[Vwdiesel] TDI autopsy

[Shalyn Shourds]

Not quite as cool as that Roswell tape, but it's as good as I'll get 
without top clearance. 

I finally tonight removed the belt from the TDI (after that whole timing 
belt, shop replacement, belt tension failure, head eating, shop ducking 
resposibility fiasco).  As far as I can tell, it's routed under 
everthing but the left rear taillight.  So far, I've found two engine 
mount bolts that were only finger tight and a radiator hose with the 
clamp somewhere 6" down from the fitting.  My very limited confidence in 
repair shops has sublimated.  I've also found out that if you round the 
head on a capscrew holding the harmonic dampener on, all you have to do 
is spend an hour with a dremel grinding that head off (with the broken 
stub of the EZ-out in the socket of the bolt). 

The only real peculiarity is that when I pulled the belt, down around 
the bottom camshaft sprocket, there were a couple bits of schmutz in 
there.  One piece of the belt guard (from way at the top where it turned 
up broken at some point between my taking it to get fixed and when it 
broke for good), and one piece of metal, about 1/2"X7/8" torn off from 
somewhere.  Looks like a tab off something, about 3mm thick.  I can't 
find or think of anything that it would correspond to.  But, it could 
indeed have gotten in the works.   It has some wear marks on top of the 
tear marks.  Somethign to think about, I guess.  Is there a clamp or 
hasp right at the top of the timing belt cover? 

Next step will be a water pump and then a whole lot of sticking back 
together. Good thing most of the parts are dumped in a cardboard box 
from the shop so I can mix and match them for hours.  If you park your 
TDI near Dallas/Ft. Worth, there's a good chance you'll see my feet out 
from under it trying to figure out where part X goes. 

-Shalyn

'00 Jetta TDI.  Even better than an erector set.