# Tackling cam chain tensioner.. I need to know torques!



## BeeAlk (Jun 3, 2013)

I'm going to be tackling the cam chain tensioner sometime in the next couple of weeks. I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row and one of those things is the torque values for all the various bolts.. could anyone help me out?

Also, is there a definitive DIY on this job? I can only seem to find partial ones and have to piece together info.

Here's a parts list I came up with:

Chain: *06D109229B* $30
Tensioner: *06F109217A* $90
Valve cover bolts: *06B103831J* x5 $26
Valve Cover Gasket: *06F103483D* $12
Timing Chain Housing Gasket: *06D103121B* $8
Camshaft adjuster bolt: *06D109281D* $4
#10 polydrive: $13 ebay
Camclocking Tool: t10252 $86 ebay
Tensioner tool: $11 amazon

Am I missing anything? Is the chain necessary to replace? 

Here's the order of things as far as I understand:

Remove valve cover
Remove HPFP
Remove cam chain housing
Lock cams??
Compress tensioner and remove
Remove chain

Reverse.

Am I missing anything?? With the tensioner removed, will the chain be able to come off the cam sprockets or do I have to loosen a came to shimmy it apart?

As of right now I'm rather intimidated by this job. I've never done anything more than replace a valve cover gasket as far as engines are concerned. Am I in over my head?

ANY help will be appreciated!


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## Ebneuhaus (Jul 22, 2014)

*For a Passat , but worth a look- mentions torque settings*

http://www.passatworld.com/forums/6...732-how-replace-1-8t-cam-chain-tensioner.html


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## BeeAlk (Jun 3, 2013)

Ebneuhaus said:


> http://www.passatworld.com/forums/6...732-how-replace-1-8t-cam-chain-tensioner.html


That's one of the better ones I've seen, thanks. Does the 2.0tfsi have a halfmoon seal that should be replaced as well?


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## theGLIguy (Dec 2, 2011)

BeeAlk said:


> That's one of the better ones I've seen, thanks. Does the 2.0tfsi have a halfmoon seal that should be replaced as well?


that is a 1.8, not a 2.0t. DONT FOLLOW THAT!

Remove the HPFP
remove the hoses off valve cover
remove valve cover
rotate engine to #1 top dead center to fit cam lock tool
remove cam chain cover
press down and lock the old tensioner down using pin tool.
unbolt cam adjuster
pull chain and adjuster off
remove old tensioner
replace new tensioner
put new chain on with adjuster. 

The rest is in revers. You will need valve cover seal, cam chain cover seal, cam chain, cam tensioner, and a new cam adjuster bolt(best to replace)

This would also be a good time to change your cam follower as well. 

Torque specs are the following All are ft lbs.

Cam adjuster bolt is 15 lbs plus additional 1/8 turn
Tensioner bolt is 7 lbs
Valve cover bolts are 7 lbs.
Cam chain case cover is 7 lbs
hpfp bolts are 7lbs
banjo bolt on fuel pump is 13 lbs
union nut on hpfp is 18 lbs

This is the tool set I just bought that I can sell to you next week after I finish mine.


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## BeeAlk (Jun 3, 2013)

theGLIguy said:


> that is a 1.8, not a 2.0t. DONT FOLLOW THAT!
> 
> Remove the HPFP
> remove the hoses off valve cover
> ...


Thanks!! I knew the DIY above was for the 1.8t, they're not that far off!

When you do this job yourself, could you make notes of any tricky parts you ran into and let me know? Also the valve cover bolts, cam cover bolts, tensioner bolts, and adjuster bolt - do you know the proper torque for these?


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## theGLIguy (Dec 2, 2011)

BeeAlk said:


> Thanks!! I knew the DIY above was for the 1.8t, they're not that far off!
> 
> When you do this job yourself, could you make notes of any tricky parts you ran into and let me know? Also the valve cover bolts, cam cover bolts, tensioner bolts, and adjuster bolt - do you know the proper torque for these?


Torque specs are the following All are ft lbs.

Cam adjuster bolt is 15 lbs plus additional 1/8 turn
Tensioner bolt is 7 lbs
Valve cover bolts are 7 lbs.
Cam chain case cover is 7 lbs
hpfp bolts are 7lbs
banjo bolt on fuel pump is 13 lbs
union nut on hpfp is 18 lbs


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## BeeAlk (Jun 3, 2013)

Very, very good! You just made all of this much easier for me :thumbup:


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## theGLIguy (Dec 2, 2011)

BeeAlk said:


> Very, very good! You just made all of this much easier for me :thumbup:


Its why sites like this exist, so we can all help each other :thumbup:


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## BeeAlk (Jun 3, 2013)

In case anyone in the future searches and comes upon this thread, here is the DIY theGLIguy did for this job: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...ensioner-*BPY-engines&p=86001389#post86001389


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## BeeAlk (Jun 3, 2013)

I just finished replacing my chain and tensioner last night. It was much easier than I anticipated. It was merely time consuming because of the amount of bolts that need to be torqued, etc. It's the little things that eat up time. It took me about 6-7 hours with plenty of goofing off, interruptions, and beer and cigar breaks.

The tensioner I removed seemed to be leaking oil right from between the piston and cylinder.. I can't imagine it would've lasted much longer without complete failure. 

About 50k miles ago my cam was replaced because of a grenaded cam follower. It appears as whoever did the work managed to strip the bottom right cam chain housing bolt holes.. I was considering heli-coiling it but decided to see if it leaked first. So far it's all good.

The noise of my motor is SUBSTANTIALLY quieter now. I was expecting this, but not to such a degree. I have stiff motor mounts which transmit a good bit of noise into the cabin... There is no joke a 90% reduction in noise at idle inside the car. Unreal.

I made some before and after videos of the motor noise. When I edit them and get them uploaded to the tube, I will post them here for reference.


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## theGLIguy (Dec 2, 2011)

BeeAlk said:


> I just finished replacing my chain and tensioner last night. It was much easier than I anticipated. It was merely time consuming because of the amount of bolts that need to be torqued, etc. It's the little things that eat up time. It took me about 6-7 hours with plenty of goofing off, interruptions, and beer and cigar breaks.
> 
> The tensioner I removed seemed to be leaking oil right from between the piston and cylinder.. I can't imagine it would've lasted much longer without complete failure.
> 
> ...


:thumbup: Glad to hear. It took me some considerable time as well. I did it right after a hard night of work. It looks much worse than it actually is. Glad you got it done though. Amazing how quiet the become on start up and idle. Hope the tools worked perfect. I know sometimes finding that bit for the banjo bolt can be a pain at some tool places. Hope you had fun doing it!


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## BeeAlk (Jun 3, 2013)

theGLIguy said:


> :thumbup: Glad to hear. It took me some considerable time as well. I did it right after a hard night of work. It looks much worse than it actually is. Glad you got it done though. Amazing how quiet the become on start up and idle. Hope the tools worked perfect. I know sometimes finding that bit for the banjo bolt can be a pain at some tool places. Hope you had fun doing it!


Same as you, I worked on it after work. Limited by light (no power in my garage) I was limited with time so it was split between two days. The guy who bought the tools from me said he did it in 2 hours.. seems impressive to me. Though I think if I were to do it again I could do it in half the time it took me.. Definitely looks worse than it is.


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