Get Working in the engine compartment Guide for Volkswagen Passat SUV Seventh Generation (2010-2014)

Working in the engine compartment

¤ Introduction

In this section you’ll find information about:

Display

Preparing to work in the engine compartment

Opening or closing the engine compartment

Always position the vehicle on a firm and level surface before doing

any work in the engine compartment.

The engine compartment of a vehicle is a hazardous area. Never do

any work on the engine or in the engine compartment unless you

know exactly how to carry out the job,

have the correct technical information and the proper tools and

supplies, and

are familiar with the necessary safety precautions ⇒ꢀ

.

If you are uncertain in any way, have the work done by an authorized

Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.

Serious personal injury may result from improperly performed work.

More information:

Exterior views

Windshield wipers and washer

Starting and stopping the engine

Brake fluid

Checks while refueling

Engine oil

Engine coolant

Vehicle battery

Exterior care and cleaning

Parts, accessories, repairs and modifications

WARNING

Unintended vehicle movement during maintenance work can

cause serious personal injuries.

Never work under the vehicle unless you have safely secured

the vehicle from moving. If you must work under the vehicle

with the wheels on the ground, always make sure that the vehi-

cle is on level ground, that all 4 wheels are chocked to keep

them from moving, and that the key is not in the ignition.

If you must work under a vehicle raised on a floor jack, al-

ways make sure that the vehicle is safely supported on safety

stands intended for that purpose that are strong enough to

support the weight of the vehicle. The jack supplied with the

vehicle is not strong enough for this purpose and can collapse

causing serious personal injury.

WARNING

The engine compartment of any motor vehicle is a potentially

dangerous area and can cause serious personal injury.

Always use extreme caution when doing any work in the en-

gine compartment. Always follow commonly accepted safety

practices and use common sense. Never risk personal injury.

Never perform any work in the engine compartment unless

you know exactly how to carry out the job and have the correct

technical information and the correct tools.

If you are uncertain about what to do, have the work per-

formed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer, an authorized

Volkswagen Service Facility, or another qualified workshop.

Serious personal injury may result from improperly performed

work.

We strongly recommend that you always have HID – High In-

tensity Discharge (Xenon) headlights and H7 bulbs replaced by

a qualified technician. Serious personal injury may result from

improperly performed work.

Never open or close the engine hood if steam or coolant is

escaping. Hot steam or coolant can cause serious burns. Al-

ways wait until you no longer see or hear steam or coolant es-

caping from the engine.

Always let the engine cool down completely before carefully

opening the hood.

Hot parts of the engine and the exhaust system will burn skin

on contact.

When the engine has cooled down and you are ready to open

the hood:

– Firmly apply the parking brake and shift the transmission

into Park (P) (automatic) or Neutral (manual only).

– Take the vehicle key out of the ignition.

– On vehicles with Keyless Access, make sure that the re-

mote control vehicle key is out of range of the vehicle and

that the vehicle cannot be started by depressing the starter

button ⇒ꢀ Starter button.

– Always keep children and others away from the engine

compartment and never leave them unsupervised.

The engine coolant system is under pressure when the en-

gine is hot. Never unscrew the coolant expansion tank cap

when the engine is hot. Hot coolant can spray out and cause

severe burns and other serious injuries.

– Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a counterclock-

wise direction while applying light downward pressure on the

top of the cap.

– Always protect your face, hands, and arms from hot escap-

ing coolant or steam by covering the cap with a large, thick

rag.

Never spill fluids on the engine or exhaust system when re-

filling. Spilling fluids onto hot parts of the engine or exhaust

system can cause a fire.

WARNING

High voltage systems in the engine compartment can cause

electrical shocks or even electrocution, severe burns, other se-

rious injuries, and even death!

Never short-circuit the electrical system. Be especially care-

ful when using jumper cables. The vehicle's battery could ex-

plode!

To reduce the risk of electrical shock and personal injury

while the engine is running or being started:

– Never touch ignition cables. Never touch other compo-

nents of the high voltage electronic ignition system.

– Never touch the wiring of the HID – High Intensity Dis-

charge (Xenon) headlights.

Read and heed the important information and warnings on

cleaning the engine compartment ⇒ꢀ Cleaning the engine com-

partment.

WARNING

Moving parts in the engine compartment can cause serious

personal injury on contact.

Never reach into the area around or touch the radiator fan.

Contact with the blades can cause serious personal injury. Al-

ways remember that the radiator fan is temperature-controlled

and can come on suddenly even when the engine has been

switched off for a while and the key has been removed from the

ignition.

If you have to perform a check or repair when the engine is

running, there are more risks from the rotating parts, such as

the drive belts, alternator, radiator fan, etc., and from the high-

voltage ignition system. Always use extreme care.

– Always make sure that jewelry, loose clothing and long hair

do not get caught in rotating engine parts. Before starting

any work remove your jewelry, take off your necktie, tie back

and cover your hair, and do not wear clothing that can hang

down and get caught in moving engine parts.

