2.0 CR TDI Timing Belts... Volkswagen Timing Belts in general.

Hey everyone,

I'm sitting here writing this, and I'm so angry that steam is practically coming out of my ears. Does anyone happen to know how to adjust the camshaft timing on an EA189 engine? Specifically, which tooth engages with which?

It can't be serious that you have to mount and dismount the valve cover five times before finding the right position where the slot on the back of the camshaft is somewhat aligned with the edge of the cylinder head.


...which then leads me to a point of contention that has been ongoing for 20 years. What was going through the minds of those at Volkswagen when they were figuring out how to control and manipulate the timing of their engines?
Warum, muß die KW Ot Marke durch ein Loch in der Getriebeglocke erstmal unter Rost freigelegt werden. Und warum ist es zwingend notwendig mindestens den Ventildeckel zu demontieren um die Steuerzeiten der Nocke zu kontrollieren. Kein anderer Großserienhersteller bricht sich dabei so einen ab wie der VAG Konzern.... Um den Kreis zu schließen, ich möchte nicht wissen wie viele 2.0 CR mit einer verstellten Nockenwelle durch die Gegend fahren. AnInstead of adding three detent balls to the mechanism from the factory, which would indicate where each tooth should align.

...the trick is probably similar to that used with 2.5-liter overhead cam engines: assemble the timing gears without the rocker arms first, and then set the timing marks yourself.

Just to give you an idea, I recently had a Opel 2.8 V6 Turbo in my shop that needed timing chain replacement. The owner couldn't find anyone willing to do the job. I had it scheduled for two days with a possible third day because the engine might need to be removed. It has three chains, four camshaft adjusters, balance shafts, and the oil pump – all connected under one cover. I've never done this before, and I didn't have any instructions for it. What can I say? Any mechanic should be able to do this with basic tools in a single day. The whole thing is designed according to the Poka Yoke principle; you simply can't assemble it incorrectly. Changing the timing belt on a TDI engine is less complicated than this.

Hi,

Did I miss something? Do you have any pictures?

Best regards, Rainer.

I had to replace the camshafts. They are connected to each other via a toothed coupling. You can fix the exhaust camshaft with a 6mm dowel pin if the camshaft cover is fully assembled. The intake camshaft, as usual for VW, is aligned using a ruler on the cylinder head. However, this can only be done if the camshaft cover is missing. The problem is that when tightening the cover, the camshafts rotate, causing you to lose the initial setting no matter what you do.

Ich hab mir die Lösung aber schon selbst genannt, man muß die Schlepphebel rausnehmen, dann können die Nocken so in die Gassen gelegt und abgesteckt werden, danach kann man die Position mit Lack zueinander markieren. Problem hierbei war mein kalibriertes Auge ich hatte bei der ersten Montage eine Abweichung festgestellt, die Nocke war nicht in Flucht mit der Kopf Planfläche wenn abgesteckt. Das Gleiche habe ich dann mit dem Abstecklineal festgestellt, die Nockenwellen (FEBI) sind in der Verzahnung nicht passend zum Kopf. Einen Zahn weniger oder mehr ist aber noch weiter weg. I reluctantly chose the option with the least bad value.
The whole thing could have been avoided if the gears had a marking (tooth X on base Y). This would also prevent them from being rotated 180 degrees, as the locating slot is centered.


The whole thing is incredibly poorly designed. A single design flaw can cause the entire engine to fail.