16v cam timing

[rmn 0]

Hi lads, i have a quiery, i was talking with someone i know about the cam timing on a vw 16v engine, i know the 2 dots on the chain sprockets need to be in line, but do the need to be inline with eachother or with the top of the head?

thanks

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Both....the dots should sit level with the top of the head and be pointing at eachother (or possibly opposite eachoher, can't remember..it's been a while, but either way, you don't want one dot pointing at 45 degrees and one at 80 for example.....both should be at 90 degrees... if you follow me?

[olly elworthy 0]

both dots horizontally facing each other in line with the top of the head, sometimes takes a couple attempts to get right as when you torque the cam bearing caps down the cams will rotate a little,

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Good man, you explained what I was trying to in fewer words :D

[olly elworthy 0]

no worries, :wink:

[randal 0]

Am I right in thinking all the torque settings for the KR are in the Passat Haynes manual?

[olly elworthy 0]

yeap will be the same. although the passat manual will refer to a 9A engine, also pay attention to the cap tightening order as you pull the cams down on just two caps initially, go steady too, hav known people to snap a cam bearing cap rendering their head useless,,,

[randal 0]

Ouch, that sounds like a costly cock up. Will certainly bear that in mind, thanks for the pointer.

[h100vw 0]

Use a torque wrench too, as a mate of mine stretched and snapped a cap bolt on a saturday afternoon once and we had to wait until tuesday to get a new one from VW.

 

Gavin

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Get a good torque wrench and get it calibrated periodically if you use it a lot. I learned that mistake when using a well used 5 year old wrench to tighten the cam sprocket bolts on my VR. It 'clicked' at something like 20lb over spec.....had to redo it with a new wrench. Luckily the bolts didn't snap! I could tell the torque was too much your instincts tell you to wait for click.

 

Halfords professional ones are very good and come with a lifetime warranty.

[olly elworthy 0]

i have a small 3/8 drive teng torque wrench that goes from 5-25 NM it is perfect for doing cam bearing caps and the like,, for the sake of £40 it was well worth it,,

[VEEDUBBED 0]

Be VERY carefull when timing

up the cams with dots as markers,

sometimes they may SEEM to be aligned

when in actual fact their out by 1 tooth,

result,the engine turns over by hand when

you check but when you start the engine

it sounds like a diesel engine that's been timed

wrong,The valves kiss the pistons but doesen't

do any damage,the pistons will be only lightly

touched and the valves don't bend(1 tooth out,2, goodbye valves..)

It sounds heartwrenching,How do i know?,First hand experience....

[olly elworthy 0]

another way to double check once all other checks have been done is that on cyl number one at tdc the inlet and exhaust cam lobes should be symettrically facing each other with the points of the cam lobes in line with the inner studs on the bearing cam bearing caps, need a pic to explain really, but i dont have one to hand,,

[Kevin Bacon 5]

You can set the timing a tooth advanced or retarded on the VR6 and you wouldn't know, other than a lack of urge past 4000rpm.

 

You would on a 16V though!

[Baz2004 0]

when you start the engine

it sounds like a diesel engine that's been timed

wrong

 

Had this exact problem with my 16V, was a close call managed to loosen the belt as it had become very tight, a bit too close for comfort !

[rmn 0]

Yeah, i rekon that the engine may be one tooth out, it is no more than one tooth out, lined the 2 dots with eachother and the top of the cylinder head but i think they must have mooved oncei went to tighten up the bearing caps

i had the experience of a faulty torque wrench before.........nasty on a saturday afternoon

[randal 0]

I'm dreading any screw ups on a Saturday arvo, which is surely the only chance I'm going to get on mine. Methinks I'd be calling in sick on Monday to make a trip to the stealer!

 

Some damn handy information in this thread!