Any Way to Tell if TB has been swapped?

Just got a '01 Jetta TDI with 50k on it for the wife, very nice car, looks and runs great, motor is spotless, changed oil tonight, looked down into valve cover and everything is absolutely spotless and looks like new. It is really a nice little car. Bad thing is, I bought it from a Chevy dealer who took it in on a trade, and service records were spotty at best, and only showed oil changes (used diesel oil thankfully.) This timing belt deal obviously is a huge thing, and the dealer couldn't tell me if it had been done or not. I looked at it tonight when I changed the oil to Delvac 1, and it looks to be in perfect, new condition and is tracking pretty true on the sprockets. It may be a little more cockeyed on the lower sprocket than the top one, but you really have to nitpick. I couldnt find anything to indicate the belt had been changed. If it has, is there anything one might get a clue from to let him know?

If there isnt and we need to get this thing changed ASAP, is there anyone in IL, IN, or WI that can do this procedure? I think i could do it but would take a whole weekend minimum and really dont want to get into it that bad.

Welcome to the club--change your TB in 10k--including everything else that needs to be changed. Value wise you'll probably want an 80k belt. The first time my cars TB was changed they failed to change the tensioner. 55k later it failed on the way to the shop for the TB change--$2550 later the car was working again.
It is NOT WORTH THE HASSLE, trust me on this one. You can get a kit with everyhting to do it yourself (or have someone else do it at a GTG) from dieselgeek. Check my sig.
-BB

Ask the Chebby dealer if they can put you in touch with the original owner. For something important like this, they should at least be willing to act as a go-between if they don't want to just give out customer information. If you get in touch with the owner, and they have changed the TB with adaquate documentation (showing a new tensioner as well) then why not let it go until the next scheduled interval?

Still, buying this car at 50k tells me that the previous owner probably didn't do major work earlier than scheduled and just prior to trading it in.

Manual or automatic?

If it has a manual transmission, you have 10,000 more miles to go. If it has an automatic transmission, it is overdue by 10,000 miles if it hasn't been done.

Without service records, there is generally no way to tell. Some mechanics (not necessarily with VWs) write the date and mileage of the last timing belt change on the timing belt cover or near it.

When changing it, use the new type belt, tensioner, and roller to get a longer change interval.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but remember to check the idler pullies and water pump while in there. The large idler has been known to fail prematurely, and has since been superceded by a part with a larger internal bearing. If there is any question about the water pump, change it. This is low mileage for it to fail, but 80k miles from now is pushing water pump life I'd think. And if it fails along the way, you get to do the TB job all over again....

The car is an auto, and the TB Cover has some blue ink scribbled on it to the left of the date that says 2/01.

I can't see what the blue ink says though, can't make it out. The idlers seem to be solid and don't have any wiggle/play in them, and the surfaces of them are smooth and uniform. The belt itself looks very good. No leaks from WP, all other belts look excellent too.

I will go with the entire kit when we get this done, it makes more sense.

Now I just need to find someone that can assist me in doing it. I live an hour south of Chicago, so am within relative closeness to a lot of people, hopefully one of which can help me.

I can help but it will take a litle planning on that. I have gone to Essex before. But you might want to consider contacting MOGolf, he is in Columbus, OH. (he used to live in MO but moved to OH.)

Well MN is a good ways away but if you came down to Essex IL then thats right in my neighborhood. If this fella in Ohio lives in western OH it's not a bad idea. I suppose if the dealer was reasnable enough then I might do it there to save everyone the hassle.

I am really really hoping tho that the blue scribble on the TB cover mean that a mechanic has changed it already. As I said, everything looks good in there.

I did find the previous owner's insurance card in the manual tonight, I think I might try and track him down tomorrow and find out what he knows. He iwll probably freak out!

I am really really hoping it has been done already because I don't want to spend 1/4 +/- of my tax return on a freakin' belt change.

Just got a '01 Jetta TDI with 50k on it for the wife...

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Early-2001's and late-2001's have different TBs. Changeover was around March or April 2001. The build-date is on the driver's side B-pillar. Newer ones came with the TB rated for 80k miles.