As with all guides, it's a guide only to aid in doing the job and not a 100% perfect way. Proper tools are needed to do the job perfectly and should be done by a professional mechanic.

So at the start your car should look something like this.

Remove your timing belt cover on the left by unclipping the two clips and lifting up.

Then unwind the 10mm bolts that hold the rocker cover in place then lift it off.

With a 19mm socket on the bottom pulley, rotate the engine so the rocker arm pushes down and compresses cylinder 1 injector.

As you can see cylinder 1 is compressed down more than the other three. This should be done until it is at its lowest point you can get it to. A good tip is to line up the camshaft lobe with the centre of the rocker arm.

If you can see the lobe is raised and inline with the rocker arm.

With the injector fully squashed and the rocker at its lowest point, you can now crack off the 18mm locking nut and put your Allen key in the screw.

Wind it down with your hands until it stops. Don't put any pressure on it as it can damage the injector. No ratchets are used for this stage, I simply used my Allen key socket and an extension bar to get some grip and turn it.

You will feel it stop when it hits the bottom of the injector.

When you've got the Allen key down nice and snug, unscrew it 180°

With it unscrewed 180° hold it steady and tighten the locking nut

With it nipped up nice and tight, check the torque of it, it should be 30nm.

Repeat this process for the other 3 injectors. The cam lobes change for cylinder 3 and 4 from the right to the left at its highest point, a little confusing but you'll understand when you do it

Turn the engine over by hand again slowly and feel for any resistance or if any things locking up. If it's tight and feels like damage will be done, go back and check.

Refit the rocker cover and timing belt cover. Enjoy.

A quick first draft. Comment with changes you think I should make and information that needs adding.

use the diagram from the link i shown you which shows you each injector lobe and the order the lobe are in

Great job Hutchy, nice clear photos as well, I assume the firing order is 1342 so that would be the logical order for doing each one in turn?

I did them in the 1-2-3-4 order, just turning the engine over as I go.

But yes, it makes sense and would be easier to do them in the firing order so less turning effort is required.

Good guide, what are the benefits of doing this? Better MPG, smoother running?

 

I'm guessing it's to counteract any wear and reset the clearances to as close to factory spec as possible?

Pretty much yeah, better everything really.

Starting, cruising, mpg, performance..

Pretty much yeah, better everything really.

Starting, cruising, mpg, performance..

 

Hutchy, what made you decide to do this?

 

​There is a reason for asking, but don't want to clog up this useful thread if I'm barking up the wrong tree

Doing a top end rebuild, new camshaft, bearings, tappets etc... I thought best to do this at the same time.

Just what I needed for this weekend, thanks very much for taking the time to do this!

Question though, how easy is it to find the point at which the injector is at its lowest point? Would you also agree that an ecu reset would be beneficial?

It's really easy if you look at the camshaft lobes at the rear, it will be just to the right/left depending which injector your doing, but when it's at its highest point, it means it's pushing down the most on the injector rocker so that's at its lowest point.

If you don't use that method Id think it's quite difficult to gets its lowest point by eye.

It would benefit from a full reset maybe just to erase the learnt values, but that's irrelevant really.... In a nut shell, no not needed.

For anyone thinking about doing this, it only needs to be done if your injectors have been removed for any reason.

They do not need adjusting over time.

I heard the opposite of that.

I heard the opposite of that.

Well don't waste your time. It's a do once job, they only need setting if they've been removed for any reason.

So you are telling me that over the years and miles, there is no adjustment needed?

Of course it needs doing periodically, wear will take place on all the components over time, it certainly needs doing if the cam or any injectors have been changed, I think a high mileage engine would probably run much sweeter after this adjustment.

It's a basic adjustment. The back 180 degrees isn't particularly exact so I doubt a bit of wear will make a great deal of difference.

However is everything is disassembled it's good practice to do it.

When adjusting the adjustment screws should be renewed.

Hmm, not so sure if it's worth it or not then!

Another way to turn engine over is by rocking the car back and forth in gear with the handbrake off on a flat piecw of ground. Saves getting down to turn engine over via the bottom pulley.

Also remove the glow plugs to turn it over easier.

Another way to turn engine over is by rocking the car back and forth in gear with the handbrake off on a flat piece of ground. Saves getting down to turn engine over via the bottom pulley.

Also remove the glow plugs to turn it over easier.

Well I've just picked up a 2006 golf pd 1.9, 90k miles.

Going to do the timing belt over the weekend and adjust these and the torsion value, will see if it improves it very much if anything at all.

Well I've just picked up a 2006 golf pd 1.9, 90k miles.

Going to do the timing belt over the weekend and adjust these and the torsion value, will see if it improves it very much if anything at all.

 

Excellent, count how many half-turns you need to get the lash correct so we can extrapolate wear rates.

Well I've just picked up a 2006 golf pd 1.9, 90k miles.

Going to do the timing belt over the weekend and adjust these and the torsion value, will see if it improves it very much if anything at all.

You change cars more often than I change my Y-fronts!

It's not for me I'm afraid, a family members car

Yeah, I'm thinking its a good test, and if I take notice I will easily be able to tell any extra degrees needed to set them.

Yeah well done on taking the time to do this

ECU is not self learning on the VRS though,so trying to reset it is a waste of time!

For anyone thinking about doing this, it only needs to be done if your injectors have been removed for any reason.

They do not need adjusting over time.

Have you ever looked at new top seats you get in the injector seal kits for these?

You can see the wear on the old ones by eye comparing to the new ones,so this set up is like any rocker type set up on a engine,checking/adjustment will be beneficial.