HELP Super Torque and VIN split Early 89 MC

[isham-research.freeserve.co.uk at pop.pol.net.uk]

> I am in the midst of a Timing Belt session and have hit a trouble spot.  I
> have an early 89 MC prod number 5031.  I believe I have the super torque
> set-up rounded shoulder on the timing belt, water pump with visible gear
> teeth on end (no flange).  And smaller tension roller.  The problem:  I
> received my parts and am in the process of buttoning it up and I notice the
> tension roller is slightly larger than the one which came off.  It is part
> no. 069 109 243 B.  Can I use it? or do I need to wait and exchange at
> Carlsen.  I am hoping that the water pump adjustment will give enough to
> make up for the approx 6mm diff in diameter.

Yes.  I should have expected this problem to hit the MC engine
community.  We have it in the MB-engined ur-quattros.  According to the
microfiche (and other sources) the Supertorque belt was used from
chassis 85-J-246282 onwards.  I don't know very much about the MC in
this regard.

However - at around the same time the above Type 44 VIN was being built,
ur-quattro 85-J-900644 was being built and the same note applies in the
microfiche.  I have _VERY_ good records concerning MB ur-quattros, and I
can say with certainty that Audi is wrong.  Chassis numbers 85-J-900732,
85-J-900736, 85-J-900738, 85-J-900748, 85-J-900750, 85-J-900752,
85-J-900766, 85-J-900767, 85-J-900768, 85-J-900770, 85-J-900771,
85-J-900773, 85-J-900774, 85-J-900775, 85-J-900776, 85-J-900778 and
85-J-900780 - despite being beyond Audi's VIN break - all have earlier
engines and thus non-Supertorque fittings.

This list is not exclusive.

So - the documentation may not be amazingly reliable either side of
these VIN breaks.

Where this has occured, we have so far stuck with complete sets, i.e.,
we've fitted the right idler roller to match the belt.  The Supertorque
roller is 074 109 243.  The larger (older) one can certainly be made to
fit (BTDT, to try it) but I've never done more than experiment.

I think I may have said this before, but I had one of these only a week
or so ago.  You know you really _are_ a sad git when you can pick a
water pump out of a box of spares and _KNOW_ it isn't the right one.

--
 Phil Payne
 http://www.isham-research.freeserve.co.uk/quattro
 Phone +44 7785 302803   Fax: +44 7785 309674