Timing belt replacement PT and ABH
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PT & ABH V8 engines
rewritten from original wiki article by Kent Mclean, with original contributions from Tony Hoffman and commentary by John Dodd
Every 60K-90K miles (60K miles for the 3.6L, 90K miles for the 4.2L) or 5-7 years (depending on your level of paranoia) you should replace the timing belt of your 1990-94 Audi V8. There are also some other parts that should be replaced "while you are in there". This is for anyone interested in doing a timing belt job on one of the V8 Quattro's. I did mine in the last two nights. It took about 6-7 hours total, and it was my first time. However, I have had the front of the car off before, so I was quite familliar with that procedure.
[N.B. This is not a complete description, nor does it list complete parts and tools.]
Tools
The following tools are considered required to do the job. See Tool sources for a list of sources of specialized tools, both for rental and purchase.
- floor jack & jack stands or ramps
- wheel chocks
- 3/8-in. or 1/2-in ratchet
- 10, 12, and 13 mm sockets
- Phillips screwdriver (no. 2)
- 3197 - crankshaft vibration damper holding tool. You can make a substitute for this with square tubing, notched to fit the damper and welded to flat bar or angle iron, and secured to frame while in use.
- 3199 - camshaft timing locating flanges, set of 2. You can substitute for this by securing wrenches on the nuts, then securing the wrenches to each other with Vise Grips.
3199 Cam locking tool
- 2587 - double-pin belt tensioner wrench, or 3212 - adjustable dual-pin tensioner wrench. Same as Schley UN 120 4500.
- 6mm allen wrench/driver
- White-Out, paint pen or permanent marker
- Drain pan or bucket for radiator coolant - you're going to drain it all.
While not strictly a tool- the factory manual, published by Robert Bentley Publishers, contains a wealth of information.
The following tools are very helpful, but not strictly necessary. If you are new to timing belt jobs, they are recommended. Pros may not find them necessary:
2079 - crankshaft pulley bolt wrench. You can substitute for this with and appropriate socket, braker bar, and pipe for leverage.
3203 - oil seal removal tool, for front crankshaft. You can also use dental picks to carefully (to avoid scratching the inner walls) pull the seal out.
3204 - drift pin, adjust tension of ribbed v-belts (replaced by T10060)
3211 - crankshaft vibration damper holder/locking device
You may find some steps easier with a second person available to help with, if only for a few minutes. For example, removal and replacement of all the Audi bumpers is much easier with two people than one.
Parts
Technically the only thing you absolutely require is the timing belt (p/n 077109119E), but the collective optional list is for those that don't want to slap a forehead three days after completion of the timing belt when the seals leak or the water pump seizes. Smart preventative maintenance! It is recommended that these parts be changed every other timing belt change. If you are a second or third (or more) owner and don't have detailed documentation of the previous owner(s) work, change these now. Note part numbers below include PT and ABH if there are different versions.
- water pump (p/n 077121004G)
- serpentine belt
- tensioner roller bearing (p/n 077109243A)
- idler roller bearings (2) (p/n 078109244A)
- tensioner dampener shock (p/n 077109246B)
- friction pad
- front cam seals (2) (p/n 068103085E or 026103085D)
- front crank seal (p/n 054115147B or 034115147A)
- oil pump pulley bearing
- front oil pump pulley seal
- thermostat with gasket
- 1 gal (1.5 L) coolant (remember to get the right stuff - don't mix types!)
- Distilled water to mix with antifreeze (do not use tap water!)
Notes
The job was actually quite easy. I'd say it is probably more difficult to take out the instrument cluster than the timing belt job is. I did build a crankshaft locking tool, and can't imagine doing the job without it. I didn't use the cam locking tools I built, though. One wasn't quite finished, and I decided to take a chance without them. Glad I did, as I can tell you they are quite unnecessary. In fact, only the passenger side distributor cap needs to come off. This is to verify the timing is on #1 TDC when you dissassemble it.
Procedure
Disclaimer: Work at your own risk. Although this procedure worked for the original author, it may not work for you.
Raise the front of the car
Park the car, set the parking brake, and chock a rear wheel ("belt and suspenders"). Jack up the front end of the car, and support it with strong jack stands.
You can also use ramps and chocks, as the wheels do not come off when changing the timing belt. Ramps are suggested by many as they provide more undercar front end clearance for the parts.
Remove the front bumper
Start by pulling the front bumper off the car. There are six nuts with 13mm heads that hold the bumper on. Usually only the four easy ones remain. In order to remove these 6 nuts, use an extension. For the hidden nuts, use a universal socket adapter. It is very easy to remove/replace all the nuts; when under the car, just slide towards the front of the car and you will be able to see even the so-called hidden bolts. The location of the nuts is shown in the diagram. The bolts are part of the bumper.
On the passenger side, first remove the black ventilation box, the one with the black air hose leading to the alternator.
Disconnect the central electrical connector for the turn signal lights and fog lights. Slide it towards rear of the car. Unplug the top piece from the bottom one.
