Practicality has been at odds with fun since the dawn of humanity. We'd all drive hypercars if we could, but the kids have soccer practice after school, so a Porsche 918 Spyder isn't going to cut...
The Volkswagen Mk7 clutch is directly responsible for transferring power from the engine to the transmission. While the clutch is often referred to as one unit, several parts make up the assembly. The clutch disc is a plate with friction material on either side designed to grab the flywheel and...
This DIY covers how to replace the valve cover gasket and PCV on a Volkswagen VR6 engine. Shown specifically in this video is how to replace the valve cover gasket on a Mk5 VW Golf R32 with the VR6 engine, but this applies to the Golf GTI and VW Jetta as well. Keeping the oil where it is supposed...
A leaking oil filter housing isn't an uncommon problem to have on a Mk5 Volkswagen GTI. The gaskets on the housings get subjected to as much temperature change as anything else on the engine, and eventually, they dry up. A dried gasket is no match for oil pressure and will cause a leak....
Like every modern turbocharged engine, the EA113 in the Mk5 GTI uses a vacuum pump to assist various engine bay components. The pump mounts directly to the back of the cylinder head and is driven off the back of the intake camshaft. Thanks to Volkswagen's use of a transverse engine layout, the...
The ignition system controls one of the three essential functions needed for an engine to run. Failing spark plugs or coils on the 1.8t/2.0t engine in your Volkswagen or Audi will produce a weakened spark at best, resulting in poor ignition of the fuel/air mixture in the cylinder. Without the...
On top of all that is already happening inside an engine, there needs to be a constant vacuum source. For naturally aspirated cars, vacuum isn't hard to come by as they produce their own at all times. Turbocharged engines, on the other hand, can use all of the help they can get. The boost...
If you own a VW TDI, there’s one fault code that has either shown up already, or will at some point in its lifetime—that code is the infamous P2015. With nothing more than a simple bracket, you can fix this check engine light/fault code at home. My friend who I helped do this fix was initially...
Oil changes are an essential part of car ownership. The oil’s job is to keep everything inside the engine lubricated and happy. For the latest generation of Volkswagen EA888 engines, Volkswagen has introduced a new grade of oil requirement. The new 508-grade of synthetic oil is a lighter 0W-20...
A properly running engine is one that is running at the correct temperature. The only way you and the ECU will know its at the proper temperature is through its coolant temperature sensor. The simple sensor relays the exact temperature to the engine and coolant temperature gauge to show you when...