# Cam Adjuster Seals replacement for 2001 Passat V6 4Motion



## pkvelasquez (Sep 28, 2009)

Hi, guys,
My babied 2001 Passat V6 (4Motion) (2.8?) with 80K miles has been emitting a mild burning smell into the cabin when the heat's on outside vent. The VW dealer just looked at it & told me oil is leaking onto the base of the car. Quoted me *$1000 TO REPLACE CAM ADJUSTER SEALS*.







My husband & I think that sounds way high - are we right?
I'm going to price out having a reputable foreign auto repairshop do the job. Do any of you know any good ones in the Boston area? Do you have a ballpark of what it should cost within a $200 range (in Boston)? Should I have them check and/or replace any other parts in the same location while they're in there? Any advice would be much appreciated.


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## StinkyDogVWPorsche (Sep 15, 2009)

*Re: Cam Adjuster Seals replacement for 2001 Passat V6 4Motion (pkvelasquez)*

If your engine is a 30v, which it sounds like it is, the cam adjuster seals on these are notorious leakers. They are metal seals with some sort of goo (lack of a better word) on them. There is also a silicone 1/2 moon that goes between the head & seal. Each head is a twin cam with a chain that connects/times each cam run by a single pulley run by the timing belt. To replace he seals there is a special tool which compresses the tensioner so the guide rail is not broken, and it allows slack on the chain. After the tensioner is compressed, one cam can be retarded (or advanced - I forget) slightly so the chain has a little more slack. With the chain loose, the tensioner is unbolted, and then can be lifted enough to remove the seal & 1/2 moon. There is an alignment pin on the head, so the seal has to be properly aligned when reinstalling. Then after the tensioner is reinstalled, properly torqued and the cams are reset, this has to be done on the other side of the engine! I have done a ton of these, and it has become second nature to me.
I am sorry for the long winded explanation, but it is an expensive job. You could trust anyone to do it to save a few hundred $$$, but I would make sure they have experience doing this. You bought a good car, take care of it, and it will be a good car for many years.
Or....you could just keep adding oil, and sell it the way it is to the next guy. That will only cost you a few dollars and the constant smell of burning oil between oil changes!








Good luck.


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## Colette (Jul 19, 2011)

*Colette*

I know you haven't posted for over 2 years, but it sounds like you know about cam chains. I had my 80k mile tune-up on my 2001 Passat AWD in late March, and my value cover gaskets and cam adjuster seals were found to be leaking. They were removed and replaced. Two months later, I was driving along a city street and heard an absolutely horrible sound. I got through the intersection, stopped my car, and called a tow truck to take my car to the VW dealership where I'd bought my car. They told me my cam chain had "slipped" and that it had totally destroyed my engine. I was distraught but decided to buy a used, 80k mi. engine rather than trash the car, because I love this car. Long story short, it has cost me $7,000 in engine and labor to do so. Just tonight I happened to get out my work order for the 80k tune-up and just now remembered, when I saw it, that cam adjuster seals were involved. Do you think this work had anything to do with my cam chain slipping and ruining my engine? My brother, a lifetime VW and now Mercedes owner, said, when this all happened, that 80k miles for a cam chain to slip is practically unheard of, and he was shocked. He said no one even checks a cam chain until at least 100k miles. I treat my car like a baby, have driven it very granny-like and am always on time with its oil changes and tune-ups. Now my new used engine, only a few weeks old, is starting to have minor problems. I am devastated. I would love a reply. Thanks.


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## ajcascio (Jan 11, 2006)

Colette said:


> My brother, a lifetime VW and now Mercedes owner, said, when this all happened, that 80k miles for a cam chain to slip is practically unheard of, and he was shocked. He said no one even checks a cam chain until at least 100k miles. I treat my car like a baby, have driven it very granny-like and am always on time with its oil changes and tune-ups. Now my new used engine, only a few weeks old, is starting to have minor problems. I am devastated. I would love a reply. Thanks.


 I think that you brother is right and wrong.....on a timing chain motor yes it should be checked at 100k but these motors dont have chains for cam to crank timing......the chain is used for exhaust to intake cam timing...If the tensioner fails there can be too much slack in the chain and thats what causes them to jump. Your brother is thinking of the chain timing that doesnt have a timing belt. and they reccomend that at 100k for the fact the chain "streches". Me being a factory vw/audi tech i have seen cars with 200+k and not had a streched chain.....not that it doesnt happen but its rare....So to answer your question do i think that the 2 are related no... those cam adjuster solenoids fail ALL THE TIME....and make a diesel noise when warm is one way to tell......my own car had one that failed.....because the plastic guides broke off of it and the fact i have 268000 miles on my car. the cam did jump 2 teeth i replaced the tensioner and reset timing and all was well.....


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