BSM Delete

I have been reading a lot on old threads about changing the chain driven BSM to the gear driven or delete kit when addressing the timing belt. I am about to do my timing belt on my 05 Passat TDI and am going with the delete kit from Kerma TDI as well as their timing belt kit and new motor mounts.

Have there been any new updates on people that have put some miles on their vehicle with the delete kit installed? Most of the threads addressing the issue are pretty old.

Hurleyss said:

I have been reading a lot on old threads about changing the chain driven BSM to the gear driven or delete kit when addressing the timing belt. I am about to do my timing belt on my 05 Passat TDI and am going with the delete kit from Kerma TDI as well as their timing belt kit and new motor mounts.



Have there been any new updates on people that have put some miles on their vehicle with the delete kit installed? Most of the threads addressing the issue are pretty old.

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I have an 05 Passat wagon with the BSM delete from id parts It was deleted at 180k miles and it now has 220k miles. It's still running strong and has not given any problems on that front at all, even though part of the time it was run with the wrong oil, and antifreeze. (Not since I got it!) The car was my dad's, who tends to cheap out on some things, which is fine on an old Chevy or something, but not on these.

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nearing 80K with bsm delete, still running strong

Mozambiquer said:

I have an 05 Passat wagon with the BSM delete from id parts It was deleted at 180k miles and it now has 220k miles. It's still running strong and has not given any problems on that front at all, even though part of the time it was run with the wrong oil, and antifreeze. (Not since I got it!) The car was my dad's, who tends to cheap out on some things, which is fine on an old Chevy or something, but not on these.
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Thanks for the reply. Is yours manual or automatic? I noticed your kit comes by default with the high-pressure BRM sprocket and chain. Mine is from https://kermatdi.com/i-598-balance-shaft-delete-kit-for-bhw-passat.html and has the ALH version of everything.
Anyone have suggestions on which is "better"
Also I talked to ten mechanics and only found one who is willing to attempt the delete as all others have never heard of it and are not willing to attempt. The guy who is willing to do it has never done it but does work on diesels and VWs. I plan on supplying him with the PDF from Mogolf as well as a few pics of things from threads like plugging the BS module feed hole and heating the sprocket to 450 and squirting some oil in the new pump etc. Anything I should be concerned with with having a mechanic attempt this for their first time? I am in Ventura CA area.

Hurleyss said:

Thanks for the reply. Is yours manual or automatic? I noticed your kit comes by default with the high-pressure BRM sprocket and chain. Mine is from https://kermatdi.com/i-598-balance-shaft-delete-kit-for-bhw-passat.html and has the ALH version of everything.

Anyone have suggestions on which is "better"

Also I talked to ten mechanics and only found one who is willing to attempt the delete as all others have never heard of it and are not willing to attempt. The guy who is willing to do it has never done it but does work on diesels and VWs. I plan on supplying him with the PDF from Mogolf as well as a few pics of things from threads like plugging the BS module feed hole and heating the sprocket to 450 and squirting some oil in the new pump etc. Anything I should be concerned with with having a mechanic attempt this for their first time? I am in Ventura CA area.

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Mine is still the slush box. It does have slightly more vibrations than it did before, but it's not too bad, and only noticable at idle.
I think mine has all alh parts, pump, gear, etc, though I'm not sure. It was my dad that got it and installed it.
Edit: I think it has the high pressure sprocket, I remember him talking about changing it...

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Hello, I just did a gear drive bsm due to getting it with the car uninstalled. But from all the reading and people I talked to the brm just has a higher oil pressure all round and people seem to think that the higher pressure will help save the camshaft in the long run. ill see if I can find psi difference again but I believe it was 40 to 50 psi at idle.

I bought a well mintained 04 b5.5 @ 145k and used the Kerma gear conversion. I did the gear to minimize vibrations and in reality minimize wear. I sold the car last year @ 225k. The engine ran like new on original cam.. I always go safer over less expensive its worrth it in the end.

BTW Im in the central valley/bay area and have very few good VW shops but found one good shop that was familiar with this in San Jose. I can look it up later but you probably have closer.

I did the delete a year ago. Didn't notice that much vibration with an automatic.

I remember the hardest part was getting the old balance shaft sprocket off the crankshaft. It worked best to use a hammer and hand chisel. Pretty much crack it on the side, then it came off easy.

Happy with the higher pressure sprocket on the replacement oil pump.

I did the delete kit/timing belt and 5 speed Manuel Transmission at 193k in 2015. I have now 265k with no problems. I got the kit from https://www.cascadegerman.com/product/balance-shaft-delete-kit-b5-5-bhw-deluxe/

Oh I also wanted to add the balance shafts are to counteract the vibration that would be felt at 2000rpm not so much at idle, although most report a tad more vibration at idle but the pro's are an engine that revs up more freely due to reduced mass.

My 5-speed with BSM delete has that vibration around 2000rpm. No big deal, i just shift or speed up and it goes away.

So, I'm about to attempt this procedure (along with transmission replacement) and I also have a thought/ question.

First I guess, is the vibration issue. I considered the opinions of others carefully before electing to go with the delete option as opposed to the geared setup and before purchasing the delete kit (from Cascade German), literally no one said the NVH increase was very bad. In fact, most either said it was barely noticeable or you had to really be paying attention (specifically listening FOR increased vibration) and only then was it noticeable. However, after trying numerous shops in my area who were familiar with working on VWs, one mechanic did worry me a little bit when he said the BSM delete he did years ago had so much that even after replacing engine mounts it was still pretty bad. So, he didn't want to attempt the procedure and the other quotes were so high that I decided to just do it myself.

