# Replacing Upper Timing Cover (2011 VW CC 2.0)



## Mainline123456 (Feb 24, 2017)

Hello All,
I am new to the forum. Well I've read many threads, but first time posting.

I have a 2011 VW CC 2.0L. The dealership said my Upper Timing Chain Cover has warped and is causing an oil leak. They quoted me $622 to do this repair which seems expensive to me. I have worked on vehicles before, mostly DIY stuff on pickup trucks, but havent done much to my CC besides things like oil changes, spark plugs, air filter... is the upper timing chain cover an easy-ish repair?

I searched around and didn't find a "how to" thread on replacing the Upper Timing Chain Cover. Can you guys give me any pointers on this repair? Or just the basics of how to get started, what other parts I should remove to make the job easy, etc...

Was going to order this part:
https://shopdap.com/store/2-0-t-tsi-upper-timing-cover-06h103269h.html
Don't really know if thats a good price and can't seem to find many non-China alternatives. 

Thanks in advance for your help,
Kyle in Atlanta


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## joenelson7687 (May 8, 2015)

Do you have the revised chain tensioner? That might be a good time to do it if you havent and would justify the labor costs. Just a thought. Good luck! :thumbup:


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## CC'ed (Dec 1, 2009)

The black plastic upper timing chain cover is easily changed, probably takes 20 minutes....5 screws, some sealant, and a new gasket. Run away from this rip-off dealer...


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## OEMplusCC (Jan 27, 2013)

Yep, exactly what he said ^


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## Mainline123456 (Feb 24, 2017)

Awesome. Thanks for the replies!
I ordered the replacement cover which comes with a gasket. 
What kind of sealant should I use when putting the new cover back on?


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## Mainline123456 (Feb 24, 2017)

joenelson7687 said:


> Do you have the revised chain tensioner? That might be a good time to do it if you havent and would justify the labor costs. Just a thought. Good luck! :thumbup:


I have not replaced the chain tensioner, but thanks for letting me know about that. Seems like that is something I should do soon, but for now am just going to get the cover swapped out.


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## CC'ed (Dec 1, 2009)

Upper Timing Chain Cover 

Special tools, testers and auxiliary items required 
¤ Torque Wrench (V.A.G 1783) 
¤ Open End Spanner Insert AF 10 (V.A.G 1783/1) 

Removing
•Remove the engine cover. Refer to => [ Engine Cover ] See: Cylinder Head Assembly\Service and Repair\Engine Cover. 
•If equipped with a noise generator, open the clip - 1 -, unclip the fuel lines - 2 - and loosen the bolt - 3 - on the Evaporative Emission (EVAP) canister. Move the charge air pipe aside
•Disconnect the vent line - 1 -, unlock the EVAP canister - A - and remove it - B -. Move the EVAP canister to the side.
•Remove the coolant pipe bolts - arrows - from the intake manifold.
•Press the coolant hoses to the side and secure them with a cable tie. 
•Remove the camshaft adjustment valve 1. 
•Remove the bolts - 1 through 5 - and remove the upper timing chain cover.
¤ Remove the lower bolts - 3 and 5 - with an open end wrench. 

Installing
•*Coat the seal and the O-ring with engine oil. 
*•Place the cover on the engine making sure the seal fits correctly. 
•Tighten the bolts in sequence - 1 through 5 - hand tight.
•Tighten the bolt to 9 Nm using the torque wrench (V.A.G 1783) and the open end spanner insert AF 10 (V.A.G 1783/1) for bolts - 3 and 5 -. 
•Install the camshaft adjustment valve 1. Refer to => [ Camshaft Adjustment Valve 1 N205 ] See: Variable Valve Timing Actuator\Service and Repair. 
•Tighten the bolts - arrows - for the guide tube.

¤ If the attachment points do not line up, check whether the guide tube is inserted all the way into the lower timing chain cover. 
¤ For the correct tightening specifications, refer to => [ Timing Chain Cover Overview ] See: Timing Chain Cover Overview.


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## Mainline123456 (Feb 24, 2017)

CC'ed said:


> Upper Timing Chain Cover
> 
> Special tools, testers and auxiliary items required
> ¤ Torque Wrench (V.A.G 1783)
> ...




Excellent information and just what I was after. Thanks very much CC'ed. 

