Crazy Story - Don't Laugh! Share Your Opinions

Hello everyone,

Let me tell you about an experience I had that goes against any conventional wisdom regarding engine maintenance.

Today I met a driver of a Skoda pickup truck, model year 1998, with a 1.9D engine producing 47kW. The truck has 560,000 kilometers on the odometer and still has its original timing belt. The owner has had the vehicle since it had 30,000 kilometers on the clock, back in the year 2000.

The person genuinely stated that they didn't believe such a belt should break on the machine if the vehicle isn't subjected to strong load changes (e.g., during clutch engagement). They reported that they consider this a "long-term test" and have experienced no problems so far.

Ein Werksangehöriger des Motorenwerks Salzgitter meinte zu ihm, daß die "Werksriemen" sogar von besserer Qualität wären als alles was danach kommt (orig. VAG(e.g., Conti, etc.)

Furthermore, he (the person from Salzgitter) strongly warned against disassembling the crankshaft pulley, as he believes that it can never be reassembled with the same precision as it was in the factory, making the crankshaft pulley a significant source of potential errors (e.g., due to contamination of the conical surface).

What do you think of something like that? As for the assembly of the pulleys, I don't like it at all. What the workshop does might be bad, but you can do all of this yourself exactly as described in the manual, as long as you have a bit of common sense.

The different quality levels of the belts give me pause, although I don't believe that the manufacturers receive materials that are different from what is available in retail.

As I said, please don't laugh. I myself repair engines (as a hobby), so I know what I'm talking about when I tell you this.

I don't believe it's possible to have 560,000 km with the original belt.

I'm interested in the condition of the timing belt...

Because when I looked at the factory-installed timing belt in my Golf, which was replaced at 93,000 kilometers, I didn't want to drive another meter with it.

Held467 wrote:

I don't believe it's 560,000 km with the first belt

.
I don't either. Not even if it was only driven at idle speed.

So far, in my TDIs, I've never had a timing belt that looked trustworthy after 90,000 km. In my Ibiza, the first one was replaced at 83,000 km, and the second one looked so bad after 135,000 km that I replaced it again.

Since I switched to Contitech, the belts still look usable after 90,000 km.

Quote:

Since I switched to Contitech, the belts still look usable after 90,000 km.

Yes, Dayco still looks very good after 90,000 km.

The belt in the photo has nothing written on it except "VW Audi". It looks almost like a custom-made product. This one had exactly 90,000 km on it. It's hard to imagine how something like that could last 500,000 km....

BM wrote:

On the belt in the photo, there is nothing written except "VW Audi".

What type of engine is it?

I believe it's important to point out that, in my opinion, the pre-tension on the belts as they run over the tensioner pulleys is sometimes excessively high. I would argue that slightly less pre-tension would significantly increase the lifespan of the belts without creating a tendency for them to slip. Of course, you can't compare the belt tensions in PD engines to those in, for example, SDI engines, but I think you understand what I'm getting at.

I believe that many belts fail because they are misaligned due to faulty idler and tensioner pulleys, causing them to rub against something (e.g., the side of the engine), leading to structural damage, fraying, and, in the worst case, complete failure. Is there actually any VAG diesel engine where, in the event of a failure, the pistons won't collide with the valve train because there is enough clearance?

(Perhaps, years ago, better materials were used than those employed recently due to corporate policies. There are even reports that there's a difference in quality between engines produced in Salzgitter and Györ, which sounds like a cliché but may actually be true. I'm particularly interested in where the statistical distribution of production lies regarding the failures of the 2.0 TDI engines.)

What are your thoughts on assembling the crankshaft sprocket with the conical section outside of the factory?

"I mean, the original new VW timing belt from the VW repair kit for the 2.0 TDI 16V BKD that I have also looks like the one in the photo, without a part number. I'll take a picture tomorrow if anyone is interested."

...
The person genuinely stated that they didn't believe such a belt would break on the machine if the vehicle wasn't subjected to strong load changes (e.g., during acceleration).
...

... And in some ways, he's actually right.

Why?

The engine installed in the Felicia Pickup is an AEF. It's a very simple and robust 1.9-liter naturally aspirated diesel engine. The only real weak point is the Lucas ESP.
The stresses on the ZR drive are negligible compared to those on DI engines. As long as the belt doesn't become porous due to hardening over time, it's not a problem.

