Timing Belt and Tensioner FAQ.
09-01-2001, 04:58 PM
#1
AudiWorld Super User
Thread Starter
Timing Belt and Tensioner FAQ.
<b> Pictures have been removed, please see the tech section article: https://www.audiworld.com/tech/eng35.shtml</b>
Usual disclaimer applies here, I am not responsible for any of your work. This procedure is done at your own risk, and my write-up is merely a guide to help you do it (as model years and options vary).
Big thanks to SScott for filling in all the bolt sizes. Also, I must metion my partner in crime here, JustDave did most of the replacement of the timing belt and tensioner.
And one more thing, <b>this is not the only way to change the belt.</b> It can be changed without removing the A/C condensor and radiator, however I wanted to have plenty of room to work....so I took it all off.
<b>TOOLS/SUPPLIES LIST:</b>
Metric sockets: 10mm, 13mm, 14mm, 19mm (12 point).
Allen sockets: 5mm, 6mm, 8mm
Breaker bar
Torx sockets: T45, T30
Set of metric wrenches
Timing Belt "kit" from ClairParts (&#36;130) P/N 058-198-479
Fresh G12 Coolant
That's definitely not everything, but I don't think there's anything else out of the ordinary you'll need. Screwdrivers, socket wrench, extensions, etc...just normal stuff. A lift would help if you have access to one, but it's not necessary....jackstands will suffice.
<b>FRONT BUMPER REMOVAL:</b>
1. Remove the plastic underpan; 6 screws underneath and 2 plastic screws in each wheel well.
2. Remove two small grills and fog lights (if applicable) on front bumper; the grills come out just by pulling.
3. Disconnect the hose to the headlight washers by reaching through the hole where you removed the driver's side grill; it disconnects at the lightened area of the picture below. If you can't reach it, see step 6.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/bump_bolt.jpg">
4. Remove the two long 6mm hex bolts (see above picture).
5. Now grab the side of the bumper, almost to the wheel well and pull BACK (towards the rear of the car) and DOWN then UP. It takes a little finesse, but it's really not that hard. Have someone else hold the bumper while you do this so it doesn't come crashing down and scratch the paint. See the picture below, notice how the two clips at the top and one at the bottom grab the bumper like a claw. So if you pull it down, and then up (or vise versa), then you should be able to work it loose.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/bumperclip1.jpg">
6. If you haven't disconnected the hose for the headlight washers, you'll be able to do it much easier now; have someone to hold the bumper while you do it.
<b>A/C CONDENSOR AND RADIATOR REMOVAL:</b>
1. Drain the coolant. Loosen the cap on the filler tank in the engine compartment. See the red screw at the bottom on the driver's side of the radiator; open it just a bit and you'll see where the coolant will come out. Either connect a hose (as depicted by the green line in the picture below) or put a bucket underneath to catch the coolant.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/raddrain1.jpg">
2. Disconnect the upper and lower radiator hoses, as well as the sensor just above the lower radiator hose. First, pry up the clip around the radiator fitting with a flathead screwdriver:
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/upperradclip1.jpg">
Do this for the top and bottom hoses. Now, just pull firmly (read: HARD) to get the hoses off. See the sensor above the lower radiator hose in the picture below
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/lowerradhose1.jpg">
3. Remove the two "air guides" attached on each side of the A/C condensor. They're blocked in the picture, but the Phillips head screws would be where the green dots are in the picture. <img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/lowerradhalf.jpg">
4. Now pull the P/S cooler that runs in front of the A/C condensor out of the way. The two 10 mm bolts are shown by the red dots in the picture above.
5. Remove the two brackets that hold the A/C condensor in place, they're held by four 10 mm bolts. See the picture, where the bracket is actually already removed
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/accondensbrack1a.jpg">
6. Disconnect the sensor that connects on the passenger side of the A/C condensor (see above pic).
7. Now; pull up and then out on the condensor; "peel" the A/C condensor to the passenger side.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/nobump21.jpg">
8. To remove the radiator, pry the small tab in the circular pin up, as shown here: <img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/radclip1.jpg">
to the position shown here:
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/radclip2a.jpg">
9. Now pull the top of the radiator out towards you (as if the bottom edge were a hinge), then up. The radiator is now free.
<b>REMOVING LOCK CARRIER:</b>
1. First unplug the horn(s) on the passenger side, as shown by the lightened ovals
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/lockcarrierside.jpg">
2. Remove the bulbs from the turn signals (see dangling bulb in above picture) and
disconnect the plugs to the headlights.
3. Remove the bumper post bolts with a Torx T45 bit.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/bumperpost.jpg">
4. Remove the two Torx T30 bolts at the front edge of the hood on each side.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/lockcar_bolts.jpg">.
