Timing belt help on 4ks - troubles and thanks

[frankbauer@thevine.net]

roger sez:
>we found that the cam had been one tooth retarded, so that's now fixed.
>Car seems a bit better below 4500 rpm or so, and a bit weaker above 4.5k.
>Could just be imagining it too.  Not a dramatic difference at any rate.
this is a common performance mod, one i've done on my gli.
retard to move the power up the rpm range, advance the cam timing for
better bottom end.  i advanced mine.

>The hard part on this job is if the stud on the front timing cover cap
>backs out of the block.  You can't get the stud out then, because the
>hex portion is held captive behind the lower/rear portion of the timing
>cover, the access to which is blocked by the front cover, which of course
>can't come off because of the cap-nut still on the stud.  You end up in
>kind of a "ya can't get there from here" situation.  Very annoying.
>...  Anyone else run into
>this problem before, or is it just part of my ongoing remarkably bad luck
>with Audis?
since this was my first guess, i must have seen it on one of my audis or
vws before...

>...
> Such a simple thing that I wasted time on.  Is this norma
>(the asymmetry, not the wasted time).  I've never run into anything like it
>before.
usually there are notches/hashmarks/etc to line things up, but you have
to be able to see them as well as knowing to look for them.  similar
story: i once had a flat in my 4kq at night and had a fun time trying to put
wheel bolts in until i realized there was no locking screw (ala vw) to
keep the brake disc from rotating out of position wrt the hub.  a year
or so ago i learned from the list that audi now thoughtfully includes a
tool for threading into one hole in the hub to keep things lined up and
to hang the wheel while threading the other wheel bolts.  i bought two
and keep one in the car, the other with my "audi special tools" set.

frank

to: IN:roger@mostro.sps.mot.com
cc: IN:quattro@coimbra.ans.net