Timing Belt Fun.......

Guys,

Just replaced the timing belt on my wife's Jetta wagon for the second time: 200,000. I see VW changed the interval to 80,000 for the BEW. Guess I'll have to do the next one at 280,000.

Anyhow, this is the fourth timing belt I've done on VWs (BEW and ALH). Everything went smoothly, took my time and was done in about five hours or so. Started the car up and it idled fine. Checked the fluids and listened to how everything sounded. Got back in the car and pulled out from the barn to the road. The car stalled and wouldn't start.

I was thinking, great the tensioner came loose and the timing belt slipped. I cranked the motor over, but no start. So I pull the fuel hose off the filter and had my daughter try to start the car. No fuel coming out of the fuel filter or the supply line.


Turns out the lift pump failed (or was failing and my wife didn't notice). Pulled the one out of the bug and the Jetta started right up after cycling the key a couple times.

What an adventure.

Eric

What a relief I'd say.

I know that feeling. "What did I do wrong? Did I Tooef the engine? Why won't it start? ... OH, I forgot to hook up the fuel shut off solenoid..."

OK... Breathe again...

I once hallucinated a timing belt failure - I have no other explanation. Took my '04 Toyota Sequoia for a test drive after changing the timing belt. Half a mile down the road I heard the rattle of valves hitting pistons, engine lost power, I reached for the key, shut the engine off and coasted to a stop.

Called a tow truck and had the Sequoia towed to the nearest Toyota dealer. Spent a very sleepless night, full of self-recrimination. Called the dealer first thing in the morning and waited for the word - new heads or new engine.

When the dealer finally called it was to say there was not a thing wrong with the vehicle. To this day I can not figure out what happened. The only explanation I came up with is that a can kicked up from the road into the engine bay and into the engine fan. Ridiculously unlikely but there was a flattened can in the road when I went back to the scene of the crime the following day.

Removing the fuel lines broke the prime and when isnsalled your engine ran on the fuel in the filter and quit.

Nice job on the timing belt. I have done a few myself, but when I changed the one on my PD, it took me all weekend. I was going slow for fear of screwing something up.

--Nate

I ran out of fuel down in San Antonio the night I finished changing the belt on my car the first time. You can imagine what I was thinking as I coasted to the side of the road.