FREE REPAIR MANUALS & LABOR GUIDES 1982-2013 Vehicles
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Front Final Drive







Front Final Drive

Special tools, testers and auxiliary items required

Tensioner Hooks (VW 552)

Spindle (10-222 A/11)

Torque Wrench (5-50 Nm) (V.A.G 1331)

Torque Wrench (40-200 Nm) (V.A.G 1332)

Engine-/Gearbox Jack (V.A.G 1383 A)

Bits (T10099)

Removing

- Loosen the wheel bolts.

- Lift the vehicle.

- Remove the front wheels.

- Remove the left and right front wheel housing liners.

- If the vehicle has air spring dampers installed, loosen the connection for the air line - 1 - and let the air out. Retighten the connection to specification.






- Install the tensioner hooks (VW 552) in the upper opening in the wheel housing - arrow A - on both sides of the vehicle and into the upper control arm - arrow B -.

- Lightly tension the control arm so that the ball stud in the ball joint does not get damaged.

- Remove the noise insulation underneath the engine and transmission.

- Remove the underbody trim under the front final drive, if equipped.

- Remove the bracket for the noise insulation.

- Remove the front driveshaft. Refer to => [ Front Driveshaft ] Front Driveshaft.

- Remove the heat shield bolts - arrows - and heat shield from the front final drive.






- Remove the right and left drive axles. Use the bit (T10099/1) to loosen the bolts.

- Remove the 2 steering gear heat shield bolts and shield - A - from the steering gear, if equipped.






- Remove the universal joint to steering gear bolt - B - and then remove the universal joint from the steering gear.

- Remove the coolant pipes - 1 - from the left longitudinal member, if equipped. Remove the nut - arrow A - and the bracket - arrow B -.






With a V6 TDI Engine:

- Remove the pressure line - 1 - from the bracket on the cylinder head in order to loosen the bolt - arrow -.






Tightening specification: 20 Nm

Continuation for all Vehicles:

- Install the spindle (10-222 A/11) into the lifting eyes - arrow - on the subframe on both the left and right sides of the vehicle.






- Insert a block of wood - A -, approximately 300 mm long, into the spindle (10-222 A/11) bracket.






- The bracket must face toward the rear.

- Tighten the wing nuts on the spindle. While doing this, the wood blocks must be supported on the subframe - B -.

- Mount a floor jack to the engine-/gearbox jack (V.A.G 1383 A).

- Position the engine-/gearbox jack (V.A.G 1383 A) under the subframe and lightly press against it.






A Wood block

- Remove one of the rear bolts - arrow - for the subframe.






- Secure the subframe.

- Remove the subframe bolts - arrows -.






- Remove the left and right coupling rods - 1 - from the stabilizer bar.






- Remove the threaded connection on the air spring damper or the strut from the lower control arm. Lower the subframe approximately 50 mm using the spindle (10-222 A/11) in the - direction of the arrow - to remove the bolt - 2 -.

- Install two M14 x 1.5 x 90 bolts - 3 -, for example bolts (N 104 281 01) , to secure the subframe to the underbody on the left and right sides.

- Remove the engine-/gearbox jack (V.A.G 1383 A) from under the subframe.

- Place the engine-/gearbox jack (V.A.G 1383 A) along with the universal transmission support (1359/2) under the subframe and press against it lightly. Place the wood blocks - A and B - underneath the subframe - A - and under the front final drive - B -.






- Secure the subframe using the belt from the universal transmission support (V.A.G 1359/2).

- Remove the spindle (10-222 A/11) from the subframe.

- Carefully lower the subframe and the front final drive to approximately 200 mm - a -.






- Measure dimension - a - between the body and the bolting surface on the subframe.

- Remove the bolts and the nuts - 1 through 3 - that attach the front final drive - A - to the subframe - B -.






A second technician will be needed in order to remove the front final drive.






- Remove the front final drive - 1 - toward the rear between the subframe and the engine/transmission:

- Tie up the left drive axle first.

- The second technician can then remove the front final drive from the mounts inside the subframe.

- Guide the right drive axle out of the flange shaft.

- Lift the front final drive over the steering gear and guide it out toward the rear.

Installing

Installation is performed in the reverse order of removal while observing the following:

A second technician will be needed to install the front final drive back into the mounts on the subframe.

- Install the bolts and nuts - 1 through 3 - that connect the front final drive - A - to the subframe - B -.






- Attach the drive axles to the flange shafts.

- Install the front driveshaft. Refer to => [ Front Driveshaft ] Front Driveshaft.

- Remove the tensioner hooks (VW 552).

- Install the left and right front wheel housing liners..

- Check the front final drive gear oil level, add as necessary. Refer to => [ Front Final Drive Gear Oil Level, Checking ] Front Final Drive Gear Oil Level, Checking.

- Install the underbody trim under the front final drive, if equipped.

- Install the front wheels.

- Perform a vehicle alignment after the installation is complete.