The car is a 93 Passat Eco. I just took off the timing belt cover to check the pump timing, and noticed that the timing belt was worn and a bit frayed on the outer edge. I took a look inside the belt cover, and there was a lot of belt "dust", and it was centered around the area of the tensioner. I noticed the belt was riding at the extreme outer edge of the tensioner, so the edge of the belt was touching the lip on the side of the tensioner. I took off the tensioner and checked it, and it is smooth but has a bit of play. Could this play be causing the belt to run off center? I had the belt off about 4000 km ago to check the sprocket and the crank nose, which were both fine, so I reinstalled them with a new bolt, and added a TDI harmonic balancer. At that time the belt appeared fine, so did I screw something up?
Update: I just pulled off the Harmonic Balancer, and there are marks on the back like the belt is running on the extreme outside of the crank pulley, and actually leaving rubber on the inner hub of the balancer (hope this makes sense). I just looked at the original balancer that I took off before, and it's hub (aluminum) is actually worn from the belt riding against it. What could be causing this?
It looked OK, ie the belt wasn't riding at the outer edge. I'm wondering now after reading the thread on timing belt tension whether I could have overtightened the timing belt.
How is the alignment on the injection pump?
If the IP is misaligned, is it possible to shim it slightly to correct?
Thanks alot. I think that's just the info I was looking for!
Well, I must be a mildly skilled technician then. I just got the bracket adjusted (had to take the pump off twice to get it right) and all looks good now. I was kind of in a panic because I promised my wife a road trip in about a week and a half, and now it looks like it might actually happen. :lol:
What kind of mileage are you getting on your Eco Passat btw?
47-48 mpg mixed driving, mostly highway, over the tanks I've checked.