So far, I have only removed the front bumper cover, the bumper itself and started disconnecting wires & lines but, back to work!

Are you pulling the engine and tranny?

I find some vw/audi owners are more sensitive than others.

Make sure you use oem diesel snub mount, good engine mounts(not leaking). Another poster says audi tranny mounts ride softer.

I notice zero difference in vibration in my single mass 35 lbs flyweel and my sub 20lbs valeo single mass flywheel.

My other ride is a 7.3 power stroke 4x4, comparatively the b5.5 rides like a caddy

A2VR6 said:

I did the delete kit/timing belt and 5 speed Manuel Transmission at 193k in 2015. I have now 265k with no problems. I got the kit from https://www.cascadegerman.com/product/balance-shaft-delete-kit-b5-5-bhw-deluxe/

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Did you opt for the optional BRM parts when you ordered your kit or did you go with the ALH version of everything as it comes?

Go delete, after doing both geared and delete with automatic and manual, many, many times, I have found some cars just vibrated more than others regardless of BSM/transmission combinations. The only time vibrations were just awful is when I tried the 1.8t motor mounts. Since then, I only install OEM VW mounts. It also helps to use the B5 A6/AllRoad transmission mounts.


One other plug for delete, as another poster stated, it revs quicker and it gets 1-2 MPG more than with the BSM.


My vote is for Cascade parts.

vwztips said:

Go delete, after doing both geared and delete with automatic and manual, many, many times, I have found some cars just vibrated more than others regardless of BSM/transmission combinations. The only time vibrations were just awful is when I tried the 1.8t motor mounts. Since then, I only install OEM VW mounts. It also helps to use the B5 A6/AllRoad transmission mounts.


One other plug for delete, as another poster stated, it revs quicker and it gets 1-2 MPG more than with the BSM.


My vote is for Cascade parts.

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Thanks for your reply. I just ordered the 1.8t mounts from Kerma TDI! I went back and noticed that the OEM mounts are 100$ more apiece. Perhaps I should order those and return the 1.8t ones. Thanks for the heads up! Anyone else have experience with the replacement 1.8t mounts?

Cheers

Are the transmission mounts easily replaced while doing the delete? If so, and is recommended, how many are there to replace?

Yes the TDI mounts are expensive but I guarantee if you install the 1.8t mounts, you will take them right back out. I couldn't even take it for 1 tank of fuel.

I also recommend the VW units, not aftermarket.

I drop thw sub frame while suspending the engine which means all both engine and transmission mounts are loose.

As mentioned above replace the snub mount. It is cheap

Hurleyss said:

Did you opt for the optional BRM parts when you ordered your kit or did you go with the ALH version of everything as it comes?

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ALH version

To answer your transmission mount question there are 2 of them, if hanging the motor yes they are easy to slide in and out. You may need a floor jack also to lift to rear of the transmission, also servicing the transmission is never a bad idea and roughly $100 to $150 for parts and fluid.

When I did the BSM delete about 3 years ago ([at 60,000 miles] I also replaced the motor mounts with new OEM mounts. I did not replace the transmission mounts. I did not notice any substantial increase in vibrations at all, throughout the rpm range. I also used that opportunity to do the initial timing belt change, and serviced the transmission (fluid and filter).

The only thing I noticed regarding all the above was that the transmission shifted more firmly for the next few months, few thousand miles, but that gradually went away and since then it shifts like when the car was new.

I noticed no change in fuel economy.

zzdiesel said:

Are you pulling the engine and tranny?

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Yes, I'm taking the advice of someone who's done it before and pulling them out in one piece.

In KM.

Installed at 250k, now at 515k. Delete, manual transmission, Alh pump with BRM sprocket. Slight vibration at 2000rpm, but perfectly livable.

Oh, and still on my original camshaft...

zzdiesel said:

Are you pulling the engine and tranny?

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Yes, I am. Sorry for the late response but I didn't see this until now. I have to replace the transmission anyway and I was advised by Whitbread (who has worked on tons of these) that it's the best way to go about accomplishing both tasks.

Oops, forgot I replied previously!

So, I have a question for anyone who has done the delete themselves. After removing the timing belt, crank pulley and getting that stubborn crank sprocket off, is there such thing as a foolproof way to verify the crankshaft hasn't moved? Besides rotating the engine by hand twice to make sure there's no interference?

I took Oilhammer's advice from earlier threads and put a paint stick mark on the flywheel after the oil pan was off, but before the front crank timing belt gear was off.

So crank and cam locks were in place and put a mark on flywheel. If I remember right, you can't turn the crank even a full revolution with the cam staying still. So I don't think the extra mark was necessary.

I was rotating the crank trying to punch off the old oil pump sprocket.

The crank lock tool only goes on in 1 spot because of the raise dimple on the timing belt gear and the bolt holes are not in a perfect square for 4 holes (I think).

Along with marking your flywheel, mark and count teeth on timing belt from crank to cam before removjng, mark same amount of teeth on new belt and make sure they line up with the crank/cam markings.

Then you have 3 diffent methods to be sure nothing has slipped

Thanks guys, both of your suggestions make perfect sense. I appreciate it the input!

What transmission are you putting in fryerdiesel?