Easiest way to check timing belt?

My 04 Jetta wagon has no record of the last time the timing belt was done.
Do I have to pull the valve cover, or does the upper timing belt cover come off separately from the valve cover?

Thanks Dave

Cam index, Lockout IP with the pin, and verify flywheel markings.

this is the ONLY way. so yes, you have to take off the valve cover

Thanks Mongler

I am a newbie, so can you explain a little further here?

What is cam index and lockout pin

PD engine???

Why does the Valve Cover need to come off other than to inspect the Cam lobes?

Based on your questions, you need to do a lot of research. You need a Bentley manual that covers your engine. Then when the TB is in place, you will need to set the torsion value using Vag Com Diagnostic Systems (VCDS).

You need a PD engine crankshaft locking tool set similar to this....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6pcs-Set-D...528679&hash=item2396bff455:g:gvYAAOSwvD5aThvB

If I'm reading this right, you are asking is there a way to check the age of the timing belt? the answer is generally no. If you don't know, replace it. There is no other safe option and at 409K (as I saw from one of your other posts) you can assume that its overdue for the following reasons:

The original timing belt spec was every 100K, but at some point VW changed the spec to 80K. Some owners still used the 100K spec anyway. So, the original owner may have done the belt at 100k, 200k and 300k and then got rid of the vehicle rather than do the next belt replacement. Or, using the 80K mile spec, the belt would have been done at 80, 160,240, 320 and then when it gets to 400K owner decides to get rid of it.

Now its certainly possible they did the belt before they got rid of the car but given that its a $750- $1000 expense, its probably unlikely.

Maybe if you look at the belt and it seems brand spanking new, you could take the chance that it was recently replaced.

Timing can be checked as stated above by reading the torsion value in VCDS. It should usually be in the -3 to +3 range but the number is not really an indicator of where you get best performance (setting at 0 is not necessarily ideal).

If you have no record it was done right then replace it. The other option is to fail at a inconvenient time stranding you and destroying the engine.

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Just do it. Cheap insurance from a very expensive repair to fix the damage from a broken belt.

coalminer16 said:

If you have no record it was done right then replace it. The other option is to fail at a inconvenient time stranding you and destroying the engine.

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Exactly. Looking at the belt will tell you nothing unless the belt is already shot. Typically some other component fails and destroys an otherwise good "looking" belt.
Unless you have stellar documentation of when the belt was replaced, what parts were actually replaced, who did the work and where the parts were sourced from the only thing to do is consider it past due and get it serviced properly asap.
Almost every VW I see for sale has supposedly had the TB and WP "recently" replaced. Most all have no documentation and haven't actually been done.

Walk into your kitchen, take a good gander at the light bulb and then tell me when it is going to fail.

If you have to ask this, then I think it's fair to assume you aren't going to rebuild the engine yourself when the belt fails, right? Therefore, when it fails, it's going to cost you thousands to get it fixed.

I've had the teeth strip off my belt without warning. $3000 later my car works great with a rebuilt engine. (That was just parts... I did the work myself, otherwise it would be a lot more.) Learn from my misfortune.

Like others said, the belt itself is rarely the component that fails and grenades the engine.
Unfortunately there is no practical way to inspect the roller, water pump, tensioner...

How to check timing belt with unknown years/ miles.

Timing belt kit replaced....Check!

If there is anybody who can tell you the reason for replacing a timing belt, it's me.

I would guess that roughly 1/2 of thousands of cylinder heads we have rebuilt are due to misinformation from the previous owner. "...Just had a timing belt done..." (That is code for they replaced ONLY the timing belt and nothing else. The big roller, tensioner water pump, belt teeth...blew up and I get the cylinder head..), or the customer figures the timing belt will go 100,000 miles, but completely forget it's 100k OR 5 years... So, unless you want a really great rebuild on your cylinder head, my advice, avoid my excellent cylinder head service. Get a timing belt installed. Follow good advice or get someone whose done a few hundred to install yours.

We offer a very good timing belt kit, loan the tools and can provide excellent Phone/ email technical support.

As for removing the valve cover, I would, but not because you need to when replacing a timing belt. We remove the valve cover to see if there is any adverse wear on the cam. The PD's have a premature wear issue with the cam. If you see galling on the base circle of any cam lobe, you should remove the cam, cam bearings and cam followers and replace them.

We have a very good guide for removing the cam for inspection and unlike a popular one that is out there, it avoids an issue that can cause the tandem pump driver to break. Let us know if you can be any additional help.