Leon FR TDi Service Guide

[Kedge]

Hi,

Is there a service guide for the TDi FR anywhere. I'm going to do the minor service in the next couple of weeks as with it now on over 133k i don't think it warrants paying someone else to do something i can easily do myself.

Just wondered what would normally be carried out on this service other than the obivous oil and filters (oil, air, pollen and fuel).

Cheers
Dave

 

[Muttley]

This is the summary I use, put together from Seat recommendations:

Oil change service every 10K
- change oil and filter
- check brake pads and disks

Full service every 20K or 12 months, whichever comes first
- change pollen filter
+ check lights, tyres, wipers, "fan belt", toothed belt, steering, driveshaft gaiters
+ levels in gearbox, coolant, hydraulic fluid, power steering, 4wd, screenwasher

Vehicle exterior
- Door retaining straps: grease and lubricate locking pins
- Sun roof: clean and lubricate guides

Not in service schedule but worth doing - lubricate bonnet lock.


Additional items
every 40K,
- change spark plugs (petrol engines)
- change air filter
- change fuel filter (diesel engines)

Not in schedule but worth considering: change HT leads (if you have them)

every 40K or two years
4WD cars, Haldex clutch
- change oil and filter

every 2 years
- change hydraulic fluid

every 60K or 5 years
- change toothed belt (diesel engines)

every 120K
- change toothed belt (petrol engines) (This may have been revised down recently)




So at 130K your diesel should get oil and filter change.

If it's more than a year since the last service, change the pollen filter and lubricate the door straps and bonnet lock.

You should have had the fuel filter and cambelt changed at the last service. If not, do them now.

Lastly, if it's more than two years old, change the hydraulic fluid.

 

[Kedge]

Cheers Muttley!

Cambelt and all filters were done at the last service and i changed the discs and pads last year so plenty of life in those. Do need to do the brake fluid though, already on my order list.

Sticky bonnet latch has caught me out before so will give that lube up.

Not looked, is the clutch cable or hydraulic?

 

[Muttley]

Hydraulic. You should make sure to bleed the clutch line as well. Bleed nipple at the slave cylinder end, but nothing at the master cylinder. I would do it last of all, as the hydraulic fluid comes from the same reservoir as the brakes, but from part-way up the side.

The incidental benefit of this is that the clutch will fail first if you are losing hydraulic fluid, which is better than the brakes failing and also acts as a warning sign.

 

[Kedge]

Thanks for the advice, good idea with that design.

Any tips on changing the glow plugs? Got one reporting faulty so changing the lot.

 

[Muttley]

I've never had to change a glow plug, so can only go on what others have reported here. They are like spark plugs but smaller in diameter and a little more fragile. The drawing of the Seat tool makes it look like a spark plug socket spanner, deep and with a rubber collar to keep the tool centered on the plug. I think the key is to be careful to keep the socket aligned with the plug but to be prepared to apply quite a lot of force to unstick it. Use a solid extension bar, not a jointed one as that will let the socket get off-center.

 

[Andrewcupra TDI]

assuming its the mk1 leon being in the mk1 section

the glow plugs ,

take off engine cover -- pops up to come off
at front of engine block you will see black foam , remove and below is a black bridge shaped wiring harness pop them off and theres ya glow plugs

 

[sockpuppet]

40000 for air and diesel filter?

I have been doing mine every 20000 and I thought that was a long time!
My air filter is pretty black after 20000 miles, I wouldn't like to see it after 40000

 

[Muttley]

That's the recommended interval in the Seat documentation I saw. It isn't bang up to date, so they may have changed it.

Of course there is nothing stopping you changing the filters more regularly.

The diesel filter has a tap on the bottom to let out any water it's collected. It may be worth doing this at 10k intervals, although Seat says to do this only if using biodiesel or high-sulphur fuel. Open the tap, let out any water and about 100ml of fuel, just to be sure all the water is out.

 

[Kedge]

All done bar the brake fluid and changing the fuel filter and getting someone to plug vagcom in.

Regarding the fuel, do i need to depressurise the fuel system or is it just a case of pulling off the pipes and a straight swap? On my E30s you run the engine, pull the fuse for the pump and let the engine stall so all the fuel is out the lines and you don't get laods spilt allo ver the place when you take off a fuel line.

 

[Muttley]

There is or should be no pressure retained in the system. Best to put some paper towels, kimwipe or the like under the filter to absorb the inevitable spillage. The return line has a thermostatic valve in it which you remove from the filter as a whole, after taking the spring clip out. Fill up the new filter with diesel to reduce the amount of cranking needed to get the engine to fire up again.