How necessary is timing belt cover?

[Steve B]

It got in there when I did the timing belt R&R ... Must have been in the engine compartment somewhere and I didn't see it.  It was very small, in a way it is hard to believe it could have such catastrophic effects.

Steve Buchholz

Project Pat <psdooley at verizon.net> wrote:

>I don't understand how the paving material got in there with the covers on.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: quattro-bounces at audifans.com [mailto:quattro-bounces at audifans.com] On
>Behalf Of urq
>Sent: Friday, June 14, 2013 12:20 PM
>To: quattro at audifans.com
>Subject: Re: How necessary is timing belt cover?
>
>... let me pass along my personal experience on the subject.  
>
>Many, many years ago I replaced the timing belt on my '88 5kSCQA.  I 
>followed proper procedures and closed everything up when I was done.  No
>more 
>than a month later I was taking the car to meet up with the local Audi fans
>when 
>all of a sudden the dash lit up and the engine died.  It didn't take long to
>
>realize that the cam was no longer spinning with the crank.  I had the car
>towed 
>home.
>
>When I opened the timing cover I found that the timing belt had a 1/2" wide 
>slice stripped off one end, which then caught on something and tore the belt
>
>apart.  What I found was that when I did the TB service a very small piece
>of 
>sharp paving material had gotten inside the timing belt area.  The clearance
>
>between the belt and the oil pump casting is deliberately small to minimize
>the 
>