5. Remove one Torx T30 bolt underneath each headlight; see green arrow.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/lockcarrierside.jpg">
6. Slowly slide the lock carrier out towards the front of the car; be careful, as there are still wires running to the lock carrier (around the fan shroud), as you will see. Remove the hood release. Do your best to unclip the wires routed around the fan housings, so that you can lay the lock carrier off to the driver's side.
<b>TIMING BELT:</b>
First, let's make sure we're on the same page as far as the parts in the "kit." As seen in the picture below, you should have (1) timing belt, (1) tensioner, (1) tensioner pulley, (1) bolt, (1) washer, and (1) metal collar/sleeve. By the way, DO NOT PULL THE PIN ON THE TENSIONER, until the instructions say to do so.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/parts.jpg">
1. Remove the upper timing belt cover by releasing the two "clips" and moving the hose that runs in front.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/uppercoverclip.jpg">
2. Remove the viscous fan; have someone hold the plastic blades firmly, while you remove the 5mm hex bolts, circled in yellow.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/fan.jpg">
3. Remove the A/C compressor belt by loosening the tensioner with two 6mm hex bolts.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/ac_tensioner1.jpg">
4. Remove the main serpentine belt by rotating the spring-loaded tensioner; use a crescent wrench and rotate clockwise, hold it while you remove the belt. If needed, remove this tensioner--three 13 mm bolts. You like my yellow crescent wrench? :-)
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/serptensioner.jpg">
5. Remove the dampner pulley; have someone hold the pulley with a 19mm 12pt. socket on a breaker bar, while you remove the four 6mm hex bolts (allen keys won't cut it here, you'll need a socketed hex).
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/dampnerpulley.jpg">
6. Remove the lower timing belt cover; there are two hex bolts the top: one is a 6 mm and the bottom one is a 5 mm (green arrows), a 10 mm bolt (red arrow), and a 10 mm nut (black arrow).
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/lower_cover.jpg">
7. <b>This step is the very critical.</b> Carefully align the 2 timing marks (one on the cam sprocket, the other on the edge of the valve cove) by turning the engine by hand, clockwise, using the 19mm bolt on the crank (where you removed the dampner pulley from earlier). While you have the belt off, you must make sure that these marks remain perfectly aligned <img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/upper_mark.jpg">
You may also make your own mark the lower toothed sprocket on the crank, just for your
own comfort of knowing that the sprocket remained in the same position throughout the
install. We scratched an arrow on the sprocket; as you can see in the picture that our arrow
aligns with the tip of that protrusion in the metal above it
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/lowermark.jpg">
8. Remove the old tensioner and pulley. First remove 13mm the bolt holding the "guide pulley" (that's what we'll call it) on to the tensioner (green arrow); remove this pulley--save it. Now remove the two 10mm bolts holding the tensioner to the block (red arrows). Remove the 10mm nut holding the pulley on (as circled in yellow, partially hidden from view). The pulley/tensioner complex should now be free.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/old_tensioner.jpg">
9. Remove the old pulley "stud" from the block; you won't need it with the new tensioner/pulley. It's 17mm.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/pulley_stud1.jpg">
10. Time to assemble and install the tensioner and pulley. First, attach the "guide pulley" to the new tensioner--hand tighten for now. Now install the new tensioner to the block. See below for assembly of the pulley and the misc. hardware. I forgot to snap a pic during the installation process, thus you get this VERY crude attempt at a 3D rendering.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/tensnr_assy.jpg">
Using a 14mm socket in your hand, slowly tighten the center bolt attaching the pulley to the block (careful not to cross-thread, if you feel resistance back it out and try again). The pulley setup
should look like it does below. Now remove the brass-colored piece that hangs off the
pulley; one bolt (blue arrow) attaches it to the pulley. The pulley should now be free to
rotate, more on that later.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/new_tens.jpg">
11. Install the timing belt. Carefully slide the belt over the toothed sprockets, making sure that you don't move the sprockets. I found it easier to wrap the large sprocket up top first, then the smaller ones at the bottom, then around the tensioner pulley. Be sure there is no slack in the area outlined in yellow
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/beltpath.jpg">
12. Almost done. Now it's time to put that brass-colored piece back onto the pulley. See that hex hole in the pulley? Put an 8 mm allen key in that hole, and pull clockwise. This will allow you to align the hole on the brass piece with the hole on the pulley so you can put the bolt through and tighten it up. Go back and double check all the bolts for the tensioner and pulley, be sure they're all tight (no torque specs at the moment).
13. Make sure your setup looks like below. If so, PULL THE PIN! (BTW, that's Just Dave's finger.....it's the best pic I could get of him; he's very elusive when the camera comes out :-)
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/pull_pin.jpg">
14. With the belt and tensioner now properly installed, hand-crank the engine around one full rotation to make sure your marks on the top cam sprocket line up at the same time your mark on the bottom crank sprocket.
