Ok well sorry to post such a basic question here, but it seems like this board has people around who really know what they are doing...
I replaced a head gasket on a new rabbit project I just aquired, and tried to start it up... it is running fine, but with a quite a bit of white smoke, I think this is most likley timing- as previous owner had the tensioner loose... ( I first thought injectors, but replaced w/ good used ones and no real improvement...)
Anyways, I have the dial guage now, but have not yet used it, I don't have a good manual yet, (not bentley) ... I have a dial with inches on it (not mm), and think that I found a link to the equivalents for this engine but would like to confirm- could anyone post them if you know them or have easy access to them...
Also, a quick write up or a link to a write up of how to "adjust the timing" would be great...
Well actually, I think that that belt might potentially be one tooth off- so a write up of how to replace the timing belt, line everything up, and the adjust the pump timing would be very greatly appreciated... (even though previous owner said it was new-ish, I should probably replacce it anyway)
If anyone has this saved away in their links or remembers of a post or page somewhere online that goes through this, a link would be greatly appreciated. I am pretty comfortable working on diesels (merc) but don't yet know the vw's verry well, so a description fit more for for a non-hardcore mechanic would be greatly appreciated.
also, what solutions have people come up for locking the cam- just cut down a piece of steel?
Thank you very much for your help!
Greg
Hey: well if your rabbit runs then you don't have the belt on a tooth off. If you did then the pistons would hit the valves. There's not a lot of tolerance on those little interference engines. You might have the cam gear set wrong though. When you do the belt on those things you have to loosen the cam bolt so that the cam gear floats freely. It is a taper fit so you need to pull the gear off with a puller. You leave the bolt in a bit and pull the gear off (so that it doesn't snap back at you...the bolt will stop it). Also when you are looseing the cam bolt use some sort of imobilizer for the cam gear. Don't use a locking device through the slot on the other end of the cam. Doing that often results in shattering that end of the camshaft (slot is not very strong). So, once you have the cam gear loosened, you line up the pointer in the bell housing with TDC (the notch with the little "0" beside it, there are two notches, one is 180 degrees off from where you want to be) then you lock the injection pump through the hole in the pump pulley that lines up with the hole in the backing plate. You can use a socket to do this (forget which one, experiment) or a bolt of the correct size. Then you lock the cam with any piece of metal that will fit snugly in the slot. I use a piece of steel rod (like the kind you buy at welding shops for repairs) and a couple of stainless steel rulers. I wedge them all in there together and it holds it pretty tight. Then when you have done that, you put the belt on. Usually the compression will hold the crank at TDC, and the cam pulley floats freely so all you need to do is push back on the injection pump pulley slightly to get the pump right at TDC (it will slip forward a bit) then you can slide the belt on properly. Then imobilize the cam pulley again and torque the cam bolt to 45nm or 33 foot pounds. It must be torqued (can't just tighten it and hope for the best). Tension the belt by turning the tensioner until you can turn the belt 45 degrees with your thumb and forefinger but no more when you grasp the belt in the center between the cam and injection pump pulleys. This is not a tug on the belt as hard as your huge biceps will let you sort of turn. The rule a lot of people use is if your little sister or your wife can turn the belt 45 degrees but no more, then the tension is right. Overtensioning will result in destruction of the injection pump so be careful.
Adjusting the timing:
push in the cold start all the way
Put the crank at TDC
install your dial indicator in the check hole (little bolt in the middle of the four injector line outputs) - you need an adaptor for this. It's a VW special tool. I don't know what you can substitute for it. I got mine made at a machine shop (custom made for the job).
Install the dial indicator to 3.00 mm or 0.117 inches
turn the engine backwards till the dial indicator stops moving...you are saying, what, turn it backwards, how do I do that? Best way, put the car in fourth or fifth gear and push it away from you, while watching the dial. When the dial stops moving, stop pushing. You can also use a socket wrench on the crank bolt but be careful not to loosen it.
Pull the dial indicator out until it reads 0.039 inches (1.00mm)
Set the face of the dial indicator to zero
Hand turn the crank clockwise until you hit TDC in the bellhousing.
Look at the dial indicator. It should read between 0.033 to 0.039 inches. Less is retarded timing, more is advanced. If your car is not a turbo you should set it around half way. More if the engine is old or the injectors are not in good shape. If it is not in the right spot, you adjust it by loosening all four injector pump mounting bolts and turning the pump back and forth. You will find you only have to tap it a very small amount to get a big change in the timing. When you have set it where you want it you tighten the bolts again. Then re-check the timing and if it is where you want it, you are done.
hope that helps
Chris