KPLAFIN

iTrader: (1)

aright so my boss has a 97 5-speed Jetta Trek II ... all i know is that he was riding down the interstate and his a/c compressor exploded...and i mean exploded, 50 different pieces, self destructed, EXPLODED (i will get pics up as soon as i actually see the car) well he doesnt want to deal with the car anymore so he's GIVING it to me. He also works for crutchfield, so needless to say it has an ***-load and a half of high-end stereo equipment coming with the car (that im getting free) what im thinking of doing is just throwing a belt on bypssing the a/c and driving the hel out of the car until it dies on me, but i've never messed with a VW AT ALL before so im not sure if this is possible. Not really sure why it wouldn't be but i have heard of VW doing some pretty interesting things with there cars, so does anyone know if it is as easy as replacing the belt and cutting the rest of the crap out or is it more involved to remove ac?

pschmidt

iTrader: (19)

If I recall correctly the belt on the 2L runs from the crank, around the A/C compressor, and to the altenator. There is a tensioner behind the AC. I'm pretty sure you'll have to pull the compressor then get a shorter belt.

Here's a pic:

ChairFaceChippendale

iTrader: (1)

i believe you are correct. i've never owned a 2.0 or a mk3 vw so i'm not totally sure off the top of my head.

i know on the older 8v and 16v cars you can just remove the a/c setup, throw n a new alternator bracket and serp. belt and call it a day. i see no reason why that would be any different.

those engines will run forever if you take care of it. they are kind of like the miata engine in that they could be more or less built for boost from the factory. the trans will probably go long before that engine will.