How To: Common Rail Timing Belt Procedure

paramedick

TDIClub Enthusiast, Vendor
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Location
Versailles, Kentucky
TDI
2015 Audi Q5 TDI
Nice how-to. Worked well for us. Thanks.

Two comments:

1) Even after belt on all sprockets, the HPFP sprocket never really moved when system tensioned. We ended up compensating with the position of the sprocket when the belt was placed on it.

2) Fuel line connections are reluctant to separate, and a bit fragile. Much easier to remove the two lines at the fuel filter lid, and stick old glowplugs in line to seal. Loop a piece of hose to the fuel filter lid to prevent leakage. Then move all the fuel stuff to the top of the engine.

Look at your timing belt kit carefully. There are a LOT of TTY bolts in this job. They don't come with the kits currently available from the vendors.
 
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greengeeker

Vendor
Joined
Feb 8, 2006
Location
Cambridge, MN
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS
Nice how-to. Worked well for us. Thanks.
Awesome. Glad to hear it.

Two comments:

1) Even after belt on all sprockets, the HPFP sprocket never really moved when system tensioned. We ended up compensating with the position of the sprocket when the belt was placed on it.

2) Fuel line connections are reluctant to separate, and a bit fragile. Much easier to remove the two lines at the fuel filter lid, and stick old glowplugs in line to seal. Loop a piece of hose to the fuel filter lid to prevent leakage. Then move all the fuel stuff to the top of the engine.
1) I think there is too much friction/tension to notice the sprocket rotate like it would on an ALH pump. I believe this is the reason you have to take the spanner to the cam sprocket after tensioning to ensure everything is rototated where it needs to be before you lock it down.

2) I think this should probably be the way going forward as these lines will only get more brittle as these cars age. thanks.
 

Henrick

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 24, 2010
Location
Ireland
TDI
Golf VI TDI, 77 kW (CAYC)
My advice would be to change the thermostat every timing belt change. Many things are removed (this means increased working space), coolant is drained anyway and the water pump is being replaced too. Thermostats loose efficiency over time and start opening (very) early. Thermostat is really cheap. Saves labour time & money later. It's highly likely that after such a long period (120k miles, the TB interval) it has lost its efficiency. If you're changing you water pump, go and change you t-stat too.
 

paramedick

TDIClub Enthusiast, Vendor
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Location
Versailles, Kentucky
TDI
2015 Audi Q5 TDI
1) I think there is too much friction/tension to notice the sprocket rotate like it would on an ALH pump. I believe this is the reason you have to take the spanner to the cam sprocket after tensioning to ensure everything is rototated where it needs to be before you lock it down.

2) I think this should probably be the way going forward as these lines will only get more brittle as these cars age. thanks.
Did use the tool to pretension the cam sprocket. No joy on the HPFP sprocket movement.

I added a comment about TB kits and stretch bolts to my original comment.
 

jasonTDI

TDI GURU Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Apr 26, 2001
Location
Oregon, WI
TDI
20' RAM 3500 CCLB dually HO/Aisan. 2019 Cherokee 2.0T
No need to disconnect the fuel or cooling bottle. It all folds over the engine and leaves enough room to do the work. But I have done a couple of these....
 

greengeeker

Vendor
Joined
Feb 8, 2006
Location
Cambridge, MN
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS
Look at your timing belt kit carefully. There are a LOT of TTY bolts in this job. They don't come with the kits currently available from the vendors.
This is frustrating. Very good advice. Do your homework and verify that the kit you are buying includes all the bolts you'll need.
 

grindMARC

Well-known member
Joined
May 22, 2009
Location
Trenton, NJ
TDI
09 Jetta
I just did the job this weekend. These instructions were INVALUABLE to me! Kudos on all the great pictures. Especially the pic that showed how do pop off that horrible little fuel line support on top of the aux fuel pump.

I have a couple of comments about the instrux.

1) There should be a better explanation of the accessory belt tensioner. It's a little tricky. For the sake of the CR TB first-timers, the pin just holds the tensioner so that you can move the belt around to the other side the wrench. It's not until you put pressure back on the tensioner and pull out the pin that you can achieve enough clearance to put the accessory belt back on.