15. That's it...reverse the process and re-install all of the above. You do remember how it all went together, right?
There, you've just saved yourself roughly &#36;400 in labor. All I ask is that you let me know you've completed it successfully (hey, if you want to send donations that's fine as well ;-)
If you have any problems, questions, etc, you're welcome to email me: ranga@rhodes.edu. Good luck.
Andy
Usual disclaimer applies here, I am not responsible for any of your work. This procedure is done at your own risk, and my write-up is merely a guide to help you do it (as model years and options vary).
Big thanks to SScott for filling in all the bolt sizes. Also, I must metion my partner in crime here, JustDave did most of the replacement of the timing belt and tensioner.
And one more thing, <b>this is not the only way to change the belt.</b> It can be changed without removing the A/C condensor and radiator, however I wanted to have plenty of room to work....so I took it all off.
<b>TOOLS/SUPPLIES LIST:</b>
Metric sockets: 10mm, 13mm, 14mm, 19mm (12 point).
Allen sockets: 5mm, 6mm, 8mm
Breaker bar
Torx sockets: T45, T30
Set of metric wrenches
Timing Belt "kit" from ClairParts (&#36;130) P/N 058-198-479
Fresh G12 Coolant
That's definitely not everything, but I don't think there's anything else out of the ordinary you'll need. Screwdrivers, socket wrench, extensions, etc...just normal stuff. A lift would help if you have access to one, but it's not necessary....jackstands will suffice.
<b>FRONT BUMPER REMOVAL:</b>
1. Remove the plastic underpan; 6 screws underneath and 2 plastic screws in each wheel well.
2. Remove two small grills and fog lights (if applicable) on front bumper; the grills come out just by pulling.
3. Disconnect the hose to the headlight washers by reaching through the hole where you removed the driver's side grill; it disconnects at the lightened area of the picture below. If you can't reach it, see step 6.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/bump_bolt.jpg">
4. Remove the two long 6mm hex bolts (see above picture).
5. Now grab the side of the bumper, almost to the wheel well and pull BACK (towards the rear of the car) and DOWN then UP. It takes a little finesse, but it's really not that hard. Have someone else hold the bumper while you do this so it doesn't come crashing down and scratch the paint. See the picture below, notice how the two clips at the top and one at the bottom grab the bumper like a claw. So if you pull it down, and then up (or vise versa), then you should be able to work it loose.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/bumperclip1.jpg">
6. If you haven't disconnected the hose for the headlight washers, you'll be able to do it much easier now; have someone to hold the bumper while you do it.
<b>A/C CONDENSOR AND RADIATOR REMOVAL:</b>
1. Drain the coolant. Loosen the cap on the filler tank in the engine compartment. See the red screw at the bottom on the driver's side of the radiator; open it just a bit and you'll see where the coolant will come out. Either connect a hose (as depicted by the green line in the picture below) or put a bucket underneath to catch the coolant.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/raddrain1.jpg">
2. Disconnect the upper and lower radiator hoses, as well as the sensor just above the lower radiator hose. First, pry up the clip around the radiator fitting with a flathead screwdriver:
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/upperradclip1.jpg">
Do this for the top and bottom hoses. Now, just pull firmly (read: HARD) to get the hoses off. See the sensor above the lower radiator hose in the picture below
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/lowerradhose1.jpg">
3. Remove the two "air guides" attached on each side of the A/C condensor. They're blocked in the picture, but the Phillips head screws would be where the green dots are in the picture. <img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/lowerradhalf.jpg">
4. Now pull the P/S cooler that runs in front of the A/C condensor out of the way. The two 10 mm bolts are shown by the red dots in the picture above.
5. Remove the two brackets that hold the A/C condensor in place, they're held by four 10 mm bolts. See the picture, where the bracket is actually already removed
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/accondensbrack1a.jpg">
6. Disconnect the sensor that connects on the passenger side of the A/C condensor (see above pic).
7. Now; pull up and then out on the condensor; "peel" the A/C condensor to the passenger side.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/nobump21.jpg">
8. To remove the radiator, pry the small tab in the circular pin up, as shown here: <img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/radclip1.jpg">
to the position shown here:
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/radclip2a.jpg">
9. Now pull the top of the radiator out towards you (as if the bottom edge were a hinge), then up. The radiator is now free.
<b>REMOVING LOCK CARRIER:</b>
1. First unplug the horn(s) on the passenger side, as shown by the lightened ovals
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/lockcarrierside.jpg">
2. Remove the bulbs from the turn signals (see dangling bulb in above picture) and
disconnect the plugs to the headlights.
3. Remove the bumper post bolts with a Torx T45 bit.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/bumperpost.jpg">
4. Remove the two Torx T30 bolts at the front edge of the hood on each side.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/lockcar_bolts.jpg">.
