VW Golf Thermostat Replacement Without Removing Alternator

The thermostat had failed in my Mk4 Golf TDI so I needed to replace it. A lot of the guides online show that you need to remove the alternator to get sufficient access but when I looked in the engine bay on my car (PD130 diesel) it seemed to have enough space to remove the thermostat housing without doing so.

VW Golf Thermostat Replacement With Alternator in place

I've done a video for YouTube showing the steps but it was quite easy to change the thermostat with the alternator still in place. I just needed to move the vacuum tank out of the way to give enough access.

What Power Engine is Fitted in my TDI VW? How to check build sticker

What engine is fitted in my TDI?

It's impossible to know definitely which TDI engine is fitted in your VW because Volkswagen use many variants of the same engine but with just a different map to give different power output. The badge on the car may not give info as TDI could be badged GTI in some markets depending what the dealer fitted.

The 1.9 TDI diesel for example can range from 75 to 150bhp and as a PD (Pump Duse) or standard injector engine. The only way to know for sure is to check the service book or the build sticker in the rear boot. The video below shows you how to check which diesel engine is fitted in your VW.

Download Copy of Blank VW Service Book Pages

As my cars have either high mileage or are relatively old the service books are normally full so I've needed additional pages for them. I'd seen some scans of blank service book pages online but they were quite fuzzy so I decided to recreate the service book page so I could print them whenever I needed to add new pages to the service books on my VW cars.

Scan of Blank VW Service Book Pages

If you want to download a copy of blank VW service book pages then the link below will provide a PDF with 2 back to back pages that cover 4 services to add to your Volkswagen service schedule book.