crackhead

Im in the midst of putting a thermostat and water pump in the wifes car (98 A6 2.8 130K) and ran into a few questions.. How can I tell if the timing belt tensioner is bad?? The surface of roller looked a bit suspect, athough it spins freely and doesnt drag or grab at all.. If I dont replace the roller, where can I get a bolt for that guy, since they appear to be shearing off quite regularly.. Also, is there a sure fire way to check a fan clutch other than the hot/cold spin method?? I took it off and it is quite oily on the front.. I suspect it is bad as well, but am not real sure.. I may just do a full timing kit from one of the parts houses on the net.. Any ideas on who has the best deal right now??

4Driver4

Replace roller, idler, seals, cam adjuster seals, etc. The parts are cheap when compared to the amount of effort to do the job.

crackhead

How can I tell if its bad or not??

4Driver4

When I say "timing belt" I mean everything associated with it....tensioner, roller, seals.