Bad Timing Belt Replacement PD Engine

Hi everyone!

Okay, here's my experience report on the timing belt replacement for the AJM engine.

With 127,000 km on the odometer, I couldn't delay it any longer, and the timing belt on my...
Passat Variant with AJM engine (formerly 85 kW) has been replaced.

Yes, yes, I exceeded the mileage limit by over 8000 kilometers, but to be honest: it was due to financial difficulties and also frustration!

After all the information and discussion regarding the adjustable camshaft timing and the resulting loss of power.
To be honest, I went to a large VAG dealership in Neustadt (Westphalia) with a heavy heart.
which is located near the roundabout...

You can imagine how the workshop manager looked at me when I told her about the problem I've been dealing with for... 100,000 kilometers!
On this occasion, I went a step further and verbally informed you that the car has been receiving different tax data via OBD for approximately 5,000 km .

I made it clear to them that I would rather be unpopular with them beforehand, but you know that there's an unresolved issue, and I've provided excerpts from the installation instructions (regarding errors with the Lupo, etc.)!!!

'Furthermore, I went to this workshop because you were the only ones who provided me with a written quote for changing the service interval to 90,000 km. (However, strangely enough, there was no mention of a different tensioner or a new cylinder head in that quote!)'

After the timing belt replacement, the changes described in Ulf's post and by other people experiencing similar issues occurred.

* The car seems to have better throttle response in the lower RPM range (it still has a bit of a sluggish start, but it's manageable).
* In the upper speed range, it now reaches its top speed quickly, although not aggressively, with the speedometer not quite reaching the maximum.
208 km/h (According to the Clima system, approximately 195 km/h actual speed. In this case, the EGR valve is deactivated and the on-board computer is set to the lowest value.)

Of course, I don't know for sure whether anything has been changed in the software via OBD, and I haven't dared to ask yet, because I don't want to do it from the office.

@ Everyone
Who knows if anything will be changed (perhaps with newer software????).
======================================================
The average fuel consumption seems to be settling around 8 liters per 500 kilometers, but I drive about 100 kilometers per day on the highway at speeds between 120 and 200 km/h.

With a moderate driving style, it's likely possible to achieve around 6 liters per 100 kilometers at speeds of 110/130 km/h.

The new service interval was also documented on the invoice, both through the new service interval sticker in the engine compartment and at my request.


So, thank you again, @Ulf, @Mersente, and to all the others.
Fazit: Hat sich gelohnt, PREIS LAG BEI CA: %)= Euro incl. Water pump.

Hopefully, this helps someone.
Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

'So long'

This phrase is a common way to say goodbye in English. It is similar to the German phrase 'Auf Wiedersehen'.

Here are some other ways to say goodbye in English:

* Goodbye
* Bye
* See you later
* See you soon
* Have a good day
* Take care

I hope this helps!

Thorsten.

If he's really only going 195 km/h, then there's no noticeable tuning. He could even achieve that speed with the factory-specified 85 kW power output.

Best regards, WarLord.

ttns4 wrote:

After the timing belt replacement, the changes described in Ulf's topic and by other people experiencing similar issues occurred. * The car feels more responsive in the lower RPM range, (it still has a bit of a sluggish start, but it's manageable). * In the upper range, it now reaches its top speed quickly, although not brutally.

Hmm... so you're saying that your navigation system was also incorrectly configured from the factory?
Then the mistake would have happened during the manufacturing process, but not (necessarily) during the timing belt replacement -> Thread title??

Do you have any measurements or DZR (Dynamic Resonance) times with the old and new resonator?

Hmm... so you're saying that your device was also incorrectly configured from the factory?
Then the mistake would have happened during the manufacturing process, but not necessarily during the timing belt replacement -> Thread title??


Hmm, at 127,000 km, it should have already had two timing belt replacements, which would completely invalidate any initial incorrect setting from the factory.

by the way
What is this actually about? Thread title?

Julian wrote:

btw/ What is this actually about? Thread title?

It's right there:

"@ULF: Confirmed sloppy work during timing belt replacement on PD-engines"

Julian wrote:

Hm, at 127,000 km, it should have already had two timing belt replacements, which would make the idea of a factory miscalibration completely absurd.

(also @ Bertil)

But if he writes...

Quote:

... the way the workshop staff looked at me when I told them about the problem I've been dealing with for ...100,000 KM!!!!

It appears that the issue was already present from the factory, and during the first tire change, the alignment was likely not checked or adjusted.
But I hadn't factored in the first change , and you are right about that.
(Mine already has a 120,000 km service interval...)