– Always use extreme caution if the accelerator pedal has to

be depressed to perform a check. The vehicle will start to

move even if the electronic parking brake is on.

Never leave any objects in the engine compartment, for ex-

ample cleaning rags and tools. Objects left behind can cause

malfunctions, engine damage, and even fires.

WARNING

Operating fluids and some materials in the engine compartment

can catch fire easily, causing burns and other serious personal

injuries!

Never smoke near the engine compartment.

Never work next to open flames or sparks.

Never pour or spill operating fluids or other flammable liq-

uids on the engine. These fluids can ignite on hot engine parts

and cause injuries.

If work on the fuel system or the electrical system is neces-

sary:

– Always disconnect the 12 Volt vehicle battery. Make sure

the vehicle is unlocked when you disconnect the battery, or

the alarm will go off. Never touch the electrical wiring of the

ignition system.

– Never work near heaters, water heaters, or other open

flames.

Always have a functional, approved fire extinguisher nearby.

NOTICE

When changing or topping off fluids, make sure that you pour

the fluids into the correct reservoirs. Adding the wrong type of

operating fluids will cause serious malfunctions and engine

damage.

Fluid leaks and spills are harmful to the environment. Regularly

check the ground underneath your vehicle for this reason. If you find

spots of oil or other fluids, have your vehicle checked by your author-

ized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.

Dispose of leaked operating fluids properly.

Display

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

Lights up

Possible cause

Proper response

Icon appears in

the display

Engine hood not

properly closed.

Stop!

Close the engine hood.

When the ignition is switched on, several warning and indicator lights

come on briefly for a function check. They go out after a few seconds.

If the engine hood is open or not closed properly, the vehicle icon

appears in the instrument cluster display showing the open engine

hood ⇒ꢀfig. 10, ⇒ꢀfig. 11.

Depending on your vehicle's equipment and options, the icon may still

be displayed even after the ignition is switched off as long as the key

has not been taken out of the ignition. The icon in the instrument clus-

ter display goes out about 15 seconds after the vehicle has been

locked.

WARNING

Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text mes-

sages can cause the vehicle to break down in traffic and result

in a collision and serious personal injury.

Never ignore warning lights or text WARNINGS.

Always stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.

Preparing to work in the engine compartment

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

Checklist

Before any work in the engine compartment, carry out the following

steps in the order in which they are listed ⇒ꢀ

:

d Park the vehicle in a safe place on a firm, level surface.

d Hold the brake pedal down until the engine is switched off.

d Apply the electronic parking brake to help prevent the vehicle from

moving ⇒ꢀ Braking and parking.

d Shift the transmission into Park (P) (automatic) or Neutral (manual

only) ⇒ꢀ Shifting.

d Stop the engine and remove the key from the ignition switch ⇒ꢀ

Starting and stopping the engine.

d Let the engine cool down sufficiently.

d Keep children and others away from the vehicle.

d Make sure the vehicle cannot move unexpectedly.

WARNING

Disregarding the safety-related checklist may result in serious

injuries.

Always review and follow the checklist. Follow accepted safe-

ty practices and use common sense.

Opening or closing the engine compartment

Fig. 163 In the footwell on the driver side: Inside engine hood release

lever.

Fig. 164 Above the radiator grille: Outside engine hood release.

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

Opening the engine hood

Before you open the hood, make sure that the windshield wiper

arms are resting on the windshield ⇒ꢀ .

Open the driver door and pull the inside hood release lever in the

direction of the arrow ⇒ꢀfig. 163. The engine hood is released from its

latch by a spring ⇒ꢀ

.

Push the outside hood release lever ⇒ꢀfig. 164 (arrow) and lift the

hood all the way up. A gas-filled strut will hold the hood up.

Closing the engine hood

Pull the hood down to overcome the resistance of the gas-pressure

strut ⇒ꢀ

.

Lower the engine hood by hand until it is about 1 ft. (30 cm) above

its latch and then let it drop into place to latch it. Do not push down on

it afterwards!

If the hood does not close completely, open it again and close it

properly.

When the hood is properly closed, you can see that it fits flush with

the other body parts. The display in the instrument cluster no longer

indicates that the engine hood is open ⇒ꢀ Display.

WARNING

If the hood is not closed properly, it could fly up and block your

view while you are driving. This can lead to a crash and serious

personal injuries.

After closing the engine hood, check that the hood release

lever is properly latched into the hood latch. The engine hood

must be flush with the surrounding auto body parts.

If you ever notice that the hood latch is not properly secured

when the vehicle is moving, stop at once and close it.

Never let anyone get in the way of the hood when closing it.

NOTICE

Make sure the windshield wipers are switched off and the

windshield wiper arms are resting on the windshield before you

open the hood. Otherwise, the windshield wipers and the hood

may be damaged.

Always put the windshield wiper arms down against the wind-

shield before driving the vehicle.

NOTICE

Before opening or closing the engine hood, make sure there is

enough room to do so, for example when the vehicle is in a gar-

age.

Working in the engine compartment for Your Volkswagen Passat SUV Seventh Generation (2010-2014)

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