New Cat

[squirreljuice]

The cat on my 02 went out. Is this something I could easily instal myself? I don't have the money to pay the dealer to do it. ECS Tuning has a cat for $90 and I was thinking about getting it, but due to lack of information on the page about it I decided to post here and see what you guys thought about it. I'm also having trouble finding the spark plugs on the engine... if someone would be kind enough to post about that too that would be great.

[IndyTom]

You can't do the Cat yourself unless you know how to weld. The old cat has to be cut off and then replaced with a proper size cat in order to connect with the cat back system with the sleeve clamp. Just take it to a muffler shop and have them weld it in place. ECS has one for $90 ?? WOW, that is pretty cheap.

As far as the Spark Plugs go. Remove the plastic engine cover, then you will have to unscrew the vacuum canister. Bolts shown in Red. Depending on which year you have it could be on the left or right side.


Once you remove the vacuum canister you will see this:


The four things sticking up are the coils. You either have bolt on coils or just push in coils again depending on the year of your beetle. If you have bolt on coils remove the bolts holding down the coils, carefully remove the coil connectors. The clips can break easily so be careful. If the tab breaks it's okay as long as the housing is still in one piece. One of my housings got brittle and cracked so I replaced it with a new plastic housing. A bit of a pain but it can be done. Anyway, once you have removed the connectors you can pull the coils out one by one. I would number them and put them back in the same position. It's not really 100% necessary but I always felt better to replace the coil into the same space they came out of. With a long extension you can reach down and unscrew the spark plugs and remove them. When you replace the spark plugs be sure to replace them with correct ones and gap them to .032
Good Luck

Here is a nice write up on the Vortex:
VWVortex.com - DIY: 1.8T Coilpack and Spark Plug Change.

Here is a video on You Tube. It's not a Beetle but the principle is the same. This car has the vacuum canister on the right. Yours may have it on the left but everthing else is the same.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaxYQXhBwJI

[squirreljuice]

Thank you. I thought that was where they were, but I wasn't sure and I didn't want to break something just to satisfy curiosity. As far as welding goes whatever I cant do I have a couple buddies who are certified welders. So I think I got that covered. Thanks again.

[pencilneck]

I'll put this on the table... while I can't personally comment on a $90 cat from ECS Tuning, I can say I've seen time and time again people putting on an aftermarket cat and it NOT fixing the issue.

Aftermarket cats store a lot less oxygen, so under heavy loads the cat fails to perform to factory design and the MIL comes on. I've had this conversation with techs across the globe many times.

[Smileybug]

I had an aftermarket unit installed on my Beetle in early 2010. No issues until my accident in August last year. Cleared the code, car ran better than it had in awhile. The whole shebang, part and labor to install was <$200. Well worth it.

Are you getting a code showing the cat failure?

[squirreljuice]

Spark plug install went without a hitch. Thank you IndyTom for the pictures.

And I do believe so, Smileybug. that is what the dealer said and the check engine light has not gone off since then.