Roger Blassberg

Can anyone help with the gearbox/final drive ratios in the following cable change, hydraulic clutch transmissions; CTM (Passat B4 16v) CDA (Golf Mk3 GTi 16v) I assume that, as both use the ABF engine, the CDA will fit my Passat. I have posted a similar enquiry on ukpassats forum, but I know that a huge amount of knowledge resides here too so I am casting my net as widely as possible. Best wishes RB

Thanks. There's a rattle at that end of the engine, so I think that's where it's coming from. I have to do the cover gasket so I might as well do the chain as well. So far 190 000 miles without any engine work apart from belt and tesioner twice, so not bad. But generally dismal electrics, especially window winders and other stuff (B4 Passat). Best wishes RB

Has the short chain between the 2 camshafts on an ABF got a split link, or does one of the camshafts have to come out to change the chain? Best wishes RB

Well, to be quoted as an expert by the Great Pianowire is praise indeed ! You must have a long memory Kev, it's a while since I went through the agony of changing the front knock sensor. From memory the correct torque is 15 pounds feet, 20.4 Newton metres. Undertight and it won't hear the knocking soon enough, overtight and it will be damaged. Best wishes RB

If you have torqued down the camshaft bearing caps 180 degrees out, then you may have damaged the top halves of the white metal bearings by pulling them down eccentrically onto the journals and then attempting to turn the camshafts. I would advise you to inspect the bearings. Our friend Hassan (Fla) will tell you all about what happens when camshaft bearings fail. Best wishes RB

Don't forget the flywheel bolts (10 of them). I believe that they are one-use-only, so need to be replaced. Best wishes RB

You need to have the heater blower switched to "on" as well (i.e. 1,2,3 or 4) Best wishes RB

Yan, it's a simple job which is horribly complicated by having to strip out the interior trim around the suspension top bolts. I did it once before; those springs only lasted 3 years which just goes to show either what a terrible state the roads are in these days, or what total rubbish the quality of the springs was, or both. The front top mounts lasted 13 months, so don't rely on having any easy MOT next year. Best wishes RB

I'll migrate this to the Passat Forum soon, honest.... I have now decided that I like this car so much now that the handling has been transformed, that I will reward it with a, wait for it,...... LEATHER INTERIOR WITH SEAT HEATERS (drum roll, trumpet fanfare). The cloth is looking a bit tatty after 15 years, and has worn right through on the driver's seat side bolster. I have successfully bid on ebay for a complete set in black, for what seems to be a very good price, so this is the the entertainment for the weekend. This improvement has also received full approval from " 'er indoors", who is the primary user and was starting to worry about tearing her clothes on the exposed seat frame. Any potential problems in getting the old seats and door trims out and the new ones in?? And how easy is it to retro-fit the seat heating loom and switches? I might even sort out the electric windows whilst I' m at it. Incidentally, I' m running it on the Speedlines from the laid-up Corrado at the moment, to keep them from flat-spotting, and they look very good indeed on a Passat. But I have come to realise how horribly noisy Bridgestone Potenzas are compared to Uniroyal Rainsports. Best wishes RB

Does disconnecting the Mass Air Flow meter make any difference to your lumpy low speed idle? If not, then this could be the source of your problem. Try a known good one, or at least clean the fine wire inside it with brake cleaner spray. Also clean the contacts with,.... er .....contact cleaner. Best wishes RB

The difficult bit is getting the calliper carrier out of the way. It is held on by two socket-headed screws which are difficult to undo sometimes. (8mm hexagon recess in the head if I remember correctly). Give them a good soaking in PlusGas/WD40 for a day or 2 beforehand, and make sure the recesses are cleaned of rust and dirt. Drive the Allen key fully into the recess with a couple of whacks from a hammer before you attempt to turn them, otherwise you WILL round them out. You'll need to wind the pistons back into the callipers to get the pads over the new discs. If it has been standing around for 7 years there is every likelihood that the callipers are siezed up. (Sorry to be a doom-merchant, but it's best to be prepared for the worst - so that you are happy when it doesn't happen). Do NOT overtighten the central nut holding the bearing to the stub axle - it needs to be little more than finger tight and is held in place with a (new!) split pin And change the brake fluid if it's that old. Best wishes RB RB

Just to finish this on a positive note, it is all back together again; new rear suspension, including springs, dampers, and bumpstops, plus front top mounts. I drove it to work today and the difference,(not surprisingly) is quite dramatic. So much more controlled around curves and no more banging and crashing from the back. If I had had time to do it myself I would have saved some money, but what the hell. At least my fingernails are still clean and unbroken - that is until I get under the bonnet of the Corrado this afternoon to finish the chains/clutch job. Thanks again for the moral support and for the steer to the Passat forum. Best wishers RB

The subtle styling line along the flank of the B3, similar to the Mk 2 Golf, is also more attractive than the plain, slab-sided B4. There is always pressure to change, and sometimes that change is not for the better.. Damn' good cars, very sadly under-estimated in UK but a runaway success in Germany. The only rival here in terms of load carrying was the Vauxhall Carlton/ Omega. And the Ford Scorpio; now THERE was an ugly front in its final version, although the 24V Cosworth 2.9 was a real flyer. Thanks to the CorradoForum for having us Passat People as your guests- actually VR6 Corrados have a lot to thank Passats for in terms of suspension design. Best wishes RB

