All of these are things that I have done, I have actually rebuilt the whole VW engine and car. My VW was down to it's shell, no dash, seats, carpet, headliner, engine, wheels, tires, exhaust, rear axel, gas tank, etc. I was planning on writing about the whole process but the film I was given had already been used! All of the pictures where messed up and I never got around to writing it without the pictures. So here is what you do get, a few short tips to help you on your way to VW domination.

This procedure is for the 1.6L, 1.7L and I think the 1.8L is also the same. You will need to remove the timing belt covers and then crank the engine over until the timing marks on the flywheel and the engine side of of the transmission line up, the mark on the flywheel should be a "0" and the mark on the engine side should be a ">", together they should look something like this ">0" when looking from the passengers side fender.

To crank the engine over you will need to use a 19 mm socket on the crankshaft bolt and then rotate it until these marks line up. Next you will need to look at all of the timing gears and make sure you know where all off the dimples are on each one because they will all have to be in the same spot when you put everything back together. There are two timing marks (dimples) on the camshaft gear you only need to worry about the one on the valve cover side of the gear. There is a notch on the crankshaft pulley and one on the intermediate shaft gear this dimple should line up with the notch on the crankshaft pulley, If these two marks are not lined up properly then the distributor will not be in the correct location, Next loosen the timing belt tensioner, I use an adjustable wrench for the big nut and a 15 mm wrench for the smaller nut. Next take off the accessory belt then take off the water pump pulley. When you put the belt back on make sure that all of the timing marks are lined up, and when you tighten the belt the front side of the belt should be tensioned then tighten the tensioner clockwise and tighten the nut clockwise. I have only done this on cars w/o a/c.

Good luck.

These are some things that may be causing your car to run rough.

• Ignition timing may be off. Check spark plugs, cap and rotor, spark plug leads, check to see if timing belt has slipped a tooth. Also check all vacuum hoses and look for any loose wires, especially on or around the distributor or coil.
• Check all connections between the air box and throttle body, look for rips and check hose clamps ext. If these are disconnected your car will run like crap.
• The problem may also be a bad fuel injector, bad air fuel mixture or incorrectly set idle.

Good Luck.

These are simple. To remove these a puller would be your best bet but you can do it with the following tools a 15 mm socket (may be different on other cars) a pair of channel lock pliers (preferably with a warranty) and a hammer, A propane torch may help, . First take off the "U" shaped bracket that holds the bushing to the car, Now make a mental note of the position of the bushing so you can put on the new one the same way.

Next put the channel lock pliers beside the biggest side of the bushing, there is only one logical spot to do this, you will know what I mean when you see it. Now hammer on the side of the pliers until the old bushing comes off (Bushings may need to be heated with a torch, mine did not, my friends did). Now put the new one on with the hammer, you may want to spray silicone on the inside of the bushing.

Good Luck.

I had this problem with my 82 Rabbit. It was the  reverse light control switch. It is on the transmission beside the transmission mount on the manual rabbits, not sure about the automatics. There should be two wires connected to it, if so take them off, If not that may be your problem. To get to the switch open up the hood and look to the right. you should see the transmission, find the transmission mount and look to the left of it, the mount has four bolts that bolt to the transmission and it is shaped like an "L". There should be a switch that has two wires on it, There may be a rubber boot over them. Touch the two wire together and if your reverse lights come on the it is a faulty switch. Use a deep socket or a wrench on the switch, 17mm I think, take it out, put in a new one, attach the wires and your done. simple and cheap!, I read somewhere that they ware out faster if you have a short shift kit.

Good luck.

PS. The switch coasts $9.95 at Bow-Wow auto parts here in Vancouver. They have a web site you can order from. Prices may change.

These are pretty easy compared to what I thought it would be like! Yes at first I thought that this would be a hard job to do on my own. Everything that I read said that you need a special tool to do the job, and yes the tool would make it a lot easier to do but it is not needed. In fact I had access to the tool but was unable to get it when I wanted it so I made do with what I had.

All I used was a vise (6") some 3/4" drive sockets a hammer a pair of snap ring pliers for the circlips (You could use a pair of needle nose pliers) and a puller, it went smoothly.

First I took off the wheel bearing housing, then I placed the housing in a vise so that I was looking at the side of the assembly that the tie rod end, ball joint and strut attached to, I then hammered out the hub with a big socket. Next I
removed the two circlips that keep the bearing centered in the housing. The next thing I did was used another big socket to hammer out the bearing from the housing. I put a circlip back in and flipped the housing over and hammered in the new bearing (Only hammer on the outer race at this point) with a socket until I could fit in the other circlip. I still had to remove the inner race from the hub for this I used a puller (you could use a chisel to knock it out but it would be more difficult)  Then last but not least I hammered the housing onto the hub with yet again another big socket, to do this I put the hub on the work bench, floor, ect. so that the side of the hub you see when you take off your tire is facing down then I centered the housing over the hub and proceeded to hammer on the inner race until the hub was completely in the bearing. I then put it back on the car.

I hope this helps someone who does not have the money to get this done.

When I do my other bearing I will try to take pictures. (This won't happen now, since I don't have the car)

*** NOTE ***

I have had e-mails about this method, both good and bad, Everyone agrees that it works but some argue that the hammering is not good for the bearing. With this I agree, but you make do with what you have and as long as you are careful it should be ok for years. It's up to you. I take no responsibility if it does not work for you. As with anything I say on this page.