Timing Belt Replacement Tools/Procedures

I've been working to repair a persistent oil leak (due I think to the PVC downpipe). Along with this I'm doing the following:

Replacing the regulator in the alternator
Replacing the front end of the water pump that's failed & new thermostat
Replacing the radiator/condenser fan motor that's seized.
Replacing oil cooler o-ring & possibly the cooler itself

While this deep into it I figure I may as well replace the timing belt. My B4 has roughly 250k miles on it (unsure as the cluster is shot, but it's on the list), and I have no previous record of any previous replacement.

What all special tools/software is required to get my 1Z to proper timing? I have an Snap On ODB2 scanner, but all I keep reading involves a vag com and VCDS. Are both necessary? Thanks in advance!

Timing Belt Kit, optional water pump
Timing Belt Instructions (The writeup I followed - doesn't include torque values)
Timing Belt Instructions v2 (more extensive)
Metalnerd Timing Belt Tools
Brand New Ross-Tech Cable, alternatively I'd suggest buying a used cable from a forum member. I have a KII-USB cable that works with our cars and paid about $150 for it. You'll need to use this cable with VCDS to correctly set injection timing after the belt installation. As long as the Ross Tech cable says "Hex interface" you're fine.
3/8" drive torque wrench. It's not mentioned in the articles, but you really need this to set your timing belt tensioner and cam bolt properly. The rest doesn't matter quite so much.

You'll want a full tool kit with Open/Boxed end wrenches, full socket set, 10mm deepwell socket, vise-grips, Channellock pliers, the whole enchilada. I'll also throw in that you'll want to torque your cam sprocket to 40 ft/lbs, and the TB tensioner nut to 20. You may want to order a new tensioner stud, washer, and nut as well.

Thank you for the info "thechoochlyman". I'll save it for future reference. I'm kind of in a pinch for time, so I'll do the timing belt another time. It looks to be in pretty good shape an can still see the "ContiTech" logo clearly on it. Though I know it's not a mesasment of wear.
Anyways, I have a lot of rust in my cooling system and components. Do you have any suggestions to cleaning it out or at the least neutralizing it so that it doesn't get any worse? I hate reassembling this like it is.

Did the previous owner run green coolant instead of the factory-spec G12? If so, then that could be causing corrosion. The inside of my engine looks brand new after 187k miles on the stock coolant.

If it had green coolant, you should fill and flush the system with water 2-3 times to be SURE all the green is out - it can react very badly with the G12 when you refill the system. I used Pentofrost SF in mine.

Then that's my problem! Green antifreeze has always been used. Will the G12 clean up the rust? I posted a photo but it didn't display. When clicked on it opened up.

That's what I'm not completely sure about... maybe someone more experienced with this will chime in. But I'd say flush the green out thoroughly, put in new G12, then do another flush about a month later and replace it again. I'm sure it'll loosen it up enough to help get some out.

I'd also recommend pulling out the thermostat (requires dropping own the power steering pump) when you flush it - this way any potential debris won't get caught there.

EDIT: How to post photos

It's all apart. I pulled the alternator and a/c compressor. One the bracket was removed the water pump come straight out. I'll replacing the entire pump, thermostat and one of the short hose couplings that's starting to blister we. The rear I'll try to flush out the best I can. The oil cooler is pretty cheap, may as well replace it to.

I'm not sure if there are any restrictions on this in the VW world, but from the MB side of the house, citric acid is used to clean various gunk, including mineral scale and rust out of the cooling system.

I don't remember the exact ratio, but I believe it was around 1 lb of dry citric acid in a 2-3 gallon cooling system full of water. Bring it up to temp for a while, then thoroughly flush it out before filling with the coolant mix of choice.

i have no qualms about using plain old green coolant on something this old, with this many miles, especially considering the waterpump isnt driven by the t-belt. (shun the non-believer...)

you just need to acknowledge that mixing the 2 is unacceptable and that the green coolant requires flushing every couple years. i do it at every t-belt because that's about 2-3 years for me.

Where are you getting the oil cooler? There are suppliers of cheap parts of questionable quality.

I agree with the above on the coolant.

Vag-Com is the old name for VCDS. It allows you to see the timing. OBD readers do not.

Having read a few writeups (maybe, maybe not the ones listed), the only thing I was surprised to need is a spanner wrench to set the tensioner. Why they didn't use a hexagonal or square boss to avoid one more special tool is beyond me.

I've done many a diesel (TDI, pre-TDI VW, Isuzu, others) that required exact cam timing, with nothing more than a random piece of plate steel, and in some cases a screwdriver. If it's level, it's level, end of story.

allerickb said:

I'm kind of in a pinch for time, so I'll do the timing belt another time. It looks to be in pretty good shape an can still see the "ContiTech" logo clearly on it. [/IMG][/URL]

Click to expand...

Generally, a visual inspection will tell you nothing about the condition of the timing belt and components.

When I did my T/B, the old belt looked almost new, however, the roller felt a little tired when I spun it by hand.

When you have a timing failure it is rarely the belt. What usually fails is a roller, tensioner or water pump.

As mentioned timing belts are like light bulbs, they work great until they don't.
If you're in Atlanta get a hold of Troy Sentz in Canton, he'll take great care of you.
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