Problem:  Car hits 100,000 miles. Now what?

Solution Difficulty:  Very Difficult

There are several major maintenance procedures that most cars require in their lifetime. At the forefront of this list would be inspection /changing of the timing belt or chain. Typically it's recommended that you begin checking the belt or chain and accompanying pulleys and gear on a regular basis after your car hits 75,000 miles.

The importance of checking and replacing your timing system can not be understated. If the engine timing fails it can lead to serious damage of your engine. Likewise, improperly changing the timing system can also damage your engine. This operation is recommended for experience shade tree mechanics with the proper tools and factory service repair information. When in doubt visit your local car care professional.

In the following procedure we determined ahead of time to go ahead and replace the belt and pulley. Some people have experienced timing failures due to bad pullies, so it's best to replace it when you replace the belt or chain. The procedure may differ slightly on your VW if you don't have a 2.0, so check your factory service repair manual.

There are a few tools you'll need before you tackle the timing belt. The first is an engine support bridge which you can spend several hundred dollars or you can fabricate your own. The important thing is that it's strong enough to support the engine, and has some sort of screw that you can use to raise the engine from the engine mounts. Place the ends of the support bridge on something sturdy, preferably part of the frame. We are only raising one side of the engine, so we aren't supporting the entire weight of the engine, only a portion.

With the feet, or in our case two pieces of 2x4 on the fender mounting points, install the support beam across the engine. On either side of the engine block you will find two rings. Place the hooks from the engine support through these rings and tighten the screws until the weight of the engine is firmly supported by the support bridge.

Tighten the screws on the engine support bridge so that the weight of the engine is relived from the motor mounting brackets. Once you've relieved the pressure of the engine you'll need to remove the four major bolts holding the engine mount to the frame. You'll also need to loosen a smaller bolt in order to remove the mount.

After you've removed part of the engine support, you'll need to remove the passenger side tire (transverse mounted engine) and the wheel well liner so you can access the lower parts of the timing system.

Use a torque wrench to remove the vibration damper/belt pulley and the camshaft drive belt guard. You should now be able to see the camshaft belt and the tensioners. You'll now need to raise the engine slightly with the support bridge and remove the engine bracket from cylinder block. Make sure you mark the direction of rotation on belt, and then release belt tensioner and remove the belt Then turn crankshaft back slightly. But remember, the crankshaft should not be at top dead center (TDC) when you turn the camshaft. If it is you could damage the valves or piston crowns.

Once the old camshaft belt has been removed, you are ready to install the new tensioner pulley and new camshaft belt. First, make sure the crankshaft is not at top dead center (TDC) and turn the camshaft until the mark on the gear lines up with the mark on the cylinder head cover. Once this is done you can turn the crankshaft to TDC. There is a small rubber plug on the driver side of the engine that you'll need to remove. If you look down inside this hole you will see a set of gears which will be marked at TDC. There will also be a mark on the outside of the opening that should be aligned with this mark on the gear.

Next, install the new tensioner pulley. The angled retainer at the top of the pulley needs to be placed in the cut-out on the cylinder head. Then press hard with your thumb on the camshaft drive belt. The inner indicator (small arrow) should move. Turn the crankshaft two rotations in directions of engine operating rotation until engine is again at TDC for cylinder 1. When doing this it is important to turn the camshaft the last 1/8 turn without stopping. You'll know you have the tensioner install correctly when the two indicators are aligned.

Now you'll need to reinstall the camshaft drive belt guards. Reinsert the bolts into the engine support mounting bracket and reattach it. Torque the bolts to 33 ft lbs. Now you can reinstall the vibration damper/belt pulley which you'll need to torque to 30 ft lbs.

If the cam timing belt has moved during the reinstallation you'll want to turn it back to TDC. Then reinstall the engine mounts. Torque the bolts that attach it to the body to 30 ft lbs, and torque the bolt that connects to the engine bracket to 44 lbs. You can now unscrew the engine support bridge and allow the weight of the engine to rest on the support brackets.

Now all that is left is to replace the ribbed belt and the inner liner of the passenger side wheel well. If you've done everything correctly then your engine should run normally and you should be ready to go. Again, if you don't have the tools you need or are inexperienced at replacing a timing belt it's better to take your car to a professional. It's also important to repeat that these procedures are vehicle specific, and it's recommended that you go by the manufacturer specifications in your factory service repair manual. Failure to do so can result in SERIOUS damage to your engine.

Then again, not having the timing belt and pulley replaced can also have dire consequences. After many miles the lubrication of the pulley can breakdown, causing a failure. That's why it's important to replace ALL of the associated components when you change the belt. Any single point of failure can cause a massive and sudden engine failure. Remember, have someone check your timing belt or chain every thousand miles after your car gets some age on it.

This article contributed by ERSWeb
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