Hey Everyone,

So I rushed on this job (like a dumb ***) and right after I over tightened the 3366 (aftermarket from ebay) tool I stripped the CCT plate it connects to.

Aside from removing a cam shaft, is there any other way to gain enough clearance without the spring compression tool to change these seals? If I must put the lock carrier into service position and throw the cam bar & crank plug on I will but.... It's a PITA so I'd like to avoid it.

HELP!

 

uh no remove cams. How on earth is that possible?? I use only a nut driver to lightly tighten the chain tensioners untill they feel resistance then i stop. You can easily destroy the insides of one of these by over cranking them down, which you probably did if it managed to strip out steel threads. I would just order a new one and replace the tensioner assembly. Slow down and stop over tightening things, its gets real expensive fast.

 

CCT assembly is fine, tension is 100% on the chain. Dropping $500.00 on a new cct sounds unnecessary as the current tensioner still does it's job and it's inner workings haven't been compromised. I know if I remove the bearing caps from the intake cam I can lift it up high enough to do the seals. It's just a big bi*ch to do that and properly reassemble. I was hoping someone else had come across an easier way to handle this predicament as I'm sure I'm not the first person to have done this while changing the cct seals. Lock carrier in svc position & lock bar + crank pin in place I'm just going to get this done lol

 

How did you get the crankshaft pin on? Did you have to remove the anti-roll bar, the two oil lines and may be the turbo pipe?

I didn't not put that pin on due to all those obstructions. I now suspect that it is the root of my trouble now (see the "P0346 code, ..." thread).

 

On the 2.7T its a major b*tch, it literally can be the most time consuming part of a timing belt change. What I do is first locate it (hard enough to do) your going to need a 18" 1/4" extension, a universal joint & a 10mm socket. After you remove the one 10mm bolt you'll have to maneuver some acrobatics to get your hand up in there to slowly rock it back and fourth until the rubber seal pops and you can take it out. Then grab the crank pin and thread it in, get 1/4" of it in the crank lock position, and have someone slowly & slightly rock the crank so you can properly screw the lock pin in place.

If you skipped this part your timing isn't 100% correct. The only 100% correct way to set the timing is:

1. Set the the crank pin
2. Set the cam bar tool
3. Unscrew the bolts about 2mm or 3mm from the center of the cam sprockets
4. Use a gear puller to pull the sprockets off a LITTLE bit until they can spin free (somewhat) from the wings that are keyed onto the camshaft.
5.Put the belt on the correct way, pull belt over tensioner pulley, make sure its snug and laying correctly then pull the pin on the dampener.
6. Put torx bit into tensioner roller & torque the belt to 15NM
7. Then torque the cam sprockets down to 55NM
8. Remove Cam bar, crank pin, reassemble and your timing is as perfect as is humanly possible.
(optional) after about 3K miles, take it apart again, and repeat belt procedure (with the belt you put on 3K miles ago) These belts aren't made to "stretch" but after it wears in and stretches 1/2 - 1 tooth worth of cam sprocket movement it wont be perfect. I do this to every timing belt I change because it noticeably makes everything that much more smooth.

Luckily for me, its been 2,700 since I changed my timing belt, so I feel a little less stupid that I have to get all in the timing cover again to lock TDC in place to lift this intake cam up. & my T30 bit just fell behind my engine mount & is being a little running ***** and not coming back! YES!!!... not

 

Yeah, I did step 2 to 8, just not 1. May have to do it to get rid of my P0346 code.

Although I would imagine VAG-COM can provide some reading of how much the timing is off. Anybody know about this?

 

The VAG COM reader isn't going to tell you how much your timing is off. If it was off a little bit you'd either

a. have a P0346 code or other cam position bank code
b. car runs like crap
c. misfires
d. Valves collide with pistons and your engine is destroyed

was your crank perfectly at TDC when you finished tensioning the belt to 15nm?

 

The Bently procedure I followed had the vibration damper off when tensioning the timing belt to 15nm. The TDC marker is on the damper, which goes on later, and it was and still is about 2mm off to the right. Here is my thread:

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2833885

I have read several guys saying the engine can run fine with that marker off a little. 2mm on the damper equals even less on the crankshaft, much less than one teeth.

When I recheck the belt, I will try to tension it with the back plate (TDC arrow) and the damper on.

 

iv done well over a hundred of 2.7 and 2.8 timing belts and used the crank lock tool once. Just put on the lower belt cover and verify the pointers are exact before tightening the cam sprockets with the lock bar on. yet to have a problem...

 

So I lifted the intake cam, got 1&1/2" clearance under tensioner It worked great. It made the proper cleaning of the area take an hour less than usual (Q tips & Brake Cleaner in a tight space = possible half *** job) and I feel it was a much better job in the end. The proper cleaning of the area before you put the new seal in & apply gasket maker is one of the most important things to ensure oil wont continue to leak.

Downside is I had to remove the lock carrier to set timing to TDC to move the cam. So the 1 hour total it takes to put the lock carrier into svc position & reassemble + 30 minutes to lock timing VS the 2 hours I feel I saved leaves me at a ?

Followed same procedure on drivers side without using VAG 3366 finished an hour sooner than usual & I feel the area was much more thoroughly cleaned than would otherwise be possible.

Waited 24 hours, fired her up, runs great, drove it hard for an hour, checked for oil leaks, detected none....

No cam position codes, misfires or any immediate sign of cam wear, timing chain noise or anything else I don't want to see/hear.