I just replaced my timing belt on my 93ev myself-not a fun job
(although faster once you've done it once) at 88kmiles. The serpentine
belt showed very significant cracking; the timing belt showed no
appreciable wear. I foolishly cranked the engine by hand while the cam
was at top dead center-a sure prescription for disaster if there was an
interference problem. Nothing bad happened. However, the EV uses
hydraulic valve lifters, and since there was no oil pressure, the
valves probably provided little "resistance", and thus were not
damaged. While under acceleration with high pressure on the adjuster,
interference probably can happen and cause damage.
btw, I bought the 2 VW tools from Zelenda: the vibration damper holder
and the serpentine tensioner pulley tool. The ~$140 investment was very
well worth it, as I used both tools many times during the job. I can't
imagine trying to do it with out them.
I replaced the water pump at the same time, as it was going bad (faint
grinding noise while running). That is the worst part of the job, as it
requires removal or bending up of the back timing belt cover. I bent
the cover, and in bending it back, it now rubbed the camshaft pulley. I
had to wire it with aircraft safety wire to prevent the rubbing. I was
unable to remove the camshaft pulley (the correct way to do the job) to
get the plate out, even with a top of the line snap-on puller.
Given the complexity of the job, I would either recommend either DIY if
you're mechanically competent, or take it to a VW dealer with real EV
experience. Even with the right tools, it is a long job, and I'm sure
the labor, expecially for the water pump, is expensive.
ltves-@... wrote:
original article:
In a message dated 9/8/99 3:35:41 PM, pjansen@... writes:
<<Even though everyone says NO, I can assure you it CAN cause damage.
Such as
5 exhaust valves and one intake valve in my case. $2200, thank you
very
much. Definitely worth replacing it at the specified interval, as I
now
have learned.>>
What is the specified interval? There is no mention of it in the
owner's
manual except to "check the condition of the belt" at something like
60,000
miles. I asked the FLVWD about replacing the timing belt at 70,000
miles and
they said to not worry about it. They said it will go for more than
100,000
miles, and if it does break, nothing will be damaged. I've had
timing belts
in other VWs break and nothing happen, but they were not EVs which
are a
different bird altogether. . .
Todd
