[Vwdiesel] Signs of PD worn cam syndrome?

[Shawn Wright]

On Sun, Sep 26, 2010 at 9:29 AM, travis gottschalk <tgott at hotmail.com>wrote:

>
> As far as pulling the valve cover off you have to first pull the EGR valve
> out to get that out of the way. It is three allen head bolts. Don't need to
> unhook the wires, just move out of the way. Then a 1/4 inch ratchet with a
> small extension and a smaller metric socket will get the rest of the valve
> cover off. You have to lift up on the tranny side of the engine and then
> pull toward the tranny as the timing belt cover holds it down some. The
> gasket is reusable and is rubber. Reverse to install. You may notice how
> dirty your intake is when you pull the EGR valve out. If you want I can tell
> you how to clean that out as well.
> Travis G
>
>
Ok, so I've called all 3 dealers nearby (I'm on an Island...), and one has
record of a recall, but no work done, another has an oil change done at 50k
kms in 2006, and the third has no record of the car. This is a bit odd, as
it was supposed to be leased, so I expected dealer service. Anyway, no
record of a TB change, and I now know the car has done 140k kms since 2006
(it has 190k kms now - 115k miles). So I'll get it tonight and pull the VC.
I'm guessing clearance at the pulley end is tight, so what is the best way
to rotate the engine with the VC off to inspect the cam lobes? Pictures I've
seen online show the rocker arms and rocker shaft (?) obscure things quite a
bit. Can I do a decent inspection with that stuff in there?

Although I am now a bit discouraged about this car due to lack of records, I
will probably still follow through with the inspection and consider it a
learning experience. If the cam is in good shape, I'll make an offer on it
factoring in the new TB costs. If it needs a cam, it's probably too much of
a headache for the price. I can do the work, but the main reason for looking
at a newer car is to avoid doing the work; I just don't have the time.

Thanks for all the info, and I'll report back how it goes.




-- 
Shawn Wright