4G63 Crank Timing Mark Help

[daren_p]

I have a question about getting the proper timing mark alignment on my crank sprocket while doing my timing belt.

All the other pulleys seem straight forward as they are clearly marked with a triangle on the block & with a specific point on the sprocket but I'm not 100% sure on the crank. There is no paint on the sprocket itself but there is a gold coloured plate under the sprocket (I imagine the trigger plate for the crank sensor) which has a notch out of it.

Now it looks like there is also a V painted on the plate but it doesn't line up/point 100% in the same direction as the notch does. The other issue is that the mark on the block isn't a triangle, its a line.

So am I to make an imaginary line that would make this mark on the block look like a V (hard to explain, did it in black on the second pic) like the other block marks and line the mark on the trigger plate up with that? If so then what mark on the plate do I go by as the notch itself is pointed to a valley on the crank sprocket but not at the center, its looks about midway between the valley & peak or do I line it up with the V that looks to be painted on the trigger plate (not 100% sure this is what it is as its faded) which looks like its more lined up with the center of the valley on the sprocket (done in red in the second pic)?

Or am I incorrect and the line should be drawn parallel with the straight line mark on the block somehow?

I have tried searching but haven't come up with what I'm looking for so far & its not the easiest to do here at work

 

[boosted_91_tsi]

Hard to believe no one has helped you out yet. The notch in the plate it used as a reference point, not the painted on "v". It looks to me to be correct. Just make sure everything else is still in the right place too. The mark should line up with the valley of the notch. If you are even one tooth off, you will know it. Hope it helps man.

Danny B

 

[daren_p]

Thanks Danny, the reason why I want to make 100% sure its right is Im doing the TB early since the car hasn't run properly since I installed the new cams using the RRE method. So it looks like its almost dead on in the pic & my thinking was correct, imagine the line on the block is a V like the other marks and align it to the center of the notch on the trigger plate?

With the cams that Im running the idle seems to be too lumpy and my vacuum dropped more then expected, which would normally indicate timing off a tooth. The part thats kinda got me stumped is the first time I lined all the marks up I could clearly see the cam sprocket marks were parallel but they were below the head surface. Now I checked the marks a couple weeks after the install and at that time they looked good. So you might think maybe the timing jumped a tooth but the idle never changed or the vacuum & the part that really confusses me is I rotated the crank 6 times to get them to line up again and this time the sprockets were once again parallel but this time they were also inline with the head.

Something else I noticed is when I tried to check the auto tensioner gap one time the gap was too small to insert the drill bit & the next time the gap was much to large. Should the gap always remain constant though the whole rotation or will it only be the same when all marks are lined up (can't remember 100% if both times all marks were lined up).

 

[boosted_91_tsi]

I have always put the bit in and tightened down the tensioner until it slightly pinches the bit to hold it, then i torque down the pulley and remove the bit. Rotate the engine 6 times and let it sit for about 10 - 15 minutes and then recheck it with the bit. It should be about the same gap as when you started. If it has opened, then you need more tension on the pulley when torquing it down. As far as having aftermarket cams, I don't want to lead you on with false information. I do know that some can be adjusted with the belt being a tooth off but i cant say for sure.

 

[No_Skillz]

Picture of entire assembly please. Try to make all timing marks visible.

 

[daren_p]

Picture of entire assembly please. Try to make all timing marks visible.

Didn't take a pic of the entire assembly, as the other marks were easy to tell when they were lined up or not, only the crank mark was an issue & wanted to verify that I did line it up correctly when it is time to put the new belt on. Not sure why you want to see the complete assembly but I think a pic is probably useless now as I have already removed the belts, pulleys, etc.

 

[No_Skillz]

If you are still having problems when you put them back on, post some more pictures. Alot of times the timing will be only 1 tooth off but all notches will line up, albeit slightly inconsistently, which sounds like the problem you are having.