In the middle of ALH timing belt questions....

[ccaissie]

I've reset it a number of times, but will try again. I agree. When I put the two pin tool in, it's pointed at the firewall, the tab is in the recess, and then I need to rotate the tensioner well past vertical, 120-180 degrees....almost pointing straight forward...at that point I can tell I'm camming over.

 

[csstevej]

That tensioner isn’t right…..every one I’ve done the nubs and slot are at around the 3:00 position as viewing from passenger fender.

 

[ccaissie]

Yep, repeated the install for the tensioner. Tab in the pocket, tool points at firewall, then turning clockwise makes the indexes move towards each other but never reaches it...Could crank it all the way around I suspect, but have not done/ will not do that.

 

[Zak99b5]

Is it a Litens tensioner?

 

[ccaissie]

That tensioner isn’t right…..every one I’ve done the nubs and slot are at around the 3:00 position as viewing from passenger fender.

Yep, buggered I suspect. Left message and video with Kerma. The nubs on this one are under the tensioner. but still should work. My sense of geometry, spatial relatinships and forces says it's not right. My first ALH timing belt, but not my first VW timing belt, and certainly not my first complex vw repair.

 

[ccaissie]

Don't know. Came in the Kerma TDI kit. Should be OEM?

 

[Nickmix]

Don't know. Came in the Kerma TDI kit. Should be OEM?

Should have the manufacturers name on it somewhere.

 

[Abacus]

The cam sprocket...

I’d like to blame autocorrect, but nope, I’ll blame the lack of coffee instead.

 

[mittzlepick]

Order a new tensioner from id parts there in mass hingam i think just a hrs drive away from woosta. Then swing in the northside and grab me some mocha cremes from mikes pastry.

 

[fatmobile]

Good video. Does a good job of explaining what's going on.
I don't suppose there is a way to check the belt tension with a special tool like with the old 1.6s.
Either way it seems like there is something wrong with the tensioner and
even though it might spin nice, you might not want to use a defective part.

 

[Cosmo's UNA]

Late to the party but here goes...You didn't tighten the bolt before you set the tension, did you? Set tension then tighten the bolt.

 

[mittzlepick]

you could use a gates cricket but who knows the ft lbs #. useful when i worked on the porcshe 924

 

[ccaissie]

Late to the party but here goes...You didn't tighten the bolt before you set the tension, did you? Set tension then tighten the bolt.

Roger on that. I took the slop out of the stud, but the whole thing slipped around to make sure the tab was in the pocket. Then twisted it and found the issue. snugged the nut so I could take pics and study it. Backed it off and reset many times to make sure I was reading it right.

 

[ccaissie]

Order a new tensioner from id parts there in mass hingam i think just a hrs drive away from woosta. Then swing in the northside and grab me some mocha cremes from mikes pastry.

Might be stale by the time I get the cremes up to you..... yer old neighborhood I take it?

 

[mittzlepick]

Just a great pit stop. Great old city to explore.

 

[Smokin' Dually]

I didn't see the cam sprocket rotating on the cam as the tensioner was rotated. Are the cam and IP sprockets able to rotate as the belt is being tensioned? The crank is stationary and the belt between the crank and the tensioner on the firewall side doesn't move much if at all. The slack comes out on the front side between the crank and the tensioner. The IP pulley doesn't move much but the cam pulley movement is usually significant.

 

[turbodieseldyke]

I didn't see the cam sprocket rotating on the cam as the tensioner was rotated. Are the cam and IP sprockets able to rotate as the belt is being tensioned? The crank is stationary and the belt between the crank and the tensioner on the firewall side doesn't move much if at all. The slack comes out on the front side between the crank and the tensioner. The IP pulley doesn't move much but the cam pulley movement is usually significant.

If you did it correctly, no sprockets should move the sprockets should move during tensioning, but the pump and camshaft should remain fixed. Both the cam and IP sprockets are supposed to be loose and free-floating, then you set the tensioner, then you tighten the sprockets to the correct torque.

 

[Smokin' Dually]

But when you install everything, there is no tension, when you tension it, it does move. I've only done 2 (3rd coming up soon) and they both moved about the same amount.

