Timing Belt Replacement Tips

Hello,

I'm just shy of 90,000 miles and I'm planning to replace the timing belt on my Golf IV (90 horsepower, ALH engine, 1998).

Sure, the tensioner pulleys and the water pump will be replaced. What about the coupling at the crankshaft pulley? Is that still an issue with this engine?

Do these bearing shells on the fuel injection pump also need to be replaced as a preventative measure?

Holger247 wrote:

Sure, the tensioners and the Wapu will be replaced with new ones.

Tensioner pulleys are definitely important!!! Water pump -> only necessary if it's attached to the timing belt (is this the case with the ALH engine?). If you're not a mechanic, the water pump should last at least 200,000 km!
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Holger247 wrote:

How is the fitting on the crankshaft pulley? Is this still an issue with this engine?

This might be fixed (only a 1Z issue)!!!

Holger247 wrote:

Do these bearing shells on the fuel injection pump also need to be replaced as a precautionary measure?

No! For me, it didn't solve the cold start problem after 174,000 km on the 1Z engine! Just check if the shaft has any play (the limit is 0.3 mm!!).

Do you have any specialized tools?
"When installing the timing belt, rotate the crankshaft a small amount clockwise (but only a small amount, without forcing it -> the OT mark should be shifted about 1 cm!). This will make it easier to get the belt onto the camshaft sprocket. Then, return the crankshaft to the OT position for cylinder 1, and then tension the tensioner to the specified value (without tightening it) and release it. If the OT mark has moved after this, the timing belt is not yet seated correctly -> this saves you work!"
"Always use a holding tool when loosening and tightening the camshaft sprocket!!! To loosen the camshaft sprocket (with the locking mechanism not yet engaged), I rotate the crankshaft 90° with the old timing belt still tensioned (direction doesn't matter) to bring cylinder 1 to a position slightly before top dead center, so that if the sprocket slips, no valve will hit the piston (I'm very careful). Afterwards, lock the camshaft and rotate the crankshaft 90° back."
Good luck.

Best regards, Christian

Hello!

Yes, in the ALH engine, the water pump is definitely driven by the timing belt. I'm not a 'tuner' myself, and my water pump failed completely at around 55,000 km. There was no coolant loss beforehand (I checked the evening before), and then, on a 1300 km trip, it completely leaked out (at 3 am). I then poured in liters of water and was able to drive the remaining 1000 km without any coolant loss. According to VW, the bearings were fine, but 'a seal had failed.'
It's quite mysterious to me why the pump suddenly ejected all the coolant and then remained out of service for at least 1000 kilometers.
A change is definitely worth trying, and it doesn't cost a fortune; I paid around 35 euros for it back then.

Regards,
Sure, here's the translation:

'Hey guys' or 'Hey everyone' (informal)

Interesting: The service intervals for the ALH and other models have been drastically extended to 150,000 km / MJ 03. See here.
http://www.service.beetle24.de/
It would be interesting to know precisely which Contitech kits (modified water pumps?) allow for these longer intervals. Switching to the new materials promises greater safety. If this works out, I will no longer rely on 'original equipment quality' from my parts supplier in the future.

Edit: Of course, you can also find the replacement intervals here, directly from Conti .

'I did this myself on my 1Z about a quarter of a year ago! It wasn't actually a problem. This article was one of the sources I used, and the Etzhold book, 'So wird's gemacht,' was also very helpful! It's quite difficult to reach some areas, but if you take your time, it's doable! The adjustment aids are also important. If you need them, I can find the part numbers again and post them!'