1997 A4 1.9TDI cambelt replacement?

[Mowzer]

Hi all my sister has had a 1997 A4 1.9TDI Estate for the last 3 years and i have done all the servicing and repairs to it so far as im a mechanical engineer;).
But its due another service and cam belt change in the next few weeks no problem with the service ;). But what im unsure about is the cambelt change its self doing the one on my Golf was a doddle but this one Im a little worried about.
What im after is dose anyone have an autodata book they could scan or photocopy for me with the with a complete run down of the job:confused:.
Because in my job these days I have no access to autodata any more . Or is there anywhere online i can get info please:confused:

Any help would be great thanks ;)

[Mowzer]

OK guys don't worry I have managed to get myself an Autodata book second hand. For cambelts on cars and vans from 1989 to 2001 from Ebay for next to nothing :D

[Crasher]

You will need VAG-COM to set the Commencement Of Injection timing. Do you have the locking tools?

[Mowzer]

Its ok my local Snap-on dealer rents out timing kits for a few quid a day ;)

[ibsey]

Hi all my sister has had a 1997 A4 1.9TDI Estate for the last 3 years and i have done all the servicing and repairs to it so far as im a mechanical engineer;).
But its due another service and cam belt change in the next few weeks no problem with the service ;). But what im unsure about is the cambelt change its self doing the one on my Golf was a doddle but this one Im a little worried about.
What im after is dose anyone have an autodata book they could scan or photocopy for me with the with a complete run down of the job:confused:.
Because in my job these days I have no access to autodata any more . Or is there anywhere online i can get info please:confused:

Any help would be great thanks ;)

Hi Mowzer can you or anyone else tell me how often an A4 avant estate 1997 1.9TDI needs its cambelt changing please

[ibsey]

CAMBELT CHANGE i have recently bought an Audi 1.9 TDI estate 1997 (my first Audi) can anyone tell me what mileage,s the cambelt needs to be changed please

[Crasher]

40K miles or 4 years for the first one (so not relevant now) and 60K miles or four years subsequently.

[ibsey]

Cheers Crasher thats really helpfull need to get it booked in soon as service record indicates next one due in less than 6000 miles. last one was 60,000 car now on 114,000+

[capri_rob]

You will need VAG-COM to set the Commencement Of Injection timing. Do you have the locking tools?

Hi - I'm going to tackle the cambelt on my car shortly - according to the history I have uncovered today it was last changed in May 2003 at just under 70k so it needs doing ( car now just turned 120k ) can you explain a little more about setting commencement of injection timing and what these special tools are ?

Surely if you mark up with tippex/paint absolutely everything before you take the old belt off it wont need re-timing as you are simply swapping the belt and not altering the timing at all ? ( I know I know - the old fashioned way ! - but its worked on every other car I've had ! )

Are these locking tools specifically required to get the belt off or is there something from a well stocked toolbox that can be used/modified in order to do the job ?

Have bought a genuine belt and tensioner but guess I should do the water pump at the same time - are GSF units any good or should I stump up for a genuine one ?

Any help gratefully received !:biglaugh:

[Crasher]

Which engine code?

[capri_rob]

Which engine code?

Its the 90bhp TDi 1.9 - I think the engine code is AHU ?

[Crasher]

I don’t approve of the paint mark method, it isn’t accurate enough and you still have to set the COI using VAG-COM. If marks were good enough, VAG would have provided them.

[robinwells]

You will need to lock the cam shaft but a piece of mild steel bar and some feeler gauges will do and a drill bit of the correct size will lock the pump. I did mine this way and it worked. However the timing will change slightly with a new un-stretched belt so a trip to an injection specialist can reset this easily. It is worth noting that wear is often caused by oil contamination so replace the cam shaft seal and always the tension-er as well. I change when I buy a car as the previous owners unknown driving style can be a key element in failure. Aggressive driving style, low rpm high load or hand-fisted gear changes are when the damage occurs. Incidentally I know more people who have suffered failure after bodged "professional" replacement than normal in-service use.

[capri_rob]

You will need to lock the cam shaft but a piece of mild steel bar and some feeler gauges will do and a drill bit of the correct size will lock the pump. I did mine this way and it worked. However the timing will change slightly with a new un-stretched belt so a trip to an injection specialist can reset this easily. It is worth noting that wear is often caused by oil contamination so replace the cam shaft seal and always the tension-er as well. I change when I buy a car as the previous owners unknown driving style can be a key element in failure. Aggressive driving style, low rpm high load or hand-fisted gear changes are when the damage occurs. Incidentally I know more people who have suffered failure after bodged "professional" replacement than normal in-service use.

Thanks Robin. All of the cars I have done this on in the past have not been quite as sophisticated as the A4 so its a bit of a learning curve for me.
I have never had one failure after replacing my own cambelts and always use genuine parts and replace the tensioner.
I am going to investigate a third party Vag-com cable as they seem quite inexpensive as I believe this will enable me to re-set the timing to the correct value myself - and also re-set the service indicator once I have done a full service. Hopefully they are user friendly !:approve:

[the_wave_rider]

I called Audi to check the service history on my car and it has an AHU engine and I have been told every 75,000 miles or 5 years for a cambelt change when i questioned this I was passed across to the service manager who insisted that it was every 75k and NOT 60k

Mines a 1997 AHU 1.9 tdi

[Crasher]

5 years 75K is a petrol engine, a 1.8 20v typically.