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Model specific boards => Golf mk3 => Topic started by: AdamR on 12 January 2011, 18:04

Title: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: AdamR on 12 January 2011, 18:04
Hello all,

Noticed a funny droning/vibrating/scraping noise coming from the cambelt area of my car a few weeks ago. Pushing down on the cambelt cover seemed to reduce/stop the noise... I pulled the top half of the cover off and there appears to be some damage to one edge of the belt:

(http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/media/car/belt1.jpg)

Does that needs replacing asap or should it be ok? The 'unscathed' bit is still over 22mm wide (mentions something about this in the Haynes I have).

My thinking is that the bolt that holds the lower half in place has fallen out, since it wasn't there when I checked! (Have recently fitted a fresh one with some threadlock)

(http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/media/car/belt2.jpg)

My thinking is that the bolt may have fallen out and is now sitting in the bottom half of the cambelt cover, catching against the belt - does that sound about right?

If so, how do I go about getting the bottom half off to check?

(http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/media/car/belt3.jpg)

I would prefer not to have to disturb anything vital if poss since I'm not super-experienced with this sort of thing, but it looks like the aux belts need to come off to give me enough space to get the cover off. I've noticed one bolt at the very bottom rear corner of the cover (nearest the driver) and another one facing towards the headlight. Any others I need to be aware of?

One last thing - how much twist should I be able to get in the cambelt when it's at correct tension? The Haynes mentions 45 deg in one place, 90 deg in the other, then says the ABF engine (which is the one I have) needs to go to the dealers for checking with a tension meter!

Thanks in advance for any help!
Adam

Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: sharki786 on 12 January 2011, 18:23
tbh id get that changed asap but thats just me! others might say ye change it!
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: harlemex on 12 January 2011, 20:43
yup, change that shabby lookin belt.
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: AudiA8Quattro on 12 January 2011, 21:15
I would also change it.
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: mk2 helper on 12 January 2011, 21:19
i'd change it mainly for peace of mind it might be fine but better getting it done just to be safe
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: Wayne on 12 January 2011, 22:03
Yep needs changing asap.
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: Khare on 12 January 2011, 23:04
I'd change it too, better safe than sorry!
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: AdamR on 13 January 2011, 09:04
Thanks gents, bought one this morning, look out for a 'Changed my cambelt and now my car runs like sh!t - HELP!' thread in a few days  :sad:   :grin:
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: rubjonny on 13 January 2011, 09:35
prettyy simple job, you need to remove both the waterpump and pas pulleys, these are held on with the 4 allen bolts. dont undo the 19mm bolt in the middle! use a socket on it to hold the crank still while you undo the allen bolts, then the pulleis should come off. you may have to use some pullers!

then the lower cover should come off, you may have to remove the waterpump pulley I'm not 100% sure, some covers come off fine with pulley on there some do not. then its dead simple from there on in :)
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: javalin on 13 January 2011, 09:45
this

http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/jettatech/t-belt/index.htm (http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/jettatech/t-belt/index.htm)

just ignore the water pump, removal of the alternator, etc, bits

Oh - and use the flywheel marker (under the green plug on top of the gearbox) to set the crank - don't bother with the pulley mark as I found it to be wildly in-accurate.  Use the cam marks though - and you'll be spot on.

James
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: AdamR on 13 January 2011, 16:13
Thanks a lot for the help guys, massively appreciated!

Found that guide earlier on and have been 'digesting' it while reading through a few times. Does seem pretty straightforward once the PAS and Aux belts are off (already pulled them both off this morning before work along with the airbox out). Got my tippex ready but will defo use the flywheel marker now I know where it is ('green cover plug on the trans axle' didn't mean much to me...).

Thanks again  :nerd:
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: rubjonny on 13 January 2011, 16:19
+1 on using flywheel mark, the last MK3 i worked on the crank pulley mark was 90degrees out!
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: AdamR on 13 January 2011, 16:28
Jesus, that would have really fooked me up...
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: rubjonny on 13 January 2011, 16:31
yeah it thew me off for a bit, i was lining engine up before taking the belt off and nothing matched up top to bottom. after checking fly and piston # 1 by shining a torch down the bore i confirmed it was the crank pulley that was out, very odd!
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: AdamR on 13 January 2011, 16:56
You actually sound like you know what you were doing, so that would defo have thrown me off  :tongue: haha

One last quick one...