If he was really only driving at 195 km/h, then there's no tuning that's noticeable. He can even achieve that speed with the officially registered 85 kW.

Greetings, WarLord.

You're right... but tuning doesn't necessarily have anything to do with top speed.

'The good one also said that the final speed wouldn't be changed much.'
dafür könnte ich ein Gutachten bekommen, gg. GI'm sorry, I can't translate that word because it doesn't seem to be a real word. Could you please provide a different word or phrase?
And before everyone starts asking which tuner it was: (now I'm about to get flamed:
(It was the first tuner I was able to find back then who was knowledgeable about definitive OBD tuning methods, which was something very few offered, and they were operating through eBay, yes, actually eBay!)
The costs were approximately 300 euros, excluding the expert report. That was the cheapest solution for me at the time.
Cheaper than any visit to a repair shop.


My goal was never extreme tuning, but simply to have a car that drives normally or slightly better.

It's enough for me if it occasionally goes up to 200 km/h.
I'm not sure whether the tuning is very good or just adequate.

I was told it's approximately 110 kW, and probably a little over 360 Nm (unmeasured, the clutch isn't slipping!).

At 127,000 km, it should have already had two timing belt replacements, which would completely negate the possibility of a factory miscalibration.
(also @ Bertil)

But if he writes...
... the way the workshop staff looked at me when I told them about the problem I've been dealing with for ...100,000 KM!!!!
It appears that the issue was already present from the factory, and during the first tire change, the alignment was likely not checked or adjusted.
But I hadn't factored in the first change , and you are right about that.
(Mine already has a 120,000 km service interval...)

@ Julian:

The first timing belt was replaced as a precaution at approximately 59,500 kilometers at a VW workshop, but even before that, it wasn't performing much better. Since then, I've also never been satisfied with the fuel consumption.

After that, he was often checked by two or more workshops because of this performance issue, but none of them found anything. This confirmed my suspicion that the work had been done carelessly.

But what's also interesting is the fact that no other workshop uses a maintenance interval of 90,000 km, and even VW itself doesn't recommend it, as I've already posted.

Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

'So long, Thorsten.'

After the timing belt replacement, the changes described in Ulf's topic and by other people experiencing similar issues occurred.
* The car feels more responsive in the lower RPM range, (it still has a bit of a sluggish start, but it's manageable).
* In the upper range, it now reaches its top speed quickly, although not brutally.
Hmm... so you're saying that your navigation system was also incorrectly configured from the factory?
Then the mistake would have happened during the manufacturing process, but not necessarily during the timing belt replacement -> Thread title??

Do you have any measurements / DZR times with the old and the new ZR?

@Ulf

I had asked about that before.

Unfortunately, due to work commitments, I arrived at the workshop quite late as usual.
I had also met the mechanic.
He could tell me that he couldn't immediately access the system after the change, but supposedly the data was given to a 'supervisor or something,' whom I never met, probably on purpose.

He said that the issue was a slight misalignment, but that after the adjustment, he had to rotate it about 1° to be able to insert the pin. That's when he loosened those three screws.

After repeated probing, he cautiously suggested that the work done previously might not have been done properly.

As I said, it was already after work hours, and the guy was actually pretty decent.

He gave me two values, but I don't know if they are informative.
Let me check, I quickly jotted down your name in the car.

(Oh yes, of course, the workshop supervisor didn't 'explain' the fuel injection timing when I dropped off the car.)

But what I'm more interested in is:
==================================

Do VW workshops have different engine control unit (ECU) software that they can install in case of AJM engine issues?
Given the short timeframe, within a single day, I assume that nothing extra was requested.

Who is familiar with this?

In the Passat forum, there have been many discussions about whether something like that could happen. If it did, my OBD software would be overwritten, which I could probably get back, but I would have to send the control unit back by mail again, which would mean 3 days without a car. And I don't know if the car would actually run better afterwards.

What do you mean?
Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

'So long'

This phrase is a common way to say goodbye in English. It is similar to the German phrase 'Auf Wiedersehen'.

Here are some other ways to say goodbye in English:

* Goodbye
* Bye
* See you later
* See you soon
* Have a good day
* Take care

I hope this helps!
Thorsten.

You're right... but tuning doesn't necessarily have anything to do with top speed.


Well, power is related to top speed, and if a car that's officially registered with 115 horsepower can reach 194 km/h, then essentially nothing or very little has changed in terms of its power.

Best regards, WarLord.

Well, but performance is related to top speed, and if a car with a standard 115 horsepower engine, which is the officially registered power, can reach 194 km/h, then essentially nothing or very little has changed in terms of performance.

