BHW Balance Shaft Module replacement

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oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
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outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
Two more done today. :D Now I am out of some minor parts (fasteners) and have a bunch more stuff on order.

The dealers do not sell any 'kits' and most of them do not even have any idea about this upgrade.
 

tdigreg

Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2007
Location
st. louis
TDI
04 jetta wagon 05 passat w/bs upgraded, 2013 beetle tdi
thanks oilhammer
mine is now quiet, the gear drive is amazing, the door panels are rattle free its like a new car(still needs a good cleaning), what a difference:D now i feel safe to go for 500K
 
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MOGolf

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2001 Golf GLS TDI Reflex silver, rough road suspension and steel skid plate, 2004 Passat Variant, Candy White, rough road suspension and geared balanced shaft module, and much, much more. 2016 LR RR HSE TD6, 2019 Jaguar I-PACE
tdigreg said:
... the gear drive is amazing,... its like a new car(still needs a good cleaning), what a difference:D now i feel safe to go for 500K
:) Exactly how I felt. You just don't realize how bad it was until after the surgery. You "know" it is bad before, but the results make it crystal clear that this is the way the engine should have been built.

Your car will also have a small part in the next revision of the PDF. I was able to get pictures of using the 3393 subframe alignment pins on your car.
 

tdigreg

Member
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Location
st. louis
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04 jetta wagon 05 passat w/bs upgraded, 2013 beetle tdi
thank glen sorry our paths didnt cross yesterday hope to see you soon its just as smooth as yours thanks for all the research
 

MOGolf

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2001 Golf GLS TDI Reflex silver, rough road suspension and steel skid plate, 2004 Passat Variant, Candy White, rough road suspension and geared balanced shaft module, and much, much more. 2016 LR RR HSE TD6, 2019 Jaguar I-PACE
Revised PDF to include pictures of 3393 alignment pin usage, change wording about pulling off the crankshaft sprocket (it will always break - heating didn't help), and used options to reduce file size significantly.
 

sschnath

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Aug 6, 2008
Location
Arundel, ME
TDI
2004 Passat
Apparently I'm living on borrowed time

Just logged in after a little over 4 months and just read all the posts on the BS problem. This forum is an amazing resource and thanks to all of you that have contributed.

I did my first timing belt/water pump on my '04 TDI at 105K and started getting noise at around 130-135K. Took it to two dealers, neither could isolate the problem (although both thought it was in the timing belt area) and now I understand why.

I have 194K now and have been living with the noise all this time. I figured if it was a bearing in one of the tensionsers it would get worse and I would deal with it then. I really didn't think it was timing belt related as it just seemed way too soon after the initial work was done and I just couldn't afford to have them start poking around without a better idea as to what it might be.

The noise hasn't gotten worse so I've continued to monitor it. Some days it's worse than others but overall it hasn't been getting progressively worse over time so I was beginning to think it was normal due to the mileage on the engine.

I had planned on doing the next belt change at 210K. That would probably be 4-5 months from now. I think I need to accelerate the timing belt work.

Normally I would have the dealer where I bought the car do the work -- I've been pretty happy with them for the most part on smaller jobs. But they really stuck it to me cost-wise on the first timing belt job and I'm not going to let them do the next one.

I've started having another VW dealer in my area do some minor work just to try them out. Initial estimates indicate that they'll be more reasonable on the cost of a timing belt job. However, I don't know whether I'm ready to let them at the BS yet.

I live in the Kennebunkport, Maine area and work outside of Boston, so I can travel some if I need to. Can anyone recommend a quality shop in this general area?
 

cspeter8

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Location
Central Connecticut
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2004 Passat Sedan
how to get the special service tools

We have a detailed illustrated procedure document, a source to buy the kit at worldimpex.com (sku #935619) and alot of suggestions on how to select a local mechanic to do the job.

One additional thing I feel I am hung up on - where do we get the special service tools? Are they available at the volkswagen dealer parts dept, or elsewhere?

thanks
 

MOGolf

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2001 Golf GLS TDI Reflex silver, rough road suspension and steel skid plate, 2004 Passat Variant, Candy White, rough road suspension and geared balanced shaft module, and much, much more. 2016 LR RR HSE TD6, 2019 Jaguar I-PACE
www.samstagsales.com
tools.vw.com (an Equipment Solutions division of Snap-On site)
and World Impex can also get tools.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
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outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
Some dealers will also order them for you, but it requires a few extra steps and that can be tough for them :rolleyes:
 

aja8888

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Location
Texas..RETIRED 12/31/17
TDI
Out of TDI's
I have sent e-mails and filled out parts request forms at World Impex to verify if they have the BHW balance shaft upgrade kit parts in stock (IMPEX SKU # 935619). I have not gotten ANY response from them regarding this request yet. Has anyone ordered and recieved this kit from them yet? Or are they just taking orders?

Thanks,

Tony
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
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outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
My other ones have been on order for a while and are still not in. Still likely a couple weeks away, and those are all spoken for as I understand.

