Need help ASAP!

[bigK1]

Is there an easy way to relieve the tension on the timing belt? I'm trying to do the head gasket on a 1990 Talon TSI and I dont want to have to take everything off of that side of the engine.


Thanks,
Kaleb

 

[steve]

The tensioner tool will release enough to pull the belt off but nothing is going to make the kind of slack you need to change a head gasket without removing the belt.

Steve

 

[turboholic]

-With the tensioner tool, you can remove the head without touching the bottom half, because I have done it many times, this route is not for newbie.

 

[BUCK]

That's an interesting idea I'd never thought of - as you said it certainly has some potential pitfalls but it IS possible - they probably do that in Dealerships all the time... it would be a helluva lot easier if you didn't have to worry about the balance shafts!

 

[steve]

Originally posted by turboholic
-With the tensioner tool, you can remove the head without touching the bottom half, because I have done it many times, this route is not for newbie.

I assume you keep some tension on the belt after you remove it from the cam sprockets so you keep it on the other sprockets.

I've heard of at least one person who removed the head by pulling the cam gears and left the belt on them with a wedge to keep them from slipping in the belt.

In either case not checking belt timing and tension after is just asking for trouble.

Steve

 

[turboholic]

Originally posted by steve
I assume you keep some tension on the belt after you remove it from the cam sprockets so you keep it on the other sprockets.

-Zip tie the belt on both sprockets before lossening any thing, remove both cams then hang them on the hood. I try to avoid removing the sprockets because the dowel pin on the cam is quite fragile.