BEW timing belt change PITA

[paramedick]

Just did another one of these. Did I mention how much of a PITA they are to get on the sprockets? VW couldn't make the belt a millimeter longer so there is a tiny bit of slack? That's what tensioners are for.

So far, metalman's method works best for me. All the other gurus tell me all their little trick, and they don't work for me. Did I mention that they are a PITA? In fact, Eric keeps urging me to "just say no......"

Sorry, just needed to rant a little. We must be getting better at them. Only cussed this belt about an hour, 4.5 hours total job.

 

[Matthew_S]

The belt goes on the water pump last. If you try to put it on the cam sprocket last you will be there all day.

 

[paramedick]

The belt goes on the water pump last. If you try to put it on the cam sprocket last you will be there all day.

Nope, doesn't work for me. GOK, I've tried multiple times. I must be doing something wrong.

Metalman's method of leaving out the roller, threading the belt, then putting in the tensioner works. Just painfully slow.

 

[Matthew_S]

Interesting. The important part is to have the cam pulley turned all the way counterclockwise in the slots. If it isn't the pulley will stop rotating when it hits the limit making it impossible to get enough slack to slip it over the WP.

 

[LessIsMore]

Just take the cam pulley off, install belt, then slide it back on under the belt.

 

[paramedick]

You can get the same effect with my method used by setting the cam a bit clockwise of center. Put the belt on, slide on the tensioner, slide in motor mount, and put roller in place. Cam ends up in the middle.

I gotta see someone else put the belt on one of these someday. Maybe I'm being a knucklehad and totally missing a concept.

Less, I'm a bit afraid of that method. Afraid things would not align for me.