5. Remove one Torx T30 bolt underneath each headlight; see green arrow.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/lockcarrierside.jpg">
6. Slowly slide the lock carrier out towards the front of the car; be careful, as there are still wires running to the lock carrier (around the fan shroud), as you will see. Remove the hood release. Do your best to unclip the wires routed around the fan housings, so that you can lay the lock carrier off to the driver's side.
<b>TIMING BELT:</b>
First, let's make sure we're on the same page as far as the parts in the "kit." As seen in the picture below, you should have (1) timing belt, (1) tensioner, (1) tensioner pulley, (1) bolt, (1) washer, and (1) metal collar/sleeve. By the way, DO NOT PULL THE PIN ON THE TENSIONER, until the instructions say to do so.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/parts.jpg">
1. Remove the upper timing belt cover by releasing the two "clips" and moving the hose that runs in front.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/uppercoverclip.jpg">
2. Remove the viscous fan; have someone hold the plastic blades firmly, while you remove the 5mm hex bolts, circled in yellow.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/fan.jpg">
3. Remove the A/C compressor belt by loosening the tensioner with two 6mm hex bolts.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/ac_tensioner1.jpg">
4. Remove the main serpentine belt by rotating the spring-loaded tensioner; use a crescent wrench and rotate clockwise, hold it while you remove the belt. If needed, remove this tensioner--three 13 mm bolts. You like my yellow crescent wrench? :-)
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/serptensioner.jpg">
5. Remove the dampner pulley; have someone hold the pulley with a 19mm 12pt. socket on a breaker bar, while you remove the four 6mm hex bolts (allen keys won't cut it here, you'll need a socketed hex).
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/dampnerpulley.jpg">
6. Remove the lower timing belt cover; there are two hex bolts the top: one is a 6 mm and the bottom one is a 5 mm (green arrows), a 10 mm bolt (red arrow), and a 10 mm nut (black arrow).
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/lower_cover.jpg">
7. <b>This step is the very critical.</b> Carefully align the 2 timing marks (one on the cam sprocket, the other on the edge of the valve cove) by turning the engine by hand, clockwise, using the 19mm bolt on the crank (where you removed the dampner pulley from earlier). While you have the belt off, you must make sure that these marks remain perfectly aligned <img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/upper_mark.jpg">
You may also make your own mark the lower toothed sprocket on the crank, just for your
own comfort of knowing that the sprocket remained in the same position throughout the
install. We scratched an arrow on the sprocket; as you can see in the picture that our arrow
aligns with the tip of that protrusion in the metal above it
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/lowermark.jpg">
8. Remove the old tensioner and pulley. First remove 13mm the bolt holding the "guide pulley" (that's what we'll call it) on to the tensioner (green arrow); remove this pulley--save it. Now remove the two 10mm bolts holding the tensioner to the block (red arrows). Remove the 10mm nut holding the pulley on (as circled in yellow, partially hidden from view). The pulley/tensioner complex should now be free.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/old_tensioner.jpg">
9. Remove the old pulley "stud" from the block; you won't need it with the new tensioner/pulley. It's 17mm.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/pulley_stud1.jpg">
10. Time to assemble and install the tensioner and pulley. First, attach the "guide pulley" to the new tensioner--hand tighten for now. Now install the new tensioner to the block. See below for assembly of the pulley and the misc. hardware. I forgot to snap a pic during the installation process, thus you get this VERY crude attempt at a 3D rendering.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/tensnr_assy.jpg">
Using a 14mm socket in your hand, slowly tighten the center bolt attaching the pulley to the block (careful not to cross-thread, if you feel resistance back it out and try again). The pulley setup
should look like it does below. Now remove the brass-colored piece that hangs off the
pulley; one bolt (blue arrow) attaches it to the pulley. The pulley should now be free to
rotate, more on that later.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/new_tens.jpg">
11. Install the timing belt. Carefully slide the belt over the toothed sprockets, making sure that you don't move the sprockets. I found it easier to wrap the large sprocket up top first, then the smaller ones at the bottom, then around the tensioner pulley. Be sure there is no slack in the area outlined in yellow
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/beltpath.jpg">
12. Almost done. Now it's time to put that brass-colored piece back onto the pulley. See that hex hole in the pulley? Put an 8 mm allen key in that hole, and pull clockwise. This will allow you to align the hole on the brass piece with the hole on the pulley so you can put the bolt through and tighten it up. Go back and double check all the bolts for the tensioner and pulley, be sure they're all tight (no torque specs at the moment).
13. Make sure your setup looks like below. If so, PULL THE PIN! (BTW, that's Just Dave's finger.....it's the best pic I could get of him; he's very elusive when the camera comes out :-)
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/12690/pull_pin.jpg">
14. With the belt and tensioner now properly installed, hand-crank the engine around one full rotation to make sure your marks on the top cam sprocket line up at the same time your mark on the bottom crank sprocket.
