diesel-wrench
Member
A short history- bought the car with VW extended with 57,000 miles. At about 60,000 started to complain to the dealer that it did not run or idle as smoothly as it once did. Many service visits later, motor mounts (leaking) tandem pump (leaking) CV joints both sides rear shocks and bunch of front suspension links and numerous hook ups to the computer to check things- we pretty much decided that it was our imagination.
Timing belt (at the dealer because I was busy) at just under 100,000. Then an alternator and alternator pulley and the electric fan at 105,000 and now finally the master tech who looked at it on Friday says there is likely a problem with the oil pump drive and balance shaft assembly (based on the rude noises from the engine and the fact that you can not keep the dipstick in the tube anymore).
So it is sitting outside my shop and I guess I will get to work on after all - I had hoped to avoid actually touching it myself but 2700 quoted from the dealer is a big enough bill I can afford to NOT work on someone else's vehicle for a few days and work on my own.
I wonder if I can jam a 4BT Cummins in there?? Anyway, I have read over all the threads about the change over and it does not sound a lot different or more complex than the stuff I normally do (just smaller - as an aside I start an overhaul on a 14.7L six cylinder diesel on Monday) so I am going to give it a shot.
My only questions at this point have mainly to do with tools and one or two clarifications on the actual procedure.
Are the special tools on ebay good enough to do the job based on a one time use plan. By that I mean I expect to use them once maybe twice and then not ever again (more on that in a bit). I realize that the steel may not be as good or the piece as well made as a much more expensive tool but will they get the job done? Actual experiences would be great.
I have seen the timing belt changed on a Passat using 3 different techniques. One was to remove the nose of the car altogether. Another was to swing the nose off to one side and the third left the nose of the car alone. I think they removed the rad to gain access to the front of the engine to do the belt. So... anyone think that replacing the chain drive can be done without pulling the front end and is it worth the (I expect ) extra trouble to do it that way. Is there a real time saving over the first two?
Next question- being as the timing belt and tensioner have about 14,000 miles on them thoughts on their reuse would be appreciated. My first reaction is to toss them all just based on the crappy luck I have had in the past with after market belts and tensioners on other things. Are the VW ones any better and is it worth the risk? Or am I just being anal. Thanks for any thoughts you may have. Bryan
RANT WARNING!
Now for the rant part- you can skip this if you like- I said I would only need the tools once or maybe twice. I am going to drive this car for another 3 1/2 years or about 125,000 miles at our current rate of use. I see that as one more timing belt change and then this car is going down the road or over a bank on fire -one or the other. And VW has lost one customer forever. Period. Never again no way even if you gave me one of their cars. Too bad because up until this point I thought they where one of the greatest autos ever built. Loved my Jetta diesel could not say enough good about them. Not anymore. RANT OFF
Timing belt (at the dealer because I was busy) at just under 100,000. Then an alternator and alternator pulley and the electric fan at 105,000 and now finally the master tech who looked at it on Friday says there is likely a problem with the oil pump drive and balance shaft assembly (based on the rude noises from the engine and the fact that you can not keep the dipstick in the tube anymore).
So it is sitting outside my shop and I guess I will get to work on after all - I had hoped to avoid actually touching it myself but 2700 quoted from the dealer is a big enough bill I can afford to NOT work on someone else's vehicle for a few days and work on my own.
I wonder if I can jam a 4BT Cummins in there?? Anyway, I have read over all the threads about the change over and it does not sound a lot different or more complex than the stuff I normally do (just smaller - as an aside I start an overhaul on a 14.7L six cylinder diesel on Monday) so I am going to give it a shot.
My only questions at this point have mainly to do with tools and one or two clarifications on the actual procedure.
Are the special tools on ebay good enough to do the job based on a one time use plan. By that I mean I expect to use them once maybe twice and then not ever again (more on that in a bit). I realize that the steel may not be as good or the piece as well made as a much more expensive tool but will they get the job done? Actual experiences would be great.
I have seen the timing belt changed on a Passat using 3 different techniques. One was to remove the nose of the car altogether. Another was to swing the nose off to one side and the third left the nose of the car alone. I think they removed the rad to gain access to the front of the engine to do the belt. So... anyone think that replacing the chain drive can be done without pulling the front end and is it worth the (I expect ) extra trouble to do it that way. Is there a real time saving over the first two?
Next question- being as the timing belt and tensioner have about 14,000 miles on them thoughts on their reuse would be appreciated. My first reaction is to toss them all just based on the crappy luck I have had in the past with after market belts and tensioners on other things. Are the VW ones any better and is it worth the risk? Or am I just being anal. Thanks for any thoughts you may have. Bryan
RANT WARNING!
Now for the rant part- you can skip this if you like- I said I would only need the tools once or maybe twice. I am going to drive this car for another 3 1/2 years or about 125,000 miles at our current rate of use. I see that as one more timing belt change and then this car is going down the road or over a bank on fire -one or the other. And VW has lost one customer forever. Period. Never again no way even if you gave me one of their cars. Too bad because up until this point I thought they where one of the greatest autos ever built. Loved my Jetta diesel could not say enough good about them. Not anymore. RANT OFF
