Timing Belt Timing

[Nickerzzzzz]

Hi All,

Need some help with a Timing issue on my 2008 Golf | 170 | PD | TDI | GT | 80,000 miles | Engine Label: 03G-906-018-BMN | let me set the scene…

I have never worked on a Diesel and haven’t done any tinkering for a good few years so a little rusty but have a little curbside mechanic understanding from years gone by.

Not having much in the way of tools now, I recently booked the car into the local garage to have the Timing Belt and Water Pump changed, since it’s come back it was smoking/smelling badly and lumpy on tick-over when cold.

I have since done a lot of research and the general consensus is that on this particular engine you should always check and re-adjust the Injection Timing when you have replaced the Timing Belt, and the best way to do this is before you do the job use Vag Com (VCDS) to record the current Torsion Value and make sure this is replicated after reassembly.

However, the garage I used was unaware of the above and didn’t use or have VCDS to do the check.

I have been back to the garage several times now and even purchased VCDS so we were able to check/set the Torsion Value, but no matter where we set it we still get an issue, whether it be lack of Torque, Poor Economy, Poor Starting, Lots of Smoke on Acceleration, or Lumpy Tick-Over and Juddery when pulling away etc.

I’m led to believe that the recommended Torsion Value should be between + - 1.5, and I have had it set at 0.00 and a few values either side of this by loosening the three bolts on the Front/Right Cam and rotating the Cam slightly.

The garage has checked the physical Valve Timing twice now by using the recommended tools/pins, so hopefully that part should be ok.

So, my questions are…

1. Other than the Torsion Value are there any other recommended settings I can check using VCDS ?
2. Can the Rear/Left Cam be moved/adjusted by loosening the three bolts to finely adjust the Valve Timing without any risk of damaging the engine or should this stay as is so the Pin still goes in ?

As far as I can see, unless you have specialized equipment (rolling road type gear etc) setting this up is a guessing game to get everything perfect, or have a miss understood completely ?

Any information greatly received, getting pretty desperate and frustrated now

Thanks In Advance

[Rob69]

you could check group 13 idle stabilisation, I've never had to do one but the rear (exhaust ) cam can be adjusted and group 15 fuel consumption checked, 0.6l or less seems to be the figure to aim for. might also be worth removing the plastic cam cover and checking lobes and followers as far as possible for wear.
others may hopefully be along with more answers / experience !

[Nickerzzzzz]

Thanks Rob, will check both Idle Stabilization and Fuel Consumption with VCDS tomorrow, regarding the wear on the lobes/followers, the car was fine before it went into the garage so putting the problem down to the Timing Belt procedure.

[Crasher]

If the crank lock is in AND BOTH cam pins slide in like.... welll.... you know, smoooooth, then the cam timing is perfect and should not be screwed around with, the problem lies elsewhere.......

[Nickerzzzzz]

Hmm ok, thanks, kinda makes all the other stuff I have read inadmissible now, not having done the job myself I might be totally misunderstanding the procedure as by loosening the three bolts on the Pump Pulley and turning the Cam to align the Torsion Value if out of range I thought would also stop that Pin from going back in?

[Nickerzzzzz]

Ok, so this is what I got from VCDS this morning and the Fuel Consumption seems ok, not sure about the Idle Stabilization though as readings are inconsistent after taking a couple of other snapshots, hopefully this level of variation is normal though.

VCDS_5.JPG

Address 01: Engine (03G 906 018 FC)
10:45:05 Group 001: Injection Quantity
802 /min Engine Speed (G28)
5.4 mg/str Injection Quantity
3.8°KW Injection Duration (specified)
86.0°C Coolant Temperature (G62)
10:45:05 Group 013: Idle Stabilization (Injection Quantity Deviation)
0.00 mg/str Injection Quantity Deviation Cyl. 1
0.31 mg/str Injection Quantity Deviation Cyl. 2
-0.42 mg/str Injection Quantity Deviation Cyl. 3
0.10 mg/str Injection Quantity Deviation Cyl. 4
10:45:05 Group 004: Unit Injector
799 /min Engine Speed (G28)
5.0 °ATDC Injection Start (specified)
3.9°KW Injection Duration (specified)
0.74° Torsion Value
Saturday,09,September,2017,10:49:20:39744

********************************************
Address 01: Engine (03G 906 018 FC)
10:49:08 Group 013: Idle Stabilization (Injection Quantity Deviation)
0.29 mg/str Injection Quantity Deviation Cyl. 1
-0.11 mg/str Injection Quantity Deviation Cyl. 2
-0.14 mg/str Injection Quantity Deviation Cyl. 3
-0.02 mg/str Injection Quantity Deviation Cyl. 4
10:49:08 Group 015: Fuel Consumption
801 /min Engine Speed (G28)
40.2 Nm Engine Torque
1.02 l/h Fuel Consumption
0.0 Nm Torque Request (Driver)
10:49:08 Group 004: Unit Injector
797 /min Engine Speed (G28)
5.0 °ATDC Injection Start (specified)
4.0°KW Injection Duration (specified)
0.74° Torsion Value

Cheers

[Nickerzzzzz]

Hi,

For anyone following this, I'll post the outcome if/when I get there

I have booked it back into the Garage today (16:00) and will be attending myself to try and help fix the issue with what information I have read here and on the net in general, I intend suggesting to re-check the Timing one more time with the Pins and then see how it performs if it's out at all, If there is no adjustment needed for the Pins to go in then the next step will be to adjust the Rear (left) Cam slightly to see if this will get rid of the awful exhausts smell and the other issues that adjusting the Front (right) Cam does not seem to cure.

Cheers


Nick

[Crasher]

I have just clicked with what is wrong here when you mentioned the smell which I missed earlier, this is a BMN engine which has had the DPF removed and a poor remap, I have come across a lot of BMN's like this.

[Nickerzzzzz]

Update, had to re-schedule, it's happening Thursday and has been booked in for the day by the Mechanic for him to re-check the timing.

[Nickerzzzzz]

I have just clicked with what is wrong here when you mentioned the smell which I missed earlier, this is a BMN engine which has had the DPF removed and a poor remap, I have come across a lot of BMN's like this.

I can't see it myself Crasher, reason being that I brought the car from a Main Dealer and everything was fine before the Timing Belt change.