15. That's it...reverse the process and re-install all of the above. You do remember how it all went together, right?
There, you've just saved yourself roughly &#36;400 in labor. All I ask is that you let me know you've completed it successfully (hey, if you want to send donations that's fine as well ;-)
If you have any problems, questions, etc, you're welcome to email me: ranga@rhodes.edu. Good luck.
Andy
09-01-2001, 05:21 PM
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Same project plus extras (sorry, no pics and pretty long)
After reading the forums for the last few months, I decided that my 66k miles was just the right time to change the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, and belts. I also added the APR snub mount since I was gonna be there anyway. I looked through the forums and couldn't really find a good detailed run through on the whole procedure, just the front bumper removal. At first this discouraged me, but I have done timing belts before, as well as clutches, etc. I sent off for the Bentley CD and ordered the parts from www.germanautoparts.com . I figure Dave saved me something like $100 in parts over my local dealer. He was great to deal with, the pricing excellent, and all parts arrived in good time to get started Friday night. I have an early '99, so it needed an updated timing belt tensioner, I'll get to that later. Sorry I don't have any pics, I didn't have a camera handy, and it would have gotten all greasy anyway. I'll try to describe as best as I can.
Tools needed:
Torx T20, T25, T27, T30, and T45 ( I bought a set plus the T45 for about $20)
5mm, 6mm, 7mm hex wrenches (it really helps to have two 7mm's for some parts)
10mm, 13mm, 14mm, 17mm sockets and wrench (again, I would recommend a ujoint for some bolts, about $6)
Standard screwdriver
Vice grips or pliers, etc
Bentley CD (optional but very helpful, and not just for this job)
Parts needed/replaced:
1 gallon of new coolant $15
Thermostat and O-ring $18
Waterpump impeller and gasket $39
Serpentine belt $30 (had to buy at dealer, ouch)
A/C pump belt $10
Timing belt and updated tensioner kit $130
I also replaced the motor snub mount with the new piece from APR $50
The job took my brother in law and me about 8 hours. We didn't hurry, but we didn't slouch, either.
The first thing to do is to get the car up on Jack stands. This makes everything easer to get at and that much closer to your comfortable working height. Now disconnect the battery. Next get ready to pull off the bumper. APR sent an instruction sheet on how to do this; it is really easy ( you can download a copy at www.goapr.com/support/snub_mount.pdf ). After taking off the belly pan, you literally just take out two bolts and push the bumper down, then it pulls right off. After detaching all the hoses, electrics, etc, unscrew all the screws holding the radiator assembly to the car. There are seven T45 bolts that hold the radiator to the car frame, these need to come out too. After all is unscrewed, the radiator section slides forward enough to get to the motor mount. If this is as far as you are going, great. To get to this point shouldn't take more than 45 minutes. The snub mount was kind of a pain to get off, I ended up cutting it with a razor. The new one didn't go on real easy, either. There is a rib inside the mount that is tough to get to clear the mounting spindle on the radiator. I suggest heating the new snub mount in the sun or with a hair dryer, it will make things much easier. Once it's on, you just reverse your procedure. No problem. I was going further, though.
To pull the radiator assembly off, you have to disconnect all the lights, the horns, the three radiator hoses, the intercooler shrouding, the hood release pull, and about four other electrical connections. Make sure you have drained your coolant before you do this. Even after all this, the assembly does not fully disengage. You have to leave the AC ducting on unless you really want to screw things up ( you don't ) and there is one wire to the radiator fan that I couldn't see a way to disconnect completely. You do have enough slack to kind of pull the whole piece out of the way enough to get into the front of the engine. I rested the assembly on a couple of chairs. You have to put it on something, it will not reach the floor without bending/breaking hoses or wires. It really helped having an extra set of hands here, too. My brother in law was around and his help proved invaluable. I can't say it would have been impossible without him, but it would have been a real pita. Anyway, once the radiator assembly is out of the way, you can start taking the front of the motor apart. The first thing is the fan. Easy. Then the serpentine belt comes off. There is a tensioner near the top of the engine that you clamp with vice grips or some such tool and release tension on the belt enough to get it off the pulleys. I really recommend replacing the belt while you are in this far, it ran about $25. After the serpentine comes off, there is a lower belt for the A/C. I replaced it, too. It has a different style tensioner, but it is pretty easy to get off. Now we are getting down to it.
