Timing belt / change cam ?

dlb

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2004
Location
Greely Ont
TDI
'04 Reflex Silver Golf
My mechanic is telling me I should change the cam when I get my timing belt done (probably late next yr) Car is an 04 Golf TDI .... 315K km's right now. I want to keep the car another 3-4yrs max. Opinions ??
 

Vince Waldon

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Edmonton AB Canada
TDI
2001 ALH Jetta, 2003 ALH Wagon, 2005 BEW Wagon
Pop the valve cover (5 minutes) and feel the lobes of the cam. If any of them feel sharp the chamfer is gone, the cam has had it, and it certainly makes sense to do the replacement while everything is already apart to do the timing belt.

Some BEW cams last forever, some are toast at 200K. Mine has 317K and is about to be replaced during the 320K timing belt change... three lobes have sharp edges. :) :)
 

imo000

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
Location
Cambridge
TDI
2009 M-B ML320 Diesel & '05 Passat TDI Manual 5-Speed
My Passat's cam packed it in around 270K kms. #1 lobe was almost perfectly round. My '06 Jetta sounds like it needs a cam too. Time to change it soon.
 

James & Son

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2008
Location
Maryhill, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2006 Jetta
I bought Gofaster's BRM 3 years ago with 430,000 kilometers. Original cam is in perfect shape. It has 460,000 now. When changing the timing belt compression didn't seem that good when rolling it over so the valves and possibly the injectors need some attention but with the Unitronics tune it is still a tiger.
 
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