[Vwdiesel] changing the timing belt

[Val Christian]

> procedure itself removes as much error as practically possible.  That's 
> why you time the crank to the valves first, then the pump to the crank. 
>   Doing it in that order removes any error accumulation.  There are no 
> shortcuts that leave you with perfect results.

	James is correct with respect to priority of alignment,
	but physically, the belt runs from the crank to the pump 
	to the cam to the adjuster.  The precision is on the other
	side of the crank from the adjuster.

	If the crank to cam is off, you can damage your 
	valves very quickly, once the parts start moving.  Even if
	there is no interference when turning over the engine by hand,
	there can be some interference as the engine dynamics of running
	come into play.

	Take the time to get the crank to cam perfect.  

	Normally, if you have the crank to cam timing correct, the engine
	will run, even if the pump is off a little bit.

	Also, as you know, there is no key on the camshaft, and
	it is a friction fit.  Torque the cam carefully.  To much, 
	and you can break things, too little and the sprocket pulley
	may slip.

	I've already told the story, but I had a Rabbit, where the timing
	was never changed, from the factory, and one day the cam
	sprocket slipped.  It bent a few valves and dimpled a few
	pistons, and forced me to do a top overhaul when I wasn't 
	planning on it.  

	Your mileage may vary, but I torque the cam sprocket to the
	rated torque, and then impact it (usually a hammer tap on 
	a box wrench), to get it a little snugger.  I estimate that
	I torque it to 85 instead of 65.  Cam material is brittle, so
	you don't want to overdo.

	Val

	ps: If you're struggling on this over the holiday, email me, 
	and I'll give you a phone number so you can call with questions.