The next piece to come off is the waterpump pulley. It is held in place by three hex bolts, and there is no easy way to brace the pulley from spinning, so you will need two hex wrenches. One to break the bolts loose, one to hold the pulley in place. It is easy if you have two wrenches. I had to go to the auto parts store to get a second. The next pulley to come off is the big vibration damper on the lower part of the engine. This is the pulley with two tracks for the two belts. It has a 17mm bolt through the center and four hex bolts around the perimeter. This pulley is also attached to the crankshaft gear behind the timing belt cover, so it definitely needs to come off. You need to crank one way with the 17mm socket wrench while loosening the four hex bolts with the hex drive. Pretty easy if you have someone helping you, and probably easy enough alone. Now that you can pull the timing belt covers off, do so. The upper is just help in place by to tension clips. There are two hoses routed across the front of it, I just left them in place. The lower cover is held in place by three or four bolts, hex and standard 10mm heads. Pull these out and the cover comes right off revealing the timing belt, tensioner, and assorted pulleys and wheels. The camshaft wheel is at top and has a mark for Top Dead Center. The crankshaft wheel had no mark that I could see. The old style tensioner has three main pieces, all connected. I had to remove it to get the timing belt off. IMPORTANT!!! Make sure you make a mark on the timing belt and on both wheels. I used TDC on the top wheel and just picked a tooth on the bottom wheel. Mark both the wheel and the belt!! Each wheel will have one mark and the belt will have two. This is important for replacing the belt. IMPORTANT!!! Make sure you do not move either the crank or the camshaft wheels while the belt is off. You will have the joy of doing this whole process again if you do!! The tensioner has a pulley on it that needs to come off. I found it easiest to put the tensioner back on the block to break the bolt loose. Make sure you get this off, you will need it for reassembly. Anyway, once the tensioner and belt are off, give the area a basic cleaning. Next to come off is the third toothed wheel in the set. It is between the cam and crank to the right. It has a large 25mm (guess) bolt holding it in place. It must come off to get to the water pump. If you are not replacing the pump, don't sweat it. Skip ahead to the part where I put the timing belt back on. Otherwise, read on. I was able to break the large bolt loose with average pressure using a set of vise grips. I wedged a hex wrench between the wheel and the engine block and gave it a good wrench. The bolt came off pretty easy. You have to pull the wheel off evenly or it won't come. I used a pair of hex wrenches in the holes on the wheel and it worked pretty well. Now you can get to the eight bolts holding the water pump in place (NOTE: I did not replace the whole water pump, simply the impeller. The rest of the housing has no moving parts and is a real bitch to get off.). The pump impeller comes off easily, along with some more coolant, so be ready. There is a metal and rubber gasket that stayed on the housing, and it kind of looks like it is permanent. It is NOT. Make sure you remove and replace this gasket when you put the new impeller on. My replacement gasket was a standard paper gasket, but seems to work fine. I also replaced the thermostat and O-ring. You have to pull the heater hose off the bottom of the pump to get to it, but it's only two bolts and as long as you have a universal joint for your socket wrench, you should be fine.
All right, you have everything as far apart as it gets. Now to put it back together. First the thermostat. The thermostat goes in first, then the o-ring. Get it right or you will be doing it again. Hopefully you don't realize it's wrong because you have a leak and you overheat. Nevermind. Once the thermostat is in, put the impeller gasket in place (there is a bolt that sticks out from the back of the pump, so this is easy) and position the impeller. Finger tighten all eight bolts and one nut on the impeller. You have to make sure to do this next part right, or you may get a leak through your gasket because it got pinched. There are four bolts and one nut on the bottom half of the impeller and four bolts on the top half. Tighten the five on the bottom like you put on a car tire, kind of gradually and by alternating sides. Do not tighten any one bolt all the way until all nine are secure. Then go back and give them the once over. You get the idea. Reinstall the third toothed wheel for the timing belt at this point.
Bolt the new timing belt tensioner to the block and install the pulley you pulled off the old tensioner. DO NOT PULL THE PIN ON THE TENSIONER!! If you do, you may as well buy a new one. Now it's time to put the new belt on. Remember the marks on the old belt? Count the number of teeth in between these marks and mark the exact number of teeth on the new belt. This is very important. If you don't get the same teeth, the timing on the car will be wrong and you will need to redo this whole process. When you have the new belt marked, align it on the cam and crank wheels. This can be difficult, and you may need to stretch the belt a bit. This is another place that it is good to have two people. You must also be careful not to jar the cam or crank in this phase. Once you have the belt aligned on the wheels, bolt on the new tensioner wheel and tighten it down ( you have to remove the aluminium stud from the block to do this). Double check your marks and make sure everything is correct before pulling the pin on the tensioner. Voila! New tensioner and belt are in. That is the end of the hard part.
Now put everything back together in the order you removed it, paying special attention to the radiator hoses and electrical connections. Once you get the radiator assembly on, but before the bumper is on is a good time to put coolant in the car, reattach the battery and see if everything is working. If you are satisfied with your work, put the bumper and belly pan back on and go for a test drive. Don't go too far initially, in case a coolant hose comes loose or something else. You want to be able to limp or push the car home (let's hope not!!).