Side note: I ordered the Upper Timing Chain Cover and gasket from Deutsche Auto Parts on Feb 24th. As of today, March 1st, I had no shipping updates. Called them and they said that certain parts they don't keep in stock, so they have to have them shipped to their warehouse, then ship it to me... So if you guys do order from Deutsche Auto Parts beware that it's a pretty slow process since they don't do direct shipping to customer from manufacturer. The $11+ shipping fee makes it sting a little more.


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## Mainline123456 (Feb 24, 2017)

wanted to post a follow-up in case anyone has this repair in the future. 

CC'ed's directions were great. 

1 - Remove engine cover (easy)
2 - Disconnect coolant hoses - this makes getting the old cover off and the new one back on much easier (I tried to leave them connected and it made things difficult)...spend the extra 5 min get the hoses out of the way
3 - Remove camshaft adjustment valve - this is also easy, its 3 torx head screws
4 - Drain oil and then remove oil filter...cover oil filter area with rag so crud doesn't fall in (I went ahead and changed the oil, but this isn't necessary and can be skipped, but the filter being removed does provide a little more room in a tight space)
5 - Remove old upper timing cover
5a - Start with the top 3 bolts, they are pretty easy to get to and you will either use a torx bit or a 10mm wrench
5b - The bottom 2 bolts are much more of a pain in the butt. I used the 10mm wrench. 

Then to install the new one....

1 - Coat the upper timing cover gasket in motor oil
2 - Place the cover so it aligns properly (the the cover should also come with new bolts, these bolts stay attached to the cover unless the are pushed out, my bottom 2 bolts came out as I was placing the new cover which caused me to pull it out and get the bolts back in place)
2a - Take your time with this part, it was the most frustrating for me. Seems simple, but I tried placing the new cover on a few times and the freakin bolts kept popping out! Go slow and that shouldn't happen. 
3 - Tighten bolts
4 - Install new oil filter and put oil drain plug back in place
5 - Re-connect coolant hoses
6 - Reconnect camshaft adjustment valve
7 - Pour in the oil
8 - Put engine cover back on...

Took me much longer than 20 minutes, but thats because I am not very familiar with VWs or working on vehicles with such tight engine compartments. Full size pickups are easier for me big guy like myself to navigate. 
Overall, its not a very difficult project. I feel great about not paying the dealership $622 for parts/labor. The upper timing cover was about $150. So I saved myself about $470 bucks... FYI, avoid sending your VW to Nalley VW in Roswell, GA....bit of a rip-off!


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## vtraudt (Mar 1, 2010)

*Lower 2 bolts: how to remove - details*

"5b - The bottom 2 bolts are much more of a pain in the butt. I used the 10mm wrench. "
Can someone provide some more details HOW to get the 2 bottom bolts out?
From the bottom? 
Top? 
Remove engine mount/bracket?


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## CC Sport (Aug 31, 2009)

Probably the best way to replace the upper timing cover is to remove the engine mount because you would have greater access to reach the bottom two bolts. However, I replaced my upper timing cover recently and left the mount in place. I had to tape a screwdriver to the 10mm wrench in order to reach those two bolts. It was very time consuming and frustrating backing out those bolts and then replacing.....took me about 2.5 hours to do the job.


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## ABA Jetta II (Aug 19, 2002)

CC Sport said:


> Probably the best way to replace the upper timing cover is to remove the engine mount because you would have greater access to reach the bottom two bolts. However, I replaced my upper timing cover recently and left the mount in place. I had to tape a screwdriver to the 10mm wrench in order to reach those two bolts. It was very time consuming and frustrating backing out those bolts and then replacing.....took me about 2.5 hours to do the job.


I second this, remove the engine mount to get the bottom bolts as i dont think there is any other way, after that its pretty straight forward, 5 bolts, remove the cam adjuster/magnet and thats it. Also, the tensioner isn't under the top cover for whoever said to change that.


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## vtraudt (Mar 1, 2010)

CC Sport said:


> Probably the best way to replace the upper timing cover is to remove the engine mount because you would have greater access to reach the bottom two bolts. However, I replaced my upper timing cover recently and left the mount in place. I had to tape a screwdriver to the 10mm wrench in order to reach those two bolts. It was very time consuming and frustrating backing out those bolts and then replacing.....took me about 2.5 hours to do the job.


thanks. 
Jacking up engine from bottom (2x4 on jack) ok?