It's only partially correct. For example, the tuning data might have only been modified within the RPM range below the maximum speed compared to the original settings.

In the Passat forum, there have been discussions about whether something like that could happen. If it did, my OBD software would be overwritten, which I would probably be able to get back, but I would have to send the control unit back by mail again, which would mean 3 days without a car, and I don't know if the car would run better afterwards.
So, if my car didn't run properly for 100,000 km, but it finally does now , then I would be hesitant to mess with it now and have a tuner from eBay install a new data set. Especially if you weren't convinced of the effectiveness of tuning beforehand.

If the workshop actually installed a new dataset, then it is likely responsible for the improvement in your vehicle. If you overwrite it again with the 'great' dataset, then you will have the same problems as before. So, don't do it.

Regards,
Private.

Well, but performance is related to top speed, and if a car with a standard 115 horsepower engine, which is the officially registered power, can reach 194 km/h, then essentially nothing or very little has changed in terms of performance.

It's only partially correct. For example, the tuning data might have only been modified within the RPM range below the maximum speed, compared to the original settings.


So, you're saying that the engine reaches 110 kW at just 3,500 revolutions per minute?

Best regards, WarLord.

So, you're saying that the engine reaches 110 kW at just 3,500 revolutions per minute?


Something like 110 kW at around 4000 RPM...

You can also limit the maximum speed by drastically reducing the fuel injection rate in the range of the maximum speed. This results in a powerful engine that quickly reaches its maximum speed, but then barely gets any faster than before.

In that RPM range, you're not really getting much out of it, except for extremely high fuel consumption for very little gain. Increasing the maximum speed can only be done reasonably with a longer gear ratio.

CU Gremlin.

Well, but performance is related to top speed, and if a car with a standard 115 horsepower engine, which is the officially registered power, can reach 194 km/h, then essentially nothing or very little has been done to improve the performance.

It's only partially correct. For example, the tuning data might have only been modified within the RPM range below the maximum speed, compared to the original settings.

In the Passat forum, there have been many discussions about whether something like that could happen. If it did, my OBD software would be overwritten, which I would probably be able to get back, but I would have to send the control unit back by mail again, which would mean 3 days without a car, and I don't know if the car would even run better afterwards.
So, if my car didn't run properly for 100,000 km, but it finally does now , then I would be hesitant to mess with it now and have a tuner from eBay install a new data set. Especially if you weren't convinced of the effectiveness of tuning beforehand.

If the workshop actually installed a new dataset, then it is likely responsible for the improvement in your vehicle. If you overwrite it again with the 'great' dataset, then you will have the same problems as before. So, don't do it.

Regards,
Private
@Warlord/Private Area:

I just called the instructor out of curiosity to ask if the tax information had been updated.

Conclusion: No, they didn't do anything, which is what I believe.
As I mentioned, the OBD tuning was done about 5,000 km ago, but it didn't have as much of an effect as it does now, after the change.
He's doing much better now; it's also less of a struggle to reach the top speed, and as I said, he never really reached it normally before.

One more thing: We're talking about an AJM Comfortline model with a 5-speed gearbox, likely a DUK transmission.

It doesn't mean that adjustable camshafts were useless, as he probably needed less of them after the tuning. However, the acceleration has now improved dramatically.

The top speed could have been adjusted or increased, but that would bring other problems with the technical inspection (TÜV) and other regulations. In my case, however, the fuel consumption was also optimized.

I'm perfectly happy with it; it's well-known that PDs (presumably referring to a product or service) often require a bit more time.
It was not my intention to initiate a fundamental discussion about tuning.


But one thing is clear to me about this:

Uli is probably not entirely wrong in his assumption that there is a significant number of cases in many PD (presumably referring to a specific context or organization) where the individuals in charge are not properly managing things, whatever the reason may be.

Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

'So long'

This phrase is a common way to say goodbye in English. It is similar to the German phrase 'Auf Wiedersehen'.

Here are some other ways to say goodbye in English:

* Goodbye
* Bye
* See you later
* See you soon
* Have a good day
* Take care

I hope this helps!

Thorsten.

So, you're saying that the engine reaches 110 kW at just 3,500 revolutions per minute?


Something like 110 kW at around 4000 RPM...

You can also limit the maximum speed by drastically reducing the fuel injection amount in the range of the maximum speed. This results in a powerful engine that quickly reaches its maximum speed, but then barely gets any faster than before. }

Hmm, which would mean that you could install a different gearbox (perhaps from a Golf IV ARL or something similar) and the car would run like a rocket.

Best regards, WarLord.