4kq Timing belt/clearance

[quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk (Phil Payne)]

In message <34970EFA.FE42AD6A@uidaho.edu> Todd Phenneger writes:

>     I know I should know the answer to this.  BUt, is the 2.22L engine
> in my car an interference engine.  ie. if my timing belt goes out, will
> my engine eat my valves?  I plan on  dropping a turbo in my car next
> summer so I really dont want to replace the belt if I dont have to.

Supposedly, the 2.22l non-turbo engines can be hand-turned without the belt on.  
I find this odd, because the 2.22l turbo engines can't - they interfere even
at 0 rpm.
 
Whether or not this rumour is true, the engine _definitely_ interferes at 
high rpm - and guess when your belt is most likely to break?  

> BUT, it needs it.  It has well over 30,000 miles on it, probably MUCH
> more.  I'd hate to lose my engine before I am ready to do the swap.

45000 to 60000 is the normal advice, although they very occasionally fail
earlier (and they sometimes go to 120000).

>     HEar it's a PITA job to do.  Why, it doesn't seem all that hard.
> Remove teh valve cover and the cover on the front of the timing belt.
> pull off water pump and replace belt.  Am I WAY oversimplifying this
> procedure.  Doesn't seem to hard.  ;-)

Heh, heh.
 
It's an absolute ******* of a job in an ur-quattro.  There's a little more
room in a 4k, and there's no intercooler.  The crankshaft pulley (harmonic 
balancer) still has to come off, though.  Once you've got it off, you can sit 
cross-legged in front of the engine for an hour or two and try to figure out 
why the designers did it that way.  If you do find out, let us know.

The valve cover stays on, BTW.  The power steering pump might have to come off 
...

-- 
 Phil Payne
 Committee Member, UK Audi [ur-]quattro Owners Club