Removing and installing combination valve: VW Passat B5 (ACK, AGE, AGZ, AHA, …)
Step-by-step removing and installing combination valve for the VW Passat B5: 10 steps. What to remove, in what order, and what to check after.
The combination valve on these VW engines is the check valve in the secondary air path, bolted to the cylinder head and joined to the secondary air pump by a connecting pipe. On the platform codes listed below (engines ACK, AGE, AGZ, AHA, ALG, AMX, APR, AQD, ATQ, ATX and BBG) there are two layouts. On one, the coolant expansion tank is moved aside for access; on the other, the intake hose between air filter and elbow and the air inlet elbow on the throttle valve module are removed first. In both cases the vacuum hose is pulled off, the connecting pipe is unbolted, then the valve is unbolted from the head. Clean gasket faces and a sound vacuum hose are what keep the system from logging faults afterwards.
🧭 Before you start
Gain access by moving the coolant expansion tank aside or, on the other version, removing the intake hose and air inlet elbow. Pull off the vacuum hose, unbolt and remove the connecting pipe, then unbolt the combination valve from the cylinder head. Remove the connecting pipe bracket bolts if needed. Refit in reverse with new gaskets.
Fits: VW Passat B5 (3B)
Don't miss
- Two access routes exist depending on engine; check which layout applies before starting.
- Pull the vacuum hose off carefully and check it for cracks before refitting.
- Unbolt the connecting pipe before the valve; it locates both parts.
- Fit new gaskets at the cylinder head and pipe joints (general practice).
Written for this job from the workshop steps below · TorqFix editorial.
📋 Procedure
- Remove cooling system expansion tank and lay to side.
- Pull vacuum hose (1) off combination valve.
- Unscrew securing bolts (2) and remove connecting pipe.
- Unscrew securing bolts (3) and remove combination valve from cylinder head.
- Remove connecting hose between air filter and air intake elbow .
- Remove air inlet elbow from throttle valve module .
- Pull vacuum hose (1) off combination valve.
- Unscrew securing bolts (2) and remove connecting pipe.
- Unscrew securing bolts (3) and remove combination valve from cylinder head.
- If necessary unscrew securing bolts (4) for the connecting pipe bracket.
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Who makes these pages, and how
TorqFix was built by a mechanic — after a 2,700 km drive with five roadside repairs that no diagnostic tool could explain.
The figures on this page come from manufacturer workshop documentation and are shown as they are. The page is assembled automatically from that data — it is not written by an AI. The AI works in the chat, where it answers for your specific car. It writes nothing here.
Variants of the same model differ. Cross-check torque against the factory manual for your engine before final tightening.
Seen a figure that does not match your manual? Write to us — we correct it and note when. support@torqfix.com
The story behind TorqFix →Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.