2G Timing belt replacement

Turboed_talon_tsi · Jul 20, 2026

My timing belt flew off on the interstate the other night. I inspected the pistons which appeared to have no damage and plan on replacing the belt and taking the head to a machine shop to look it over. I’m currently in the process of removing the old belt.
I’m wondering what I should all have replaced and or upgraded to save myself headaches in the future, does anyone know of any good timing belt kits and what I should do to avoid this happening again in the future? Should I replace anything within the head while it’s out so that it can handle some more power in case I wanted to start tuning this winter? I plan on getting a clear belt cover to monitor it and also wanted to get cool upgraded camshaft gears to show off. Any recommendations or tips are greatly appreciated, TIA!

9 T GSX · Jul 20, 2026

Everything on the that side of the motor. Seals, Water pump, Pulleys, tensioner, etc
Head parts: The usual stuff Cams, Springs, retainers, bronze valve guides, valves, evo lifters/rocker arm (optional), HLA, ARP S.S. exhaust studs.

pauleyman · Jul 20, 2026

Turboed_talon_tsi said:
My timing belt flew off on the interstate the other night. I inspected the pistons which appeared to have no damage and plan on replacing the belt and taking the head to a machine shop to look it over. I’m currently in the process of removing the old belt.
I’m wondering what I should all have replaced and or upgraded to save myself headaches in the future, does anyone know of any good timing belt kits and what I should do to avoid this happening again in the future? Should I replace anything within the head while it’s out so that it can handle some more power in case I wanted to start tuning this winter? I plan on getting a clear belt cover to monitor it and also wanted to get cool upgraded camshaft gears to show off. Any recommendations or tips are greatly appreciated, TIA!

clear belt cover tells you nothing. Visual inspection is not an indicator of belt condition. Do not underestimate piston damage. There is usually damage but most I've seen are minor. It does need to be cleaned up. As far as "upgrade" is concerned, that all depends on what you plan on doing. EVO belt isn't a bad idea. General maintenance while you're there, new seals, gaskets, clean up everything etc. You'll have a lot of stuff exposed during this job, good time to clean stuff. New hoses are also much easier to do while access is better. How did a belt just "fly off" anyway? Neglected maintenance? Or did something break?

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2G Timing belt replacement

Turboed_talon_tsi

9 T GSX

pauleyman

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