Yeah I crammed a lot into the title, but thought this might help somebody out. Today I replaced the EGR vacuum modulator and VSV, not fun. Here are a few tips from my experience:
Additional stuff you'll need:
- Get just over a meter of 3.5mm vacuum hose from the VW dealer.
- Red coolant from Toyota, distilled water (can't get mineral deposits from mineral-free water)
- At least 8" of 1/16" steel rod from the hardware store
- A 24" socket extension, and a few shorter ones
- Spray carburetor cleaner
- Compressed air and a rubber-tipped blow gun is nice to have
- A file or grinder
Start by draining the radiator. Find the drain petcock (valve) on the driver's side (US) bottom corner of the radiator, then attach a length of hose that reaches your catch container (you can use the hose that goes from the radiator cap to the overflow bottle). Open the valve and let it drain, will take quite a while.
Remove the air flow meter wire, then remove the top of the air cleaner and intake hose. (I like to disconnect the grey wire by the AC so I can put a foot on the frame between the air cleaner and the engine. Removing the overflow bottle also helps if you want to sit on the radiator support, pull straight up.)
Disconnect all of the hoses going to the throttle body, including the coolant hose at the bottom of the throttle body that comes from under the throttle position sensor. You can't get to the other coolant hose under the throttle cam, so follow it down the side of the engine and disconnect it there (above the starter). You'll have to remove a wheel well splash shield and probably the grey connector/wire just under the coolant nipple. I didn't need to remove the d-side wheel.
Remove throttle body (the long extention makes it easy to get the two 12mm bottom bolts), but since the throttle cables are still attached you can't go too far with it.
Clean the gunk out of the throttle body, shoot carb cleaner through all the vacuum ports to make sure nothing is clogged.
Verify that the large port where the EGR gas comes into the plenum is clear. Pull the vacuum hose that goes from the VSV to the plenum and make sure that port is also clear.
Use a 12mm wrench to get the two bolts that attach the VSV bracket (one bolt is also easy to get to with about 26" of extention from under the truck).
Pull out the VSV and old vacuum tubing.
Clean out the tube that goes from the top of the intake down to the VSV area. Mine was completely clogged and my 1/16" drill bit was too short to go all the way through. So use an 8" section of the 1/16" rod, bend in half 90 degrees, than sharpen one end to a spade shape with a file or grinder. Work back and forth into the tube using plenty of carb cleaner spray until you get all the way through. Clean it as best you can, then blow it out with the compressed air.
The VSV bracket has a steel vacuum tube on it, blow that out with compressed air too, to make sure it's clear. Mine has some fine rust in it, but was clean.
Replace all the sections of old vacuum tubing with new stuff, just to make sure you don't push carbon dust into your new VSV.
Put everything back together and refill your radiator.
Clear your code.
Done! Hopefully.
Additional stuff you'll need:
- Get just over a meter of 3.5mm vacuum hose from the VW dealer.
- Red coolant from Toyota, distilled water (can't get mineral deposits from mineral-free water)
- At least 8" of 1/16" steel rod from the hardware store
- A 24" socket extension, and a few shorter ones
- Spray carburetor cleaner
- Compressed air and a rubber-tipped blow gun is nice to have
- A file or grinder
Start by draining the radiator. Find the drain petcock (valve) on the driver's side (US) bottom corner of the radiator, then attach a length of hose that reaches your catch container (you can use the hose that goes from the radiator cap to the overflow bottle). Open the valve and let it drain, will take quite a while.
Remove the air flow meter wire, then remove the top of the air cleaner and intake hose. (I like to disconnect the grey wire by the AC so I can put a foot on the frame between the air cleaner and the engine. Removing the overflow bottle also helps if you want to sit on the radiator support, pull straight up.)
Disconnect all of the hoses going to the throttle body, including the coolant hose at the bottom of the throttle body that comes from under the throttle position sensor. You can't get to the other coolant hose under the throttle cam, so follow it down the side of the engine and disconnect it there (above the starter). You'll have to remove a wheel well splash shield and probably the grey connector/wire just under the coolant nipple. I didn't need to remove the d-side wheel.
Remove throttle body (the long extention makes it easy to get the two 12mm bottom bolts), but since the throttle cables are still attached you can't go too far with it.
Clean the gunk out of the throttle body, shoot carb cleaner through all the vacuum ports to make sure nothing is clogged.
Verify that the large port where the EGR gas comes into the plenum is clear. Pull the vacuum hose that goes from the VSV to the plenum and make sure that port is also clear.
Use a 12mm wrench to get the two bolts that attach the VSV bracket (one bolt is also easy to get to with about 26" of extention from under the truck).
Pull out the VSV and old vacuum tubing.
Clean out the tube that goes from the top of the intake down to the VSV area. Mine was completely clogged and my 1/16" drill bit was too short to go all the way through. So use an 8" section of the 1/16" rod, bend in half 90 degrees, than sharpen one end to a spade shape with a file or grinder. Work back and forth into the tube using plenty of carb cleaner spray until you get all the way through. Clean it as best you can, then blow it out with the compressed air.
The VSV bracket has a steel vacuum tube on it, blow that out with compressed air too, to make sure it's clear. Mine has some fine rust in it, but was clean.
Replace all the sections of old vacuum tubing with new stuff, just to make sure you don't push carbon dust into your new VSV.
Put everything back together and refill your radiator.
Clear your code.
Done! Hopefully.
Last edited:
maybe I won't need to remove the intake afterall to replace the VSV?