My car has an aftermarket cam fitted, I assume it *should* have been fitted so the marker on the new pulley lines up with where the original one was?

(http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/jettatech/t-belt/Dsc04224.jpg)

Also, the dizzy head on my car seems to be quite different to shown in the photos of the guide... But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!

I'll be back if/when I get stuff - thanks again
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: rubjonny on 13 January 2011, 17:04
car in linky is an ABA which is crossflow 8v, it all still applies to you just looks a bit funky compared to your engine :)

yeah most aftermarket cams use the OT mark to line up, but trouble is you have a vernier sprocket which may not have an outside OT timing mark, mine didnt. there will be a mark on the inside face which lines up to the top of the head with the rocker cover removed.  turn the bottom end to TDC and check if any marks line up, if not spin it round again and check again, the bottom end spins twice for every single rotation of the cam see :)

oh and pop the dizzy cap off and check the rotor arm too, once the belt is off the dizzy will spin free. the rotor arm needs to line up with a notch in the dizzy housing, once engine is at tdc hopefully you should spot it. if it helps the notch is visible thru a square cut out of the plastic dust cover over the hall sensor, again when you look hopefully all should become clear!
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: AdamR on 13 January 2011, 17:20
Invaluable tips once again - cheers! I'll get stuck in now...
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: AdamR on 13 January 2011, 18:33
Ok, going well so far... Found the little bugger that was causing the problem, as I thought!

(http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/media/car/cam1.jpg)


Now - pretty sure I have everything lined up - except the top pulley and dizzy don't seem to be quite right?

(http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/media/car/cam2.jpg)

(http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/media/car/cam3.jpg)

(http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/media/car/cam4.jpg)

(http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/media/car/cam5.jpg)

Does it look like the timing's been 'off' for a while? (Car drove fine and revved to the red line no problem.) Or is it set like that on purpose? (Has 'fast road' cams fitted)

Should I time it back to how it is now, or line the dot on the sprocket up with the marker on the cambelt cover? Looks like if I 'retarded' (tee hee) the timing a tooth or two on the top sprocket (to make that line up with the marks) the dizzy would be even more out of time?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to make sure I don't munch the engine!! Guess I am pretty close now though, just one tooth out, maybe...

Thanks again,
Adam
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: rubjonny on 13 January 2011, 18:53
doh just noticed its a 16v  :grin:

the dizzy dont worry about it cant be moved anyway locked into place on them.  does look like the cam timing is off by half a tooth or so, but i can see the vernier sprocket has been slightly tweaked round a bit so does look like its been done for a reason anyway :)

the TDC mark on the sprocket is the punch mark on the tooth, not sure what the tipex mark is for, see piccy here of std ABF OT mark:
(http://vwtech.no-ip.info/images/golf/timing16vcam.jpg)
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: AdamR on 13 January 2011, 19:00
Thanks for that!

Yeah, I'm kinda ignoring the white marks, they are all over the place from previous changes it seems..!

Also noticed the sprocket is moved round a bit, yeah, wondering if it may have slipped (white marks around the bases of where the washer heads used to be?)...

So, crunch question! Retard the cam a tooth or leave it as is?

Thanks again!

Edit: Ok, so apparently it's meant to be 1 tooth out because of the cams :) Will crack on and report back!
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: AdamR on 13 January 2011, 21:01
Well, that was much easier than I thought it would be (since the cambelt had been done not long previously nothing was siezed!) and twice as satisfying  :grin:  Must have spent at least half an hour checking everything and turning it over by hand before turning the key, haha.

Massive thanks again for everyone's help! If anyone else is reading this in the same boat as I was a few hours ago, don't hesitate to get in touch if you need any help. However, I probably can't be any more helpful than Dan's guide (http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed/Campingart/jettatech/t-belt/index.htm) was!

Until next time........ (which probably won't be long  :rolleyes:)
Title: Re: Bit of cambelt-related help, please (photos inside)
Post by: mk2 helper on 13 January 2011, 21:55
glad u got it all done ok hers to many happy miles ahead