Pull outward the edge of the bumper on both sides then slide it forward. It helps to have two people, as the bumper is heavy and it can drop.
Remove the radiator support
The radiator support removal starts with removing the clamp on the passenger side of the hood release cable. Slide the cable out at the passenger end. Two white plastic clips hold the cable in place. Use some pliers and, from the radiator side, collapse these clips and push them forward.
Pull the black caps off the four outermost screws on the top edge of the radiator support. Pull the four screws (#2 Phillips).
Remove the two bolts that hold the fender to the support. They are on each side where they were hidden by the bumper.
There are Phillips screws on each side holding the chrome trim on the fender. Take them out.
Pull the lower temperature sender plug off the passenger side of the radiator.
Drain the radiator and pull the three hoses off it. Note: you may have trouble removing the bottom hose from the radiator. Removing the hose from the thermostat works instead.
Next, remove the four 13mm bolts, 2 on each side, that secure the radiator. The lower ones also hold the oil cooler in place.
Remove the bolts holding the oil cooler and set the cooler, with the lines still attached, under the car.
Next, remove the 4 bolts for the AC condensor and set it, also with the lines still attached, under the car.
[JD] The next step involves removing the transmission cooler lines from the radiator. These lines can be very tight. First I removed the hex bolts, then I used two small pry bars on either side of the connector to pop them off. Once the tranny cooler lines were disconnected, I used two pieces of wire and tied them down in a vertical position, out of the way. See Figure 2F.
[JD] NOTE: A friend of mine, owner of a 1993 V8Q, has managed to do all this without removing the tranny cooler lines or the AC radiator. Maybe a 1993 has longer lines that permit this. You be the judge.
[JD] On the drivers side, next to the AC condensor, you�ll find two more bolts that have to be removed. See Figure 2G.
Figure 2G. More Bolts.
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[JD] At this stage I cut the cable ties holding the cable for the fan. Disconnect all the plugs for the headlights. To avoid scratching the fender, tape the chrome trim or remove it. I wish I did.
Pull the front off the car and lay it under the front end.
[JD] It helps to have two people for this operation.
This whole process is also made much easier with the car on ramps. [JD] Amen.
Remove the serpentine belt
Take off the serpentine belt. If you intend to replace the two idlers, remove them as well.
Positioning the engine
Set the timing of the engine to #1 cylinder Top Dead Center (TDC.)
Pull the drivers side timing cover.
Next, loosen the center crankshaft bolt.
Pull the passenger side cover. It has a 6mm allen plug, four 12mm head bolts (one of which is behind the tensioner), and a 13mm bolt on the bottom. I also pulled the lower radiator hose holder off it for easier access. You don't have to remove the fan from the cover.
Figure 5A. Timing Covers.
File:08 covers.jpg
How to find the correct position of the camshafts: With the valve covers off, you can see there are two circles on the camshaft gears that face each other when at TDC. (See Image) Give credit to you guys for mentioning this in your posts. It was a job saver. When removing the old belt, the passenger side camshaft may rotate clockwise. Turn it back and watch the two marks on the cam gears. While holding the camshaft in position, slip the camshaft locking tool 3199 and secure it in place.
As an additional check, have a look at the rotor position. The rotor lines up with a mark on the distributor body.
Check number three is that the cam locking tools engage only at TDC. Also make sure they are flush with the flanges when installed. Engaging the cam locking tools over the distributor flanges can be a bit tricky.
After placing the locking tools, mark the cam gears with a paint pen and place corresponding marks on the timing covers.
Remove the idlers, tensioner, and belt
Pull the idlers and tensioner off. Remove the belt.
Figure 8A. Belt Removed.
File:06 no belt.jpg
Replace other "while you are in there" bits
- water pump
- thermostat
- front engine seals
- oil pump drive bearing and oil pump seal
- timing belt idlers
- timing belt tensioner dampener
- friction pad
- serpentine idlers
- Delrin bushing (some listers report finding this very worn, even after as little as 52k miles)
Still more while-you-are-there bits:
- 4 hex bolts holding the vibration dampener
- central BIG bolt for the vibration dampener
- valve cover gaskets
- distributor caps
- distributor flange rings
- distributor rings
- camshaft cap seal
Changing the distributor seals, valve cover gaskets and the cam cap ring is recommended if there is any sign they are leaking.
Figure 9A. Part locations.
File:01 parts.jpg
Put it all back together
As they say, replacement is the reverse of removal.
Final Notes
[JD] Since I've never changed a timing belt before, I religiously followed the manual, which means I used the cam locking tools, loosened the sprockets on the camshafts, measured a "hundred times" the dampener length, etc, etc. It's all in Section 15.
[JD] Some people may not be in agreement with the idea of removing the bumper and front end. In my opinion, it is not a big deal at all, especially with the added instructions. I had some trouble with it because of some missing steps. In retrospect, knowing how to remove the front end is a bonus, plus having everything in the open is a huge benefit for the first time. The front end removal process is about 2-3 hours long.
Original description and photos by Tony Hoffman, John Dodd, KentMcLean. New wiki conversion by JohnDevecka
