timing belt change - vagcom required??

[martink]

afternoon all.
getting my uncle to change the timing belt and associtated bits(water pump and belts etc and stat) and i thought id read somewhere that you need to check inj pump timing with vagcom once your finished.

he is a reputable guy and garage has done these before.
he says its not necessary...they will use locking pins etc where required and if the new belt goes back on as the old one came off then a timing check isnt needed.

is that correct?

[mrcheeezy]

Depends on the Engine type - which one are we talking about?

I have just done my 1.9 TDI and the locking pins did the job fine. Other engines do require Vag Com post change.

[ini]

The locking pin will keep the timing in approximately the correct position so that the car will start.

Although the car will probably run ok, and the timing will be in roughly the right area, vagcom or similar tool is ideally needed to correctly setup the advance.

The belt that came off will invariably be slightly longer/stretched than the new belt (mm).

A few millimeters in relative pump/pulley rotation can make a big difference.

The physical injection timing is something that needs to be 'spot on', for everything else to work as designed.

[shabazmo]

What is more important is that he slackens the camshaft pulleys when he tightens the belt. which I hope he will do. This will compensate for the stretched belt. You caan check timing afterwards but I am sure it will be in spec.

[ini]

I would always check and adjust timing with vagcom when fitting a new belt, and again after 500 - 1000 miles when the new belt has settled in.

[paul b]

I used the correct locking tools when I changed the timing belt on my PD130.

Search "timing belt experience" and you'll find my post.

Over 30k later and the timing belt and car are perfect (apart from a faulty fuel gauge! ).

Paul

[martink]

of course i should have said its a '99 AFB engine...

cheers chaps

[ini]

This operation is only needed on the earlier VE engined cars.

The PD engines do not require it.

[greg123]

It is ABSOLUTELY required, any garage doing the job without it will get it to run, probably as good as before, but who can say if it was correct before? I have had 3 cars in recently where the timing was way retarded. Some couldn't pull required advance at high rpm, but he owners never knew, thinking that the performance, semi-hard starting and economy was just how the engine worked. One yesterday I measured had a timing of 9, it should have been 110, nealy off the scale! It too was done by a garage...

It's one thing unbolting bits and bolting others on, it's another thing being a specialist, with the correct tools and knowledge to do the job correctly.

As setting the timing is part of the procedure, even in Haynes, no garage would have any comeback to defend themselves for charging for a cambelt change without doing the whole job, unless they specifically charge for everything but the timing with a note to take it to a specialist.

Greg.

[martink]

by VE engine i guess you mean the bosche VE injection pump?

also as for definatley needing the timing setting with vag-com....i better get it sussed before he starts the job...