[Vwdiesel] Timing belt

[Sandy Cameron]

The above subject, according to Hagar's suggestion about headers for
searching digest.

I have done 2 belts this year so far, and 2 more to do.

1st was on an NA on the work table in the shop, so easy.

I set everything for TDC, shoved the 11mm long socket in the pump sprocket
hole, 
Cleaned the back plate at the top of the cam sprocket, and with a q-tip (r)
dabbed a dot of yellow paint on the top sprcket tooth, and the back plate
right behind it.

Zipped out the 4 crank pulley screws, removed them, then the lower belt guard.
(The WP pulleys were already off, more about that later)

Removed the tensioner nut, and slid the belt off the upper sprockets, no
problem.

installed the new belt around the crank sprocket, slid the new tensioner
part way on to the bolt. With the belt laid against the tensioner, I had no
trouble starting the belt on to the cam and pump sprockets. Slid them across
the sprockets, along with the tensioner on its bolt, Checked all timing
marks, job done.

My tension calibration is to tighten it to the point where it is just
possible to move the belt back and forth on the pump or cam sprocket a
little with thumbs and fingers. it will only slide about 1/8" before
tightening up. This assures me there is minimum allowable side thrust on the
pump shaft.

Note that I did not remove the cam shaft cover, with its attendant gasket
problems

The engine ran beautifully, and the change in "knock" with the cold start
advance lever assured me the micro-timing was OK.

2nd one was in-car, last week. Could not get the &%#@$* water pump pulley
bolts out

Wit all the above marked, loosened, etc, I was stuck with the lower belt
guard held in place by the WP pulley and no way to get it out..

With a few minutes of fiddling around, I was able to position the belt guard
so the belt would come out without taking the guard right off. It slipped
out over the C-shaft bolt, and the new one went in the same way.

I had no problem getting the belt on the other 2 sprockets using my "both at
the same time" method.
Once again, making sure the cam sprocket was carefully marked before
removing the old one, and checking everything before sliding the belt on, no
timing problems, and it runs and sounds fine.
Once again, no need to uncover or time the cam.

Having licked the water pump pulley insanity, And bypassing the cam timing,
with all it's tight bolt problems, timing belts are now "easy"

While I will not argue the necessity of "micro-timing " the pump with the
dial indicator, I have found that if it is timed right to begin with, it
will probably still be timed right after the belt change. Being lazy, and a
fan of "IIABDFI" (if it aint broke, dont fix it), this works for me.

Having done head gaskets on 2 friends cars in the past, I have got past the
timing belt paranoia, and it's just another little job to be done from "time
to time" {:-)


Sandy