Longish warmup and timing belt question

[ricematthews]

Kris:

Regarding the long warmup time, you may be experiencing the same problem I
think I have - a bad water temp sending unit.  I am gathering that this is a
common issue with the 30v 2.8 engine.  I would recommend doing the
thermostat at the same time as the t-belt & water pump, however.

-Mark

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My 98.5 2.8 30v seems to be taking a bit long to warm
up on these cool fall mornings.. Today, it was a good
15 minutes of on time (5 warming up, 10 driving,mostly
down hill) before it got to the 'normal' mid point on
the gauge. I am thinking Thermostat, though, once it
warmed up it seemed to hold that temp on a 50+Mpc
sustained drive. Heat was good.

I am nearing timing belt time (60k) and was simply
wondering, has anyone successfully changed their belt
WITHOUT using the cam and crank holders? It seems
doable, though risky if you get it wrong..

TIA,

Kris

98.5 2.8 30v A4 Avant Tip
96 2.8 A4 5speed