BRM Post Cam & TB Replacement Questions

To give you some background:

Purchased 06 Jetta Labor Day weekend to temporarily replace my '14 Passat which is going back. Had 168K and is a 5 speed. Previous owner did not know when the last TB was replaced. He owned the car for ~3 years and only put 7k on it. Seems to run well. Performed engine oil and trans service right away. Also needed brakes all the way around.

Decided to replace the TB being the history was unknown. Also, after reading many threads and watching all youtube videos I could, I determined my cam was worn out (slight burping sound) so I ordered a cam kit. All parts are from IDParts. Cam is the billet option. I checked the torsion value before replacement and found -2.9 (I thought they were in 0.5 increments?) IIRC. Cam pin would not go in when brought to TDC. Disassembly went fine. 4 lobes and lifters were worn but not worn through the lifters. Assembly went fine. Used plenty of assembly lube. As a side note, I did not remove the front engine mount. Really no need as the TB tensioner stud was easily removed. Added 1 container of Lucas ZDDP to the nearly fresh oil. Bled fuel system and fired it up. Performed the immediate 2k to 2.5k RPM for 20 min breakin. Drained oil and filled with new oil and another container of Lucas ZDDP. Also replaced the filter. Checked the torsion value and found -0.5. Adjusted the cam sprocket slightly and got +1.0. Left it for now. Ran it around town for a few days and then took it on an 800 mile road trip this weekend. Will drain the oil again this week and replace the filter.

Engine runs much better, idles better, shifts better, less smoke, but seems to be lacking power down low. Need more throttle input or slower clutch engagement when taking off from a stop. Seems ok power wise as the RPM's rise. Averaged 49 mpg (per the dash readout) over the 800 mile trip. it could also be me but it seems the MPG is lower running around town. Does this seem normal? Should I adjust the timing again down to 0.0 torsion value? Is it possibly the grind of the cam and just the way it is?

Thanks in advance!

Need actual MPG dash readout not accurate. Yes much lower MPG around town vs freeway driving. I would play with torsion value this does make a difference. Also for low power at low RPM you may want to try zip mod this can help with worn turbo vanes.

Thanks, I realize the dash MPG are not accurate. I simply used it as a reference. MPG have never been that high before the cam and TB. Obviously many factors come in to play.

What I meant by lower MPG around town is compared to pre cam and TB. Maybe it's in my head but more throttle input is needed which may explain the perceived lower MPG.

I will check out the zip tie mod. I've seen references to it in the past.

I would play with the Torsion value 1st. Mine is set at -0.5 last time I checked.

+1 on playing with torsion value until you find a spot you like. The more you stray from true 0.0 the more the power will shift to the higher rpm range while reducing low rpm power (did i get it right?)

I know my stock 5sp PD stalls easily when taking off if i have a TV greater than 2.5ish.
However power at above 3krpms is noticeable. I also noted slightly increased smoke from my exhaust.

On the other hand, if i go for 0.5, low end pickup is good but car is flat at 2800 ~ 3000 rpm ish. To keep sort of a balance i keep my torsion at 1.5 giving me decent power at top and bottom end.

Confused said:

I checked the torsion value before replacement and found -2.9 (I thought they were in 0.5 increments?) IIRC. Cam pin would not go in when brought to TDC.

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Apparently you don't have your brain around how TDI timing works. Remember that the crank is the holly grail for TDI timing. Everything else is adjusted with the assumption that crank TDC is dead nuts on which is non adjustable and verified with the crank tool.

Cam off some? no big deal. pin the crank and adjust the cam until the cam tool is a slip fit. Easy peasy............

^^^ the cam pin will slip in only when cam is TDC.
Crankshaft at TDC and Cam at TDC is when TV is true 0.0

In other words True 0.0 means camshaft is 0 degrees rotational angle from reference (crankshaft).

If you follow the TB belt replacement procedure as intended, you should land a 0.0 TV

However for best driveablility/fuel economy, it is suggested you play with different TV's and find your car sweet spot.
Of course once you set your TV different from 0.0, your cam pin will not slip in when the crank is set to TDC. This is normal because you are not 0.0 tv anymore.



Beware:Out of range Torsion Value (more than 6?) will also show as "0.0"

Ol'Rattler said:

Apparently you don't have your brain around how TDI timing works. Remember that the crank is the holly grail for TDI timing. Everything else is adjusted with the assumption that crank TDC is dead nuts on which is non adjustable and verified with the crank tool.

Cam off some? no big deal. pin the crank and adjust the cam until the cam tool is a slip fit. Easy peasy............

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I am very aware of how the timing of this engine works. I was reinforcing my initial torsion value statement by stating the cam pin would not go in. I don't think you read my entire initial post or misinterpreted it.

As stated, I will play with the torsion value some and verify any changes.

One question remains is, is my results similar to others that have used the idparts cam?

Confused said:

I am very aware of how the timing of this engine works. I was reinforcing my initial torsion value statement by stating the cam pin would not go in. I don't think you read my entire initial post or misinterpreted it.

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Sorry, the written word sometimes get spoken or taken wrong. All I really meant was you just needed a more complete understanding of the T/B replacement process.

IIRC, I ended up setting Torsion at plus one. The 2 times I used the procedure Torsion came back at zero the first time and minus one the second time just using the timing tools.

Confused said:

. One question remains is, is my results similar to others that have used the idparts cam?

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I replaced mine with the AMC billet camshaft and my torsion values after install is -1. My camshaft pin was off a fuzz when I put it all back together (maybe a mm). I plan to bring it up to 1 and see what change it makes.
My guess would be that the difference in values would be from either how precise one is with installation and how worn your t-belt is. I reused the belt because it only had about 30k on it, which might account for a torsion value of -1. It is my understanding that the torsion values will change over the life of the belt.

Ol'Rattler said:

Sorry, the written word sometimes get spoken or taken wrong. All I really meant was you just needed a more complete understanding of the T/B replacement process.

IIRC, I ended up setting Torsion at plus one. The 2 times I used the procedure Torsion came back at zero the first time and minus one the second time just using the timing tools.

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No worries sounds like you had similar results with just the timing tools. The more I think about it I may just leave it and check again after a few thousand miles as the belt wears in. The car runs so good I hate to mess with it.

WDNM said:

I replaced mine with the AMC billet camshaft and my torsion values after install is -1. My camshaft pin was off a fuzz when I put it all back together (maybe a mm). I plan to bring it up to 1 and see what change it makes.
My guess would be that the difference in values would be from either how precise one is with installation and how worn your t-belt is. I reused the belt because it only had about 30k on it, which might account for a torsion value of -1. It is my understanding that the torsion values will change over the life of the belt.

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Is AMC the supplier for idparts?

Confused said:

Is AMC the supplier for idparts?

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According to their website the billet option is Estas. I ordered from Bora Parts, and their billet option was AMC.

The billet option seems a little scammy to me. Probably the same camshaft from each company, but for an extra $50 I opted to take the risk and order the billet.