However, the engine will eventually give up. With a mileage of over 500,000 km, the 'loss' should actually be within reasonable limits.

With these engines, it's actually not particularly recommended to remove the KW wheel. Achieving a properly aligned and tightened KW wheel is difficult to do without specialized workshop tools.

@ Göttmann:
What do you suggest for mounting the KW (Kurbelwelle) wheel in such a case? How is it done in the factory? Is it done after the cylinder block and crankshaft assembly are put together, or do they attach the pulley to the bare crankshaft beforehand?

@ Göttmann:
What do you suggest regarding the assembly of the KW wheel in such a case?

For a reasonably clean installation of the KW wheel, the KW unit on the opposite side must be absolutely securely and rigidly locked in place. To achieve this, at a minimum, the transmission needs to be removed...!!
Then, you can try to align the KW wheel perfectly straight with the KW using a screw and a rigid wrench. Make sure to move it evenly. Avoid stopping abruptly, as this could cause distortion.

The assembly process in the factory is partially automated. There is a machine that ensures consistent tightening.
Whether the KW component is already installed in the KW housing or not depends entirely on the local processes. Both options are possible. In any case, the entire KW unit is fixed in place from the opposite side for screwing.
I can't say how that was with the engine you mentioned.

The timing belt of my 1.4 HDI engine, which had been replaced at 100,000 km, looked almost new except for a nearly illegible marking on the back. This marking was likely worn off by the pulley set. I could still make out that it was a ContiTech belt.

For a 1.4 HDI engine, when installed in a Peugeot, the recommended service interval is 240,000 km or 10 years. A known weak point is the water pump. In my Peugeot, the water pump was the reason for the replacement. Initially, it made a chirping sound, then there was a phase of constant whining, and until shortly before the replacement, it only whined when the engine was warmer than usual, for example, in city traffic at an ambient temperature of 30 degrees Celsius.

In addition to a new water pump, we installed a complete set of rollers, a new timing belt, and a new expansion bolt on the crankshaft pulley, all done in-house.

goettmann wrote:

For a reasonably clean installation of the KW wheel, the KW must be absolutely securely and rigidly locked on the opposite side. To achieve this, at a minimum, the transmission must be removed...!! Then, you can try to align the wheel perfectly straight with the KW using a screw and a rigid wrench.

It's important to ensure smooth, even movements. } Avoid stopping abruptly, as this could already indicate warping. }

Okay, but doesn't the combination of the rotation angle and torque already rule that out? For example, in the case of 1.9 TDI/2.0 TDI engines, as far as I know, it's 120 Nm plus 90 degrees. Once the torque is reached, is there still a possibility that the pulley could be deformed in multiple stages by applying the rotation angle? Furthermore, I don't think it's possible to smoothly tighten the torque wrench all the way to the required torque without stopping, simply due to space constraints. To achieve that, I would have to slightly pre-tension the KW bolt with the wrench so that there is only a small distance left to reach the 120 Nm.

Furthermore, I also don't believe that it's possible to smoothly tighten the torque wrench, even without stopping, simply due to space constraints, until the desired torque is reached.

That's exactly where I see the problem. Furthermore, you would have to remove the gearbox to achieve a backlash-free locking mechanism.

If the engine is completely removed and standing in front of you, then I think I could figure out a way to fix it. That would give you enough space to work with.
Is this really a serious action just for a ZR (Zylinderkopfring) replacement?
Then, better not .

Regarding the lifespan of the timing belt, I can say that, based on the last replacement at 180,000 km (AFN engine), the...
'Confirming that the belts still look very good after 90,000 km.'
In fact, there's no need for an exchange at all.
I might be able to upload photos online soon.
Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

'lg.'
'Best regards.'

Quote:

What kind of engine is it?

A4 Engine: AWX

Regarding the KW wheel, I also think it's best to leave it alone.

If the crankshaft seal starts to leak, you have to deal with it.

I find it puzzling why people continue to use this controversial fastening technique.

All other engine manufacturers do it 200% better.

Looking at how Volkswagen attaches/attached the tension rollers, one gets a shudder.