2) After the TB goes on and you rotate the engine. If the pin doesn't fit in the cam after you have locked the crank, there should be some instructions about taking out the crank lock, loosening the cam bolts back up, rotating the engine counter clockwise slightly, setting the cam pin and then rotating the crank so that the crank lock goes in place. The current instrux simple refer you back to setting the initial torque specs for the tensioner if the cam pin doesn't go in.

I also did this job without disconnecting the fuel lines (i.e., no need for a vag com).
 
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2micron

Vendor
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Location
Canada
TDI
None
Awesome Write up!!
I followed word for word, perfect!!!
Great job, you made this job way easier!
Thanks,
Andrew
 

meerschm

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Location
Fairfax county VA
TDI
2009 Jetta wagon DSG 08/08 205k buyback 1/8/18; replaced with 2017 Golf Wagon 4mo 1.8l CXBB
My thanks as well! great set of instructions.

If you are in for edits, you may want to include a caution near step 48 (Install water pump) to make sure the pump body is fully seated against the block before installing the three mounting screws.

I made the mistake of trying to let the screws pull the water pump in. (this works fine to seat the fuel filter canister cap, but not so much for the fuel pump) Resistance from the O ring resulted in torque spec being reached before the pump was fully seated, which caused the pump to be misaligned. Icaught it from funny noise on the timing belt, but then had to re-do the timing belt job. as much fun as that was, a mention may save another new DIY'er a little agony.

These video clips are from my efforts to isolate the periodic noise. you can see the timing belt move back and forth as the misalignment of the water pump pulled on the belt as it rotates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-038YTfncU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fEoJXzgbME

(I would advise extreme caution for anyone contemplating running the engine with timing belt cover removed as done for these videos)
 
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A5INKY

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Sep 4, 2007
Location
Louisville, KY
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI, 2002 Eurovan Westphalia VR6
The block is often pretty clean where the water pump mounts, but I have had quite a few with all sorts of fouling too. I always clean up those surfaces with a fine emery cloth by hand, wipe it out with a rag and make sure it looks good. I then seat the new water pump by hand until I feel it bottom out before installing the bolts. If it doesn't seat with satisfying firmness, something is not right.
 

greengeeker

Vendor
Joined
Feb 8, 2006
Location
Cambridge, MN
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS
The block is often pretty clean where the water pump mounts, but I have had quite a few with all sorts of fouling too. I always clean up those surfaces with a fine emery cloth by hand, wipe it out with a rag and make sure it looks good. I then seat the new water pump by hand until I feel it bottom out before installing the bolts. If it doesn't seat with satisfying firmness, something is not right.
I follow the same exact procedure here. :)
 

JLMurphy

Veteran Member
Joined
May 16, 2007
Location
Huntingtown, MD
TDI
2010 Golf 6MT, 2001 Golf 5MT
Great DIY, many thanks. I'm working through my first timing belt on my '10 Golf and I think I've got everything lined up and good to go. The only thing is that in my case the cam and HPFP gears aren't quite centered, both are a bit clockwise. The timing lines up perfect between cam and crank and the HPFP is very close but I'm wondering if I need to worry about the cam and pump gears being rotated in their slots a bit. I think both gears are 1 tooth off of the centerof the slots, and I'm not looking forward to taking it apart again to fiddle with them.

Here's the cam:


And the crank:


Finally the tensioner, hard to tell from the angle, but the pointer is at the far right edge of the slot.


As you can in the pics, the bolts are toward the rear of the slots. Is there any risk here? As long as the timing is spot on I think I should be ok, right?

Oh, and with the water pump I set the pump in the block, started all of the bolts by hand and then tightened each a couple of turns at a time. Seems to be seated perfectly.

Thanks again for the DIY, it's a big help. Overall this was way easier than my ALH, and about the same as my PD. The HPFP isn't too terrible, but the belt was pretty stiff in the cold and was a bit of a pain to wind around all of the idlers and gears. Took a couple of tries and a helping hand from my lovely wife, but we got it on.

