in the car.

If I don't take out the motor, this is the best way to remove the heads. Trying to get the exhaust manifold(S) undone while in the car is absolute lunacy.
Remove the (3) nuts on each side of the exhaust manifold to down pipe is by far the easiest way. Deal with the exhaust manifolds when the heads are off the engine.

 

[Hirnbeiss]

Good tip on the tool - those fan clutch nuts can get pretty stuck. I had to use pipe extensions to get enough leverage when I did mine, but I think I used some angled pliers (not recommended - chews up the holes a bit) instead of the pin wrench.

 

[GpzGuy]

Anyone else have any tool recommendations?

You will definitely need the cam-lock bar and crank holding pin set, when it comes time to install the new belt and rollers. That should be about it for the 2.8.

I have those. Along with the CCT compression tool.

 

[GpzGuy]

You are a great dad...Will you adopt me?

You mentioned top end gaskets...How about the cam chain tensioner kit?$170 well spent if it keeps you out of the doing this work again.

CntrlNJPassatGuy, what exactly do you mean by CCT kit for $170? My plan is to replace the CCT plastic shoes, clean then up and bench test them. It's been my experience that as long as the CCT pistons don't bind up in the bore, aren't scored or excessively worn, the spring works, and bench testing the solenoid it's OK, then they should be fine. So are you talking about replacing the CCTs for only $170? Do you have a link? That seems really cheap.

 

[GpzGuy]

Good tip on the tool - those fan clutch nuts can get pretty stuck. I had to use pipe extensions to get enough leverage when I did mine, but I think I used some angled pliers (not recommended - chews up the holes a bit) instead of the pin wrench.

Before I found the OTC pin spanner I also tried some long angle pliers. It was a devil of a time trying to thread the jaw tips into the holes on the pulley, between the pulley and the fan blades, it really wasn't secure and it still didn't give me enough holding torque and started to bend the pliers too. That viscous clutch was really torqued down on there.

Two more shots of the OTC tool. Note how stout it is, the variety of pin sizes, and that you can tighten the pivot nut to hold the spanner open at the exact distance you need. The second pic shows the square hole in the end for attaching a breaker bar.

 

[GpzGuy]

You are a great dad...Will you adopt me?

Funny and long back story: Last year and a half ago we bought a non-running 2002 Fresco Green Metallic GLX with black leather interior for our 16 year old daughter. My oldest daughter, now 21, was given my old Mercedes when she turned 18. It is a '91 300E with over 180K miles. While it runs and did drive well, it was by far my LEAST favorite car to work on...and it's 28 years old. So a few weeks ago, the Mercedes stranded both of our daughters in downtown Portland after a concert. We had to rent a car trailer and go get them, a 4 hour drive away. I discovered that the B2 brake band on the transmission is worn, and the longer pin I need to fix it is on a "3 to 5" WEEK backorder from Germany. It's the dogbone pin between the B2 piston and brake band. That transmission is a bear, and it was also used in the Porsche 928, and Porsche doesn't have the part available either.

So my oldest daughter is living on her own, going to school and working, so naturally money is tight for her. So I finally convinced her that we need to get her into something newer and more reliable, and that wasn't easy because for some reason she is really sentimentally attached to the Mercedes. So I let her drive the 2002 Passat, and she really liked it.
So then I found her the 2004 Passat GLX, broken timing belt, identical failure to the 2002 Passat I just fixed last year. I negotiated it down to $500, and we're trying to keep the parts budget under $500, which I'm pretty close to now, not counting filters and fluids.

Here's the funny thing: the 2004 is also Fresco Green Metallic with black leather interior. Neither daughter likes the color, but I tell them it's the color of money.

 

[CntrlNJPassatGuy]

Meant the cam chain/valve cover set like this...https://www.blauparts.com/vw-passat-valve-cover-gaskets-kit-cam-chain-tensioner-28l-aft.html

Sounds to me like you've got that covered.

 

[John_E]

Over the years I have bought several tools to help with car repairs, and I have been reminded of the adage, "There is no such thing as a cheap tool -- you either pay for the tool or pay in broken parts, frustration, and scraped knuckles."

My latest acquisition is the $50 Schwaben 3-piece set of pry bars / cam seal extractor levers. It has already come in handy about 3 or 4 times on various hose removals and other extractions.