That's about it. There were no major snags for me, I think it must be the german engineering at it's best. Everything was obvious, though I did double check on the Bentley CD from time to time to make sure it was right. If you take your time and stop for a drink and a snack once in a while, anybody with a fair amount of wrenching skill can do this in the garage.
Happy tinkering!!
Tools needed:
Torx T20, T25, T27, T30, and T45 ( I bought a set plus the T45 for about $20)
5mm, 6mm, 7mm hex wrenches (it really helps to have two 7mm's for some parts)
10mm, 13mm, 14mm, 17mm sockets and wrench (again, I would recommend a ujoint for some bolts, about $6)
Standard screwdriver
Vice grips or pliers, etc
Bentley CD (optional but very helpful, and not just for this job)
Parts needed/replaced:
1 gallon of new coolant $15
Thermostat and O-ring $18
Waterpump impeller and gasket $39
Serpentine belt $30 (had to buy at dealer, ouch)
A/C pump belt $10
Timing belt and updated tensioner kit $130
I also replaced the motor snub mount with the new piece from APR $50
The job took my brother in law and me about 8 hours. We didn't hurry, but we didn't slouch, either.
The first thing to do is to get the car up on Jack stands. This makes everything easer to get at and that much closer to your comfortable working height. Now disconnect the battery. Next get ready to pull off the bumper. APR sent an instruction sheet on how to do this; it is really easy ( you can download a copy at www.goapr.com/support/snub_mount.pdf ). After taking off the belly pan, you literally just take out two bolts and push the bumper down, then it pulls right off. After detaching all the hoses, electrics, etc, unscrew all the screws holding the radiator assembly to the car. There are seven T45 bolts that hold the radiator to the car frame, these need to come out too. After all is unscrewed, the radiator section slides forward enough to get to the motor mount. If this is as far as you are going, great. To get to this point shouldn't take more than 45 minutes. The snub mount was kind of a pain to get off, I ended up cutting it with a razor. The new one didn't go on real easy, either. There is a rib inside the mount that is tough to get to clear the mounting spindle on the radiator. I suggest heating the new snub mount in the sun or with a hair dryer, it will make things much easier. Once it's on, you just reverse your procedure. No problem. I was going further, though.
To pull the radiator assembly off, you have to disconnect all the lights, the horns, the three radiator hoses, the intercooler shrouding, the hood release pull, and about four other electrical connections. Make sure you have drained your coolant before you do this. Even after all this, the assembly does not fully disengage. You have to leave the AC ducting on unless you really want to screw things up ( you don't ) and there is one wire to the radiator fan that I couldn't see a way to disconnect completely. You do have enough slack to kind of pull the whole piece out of the way enough to get into the front of the engine. I rested the assembly on a couple of chairs. You have to put it on something, it will not reach the floor without bending/breaking hoses or wires. It really helped having an extra set of hands here, too. My brother in law was around and his help proved invaluable. I can't say it would have been impossible without him, but it would have been a real pita. Anyway, once the radiator assembly is out of the way, you can start taking the front of the motor apart. The first thing is the fan. Easy. Then the serpentine belt comes off. There is a tensioner near the top of the engine that you clamp with vice grips or some such tool and release tension on the belt enough to get it off the pulleys. I really recommend replacing the belt while you are in this far, it ran about $25. After the serpentine comes off, there is a lower belt for the A/C. I replaced it, too. It has a different style tensioner, but it is pretty easy to get off. Now we are getting down to it.
