TDI fun

Apparently this is a common failure for the TDIs timing belt tensioner.

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Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish

Is that another thing! Damn. That car is getting expensive quick.

Check your PM

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Grant Hughes

I love TDIs. They seem to require frequent and expensive maintenance, and the owners love them so much that they feel that their crappy old VW is actually worth it.

The older wastegated-turbo models do drive pretty nice, though.

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Pete Remner
Cleveland, Ohio

1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing)
1978
Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver.

Pete Wrote:
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> I love TDIs. They seem to require frequent and
> expensive maintenance, and the owners love them so
> much that they feel that their crappy old VW is
> actually worth it.
>
> The older wastegated-turbo models do drive pretty
> nice, though.


Yeah I'm getting that feeling. I'm feeling better now that I know that part breaks like that fairly commonly and wasn't necessarily indicative of a very hasty fix and sell..

Turns out if you adjust the "auto adjusting" timing belt tensioner without fully slackening it off first, the spring binds and breaks the plate as shown..

The said thing is the car apparently has only gone 42,000 km since the last Timing Belt change and the tensioner is bust! Do you have to look at the timing belt every other week?

Once I get the feel of these things it won't be so bad.. but so much for not wanting another project on my hands.

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Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish

What year/model?

The thing that gets me is that there are *no* timing marks. You puts in your special VWAG alignment tools in each pulley and you puts the belt on.

What I do, and ever since my first one I do *all* timing belts this way, is to make my own marks with a paint pen, and mark the old *belt* to those marks, and then transfer those marks to the new belt, and then pop the belt on. Stole that trick from four cam Subarus. Works shockingly well and fast and *no guessing* "Hey is it a half tooth off this way, or that way, or what?"

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Pete Remner
Cleveland, Ohio

1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing)
1978
Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver.

Pete Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What year/model?
>
> The thing that gets me is that there are *no*
> timing marks. You puts in your special VWAG
> alignment tools in each pulley and you puts the
> belt on.
>
> What I do, and ever since my first one I do *all*
> timing belts this way, is to make my own marks
> with a paint pen, and mark the old *belt* to those
> marks, and then transfer those marks to the new
> belt, and then pop the belt on. Stole that trick
> from four cam Subarus. Works shockingly well and
> fast and *no guessing* "Hey is it a half tooth off
> this way, or that way, or what?"

It's a 2000 Golf TDI 5 Spd (with thankfully, no sunroof and no power windows aka two things that can't break)

Hey good idea and without a laptop with Vag-com on it to tell you what's what. The seller gave my girlfriend a laptop with that software when she bought the car.. (should have been a sign hey!)

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Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish

That's awesome. That means the PO was a TDI nut and he probably did some stuff that maybe reduces some of the known problems. Supposedly tweaking the EGR figures will eliminate the need to rod-out the intake manifold every 30k or so.

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Pete Remner
Cleveland, Ohio

1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing)
1978
Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver.