Interesting pictures there be,

Building in my mind.

Wow. This site is brilliant. THANKS Greg

My lovely mechanic is going to grin at this one... I'm pretty cheeky with him anyway and when I waltz in making these specific :bullwhip: demands he's not gonna know who hit him :rkick:. Hahaha.

Cheers :eggface:

Faye

Your injection pump timing (if it's a 90 or 110hp octavia) will also need checking via computer, so only get the kit fitted by someone who has the kit to check the static timing dynamically with a computer/vag-com. Setting it with pins isn't accurate enough, though it will run it can't be guaranteed 'right'.

how true is this? I am due to have my local mechanic who is good and reasonable on rates do my 110hp octy next week (cam kit and w pump), but I dont think he would be using vag com in the process at all. When he looked it up on the computer it said no specialist tools needed, gave him a time of 3h20mins for it.

so is it vag com you need to check it, or another computer diagnostic tool? im quite worried now!

It's completely true, or I wouldn't have posted it. If your mechanic has to look it up he isn't used to VAG engines, or he would know.

Yes VAG-COM can do it, you use the tdi-timing plug in.

For more information search on the net 'tdi-timing' or look it up in the Ross-Tech wiki.

I regularly have cars in which have 'professionally' fitted cambelts and the timing is way off. Generally they still start (sometimes not as well when it's cold, if too retarded - I had one that was too advanced and would kick back on the starter too) and once running the dynamic timing takes over so you can't tell - other than the pump may not be able to reach full advance or retard due to the baseline set wrong, so it is possible it won't run as well as it could in conditions that call for those two extremes.

Bottom line you pays your money and takes your choice I guess, most people just slap a belt on and can't tell how well their vehicle starts or runs, they only complain if it won't start full stop.

Greg.

i meant more like, "how important is it?" lol

hmm i will ask him about it when i speak to him to book it in, he only looked up the book time to do it to give me a quote (took him about 10 seconds) so i think he knows how to do it, but i will check about vag-com timing

thanks Greg

Hi Greg :-)

Thanks to your advice, they changed my cambelt etc today and did the computer check and my timings were out. Runs like a dream now. Surprisingly, the water pump was in fairly good nick but it was a metal impaller (is that right?), so it must have been changed before although there's no record of that in the service history.

My mechanic is still grinning ;-) Has your imagination calmed down now? Lol ;-)

Cheers again

Faye

Great stuff Faye!

Yes, that means it had a pump in the past, but hey - at least you know where you are at and you should have no further issues with it

I have only done one where the timing fell spot on, plus I like to be a bit finickety with it and get it bang on - so yes great they had the gear to do it properly.

As for my imagination, well it had calmed down but now you have stirred it again.... :eek:

Hi Greg :-)

Thanks to your advice, they changed my cambelt etc today and did the computer check and my timings were out. Runs like a dream now. Surprisingly, the water pump was in fairly good nick but it was a metal impaller (is that right?), so it must have been changed before although there's no record of that in the service history.

My mechanic is still grinning ;-) Has your imagination calmed down now? Lol ;-)

Cheers again

Faye

...I like to be a bit finickety with it and get it bang on...

If you get it bang on now, you can be sure that the timing is still good at the end of life for the belt.

If it is only just 'in range' you may see poor performance as the belt ages.

what software can you use to do the timing?

vag com, but what else? or is it vag com only?

Agreed. Actually if you want to be fussy (I am) I spend some time getting it on the upper limit, which is 70/110 or 'advanced but within spec'.

This is because as the belt stretches in service, it will retard the timing a little. Also, these tdi's start best from cold (when you see the difference of static timing demonstrated - too retarded they struggle to start) a touch over advanced.

If it's in the middle, or in the 'retarded but within spec' by the time the belt has stretched a bit it will be too retarded.

Yes - we use Vag-Com (actually use VCDS now) and the tdi-timing graph. I don't know what else you can use, I expect the VW software can do it as well. I haven't looked on my VAG5053 to see if it can display it yet, I doubt it as it's only a handheld.

Greg.

Greg.

If you get it bang on now, you can be sure that the timing is still good at the end of life for the belt.

If it is only just 'in range' you may see poor performance as the belt ages.

Stop teasing yourself Rob and get 'em bought!

Stop teasing yourself Rob and get 'em bought!

Wrong thread? :rofl: