Cleaning an engine while removed

Hi!

Just bought a replacement ALH TDI for my '02 Jetta (timing belt blew) since I found a new engine and trans for less than all the parts/machining... ANYWHO! not what this post is about.

So, I want to detail this engine before popping it in, are there any specific areas I should pay special attention to while I have it out of the bay?
Also, the inner timing belt cover is cracked in a few places with a large chunk missing, should I replace it, or can I get away with JB weld and a chopped up milk carton?

appreciate it!

replace what's broken, get a air compressor feed sprayer and spray it down with mineral spirits after a pressure washer bath with some engine degreasing foam. a few big brushes and mineral spirits goes a long way to cleaning it up.

and put a whole new timing belt kit in it while you have it out. Don't want to relive this same scenario 1k down the road.

https://www.idparts.com/alh-high-mileage-timing-belt-kit-p-2298.html

Clean the engine bay as well while it is out.

And replace everything you can afford to while it’s sitting in an easy access location.

Timing belt, rollers, nuts and bolts and studs.
Front and rear main seals.
Oil pan sealant.
Hard coolant pipe o-ring.
Serpentine belt tensioner.
Possibly clutch and flywheel if needed.
Cam seal.
Intake cleaned.
Intake and exhaust gaskets.
Possible turbo cleaning.
Engine bracket and mounts.

Now really is the time.

I just did this. $1100 in all the various seals, gaskets, proper tools, and new bolts. But serious piece of mind. I am a 1000 miles post install and not a drop of any kind of fluid anywhere. (Knock on wood)




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"I am a 1000 miles post install and not a drop of any kind of fluid anywhere. (Knock on wood)"

Congrats!

Below, in '07 I purchased this 02 engine (from Jimbote via MrGutWrench) and placed it in my ground level basement garage. It sit there until about May/June of 2011.

I removed the Intake and began plugging holes with paper towels, etc. I plugged every hole I could find. Then I pressure washed it with my gas-powered 1800 PSI washer. I spared nothing other then the plugged holes. I used very little cleaner of any kind. The high pressure knocked off all the road grime. (The flywheel bolt holes in the crankshaft must be plugged too if the flywheel is off.)

Here are a few pics of it sitting on a table in my garage...









Below, is a pic of it in the 84 Vanagon.



Although I escaped a catastrophic failure of my Alternator during the cleaning before installing the engine, I learned later with another engine to cover the alternator on the voltage regulator end. The pressure washer can blow water past a tiny seal right into the electronic board.....

Nice Job!

A new timing belt kit is especially important, I did this same thing almost three years ago and with the engine sitting on a table it took me less than an hour to do the timing belt vs 3-4 (BEW) when it’s in the car.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=477509

One thing I learned, pull the entire front of the car off, bumper ,radiator everything,then the engine is lowered instead of raised five feet in the air.

I really appreciate all the feedback, I'm plugging every hole now, I'm going to roll it outside an pressurewash it today. I will make sure to stretch a glove or saran wrap over the alternator, appreciate that tip @AndyBees!

The PO said he just replaced the timing belt and water pump (w/ metal impeller), but I don't know how long it sat since he replaced it; as the tensioner and a couple of the rollers look like they have some very minor surface corrosion. Thing is, the belt (contitech) does look brand new... How do you effectively gauge these belts for wear?

I know redoing the timing belt is a judgement call, IDparts has the kit (w/bolts) for $250.. does anyone have a comparable kit that might not be as steep? or is this one of those, "Get what you pay for" things..?

@300D, I appreciate the list, I'll go through the engine and price out what I can afford to replace.

@AndyBees Love the Vanagon swap! I'd like to keep the engine I'm replacing and rebuild it for a swap like this! I may need to pick your brain one of these days!

I would replace it and IDParts is a great company to work with. There is no way to gauge the belt by looking at it. The rule of thumb is if you can't verify who did it and with what parts and what tools and how it was done, then redo it. Be a shame to do all this work only to have to redo it all because you didn't do it first. Now is the time to do it. When in doubt, change it out! $250 is a reasonable price. Check dealer pricing for everything.

JETaah said:

Nice Job!

Click to expand...

Thanks!


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AndyBees said:

Below, is a pic of it in the 84 Vanagon.

Click to expand...

That is just freaking beautiful!

So, I'm moving right along, about to place an order parts. I noticed the inner timing belt cover is cracked and missing chunks, I'm still looking through the Bentley manual, but I'm struggling to find how to remove it... I can swap the old one off of the other engine.
appreciate any help (let me know if I should make a new thread)

You have to pull the cam sprocket , harmonic balancer and all the other timing belt parts which to do a good timing belt job you’ll do anyway. After that’s all off I believe there are just 3 or 4 10mm bolts holding it on. Take it off the old engine first, that way you can see how it fits and where the bolts that hold it on are at.

You definitely want to fix it because debris can get into one of the holes and lock your belt up. Know as FOD, foreign object destruction, which happened to me.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=477509

Foreign Object Debris (FOD) is a substance, debris or article alien to the vehicle or system which would potentially cause damage.

A good time to change the coolant tube o-ring also. Find TDC before tear down

jmodge said:

A good time to change the coolant tube o-ring also. Find TDC before tear down

Click to expand...

Definitely do this if head isn’t coming off. And just in case you haven’t done it before and you don’t have the transmission on, there is a mark on the harmonic balancer that will get you close. First you need to watch the cam and when cylinder #1’s lobes (closest to the cam sprocket) are pointing up in a V and that mark on the harmonic balancer is close, then you can find TDC when you can slot the camlock tool in place. Then IP pin, and then for best luck a crank-lock tool.

In my case I found TDC after reassembly and before transmission was back on. If head is off, engine needs to be just back from TDC to give room for the valves. Then when head goes on cam can be put at TDC by rotating till lobes for cylinder #1 are both pointing up in the V and then cam lock going in will get perfect TDC for the head. Then bottom end can be brought back forward with a clean thin dowel or the like down in cylinder #1 until it finds that perfect spot as you turn it where dowel is as high as it will go. At this point crankshaft can be locked in place with one of the cranklock tools.

Tdijarhead said:

You definitely want to fix it because debris can get into one of the holes and lock your belt up. Know as FOD, foreign object destruction, which happened to me.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=477509

Click to expand...

Thanks! Yeah, I'm just going to redo the entire timing belt and swap the inner cover from the old engine... Does the timing belt area need to be protected from water if I'm going to wash the engine before changing the timing belt (after I take the inner TB cover off)? It doesn't look like theres any egress into sensitive areas, and it'll be fully dry before first start... But maybe I missed something.

EDIT: PO just got back to me and said he replaced the timing belt, water pump, idler pulley back in 2014, and it's sat in his garage since then... I think I'm going to leave the timing belt alone for now and redo it in the summer, give myself some time to save money. He said he would try to also get part numbers for me, but that was a long while ago.

This still leaves the repair on the inner cover... So, I was talking to my dad about it, and we were thinking that my original idea of JBwelding some milk carton into the hole may not hold for long by itself due to the high heat that close to the block... But what if I went over it with a fiberglass repair kit? I could drill some holes around the area to be repaired and sew the fiberglass matting to the original plastic and the milk carton would hold the shape while the resin cures. I would really hate to make a repair and then have the patch fail and wind up causing FOD

Look at the 3rd photo down in the series I posted on the other page. You can see that the TB cover is off. That is how I pressure washed it. There is nothing in there to protect .............. just spray away from about any and all angles!

AndyBees said:

Look at the 3rd photo down in the series I posted on the other page. You can see that the TB cover is off. That is how I pressure washed it. There is nothing in there to protect .............. just spray away from about any and all angles!

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thanks man!

Five year limit on the belt though. I might just replace the belt alone in this case just to have a fresh one in there. Assuming you trust this person.

Big question, when I pull the engine, does the transmission need to be supported? Or does it have it's own mounts?

Lightflyer1 said:

Five year limit on the belt though. I might just replace the belt alone in this case just to have a fresh one in there. Assuming you trust this person.

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:/ I'll consider this, I may still wait till the summer to swap the belt, I'm not planning any trips till then anyway... The jeep I'm borrowing in the meantime feels like one of the U-joints is going and I really just need to get my car back on the road...

If you remove the Air Filter Box, you'll see the transmission mount. The combo (engine/tranny) only has two mounts. There is a mount/brace from the bottom of the tranny to the sub-frame that keeps the engine/tranny up-right/centered. It is normally referred to as the Dog Bone.

Lightflyer1 said:

Five year limit on the belt though. I might just replace the belt alone in this case just to have a fresh one in there. Assuming you trust this person.

Click to expand...

Eh? Five year limit? So unless you drive 20,000 a year, you will never get to the 100K mileage limit?

I have always used the 10 year limit on timing belts. Replaced the belt on my 1995 T100 this past summer. It was 15 years old and looked brand new.

I was told 5 year limit long ago. But have heard 7 to 10 as well. In this instance I would put a new belt on just because it isn't worth the chance to me. Engine out is an excellent time to get it done too. Having one break is an expensive undertaking. I rehabbed a 2003 Beetle that the belt was installed wrong on. $2500 or so vs $700 for a complete belt job. I take the conservative approach. Most people total the car when the belt breaks as cost to repair usually exceeds the value of the car at that point. But change it when you want, it is your money and your car and your problem if it breaks.

Many people bought these cars just for that very reason. They drive lots of miles. Some people have reached the limit in 2 or 3 years from my reading. If you are doing low mileage driving you are missing out on one of the best things these cars have to offer. Not that low mileage is bad, but they excel at long highway driving.

Sorry for the late reply, I appreciate the thoughts!
I will change the belt sooner than later, but not now.
I'll post pics one of these days [emoji23]

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