There WILL be a shortage of parts as these start to fail. And the chain driven stuff is obsolete, and not being restocked.
 

aja8888

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Location
Texas..RETIRED 12/31/17
TDI
Out of TDI's
oilhammer said:
My other ones have been on order for a while and are still not in. Still likely a couple weeks away, and those are all spoken for as I understand.

There WILL be a shortage of parts as these start to fail. And the chain driven stuff is obsolete, and not being restocked.
Brian, does it make sense for some of us that are wanting to have this upgrade done to place orders at our local dealerships for these parts now? Even though there is a current lack of these parts in the U.S., is there a chance that by having additional orders placed the parts pipeline may speed up? What could placing of these orders hurt? Just thinking out loud here.

Tony
 

oilhammer

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There are just too many to list....
aja8888 said:
Brian, does it make sense for some of us that are wanting to have this upgrade done to place orders at our local dealerships for these parts now? Even though there is a current lack of these parts in the U.S., is there a chance that by having additional orders placed the parts pipeline may speed up? What could placing of these orders hurt? Just thinking out loud here.

Tony
Couldn't hurt I guess.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
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Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
KALaBenne said:
OH, just out of curiosity, how long does it take you to do this job?
I am sticking with the 8 hours labor charge, same as changing out the chain driven module, and the upgrade takes a few more minutes due to swapping that gear over.

I am not certain but I guess I could get one done start to finish in maybe 5 to 6 hours,not counting time for the sealant to properly cure. I rarely monitor the actual clock time it takes me on big jobs, because I have so many things going on at once during the day I get taken away from big jobs sometimes.

I know I can have the whole deal apart and the old module out on the bench in about 2 hours. It is the going back together that takes some time. Things like cleaning up the mating surfaces on the engine parts, lining up the subframe, filling the coolant, etc. can gobble up lots of time.
 

MOGolf

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aja8888 said:
Brian, does it make sense for some of us that are wanting to have this upgrade done to place orders at our local dealerships for these parts now? Even though there is a current lack of these parts in the U.S., is there a chance that by having additional orders placed the parts pipeline may speed up? What could placing of these orders hurt? Just thinking out loud here.

Tony
Your dealership is probably going to want to be paid up front for special order expensive parts like this. I know the one closest to me would require that. You'll also have to have a shop willing to install parts that you bought (unless you're doing the job yourself).

I may be able to do a few here throughout the year, if scheduled in advance and once parts are actually in-hand. I won't put up the money for the parts purchase ahead of time. I can't afford to have people be no-shows and claim that they either sold the car, went someplace else, just changed their minds, or drive off without paying for the parts.
 

aja8888

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Out of TDI's
MOGolf said:
Your dealership is probably going to want to be paid up front for special order expensive parts like this. I know the one closest to me would require that. You'll also have to have a shop willing to install parts that you bought (unless you're doing the job yourself).

I may be able to do a few here throughout the year, if scheduled in advance and once parts are actually in-hand. I won't put up the money for the parts purchase ahead of time. I can't afford to have people be no-shows and claim that they either sold the car, went someplace else, just changed their minds, or drive off without paying for the parts.
MoGolf: Thanks, I understand your position, especially when it involves the costly parts and your time. While all your (and Oilhammer's) absolutely great work has been going on, I, and I am sure others monitoring this issue, have been doing our own due diligence on what we may do to help our own situations for getting these upgrades done before we have a much larger problem. I drive a lot in my business and want my car to be at its peak reliability now that we are hearing of more catastropic chain failures. This is absolutely critical to me.

It is apparent that Oilhammer will be booked for a good bit of time and he is "parts constrained" at the moment so we (the folks wanting to get the upgrade soon) need to find other shops/Gurus who can do this upgrade. My intent for getting more parts orders in the pipeline is to forge an additional demand to the supply chain, if that is possible. And I am not sure that the effort will have ANY effect.

I have spoken today with the sales department at World Impex where they now have a list of parts for the module replacement on their website (thanks;) ). Based on their estimates of delivery, it is possible that I can have the kit before the end of this month and I have placed an order this afternoon. I also have a fairly local trusted shop/Guru who is working with me on this upgrade. If all this works out as planned, I will be upgraded and there will be another installer in the south here that can handle this work for others. This is my plan. It may not work, but I have to give it a try. If none of this works out like planned, my wife has family in St. Louis and we may make a visit this spring, with a stop at OH's shop.

From reading these related B5 balance shaft threads, there are efforts on the east coast to do the same as I am trying to accomplish, so I am not alone.

FYI: I went to our local VW dealer here in town, which is quite large BTW, and asked about getting the BS module and related parts. They (parts department) never heard about this upgrade and couldn't find the parts in their system. Now, maybe they didn't look hard enough, and I felt like it was a bother for them to help me. But that is what I got for two hours of my time yesterday. This is not the first time I have been treated this way at that dealership, but it is the last time.

