Timing belt question - for those who have done themselves

[BLUE89TURBO]

Hey guys,

I am now the proud owner of a 91 TSI FWD.

I purchased the T belt and balance belt and will probably tackle swap this weekend.

I have printed out all the write ups but am wondering if any one has any hands on tips etc

How long may this operation take?

Do i really need the tensioner tool and pulley tool?

any other tips would be appreciated...

Thanks.

 

[ZachM31]

my first time took me around 2 days... i didnt rush things, but after doing it 8 times now, it takes me about 2 full hours. Just start out loosening the drivers side wheel, lifting the car up, put jackstands under it, let the jack down, take the wheel off now, and then start taking the covers off. the top one can come off when the engine mount still in place, but for the middle and bottom one, take the mount off (put your scissor jack with a piece of wood on top of it under the oil pan, get it somewhat tight against it, then loosen all of the bolts and nuts (should be 4 of them) 2 vertical 17mm nuts, a vertical 14mm bolt, and a horizontal 17mm bolt, take the mount off now and then loosen the 4 12mm bolts that hold the crank pulley on, and the 4 10mm bolts that hold the accessory pulleys onto the waterpump, might have to lift the engine up a bit to get the pulleys off of it. Vfaq has a good drawup of where each length bolt goes if you lose track. Lower the engine a bit to get the crank pulley off, and then now work on getting the middle and lower cover off, quite a few 10mm bolts holding it on. I am getting tired of typing and class is almost, so i am going to end here, i never used any special tools (like the special auto tensior rod compressor bolt, or the timing belt tensior tool) .. if you are ever in doubt, just post your question, we would be more than happy to help you... i used the printout from vfaq.com the whole time i did it. hope i helped a bit.

 

[wret]

You can easily rig something up to turn the pulley but I recommend you do make or buy the tensioning rod. I've done it without and it took me hours longer than it should have to get the tension right.

 

[project_tsi]

You can easily rig something up to turn the pulley but I recommend you do make or buy the tensioning rod. I've done it without and it took me hours longer than it should have to get the tension right.

Same here. It can be done, however if your a first timer, it really can become a PITA. W/ out the tool you can start to get frustrated and then say F it, when you may be a tooth off somewhere still, only realizing it again once you try to start the car. So take the time, make the tool, and follow the instructions. Use a straight edge to check the cams, over and over again. If you have other DSM'ers in the area, have them come help you out, especially if they have done timing before succesfully.

 

[americanjebus]

i would even recomend getting the balance shaft eliminator kit, because my balance shaft siezed up in my engine and caused metal to go through my engine, snapping my bearings in half. but as far as any tips i would get a pulley puller of some sort, and make sure your marks are all there so you dont screw up your head. good luck

 

[95blackGsTurbo]

I can do it in about 45 minutes. And trust me that isn't a good thing. You won't NEED a tensioner tool if you do it the way I do. Once the cover and everything is off I take the gear tensioner loose and slide the belt off. May take some pulling but your replacing it so no worries. Then I take off the auto. tensioner and clamp it in a vise and run a cotter key through the holes to make sure it stays down. I then clean up the timing belt area, rinse and dry it off. Then I take the gear tensioner and set it without the timing belt on or the auto tensioner on. With both holes of the top like the should be. Then I slide the new timing belt on making sure everything is set right. Then I put the auto tensioner under the arm of the gear tensioner, push up and put a bolt in to hold it in place. Then I move the bottom around until that hole lines up too. Then I just tighten and torque both of them down and you are done. Not a whole lot to it. Like I said after doing at least a dozen for myself and friends it get's pretty easy and boring.

 

[rowlex]

the "special tool" (not the pulley puller) can be made for like 2-3$. You need the right sized threaded rod and two nuts jammed against each other. I forget the size of threaded rod needed, a search will tell you.

 

[PaulN]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203230&highlight=threaded+rod

That link has the rod dimensions for a tensioner tool AND a link to another way to build your own tensioner tools posted by oldman.

That should get you going!

 

[Raph]

go to the hardware store, buyt a m8 x 1.25 threaded rod (i got like 4feet ) and make yourt own tool.. i made a couple just for shits and giggles and painted them different colours.. i got a black one, blue, gold and silver ..(just spray paint i had lying around)


take your time and check everything

 

[project_tsi]

go to the hardware store, buyt a m8 x 1.25 threaded rod (i got like 4feet ) and make yourt own tool.. i made a couple just for shits and giggles and painted them different colours.. i got a black one, blue, gold and silver ..(just spray paint i had lying around)


take your time and check everything

Lucky! I went to approx 10 different places, including hardware stores, and specialty metal stores, no one had any metric threaded rod. So, in actuallity, it can be hard to attain. Everyone said they can order it, but I needed it right then. So I had to go home and look and look, and I finally found my old bat. box bolt tool.

Remember, Lube the piss out the tool every time you use it!

 

[IA97GST]

Hi there, The guys above have given some good advice on how 2 change your belts.. and I cannot stress enough how important it is 2 have the tenisoner compressed using a vice gently and slowly and putting a small allen wrench thru it 2 hold it in place... Next you Really Need a good tensior tool 2 put a fair amoung of pressure on the tensioner 2 get the belt nice and snug.. and while you hold it tighten the tensior pulley bolt. Theres a Guy on ebay that use 2 sell them and still does i belive... I was able to borrow one from the local dodge dealer that uses a 1/4 inch ratchet or breaker. THe key is getting your timing belt in proper timing with all the timing marks.. watch your exhuast cam and intake as they like to ####... They must be dead center across from each other... after you have belt tight and everything do 6 revolutions or so with your breaker bar and c if everything ligns back up.. happy tuning The best mechanic a dsm can have is its very own owner

 

[eli montfort]

you can go buy a set of 90 degree snap ring pliers to set your tension and you really dont want to compress it in a vise to fast you can ruin the auto tensioner also the way you can tell you have the tension right is you should be able to re insert the pin back into the auto tensioner once you set the tension on the pully

 

[Old Mitsu Tech]

I've seen several intriguing ideas in here. Personally I own the special tools as I do these for a living. I can't stress enough the need for proper tension. Too tight is as bad as not tight enough even though it may take longer for a disaster. Check the factory specs on the proper distance. I always tighten until I have the pin loose in the hole on the auto tensioner. I then rotate the engine 6 times and let it sit if the marks have lined up. I then check the auto tensioner. If it has taken up slack I re-tighten the belt a little to bring it back in align where you can put the pin in the tensioner pintle. While practice makes perfect, this is one place I prefer to take my time and dot every i and cross every t.

This assures many miles of trouble free driving which I think is what we all want.

Pretty good ideas though.

 

[UnderTheDeepest]

Is it possible to put the pin in the auto tensioner before removing it so a vice would not be needed to re-compress it?

 

[wret]

Probably not. It will have expanded over time.

 

[gurmanator]

I use my floor jack and the car to compress the tensioner but you have to go slow....takes about 5 min.

 

[JaxTalonTSi]

Don't reuse the old hydraulic tensioner. Get a new one from Mitsubishi, they are about $80. I along with many other people have lost engines due to reusing the old hydraulic tensioner. Some people opt to also replace the idler and tensioner pulleys/bearings, but unless I'm rebuilding the engine completely, I will just inspect them, and make sure that they spin freely without noise, and that they are in overall good condition. If you do want to replace them, they run roughly $25 a piece through JNZ tuning.

Make sure you get a Haynes manual and take your time. It may take you a while, as this is your first time, but thats ok.