Well, I'm looking at buying a VW to flip. It's a 1996 VW Passat GLX. 2.8L 12V v6, 5 speed manual transmission, 68,000 KM. Leather interior free of cracks, moon roof, aftermarket cd player, free of rust and scratches, tires match and have more that 50% life left, only problem with it, is the motor is blown. Oil pump went and motor is seized solid. Not even gunna bother trying to free it. Now my question is, anybody that has any experience with changing a VW motor, I need to know, what is required? My buddy said I may have to change the PCM and everything with the motor. Is that true? Or is it just like any other motor? Disconnect any wires attached to it, and fuel lines, etc, pull, and drop in new one and hook everything up to the "new" motor?

All in all, I'm looking to make some money to buy my GF her "dream" truck (1996 to 1998 Chevy or GMC 1500 4x4) so that I can take my old Dakota back from her, and merge the two '93's together. I will be buying the VW for $700, and I found a used motor with only 118,000 KM for $700. KBB says the car is worth $4,700 if in "Excellent" condition, so I figure I can at least ask $4,000. But if it's not that easy to change the motor, then I'm not going to waste my time!

Anyone with experience in this subject, your help will be greatly appreciated!

 

My friend had a 97 Passat before buying is TJ. We did minor stuff to it, alternator CV's ect.

There is very little space in some areas, which can be a pain in the butt. But if you got the time money and space, don't forget the patience too. Then it shouldn't be to bad if you get the EXACT motor.

In the FAQ we have a link for an online library of Chilton books for free. I suggest dig through that for the Passat and see what is involved in the R&R of the motor.

 

Sweet man thanx! Everything I've heard so far is they are very tight on space. But I figure in terms of it being a pain in the a$$, any motor replacement jobs are a pain. I found that motors are no fun to change. But after looking the kbb, and it being worth around 5 grand still, and all in all, being into it for about $1,500, it could end up being worth it.

 

Make sure you get sold prices, KBB is sometimes not accurate about prices for specific locations.

Be very glad it's a stick not an auto, VW's had the worst autos ever in the 90's and they are stupid expensive to fix.

Take your time and you should make some money. While the Passat are not the most popular, having ridden in them multiple times and realizing that Germans must be super skinny, they are great cars.

 

LOL. Well I've decided not to buy it. Don't feel like putting that kind of time into something not Dodge. Gunna just save my money, buy a 2nd gen Dakota from the auctions, strip it down, and build a truck