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## vtraudt (Mar 1, 2010)

ABA Jetta II said:


> I second this, remove the engine mount to get the bottom bolts as i dont think there is a
> any other way, after that its pretty straight forward, 5 bolts, remove the cam adjuster/magnet and thats it. Also, the tensioner isn't under the top cover for whoever said to change that.


Will take engine mount out now.

How come i can't find any DIY for the upper timing cover?


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## ABA Jetta II (Aug 19, 2002)

vtraudt said:


> Will take engine mount out now.
> 
> How come i can't find any DIY for the upper timing cover?


There's some DIY's for the timing tensioner that include that part, but its really simple. The hardrest part is removing the engine mount bracket thats bolted to the engine, space is kinda tight and requires a short triple square( I cut one down, don't remember the size) Also, one of the bottom bracket bolts is accessible through the wheel well through a factory hole, the others arent bad to get to.


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## ABA Jetta II (Aug 19, 2002)

vtraudt said:


> thanks.
> Jacking up engine from bottom (2x4 on jack) ok?


Yes thats fine, thats what I did, the oil pan is plenty sturdy. If you need help during the process let me know, I just had mine all apart.


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## vtraudt (Mar 1, 2010)

I had firm intentions to document the assembly, but forgot again.

Top 3 bolts are clear.
Cam position sensor (3 Torx) also.

Removed coolant tank.
Jacked up motor with jack and 2x4 from below.
Removed 2x 16mm and 2x 18mm bolts off motor mount bracket
Engine mount bracket is held by 3 (12mm?) tripe square.
Front upper is easy to get to
Front lower: I have a very short triple square bit that I use with 10mm wrench. Little room to get anything longer in (frame). Not sure if engine can be lifted high enough to clear frame.
Rear: I opted to remove wheel and inner fender liner. Then pushed/tilted engine forward a bit and had access through the wheel well to the bolt

Then remove remaining lower 2 screws of top cover. 

I had a new cover ($200) and just the gasket (but not the cam sensor gasket). Decided to use the expansive complete part, this car not a good candidate for taking changes.


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## ABA Jetta II (Aug 19, 2002)

vtraudt said:


> I had firm intentions to document the assembly, but forgot again.
> 
> Top 3 bolts are clear.
> Cam position sensor (3 Torx) also.
> ...


the thing on the side is actually the cam adjuster magnet, the cam position sensor is mounted on the front side of the head btw.


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## tsi18psi (Nov 18, 2016)

I'm about to do the upper cover and gasket. This thread helps a lot. Thanks.

Sent from my SM-N935F using Tapatalk


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## jpirtle (May 19, 2010)

I just replaced my upper timing cover on a 2010 CC Sport 2T 6-speed manual. 

I did not have to remove the engine mount but a longer wrench would have helped. 

It was a bit of a struggle getting the old one out from the tight space but amazingly the new one went in easier.

I got the replacement cover on Amazon for $129.

Thanks all for the information in this thread!


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## FoxFL (Jul 29, 2014)

Hey I wanted to chime in. I just tackled this job yesterday/today. If I had to do it again I think I could do it in <1 hour but the first go around was a pain. I ended up dropped on of the bolts god knows where and had to go to VW this morning to buy the entire cover. I was planning on just replacing the gaskets but after reinstalling I think it’s best I got the new cover anyways. I’m out $200 but atleast I know it won’t leak anymore. A few tips for you. Move the coolant hoses. I tried to do it without moving them and it was too tight. Take the 30 seconds to move them and you will thank yourself later. I also removed both dip stick bolts (you have to remove the top to get the magnet off). I found removing both allowed me to move the dipstick just enough to get a little more room for my wrench on the lower bolts. Like others say the top 3 are pretty easy to do. The back top is a little tricky but if you have a short extension it’s not bad. The bottom two I worked out with the open end of a 10mm and a bit with the ratcheting end if you have a gear wrench. My 10mm was pretty short so I was banging my knuckles and getting tiny turns with it. I ended up taping another wrench to it and that helped a lot. If I did it again I would get a longer wrench with maybe an offset. This morning once I got the new cover removing the old one and putting the new one on was pretty quick since I half knew what I was doing. Good luck!


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