Foreign Service

Motor, Jul 2007 by Marinucci, Dan

This timely assortment of Volkswagen timing belt replacement tips will help you avoid potential pitfalls and guarantee that execution of this vital service procedure remains routine.

This month we'll revisit timing belt service on Volkswagens popular, gasoline-burning 2.01, engines. We've discussed this topiv in previous columns, hut readers have sent us a plateful olWorthwhile tips that neatly complement those earlier articles.

The first engine of interest is the 2.OL ABA mill that appeared in the Jetta and (JoIf from 1992-99 and in the Cabriolet from 1995-2002. The typical service interval for the timing belt on this engine is 60,(KX) miles. An external drive belt operates die water pump on the ABA. Some WV specialists replace this water pump every time they change the timing belt, while others replace it every oilier t-belt job. Meanwhile, still others replace the water pump based on mileage and vehicle history alone. M the very least, explain to reluctant or doubtful customers that changing the pump is a snap once you've already removed the routine parts during a t-belt job.

MOTOR reader |im Gurney of Atlanta reminded us of tht1 better-safe-than-sorry technique of slowly turning the engine over by hand at least two full revolutions alter installing a new t-belt. Doing two revolutions, he said, should reveal any interference problems or other potential surprises before you fire up the engine for the first time with the new belt installed.

The right-side engine mount on the Cabrios is a small, round component. A bracket on the passenger side of the engine mates with this rightside motor mount. As a matter of fact, you have to remove this bracket to access the AIiAs water pump. Gurney reminded us that precious little working room exists between this bracket and the right side of the Cabrio engine bay. A typical X-drive hex bit is much too long to fit between the bracket bolts anil the frame. A common trick is to get an extra 6mm hex wrench and carefully shorten up its shorter side on a bench grinder (photo 1 below) until it's the correct length (or this task. It the bracket bolts haven't been removed for some time, you'll probably have to apply some extra leverage to that hex wrench.

Tips on the AEG Engine

The AKC family of 2.01, engines appeared in the Jetta and Golf from 1999-2001. Typically, the t-belt and belt tensioner replacement interval for this engine group is 105,000 miles. There's good reason to package a new water pump in with every' t-belt job, sources said. Here, the timing belt does drive the water pump, and pump failure is commonplace. In fact, we've heard it's not unusual to find coolant seeping from this water pump's seep hole at only 60,000 miles. The seeping coolant contaminates the t-belt, so the customer ends up with a premature timing belt replacement.

VW specialists also emphasized that water pump impeller failure is very common on this family of 2.0L engines. A common symptom of this is an engine that usually doesn't overheat at idle. Instead, it overheats during routine driving, he it acceleration or cruising. The typical original equipment pump has a plastic impeller, and sometimes it breaks, leaving debris in the cooling system. Add a thorough flush job to that work order. Other times, the plastic impeller causes overheating because it freewheels on the impeller shaft.

Aftermarket water pumps equipped with metal impellers are available; I some VW specialists use nothing but these metal-impeller pumps.

You must support the engine properly when you do a t-belt job on these AEG-style engines. The preferable tool is an overhead engine support that rests across the top of the engine compartment. Some techs improvise with a floor jack or transmission jack when the shop's only engine support is already in use. The trick here is using a sturdy piece of wood that's large enough to spread the load safely across the engine's cast aluminum oil pan.

Remove the aluminum mount shown in photo 2 on page 16. Then take out the three 16mm head holts that hold the large bracket to the side of the engine (see illustration above). Raise the engine as much as possible and then wiggle this bracket out of the way. Be patient here because you often have to maneuver this side bracket a little this way, a little that way before it finally comes out.

What if all the wiggling and maneuvering won't free the side bracket? Some sources said that in a pinch, you can sneak the old timing belt around the forward edge of that side bracket. Just turn the belt sideways and carefully work it around the front edge of the bracket. (Looking at the illustration, the front or forward edge is on the right.) Then reverse the procedure by slipping the new t-belt around that front edge of the bracket during installation.

dmarinucci@motor.com