 

[turbodieseldyke]

But when you install everything, there is no tension, when you tension it, it does move. I've only done 2 (3rd coming up soon) and they both moved about the same amount.

Wait, dammit you're right. The cam SHAFT is locked with the locking plate and the sprocket moves with the tensioner. Then you torque the tensioner + cam sprocket and IP sprocket.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Smokin' Dually]

No problem, so why didn't his sprocket move when he was tensioning it?

 

[csstevej]

Take a look at the video he posted….. that tensioner is poouched….

 

[ccaissie]

Don't know. Came in the Kerma TDI kit. Should be OEM?

yes, leitens. the old one was a VW unit.

 

[ccaissie]

Loosened cam sprocket. I'm sure it twisted a bit when I tensioned the belt. Of course I was looking at other things while tensioning. Then torqued the cam bolt. I did not loosen the IP sprocket. That's pinned right where it should be, as is the camshaft, and the Crank is at TDC. I will get her together and will take Mike up on his offer to VAG it back in Maine. Meanwhile in discussion with Kerma TDI on what to do about that apparently odd tensioner, and have a new tenisoner waitng for me at IDparts an hour away. Will succeed.

 

[Nuje]

Loosened cam sprocket. ... I did not loosen the IP sprocket. That's pinned right where it should be.

Are you saying you did NOT loosen the 3 bolts on the IP sprocket...?

You absolutely DO need to do that to spread the belt tension correctly.

 

[Vince Waldon]

To be double-clear, the three bolts that hold the IP sprocket to the hub need to be loose enough that the sprocket can move while the hub behind it is pinned, as you've described.

Some folks get confused and try to loosen the big center nut that bolts the hub onto the IP.... it has yellow calibration paint on it for a reason.

 

[ccaissie]

Hey, guess what? I was wrong in my installation. There are two pockets where the tab on the tensioner could fit. One is clearly a little square pocket. That would be the correct one..... The other is a raised ridge about 90 degrees clockwise that looked like the right place to stop the tab from turning. Hey, I removed and replaced it several times to make sure I did it correctly.

Practice makes perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

So, It fits, it works just like it's supposed to. So sorry for being a doofus. If I had better light and studied the videos a little more closely I would have been ok. I put the old tensioner on and it acted the same way and I knew something was wrong.

Diagnosis.....loose nut between the headphones.

 

[ccaissie]

To be double-clear, the three bolts that hold the IP sprocket to the hub need to be loose enough that the sprocket can move while the hub behind it is pinned, as you've described.

Some folks get confused and try to loosen the big center nut that bolts the hub onto the IP.... it has yellow calibration paint on it for a reason.

Ok, I shall go over that detail now that I just did the tensioner correctly.

 

[ccaissie]

Are you saying you did NOT loosen the 3 bolts on the IP sprocket...?

You absolutely DO need to do that to spread the belt tension correctly.

Got it.

 

[Nuje]

Hey, guess what? I was wrong in my installation. There are two pockets where the tab on the tensioner could fit. One is clearly a little square pocket. That would be the correct one..... The other is a raised ridge about 90 degrees clockwise that looked like the right place to stop the tab from turning. Hey, I removed and replaced it several times to make sure I did it correctly.

Practice makes perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

So, It fits, it works just like it's supposed to. So sorry for being a doofus. If I had better light and studied the videos a little more closely I would have been ok. I put the old tensioner on and it acted the same way and I knew something was wrong.

Diagnosis.....loose nut between the headphones.

PEBKAC

Last night, I was actually going to reference this myturbodiesel.com page, where he mentions the placing of the tensioner tab.

I looked at your video a few more times, though, and thought I could see the tab in the proper slot.

Either way, glad you got it figured out.

 

[ccaissie]

I needed better light, and the angle of the camera was better than the angle of view I had...I couldn't see that beautiful little exact sized pocket for the tab.... next time will go better....I plan to run a MK4 Jetta with the ALH until there is no diesel...which will be a long time, since I run B99.

Thanks all. Great Forum