List Your Homemade VW Specialty Tools Here!!!!!!!!

Technical questions and answers concerning all models of VW diesel vehicles.

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Brit101
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List Your Homemade VW Specialty Tools Here!!!!!!!!

Post by Brit101 »

Everyone if you enjoy maintaining your VW, and have a homemade tool that does the trick without purchasing a Zelenda or other highly priced tool here is the place to post it.

jetta90 has a neat trans. filler plug removal tool he has agreed to share with us, checked with him back channel.

"C" clamp removal tool. Zelenda wants $64.00 for three pieces of flat steel. What was that saying Barnum said?

Here is a tip for the same function tool, no need for the tabs, a bolt or flat steel will do, of the correct length, instructions of use listed.

http://www.nwlink.com/~vdb/vw/Other/Tools

Camshaft locking tools, pump locking tools etc post it here.

Thank you in advance for sharing!

Cheers,

Brit101
Static

Injection pump locking tool

Post by Static »

A Craftsman (Sears) 1/4" drive, 11 mm, deep-well socket is exactly the right size to precisly fit in the hole in the sprocket and the hole in the pump mount. And some people say there is no God.
Brit101
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Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 5:49 pm
Location: Outside Montreal, Qc

Post by Brit101 »

GregA wrote: I've been working on Volkswagens for years. I've been cussing and bitchin' about those stupid c-clamps for twenty years since the first one appeared on my new Rabbit GTi in 1984 (as I promptly removed the whole damn thing to install a Brospeed.)

I've tried the official factory tool (I used to work at a dealership.) I've tried the unofficial factory tool (the plate you jamb in there.) I've tried the Mac tool, the Snap-On tool and the Craftsman tool. I've even tried the tool hanging in a blister pack in my local NAPA store. Each and every time I've ended up with scratched arms and neighbors that won't come around for a week or so.

NONE - and I mean NONE! - of those tools worked nearly as well and nearly as quickly as the $1.16 (incl tax) 2" exhaust clamp that I bought today. NONE! This was so fricken easy that I removed it and re-did it because I couldn't believe it was on there correctly! I CANNOT believe how easy this worked!

Couple that to my desire for elegant simplicity, and I think I had a ZEN moment about 15 minutes ago.
Brit101
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Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 5:49 pm
Location: Outside Montreal, Qc

Post by Brit101 »

eddy wrote:I need to add fluid to my tranny and don't have a socket to pull out the plug on the tranny. What kind of wrench or should I say socket to pull that plug. 1981 caddie Oh and what year and make vw's are compatible with the front half of that truck? thanks eddy
jetta90 wrote:you don't need to buy any tools - find yourself a bolt with a 17 mm head
(a standard size bolt will do as well), take 2 nuts and tighten them against each other on the threaded portion. Place the bold head in the allen head of your drain /fill plug and use a wrench on the 2 nuts. Alternately you could use a longer version of the same bolt mentioned above and bend it in the shape of an " L " . The end with the 17 mm head goes into the drain/fill plug and use the other length to push or pull.
Hope this makes sense - works well and is nice and cheap the way i like it.
Brit101
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Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 5:49 pm
Location: Outside Montreal, Qc

Post by Brit101 »

jetta90 later contacted me back channel that you can also use a wheel bolt.

And Vise-Grips?

Wish I had known of this before I bought the socket from J.C. Whitney.
AndrewS
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Location: N.E. PA

Post by AndrewS »

I changed the front wheel bearings on the '86 Jetta that I had using some cast iron pipe fittings and flanges along with some large nuts, bolts and washers (about $20 from Home Depot.) That eliminated the need for the $400 tool that is specified for the job. I used various combinations of them to press the old bearing out of the housing and press the new one in. Still, it is a job that I do not look forward to performing again...

Andrew S.
'91 Jetta Diesel
'81 MB 300SD (sold)
'60 Beetle
'94 Honda Accord
'90 Ford Ranger (sold)
Guest

Post by Guest »

a wide chisel with the nose ground down works great for holding the cam rock solid.

i am also working on a hydraulicly operated injection pump timing adjuster, to asjust injection pump timing on the fly (while driving) through the use of a level mounted by the ebrake. it works by using a timing belt thats too long, and extra pulleys which are pulled or losend to gain more or less belt in certain areas.
Keoma Paul
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Post by Keoma Paul »

When reinstalling a head, use the old head bolts for guides (stretch type can't be reused anyway). Cut the head off the bolt, cut a slot in the top of it. Screw it in, install head, use a slotted screwdriver to turn the bolt out. I don't know if this is common knowledge or not, but it was new to me.
jimcorliss
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Contact:

belt tensioner

Post by jimcorliss »

The two holes on the idler belt tensioner want a special tool....

I found two galvanized nails that fit snugly into the holes with a light hammer tap... then I use the flat side of a wrench or a screwdriver blade between the nails and up close to the tensioner pully to apply the torque to twist the tensioner as desired.


It takes some wiggle up and down to loosen and remove the nails and they go into my toolbox for next time.
God Bless you !

Jim


1982 Jetta, 4-door, Gold. 209K
DieselRcool
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Post by DieselRcool »

I made my own valve stem seal tools. A nut drilled out to form a pocket for the seal, then welded to an old pair of pliers, then cut the nut in half with a hack saw. The driver requires a lathe to build though.

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Here is another tool I made for pulling the injector pump gear.
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DieselRcool
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Post by DieselRcool »

Almost forgot my valve spring compressor. You can bolt it to the head while it's in the car. :D You can slide the handle along the horizontal rod to get to all eight valves. Great for doing in car valve seal replacement.

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dieselguy
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Post by dieselguy »

i made my own timing belt tentioner tool (looks like the origonal)
i will post a picture as soon as i remember to bring my camera!
ad
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Location: State of Jefferson

Post by ad »

I bought an adapter to use a dial indicator for setting injection pump timing, only to find that the threaded rod that was included was the wrong diameter, and also the threaded end did not fit my dial indicator.
My solution was to use a brass rod, a roll pin, and a short machine screw of the proper thread. All available from the local hardware store, costing about $1.
Just press the roll pin onto the brass rod, cut the head off the screw, and press the screw into the other end of the roll pin. Use pliers to hold. Press the cut end of the screw into the roll pin so the clean threads are exposed.
If anyone else has a similiar problem, this is a quick and cheap solution.

http://www.geocities.com/adi_orio/Timing.html
1991 Jetta 1.6L N/A
jason
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To test expansion tank caps

Post by jason »

I just figured this out tonight.
Take an expansion tank and block off the 5/8 inch port, I used a rubber block off cap. Then connect a pressurised air source with a gauge, I used an old bicycle foot pump with gauge. Put the questionable cap on the expansion tank and pump the assembly up. On my 82 rabbit a good cap releases the pressure at ~20 psi. I had a bad one that took over 30 psi, I stopped because I didn't want to blow up the tank.

Cheers,
Jason
Brit101
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Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 5:49 pm
Location: Outside Montreal, Qc

Post by Brit101 »

towser42 posted this information at the vortex forum.

Just thought I should tell people that I discovered that a 3" brass Stanley door hinge (in the closed position, of course) is a perfect fit for locking the camshaft while changing the timing belt on an '81 diesel rabbit. I assume it would work for most of the others, as well.
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