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Drove van to work this morning, it feels sluggish after the cam belt change, it could just be me !
Is it possible it could feel this way ? Or if the belt has been put on incorrectly would it simply not work ? i.e. timing out ?
I already know the van is only a 1.6 non turbo diesel so its not going to win any races unless its against a pram...
And I already know I don't have any mechanical background hence why I ask the question !
thanking you in advance.
oh and we're talking 30 year old VW T25 here !
It's possible that the belt could be out one notch yes. I did a cam belt change on my old banger once, so I felt confident enough adjusting it by one tooth to see if it ran smoother. It did. I dunno if that would affect power but it's entirely plausible.
I already know the van is only a 1.6 non turbo diesel so its not going to win any races unless its against a pram...
You need all you can get 🙂
When I changed the timing belt on my T4 tdi, I got a so called 'bosch specialist' to time it for me... the van was appalling for a while, and they refused to accept that there was anything wrong.
I took it to a VW van specialist, and they said it was out by a tooth - van was completely cured and back to it's sporting prowess 🙂
Definitely get your timing checked!
Dave
Do you live on my street?
It might also be worth asking whether they changed it using the VW tools. It can be done by just marking up positions with a dab of paint, but the tools should prevent a timing error.
Definitely sounds like the timing is just a wee bit out.
was changed using the paint method !
taking it on a quick lunch time drive to see if it gets up to speed.
Surely you should be taking it on a lunchtime drive back to the garage that changed the belt?
That van probably has the same engine as my previous Passat in which case I have timing tools for it.
have just been out for 45mins on the A1 goes to 60mph and that's it, (used satnav) I'm sure it used to get to about 66mph ish...
If there was a timing issue would it still be able to achieve 60mph ?
just want info before I spk with mechanic
Some engines also have adjusters to make up for slightly stretched belts.
See here under the "Cam timing check" section
http://www.autospeed.com/cms/article.html?&A=112521
If theres an ECU it might be showing faults and some form of limp home mode.
A revisit to the garage me thinks.
Limp mode is generally much more noticeable - as in barely driveable.
That engine probably doesn't have an ECU clever enough to know anything's wrong.
That engine doesn't even have an ECU mg 🙂
Is the fuel pump run off the timing belt?
Could be an issue with that.
spoke with mechanic and he says fuel pump to...will drop it back
thanks guys
Oh aye, yeah.. fuel pump timing could be out, would definitely cause sub-optimal power.
Oh aye, yeah.. fuel pump timing could be out, would definitely cause sub-optimal power.
why would this be out if was fine before ? also fitted where 2 belts as well.
The fuel pump on this unit is timed as well, ufg, so its possible to mess up the timing on this while changing the belt.
Yep - the fuel pump is driven directly off the timing belt, and it's a rotary injection pump so when the cog hits a certain point it injects fuel. This will now be slightly at the wrong point. There's an optimal point for injection (for a given engine speed) - too early and it'll make a rattling noise and be low on power, too late and it'll rum smoothly but be down on power. It is idependently adjustable but the cog needs to be in the right place before any adjustment.
I waffle a lot on these car threads but this part of this particular engine I actually have a lot of experience with 🙂
Dab of paint method....does this garage think its 1970?
Sounds like pump timing is out to me. Is it churning out soot at an alarming rate or just a little more soot than usual.
Bulletproof engine that one!!!
molgrips- where are you based !
its going back on Friday and he will retime pump etc.
Is it churning out soot at an alarming rate
no siree !
thanks for all help/replies
I'm in Cardiff ufg, happy to take a look if the garage doesn't co-operate. I think I have the Haynes manual with the procedure in it.. or at least I did - may have binned it.
I found that my old ex-RAF Landy 2.5 diesel was TWO notches out on the timing belt but it still ran OK. Re-timing it made it smoother and a bit brisker but it still accelerated like a slug.
That would be the same 1.6 diesel that was in my mk1 Caddy. The belt locking kit comes with a plate to lock the camshaft and a pin to lock the pump. There is nothing to keep the crankshaft in place. When the tensioner is torqued up its easy for the crank to turn a degree or two.
I always checked it by removing the locking tools, turning the crank twice manually then reinserting the locking tools and checking the marks on the flywheel/bell housing.
In the STW sweepstake, my money is on the crank being out.
I still have the locking tools, the funny shaped water pump wrench to hold the allen bolts and the tensioner pin wrench if you fancy having a go yourself.
Thanks for the offer of use of tools...me have a go are you having a laugh !
Funny I looked up the top speed and its only 68mph ! I managed 61mph so its lost 7mph in 29 years.
Its going back on Friday so will keep you posted...