Tony
 

oilhammer

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outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
I would be doing them non-stop if I could. I just am waiting on parts. I did the 2 that I had parts for (after our initial job on MOGolf's car) and now am waiting for more. I have 2 more BS modules, 2 sets of gears, and enough water pumps, timing belts, etc. to choke an elephant. But I do not yet have all the bolts I need.

My current order is 3 more BS modules/gears and the remainder of the bolts. This will allow me to do the 5 I have scheduled in the pipeline, and will be ordering more ASAP.

I also got a bunch of engine mounts, alternator pulleys, hood release pulls, and about 60 liters of G12 and about 75 liters of VW ATF.

...just waiting on Volkswagen :eek: ...and I just got yet another PM about getting one in.
 

MOGolf

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I understand and fully support your efforts. I thought it should be made clear that people should not go to dealers expecting to order expensive parts without paying until delivery, or landing up with parts but without the ability to have them installed. You've got that situation covered. :)

Neither oilhammer nor myself could possibly fix all the cars, though we would like to do that so we know the job would be done right. If we win a lottery, that might happen, but I have a feeling that getting VW to cover the expense has better odds. ;)

Your experience with the local dealership is why we need places like World Impex to offer all the parts as a "kit". They've got the correct list of parts and quantities. Easy shopping and it doesn't take two hours of frustration.
 

Lug_Nut

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Sterling, Massachusetts. USA
TDI
idi: 1988 Bolens DGT1700H, the other oil burner: 1967 Saab Sonett II two stroke
oilhammer said:
...and I just got yet another PM about getting one in.
One 'what' in?
An additional geared BS module:)?
Or, another B5.5 that has thrown it's chain:eek:?
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
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outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Lug_Nut said:
One 'what' in?
An additional geared BS module:)?
Or, another B5.5 that has thrown it's chain:eek:?
Another noisy one. You know, these B5 TDIs were like hen's teeth when we were shopping for one new in 2004...now they are coming out of the woodwork needing this upgrade done! LOL! :p

Man I wish I could get more parts here faster!!! :mad:
 

DickSilver

Veteran Member
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Jun 6, 2004
Location
Kentucky
TDI
2004 B5.5V, 1996 B4V
I have ordered the BS kit from Impex today. They said they expect some kits in, on Monday 12 Jan. Of course until the materials actually are in-hand, it's a "check is in the mail" situation. My 2004 B5.5V is just at 101,000 miles, so that with a new timing belt, water pump, etc., make a proper job.

I will use Fast Enough, a VW shop of excellent repute close by here in Lexington KY, to do the work. Maybe now I'll have a car good for lots of future miles!!
 

oilhammer

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There are just too many to list....
Just make sure your shop of choice has the special tools for the job. Not everyone may have them. I didn't.
 

leicaman

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2015 Golf TDI SE, 2005 TDI GLS, RIP
oilhammer said:
Just make sure your shop of choice has the special tools for the job. Not everyone may have them. I didn't.
I am assuming the tools you refer to are the ones as specified in the repair .pdf that MoGolf assembled. These are tools in that .pdf are beyond what a normal timing belt procedure would require, correct?
 

vw4life

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2014 Touareg TDI
I am curious how the BS gets replaced so it's rotation is timed to the engine so it does indeed balance and not cause an out of balance situation?
 

MOGolf

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2001 Golf GLS TDI Reflex silver, rough road suspension and steel skid plate, 2004 Passat Variant, Candy White, rough road suspension and geared balanced shaft module, and much, much more. 2016 LR RR HSE TD6, 2019 Jaguar I-PACE
Engine is locked at TDC. BS is installed with its lock. The intermediate gear between the crank and BS gears is sized appropriately so that the BS rotates at the proper rpm.
 

Lug_Nut

TDIClub Enthusiast, Pre-Forum Veteran Member
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idi: 1988 Bolens DGT1700H, the other oil burner: 1967 Saab Sonett II two stroke
One gear, the one on the BS I believe, is slotted.
Crank at TDC, BS at TDC, BS gear loose and free to shift in the slots, install the idler to mesh w/both gears letting the BS gear rotate while the BS shaft is held, then tighten the BS gear bolts in their slots where ever the crank and idler put the gear and the BS puts the shaft.
 

ScotR

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Orangeville,Ont
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1997 Jetta
I was just reading the how to page for the bs module and it is a very good right up. I myself have done a few and there are a few things that can be done to make it easier. 1- No need to remove lock carrier from the car, puting the carrier in "service position" gives amble room for the job, also doesn't require A/C tools. 2- The crank sprocket gets pulled off with the same puller the new 2.0 tdi in the a5 body uses. Just have to grind the legs on the puller 1.5mm to engage the sprocket. The gear will never break using that tool. Don't have the vas# handy but can get it. Hope that helps.
 

MOGolf

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I kept telling Brian about #1 but he prefers to remove the lock carrier.

You might mean T10392, the tool for pulling off the crankshaft gear that gets installed in this repair. The T40001 is what was specified by VW for pulling off the sprocket. Their procedure may have been written before the T10392 became available.
 
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