03-21-2021, 12:48 PM
This is the thread where I'll share my experiences with this car we got. It's very nearly just like the wife's car: 2008 VW Jetta 2.5 liter engine. Except she has a sunroof, and mine is a manual transmission, no power steering, and she has alloy wheels. But we have a largely coherent fleet of two now.
So far, I know it needs a lower motor mount (mechanics call it the "dog bone" and you'll see why). The one in there now is missing a bolt, but I'm pretty sure it takes replacing the whole thing. Thus, the engine rocks in a cradle and bumps around a little when driving (it's not load bearing, just a stabilizer). I'm pretty sure the alternator is nearly dead, because the battery is almost certainly new and the thing kept dying on the way home, requiring a jump to restart. And it kept getting deader and deader. Once I get a new alternator in it, I'll be in a much better position to see which of those crazy warning lights actually mean anything. Also, the muffler isn't catching the exhaust; it's pretty loud, but that's not fully illegal in Oklahoma.
All I've done so far today is pull the top engine cover and the bottom engine pan. Both of those have to be moved to do much of anything at all. I need to get a couple of special tools, but it's hardly a waste because they'll work on both cars. I promise to shoot pictures of anything that's interesting, but there's nothing yet.
So far, I know it needs a lower motor mount (mechanics call it the "dog bone" and you'll see why). The one in there now is missing a bolt, but I'm pretty sure it takes replacing the whole thing. Thus, the engine rocks in a cradle and bumps around a little when driving (it's not load bearing, just a stabilizer). I'm pretty sure the alternator is nearly dead, because the battery is almost certainly new and the thing kept dying on the way home, requiring a jump to restart. And it kept getting deader and deader. Once I get a new alternator in it, I'll be in a much better position to see which of those crazy warning lights actually mean anything. Also, the muffler isn't catching the exhaust; it's pretty loud, but that's not fully illegal in Oklahoma.
All I've done so far today is pull the top engine cover and the bottom engine pan. Both of those have to be moved to do much of anything at all. I need to get a couple of special tools, but it's hardly a waste because they'll work on both cars. I promise to shoot pictures of anything that's interesting, but there's nothing yet.