Jim
 

greengeeker

Vendor
Joined
Feb 8, 2006
Location
Cambridge, MN
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS
Hi Jim. Nice work! I would take the time to move the sprockets so the bolts are centered. The risk is that the bolt is at the end of the slot and is preventing the belt from being tensioned properly. If that isn't the case and the bolts are NOT contacting the edge of the slots then yes you can continue forward with the change out...but I really would center them. :eek:
 

JLMurphy

Veteran Member
Joined
May 16, 2007
Location
Huntingtown, MD
TDI
2010 Golf 6MT, 2001 Golf 5MT
Hi Jim. Nice work! I would take the time to move the sprockets so the bolts are centered. The risk is that the bolt is at the end of the slot and is preventing the belt from being tensioned properly. If that isn't the case and the bolts are NOT contacting the edge of the slots then yes you can continue forward with the change out...but I really would center them. :eek:
Thanks for the feedback, I was concerned about bottoming out in the slots so I checked the clearance when I changed out the bolts for new ones and there was ~1/2 bolt diameter clearance on both the cam and HPFP gear slots, basically to the edge of the washers, so I have to say, I left it alone. The prospect of pulling the belt again did not excite me.

One thing I noticed is that when I put the belt on with the gears fully clockwise they didn't move much when I put some tension on the belt. That's why they ended up a bit off center, they just didn't move much when I tensioned the belt.

In any event, it fired right up when I got it back together. I think I ran the fuel pump test about 5 times to make sure it was fully primed. :D

Thanks again for the awesome DIY, it made the job very straightforward.
 

Brent4

Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2016
Location
Ontario
TDI
2010 Jetta 2.0
I realize this is an old thread, but I have a question for the pros. Pardon my stupidity but what is the reason for the long procedure? Why can't you just hold the sprockets from turning and release the tension and slide the old belt off and the new one on? I'm sure there's a reason but I'm just not seeing it. I read the instructions by greengeeker, very detailed and excellent. If someone could just explain the reason for the procedure....
 

oldpoopie

Vendor
Joined
May 14, 2001
Location
Portland Oregon
TDI
2001 golf gl, 2006 jetta, 1981 ALH swapped rabbit pickup, 1998 beetle
Interference motor.... get it wrong.... well..... why dont you try it and let us know.
 

Brent4

Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2016
Location
Ontario
TDI
2010 Jetta 2.0
But what could you get wrong if the cog count is the same between the sprockets on the new one as on the old one? I don't want to just try it and blow it to pieces. The hardest thing for me to understand is why you'd have to loosen the bolts on the cam and HPFP sprockets.
 

oldpoopie

Vendor
Joined
May 14, 2001
Location
Portland Oregon
TDI
2001 golf gl, 2006 jetta, 1981 ALH swapped rabbit pickup, 1998 beetle
If you don’t loosen the bolts when you tension the belt the tension only travels between the two pullys on either side of the tensioner and not the entire belt
 

bulldogger1

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2006
Location
Arlington, TX
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI 5 spd, 2014 Golf TDI auto
Just finished TB job on the CJAA.

What’s the trick to tightening the harmonic balancer bolts to 10nm + 90 degrees?

My car is a DSG and the crank keeps spinning. I can’t get enough torque on them.

PS. My DieselGeek kit did not come with replacement bolts for the balancer. Hope that’s not a problem.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 

greengeeker

Vendor
Joined
Feb 8, 2006
Location
Cambridge, MN
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS
Just finished TB job on the CJAA.
What’s the trick to tightening the harmonic balancer bolts to 10nm + 90 degrees?
My car is a DSG and the crank keeps spinning. I can’t get enough torque on them.
PS. My DieselGeek kit did not come with replacement bolts for the balancer. Hope that’s not a problem.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
I've been torquing them to a straight 18 ftlbs without issue.
 

jblack11

Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2012
Location
Toledo, Ohio
TDI
'13 Golf TDI 6MT
Does anyone know what was shown in the picture on page 22 of the procedure? It just shows up as a black box with a red circle. About to do this work and wanted all the info I can get my hands on. Thanks!
 
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