Cars change

[Sailfree]

Not my day - posted on wrong forum - please transfer to Lounge mods.

Decided to do the cam belt change on my Audi A6 myself. It's a 2.0 TDI.

Videos on U tube are great. Watched a number thoroughly - some 1.5hrs long! Bought the specialised tools.

Started to do work to discover the engine on the C7 platform (2014 onwards) bears little relationship to earlier C6 platform!

Cam belt covers fit differently but worse the markings I expected on crankshaft nut (to lock crankshaft in on place wrt Overhead cams!) are not there!

Found some holes for locking pins (about 5.5mm dia - not the 6mm dia of pins supplied in special tools) but again unlike videos of what I now realise must be previous engines.

Hopefully locating both cams and crank ( anyway possible) in relationship to each other will work.

Lack of info does make it difficult but expect Audi are happy with this as encourages most to rely on main dealers only.

Anyone with advice or knowledge of videos of later engines happy to receive info.

 

[penberth3]

Decided to do the cam belt change on my Audi A6 myself. It's a 2.0 TDI.

Videos on U tube are great. Watched a number thoroughly - some 1.5hrs long! Bought the specialised tools.

Started to do work to discover the engine on the C7 platform (2014 onwards) bears little relationship to earlier C6 platform!

Cam belt covers fit differently but worse the markings I expected on crankshaft nut (to lock it on place) are not there!

Found some holes for locking pins (about 5.5mm dia - not the 6mm dia of pins supplied in special tools) but again unlike videos of what I now realise must be previous engines.

Hopefully locating both cams and crank ( anyway possible) in relationship to each other will work.

Lack of info does make it difficult but expect Audi are happy with this as encourages most to rely on main dealers only.

So the you tube videos aren't that great? They never are .

 

[serendipity66]

My local garage keeps telling me that my car is due a cam belt change on age alone, its only done 40k miles in 9 years. And that's with an annual trip to Spain for the boat.
It's a gamble, but I'm going to leave it as is. It's an expensive job, and your experience has confirmed my disinclination to attempt it myself.

 

[wonkywinch]

I've seen people slice the old belt to half it's width, leaving it on the pulleys, then slide the new belt into position retaining the alignment then cut old belt off, push new belt fully home and tighten tensioner.

 

[fisherman]

I've seen people slice the old belt to half it's width, leaving it on the pulleys, then slide the new belt into position retaining the alignment then cut old belt off, push new belt fully home and tighten tensioner.

That's genius!

 

[fisherman]

I used to do my Volvo 740 and 940, took an hour, cost, in those days £15. But why do you have to remove the crankshaft pulley when surely the belt could go over it?

 

[bikedaft]

I've seen people slice the old belt to half it's width, leaving it on the pulleys, then slide the new belt into position retaining the alignment then cut old belt off, push new belt fully home and tighten tensioner.

That is a great idea

 

[bikedaft]

Is this a 4cyl? I have only done the audi 5 and 6 cylinders. But they are not that hard. Front off/to one side, not stressing the a/c pipes. Disconnect electrics and coolant from bumper/radiator etc. Then take off auxiliary belt, then get to the timing belt. As long as it's not a chain at the back(!) - although (on audis) I think that's only the later V6's (old now, but I usually drive even older ones).

I have done the V6 without locking the 4 cams and crank, but well marked. The half a timing belt trick as detailed above should help a lot. Often old belt stretches by half a tooth, but the tensioner should be loosened.

I usually changed the idler, water pump.and tensioner when in there for peace of mind. And the aux belt.

It's not a difficult job, but long winded. Good luck, let us know how you get on.

 

[bikedaft]

Pps (in retrospect!) search YouTube by engine code

 

[bikedaft]

I used to do my Volvo 740 and 940, took an hour, cost, in those days £15. But why do you have to remove the crankshaft pulley when surely the belt could go over it?

Casting around it iirc

 

[fisherman]

Casting around it iirc

Yes I expect so, can't remember now. I am tempted to buy one, but they are £2k now, Lot for an old car, but, RWD, easy working etc.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I always prefer a medium that I can print. YouTube can't be marked up with useful tips, can't have a marker placed in it so you can go backward or forward for reference, and above all, can't readily be referred to while actually doing the job. Personally, I regard video instructions as almost in chocolate teapot territory for hands-on jobs.

 

[bikedaft]

I always prefer a medium that I can print. YouTube can't be marked up with useful tips, can't have a marker placed in it so you can go backward or forward for reference, and above all, can't readily be referred to while actually doing the job. Personally, I regard video instructions as almost in chocolate teapot territory for hands-on jobs.

Audiworld.com have good Web pages that you can print for when lying under the car. Not many 2.0 diesels in USA but sometimes you get lucky.

 

[Sailfree]

As stated in my original post no marking on crankshaft pully for TDC nor the locking pin holes as per the YouTube videos. Also my cams are much further apart so obviously a Euro 6 spec engine is completely different from earlier Euro 5 spec ones!

Discovered an extra bit (like a fork) sticking out of the rear of the exhaust cam pully and found it aligned with a hole at 10 o clock. Hole was not the 6mm that the OHC locking kits provide! But a 5.5 mm drill bit is a tight fit and locked it in place. Then found the inlet cam had a slot that aligned with a hole at 8 o clock.

No markings on crankshaft pully though as shown in video to get TDC. However the locking tool fits and will lock it in whatever place it is relative to the locked OHV cams.

Intend to scribe a line across the OHC pullies centre to centre and also emphasis it with a marker pen plus dot punch holes at each end of line on camshaft pulleys'. WRT the crankshaft will mark the tooth that lines up with locking tool mark. Again dot punch it.

Then I will remove the belt (9yrs old 80kmls) . Not sure what position the engine is in but I'm assuming its TDC but proving all the pulleys are Aligned with each other in the same position with a new belt I'm fairly certain it will be OK.

May have to move cams slightly to get belt on and then use the centre nut to turn them back in pegged position to tension belt over that length.

Not so sure about the cutting in half trick as belt with tensioner fitted the belt is very tight indeed.

Ordered parts from Autodoc.pt which is part of Autodoc branches all over Europe and to my surprise even with Portuguese VAT dearer at 23% the parts worked out some 25% cheaper than UK prices. Can't understand why.