Trouble is, a loaded-up Passat Estate, incl. family, holiday luggage and roof box, weighs about as much as 2 Mk1 Golfs and has all the aerodynamic qualities of a slab of concrete. But, it has survived 15 years, has done (and still does) sterling service and will be sadly missed if something happens to it. Best wishes RB

Matt, thanks for the directions to the Passat website/forum. What with that, the Corrado and the Jaguar forums, ( VR6 and S Type R), there's hardly any time at all to get some work done....... Yes, the ABF gets going eventually, but is a bit limp-wristed at lower revs, especially in a loaded-up Passat. After 310 thousand km it probably needs a top-end overhaul too. The gear ratios in mine are set up for Autobahn speeds in 4th and 5th, with a HUGE gap down to 3rd. It would bat along at 200kph quite happily when I lived over there. On the other hand, my Corrado has 3-4-5 very close. A friend has a '98 SEAT Ibiza, with the ABF engine and that goes like s**t off a chrome-plated shovel. Best wishes RB

It now transpires that both rear road springs are broken and one damper is leaking, so it's becoming a complete rear suspension replacement. Everything was replaced in February 2006, using good quality (Bilstein) dampers, so I'm really quite pee'd off that it should all fail again so soon. Our roads are a national disgrace and we all seem to be paying for the neglect by the County Councils through increased maintenace costs of our vehicles. One parts supplier I spoke to said that he is selling many, many more suspension parts recently, compared to a few years ago. Best wishes RB

It could also be a leak between the 2 halves of the timing chain cover; it is split at the line of the head gasket and held together there by two vertical bolts with the head gasket between. The bolts can work loose and even fall out and then oil drips down to the engine/gearbox area. It's worth checking that before you start taking off the transmission. Best wishes RB

Again, many thanks for everyone's help. I bought the springs from EuroCar parts yesterday for £40 each incl VAT Incidentally, it's nice to know that so many are keeping these relatively unusual (in UK) cars on the road. In Germany the Passat B3/4 estate (Variant) was enormously popular, and rightly so. I think at one time it was the second highest seller in the German market after the Golf. They are just enormous cars inside and with a roof rack can carry huge amounts of stuff as well as provide for 2 sixfooters sitting one behind the other. Mine has the ABF engine which is almost unheard of this side of the Channel; not an ideal set-up as it has to be rowed along on the gearbox. It now has 310 thousand kM on the clock; the head has never been off and it has had but one replacement clutch. It has the VR6 running gear (suspension, 288mm brakes etc.) so it handles and stops decently, even with a full load. Best wishes RB

Thanks David. The ones I'm getting are marked heavy duty, so should be ok so long as they physically fit onto the strut and the end coils are the correct diameter. Best wishes RB

Sorry about this, but does anyone know about B3 and B4 Passats? I have a 1994 B4 Estate 16V GT LHD supplied in the Fatherland. One of the rear road springs has broken - (if anyone lives in Hertfordshire, you'll know that our roads are now only marginally better maintained than when the Romans came through 2100 years ago). The only ones I can find from the usual suspects (EuroCar Parts) claim to be specified for Passat B3 up to 1993. The B3 and B4 are very closely related - the B4 is sometimes referred to as the facelift model because a lot of the body is only cosmetically different. So the question for anyone who has stayed awake through all this preamble, is this; do the springs from a B3 fit a B4? Best wishes RB

I would hazard a guess that this is our old friend, the ignition switch. Very much cheaper than a crank position sensor, just a complete bar-steward to change. Book a course of treatment with a chiropractor before starting the job...... Get a genuine VAG one, the imitation ones are often total rubbish. Not likely to be the cam position sensor as it will start and run wthout that. Best wishes RB

The only engine in which I ever changed valve guides was a BMC A series (Austin Cooper S). The valve seats needed re-cutting afterwards to centralise them with the guides. Is that necessary with this engine, in which case you will need some special cutters? Best wishes RB

If you renewed the tensioner blade with a new one of the old type, it should last another 100 000 miles. If I were you, I would leave it alone. The all polymer type can be used with the duplex chain - at least I hope it can, I have just put one in !! Are you sure that oil is leaking out of the engine, and not simply a slight spillage from the oil cap when filling the sump? Or maybe a weeping cam cover gasket? Best wishes RB

Also replace the crankshaft oil seal in the lower timing cover and the flywheel bolts (10 of those, pre-treated with thread-lock compound). I also replaced the 6 clutch cover bolts As said before, it is worth doing all the plastic water pipes/housings/seals, and check that the thermostat is functioning correctly. The wiring loom binding will be falling to pieces by now, so make a nice neat job with new tape. Ideally, replace the gasket between the throttle body and the manifold. The head gasket will only need replacing it if it is accidentally damaged whilst the timing covers are off. Take great care to avoid this!! Have a really good look at all the coolant hoses, especially around the clips. Some of them can be a real swine to get at once everything is re-assembled and are so much easier to replace at the dismantled stage. In general refer to the very comprehensive articles in the Knowledge Base - they are still there despite the temporary disruption of the site. Best wishes RB

If you remove one plug lead, you will lose two cylinders because they work in pairs and both ends of the common cicuit have to be earthed to produce a spark. Maybe you have a faulty coil pack. Try swapping it with a known good one before buying a new one though; they are quite expensive although they come up on e-bay regularly. A faulty plug or plug lead lead may also be causing the same symptoms. Be careful pulling off leads with the engine running - the ignition system produces at least 30 000 volts and will make you jump about a bit if you get a shock!! You need a special tool to pull off and replace the leads at the plug end properly without damaging them. Best wishes RB