# Timing Belt Woes!



## volvoguy27 (Dec 21, 2005)

Hey guys, I would love some advice on this issue. I have done 5 or 6 timing belts on these engines over the last couple of years with out any problems, and have all of the special tools required. I just did one on a 99 Audi A6 wagon on Saturday. Spun the engine over a couple times by hand with no problems or noises. Put the car back together and started it. It ran noisily for about 2 seconds and died. Now it has low compression obviously due to bent valves on 4 of the 6 cylinders. My question is how? How can valve timing be off when you have the cams and cranks locked in place with the tools. I followed the procedures to the letter. Is there something I am missing here? I replaced the belt, tensioner and idler pulleys, the hydraulic tensioner, and the water pump. The car only has 55k on it and was being serviced because the water pump was leaking. Is there something I missed here? Any advice would be appreciated as I now have to pull the heads off.


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## tryin2vw (Dec 30, 2006)

By low compression, what do you mean? 0PSIG, 60PSIG, 120PSIG? If you have some compression, 40-120, the timing may be off and need reset.

When the sprockets were put back on, was the proper torque applied to the bolts? 

When the tensioner was replaced, did the roller make good contact with the belt?


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## volvoguy27 (Dec 21, 2005)

About 20 - 40 psi, the other two cylinders, numbers 1 and 6, have around 125 psi maybe a little more. I did torque the bolts to whatever the book said to with a Snap On digital torque wrench. I believe it was 40 lb ft. By roller do you mean the pulley? If so then yes it made good contact. One thing I did notice when I took it back apart, the hydraulic piston seemed to have relaxed? Meaning that if I put a counter clockwise torque on the pulley, it will move and move the right timing pulley to be about a tooth off before the torque wrench clicks. Should it move at all? Not sure because I have never run into this before.


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## tryin2vw (Dec 30, 2006)

Take the valve covers off and put the car at TDC. See if the marks on the bearing caps line up with the keys on both intake and exhaust cams.


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## volvoguy27 (Dec 21, 2005)

Will do when I get back to work tomorrow.


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## volvoguy27 (Dec 21, 2005)

tryin2vw said:


> Take the valve covers off and put the car at TDC. See if the marks on the bearing caps line up with the keys on both intake and exhaust cams.


Yep they all lined up. Odd though, only the intake valves leak and when I pulled the heads off there was no evidence of contact.


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## volvoguy27 (Dec 21, 2005)

I am suspecting the cam adjusters are at fault. As I was turning the car over by hand before I pulled the heads off, I noticed that the cam adjusters would compress all the way then suddenly "pop" out and change the intake cam position. IDK if that was my problem or not. Any thoughts?


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## 02GTIFREESKIER (Oct 3, 2006)

Im new to this engine, and have not done timing belt yet, but i have done 1.8t's and 2.0's numerous times. Did you mark the belt in a few spots to make sure that you were not off a tooth or two on the new belt?


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