The next piece to come off is the waterpump pulley. It is held in place by three hex bolts, and there is no easy way to brace the pulley from spinning, so you will need two hex wrenches. One to break the bolts loose, one to hold the pulley in place. It is easy if you have two wrenches. I had to go to the auto parts store to get a second. The next pulley to come off is the big vibration damper on the lower part of the engine. This is the pulley with two tracks for the two belts. It has a 17mm bolt through the center and four hex bolts around the perimeter. This pulley is also attached to the crankshaft gear behind the timing belt cover, so it definitely needs to come off. You need to crank one way with the 17mm socket wrench while loosening the four hex bolts with the hex drive. Pretty easy if you have someone helping you, and probably easy enough alone. Now that you can pull the timing belt covers off, do so. The upper is just help in place by to tension clips. There are two hoses routed across the front of it, I just left them in place. The lower cover is held in place by three or four bolts, hex and standard 10mm heads. Pull these out and the cover comes right off revealing the timing belt, tensioner, and assorted pulleys and wheels. The camshaft wheel is at top and has a mark for Top Dead Center. The crankshaft wheel had no mark that I could see. The old style tensioner has three main pieces, all connected. I had to remove it to get the timing belt off. IMPORTANT!!! Make sure you make a mark on the timing belt and on both wheels. I used TDC on the top wheel and just picked a tooth on the bottom wheel. Mark both the wheel and the belt!! Each wheel will have one mark and the belt will have two. This is important for replacing the belt. IMPORTANT!!! Make sure you do not move either the crank or the camshaft wheels while the belt is off. You will have the joy of doing this whole process again if you do!! The tensioner has a pulley on it that needs to come off. I found it easiest to put the tensioner back on the block to break the bolt loose. Make sure you get this off, you will need it for reassembly. Anyway, once the tensioner and belt are off, give the area a basic cleaning. Next to come off is the third toothed wheel in the set. It is between the cam and crank to the right. It has a large 25mm (guess) bolt holding it in place. It must come off to get to the water pump. If you are not replacing the pump, don't sweat it. Skip ahead to the part where I put the timing belt back on. Otherwise, read on. I was able to break the large bolt loose with average pressure using a set of vise grips. I wedged a hex wrench between the wheel and the engine block and gave it a good wrench. The bolt came off pretty easy. You have to pull the wheel off evenly or it won't come. I used a pair of hex wrenches in the holes on the wheel and it worked pretty well. Now you can get to the eight bolts holding the water pump in place (NOTE: I did not replace the whole water pump, simply the impeller. The rest of the housing has no moving parts and is a real bitch to get off.). The pump impeller comes off easily, along with some more coolant, so be ready. There is a metal and rubber gasket that stayed on the housing, and it kind of looks like it is permanent. It is NOT. Make sure you remove and replace this gasket when you put the new impeller on. My replacement gasket was a standard paper gasket, but seems to work fine. I also replaced the thermostat and O-ring. You have to pull the heater hose off the bottom of the pump to get to it, but it's only two bolts and as long as you have a universal joint for your socket wrench, you should be fine.
All right, you have everything as far apart as it gets. Now to put it back together. First the thermostat. The thermostat goes in first, then the o-ring. Get it right or you will be doing it again. Hopefully you don't realize it's wrong because you have a leak and you overheat. Nevermind. Once the thermostat is in, put the impeller gasket in place (there is a bolt that sticks out from the back of the pump, so this is easy) and position the impeller. Finger tighten all eight bolts and one nut on the impeller. You have to make sure to do this next part right, or you may get a leak through your gasket because it got pinched. There are four bolts and one nut on the bottom half of the impeller and four bolts on the top half. Tighten the five on the bottom like you put on a car tire, kind of gradually and by alternating sides. Do not tighten any one bolt all the way until all nine are secure. Then go back and give them the once over. You get the idea. Reinstall the third toothed wheel for the timing belt at this point.
Bolt the new timing belt tensioner to the block and install the pulley you pulled off the old tensioner. DO NOT PULL THE PIN ON THE TENSIONER!! If you do, you may as well buy a new one. Now it's time to put the new belt on. Remember the marks on the old belt? Count the number of teeth in between these marks and mark the exact number of teeth on the new belt. This is very important. If you don't get the same teeth, the timing on the car will be wrong and you will need to redo this whole process. When you have the new belt marked, align it on the cam and crank wheels. This can be difficult, and you may need to stretch the belt a bit. This is another place that it is good to have two people. You must also be careful not to jar the cam or crank in this phase. Once you have the belt aligned on the wheels, bolt on the new tensioner wheel and tighten it down ( you have to remove the aluminium stud from the block to do this). Double check your marks and make sure everything is correct before pulling the pin on the tensioner. Voila! New tensioner and belt are in. That is the end of the hard part.
Now put everything back together in the order you removed it, paying special attention to the radiator hoses and electrical connections. Once you get the radiator assembly on, but before the bumper is on is a good time to put coolant in the car, reattach the battery and see if everything is working. If you are satisfied with your work, put the bumper and belly pan back on and go for a test drive. Don't go too far initially, in case a coolant hose comes loose or something else. You want to be able to limp or push the car home (let's hope not!!).
That's about it. There were no major snags for me, I think it must be the german engineering at it's best. Everything was obvious, though I did double check on the Bentley CD from time to time to make sure it was right. If you take your time and stop for a drink and a snack once in a while, anybody with a fair amount of wrenching skill can do this in the garage.
Happy tinkering!!
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09-01-2001, 06:15 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2001
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Wow what an incredible pain in the butt - how manymiles on your car?
Very good tech report - first class.
I've read people claiming there is something wrong with the 1998 design? and that the tensioner has been redesigned due to early breakdowns on the 1.8T? I can only immagine how much Audi must charge to perform this service? Ouch.
If the old tensioners are defective in some way shouldn't it be a recall item?
I've read people claiming there is something wrong with the 1998 design? and that the tensioner has been redesigned due to early breakdowns on the 1.8T? I can only immagine how much Audi must charge to perform this service? Ouch.
If the old tensioners are defective in some way shouldn't it be a recall item?
