2.7T Timing Belt, Waterpump, Thermostat DIY, no lock bar.

[PluschakovP]

This is done on my 2002 A6 6 Spd 87k Miles, with ECSTuning's Ultimate Timing belt kit. Link below. Overall the kit is everything you need to do the job. I love the waterpump, it's heavy duty. The gasket that came with the waterpump is a soft material, but the OEM one I took off was metal, so I was kind of bummed that they didn't include a metal gasket, ( in 100k miles, I'll be using a razor blade to get the gasket off when I redo it all again :\ ) The Thermostat is "Made in China", so that I did not like. The belts are from ContiTech, and the rollers, well just rollers heh... I also bought a new tensioner, grenade as I call it.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-C5_A6-...lt_Kit/ES2576/

In total, it took me 5.5 hours, start to finish. Would've taken less, but I'm still happy.

Just the bumper off.


Radiator support taken off.


BiPipes off.


Fan blade off.


Loosen the power steering pump pulley while the accessory drive belt is still on, it's easiest this way.


Now take off the accessory drive belt.


Line up the Crank to TDC (Top Dead Center), at this point. It's a 1" star socket.


Now, take off the timing covers.


... And mark the cam pulleys with white out, so you know the crank TDC and these marks are aligned. (Do both cam pulleys)


Take power steering pulley off.


Take the accessory drive belt tensioner off.



Now, this for me was the hardest part of the entire service, taking the fan clutch off. I did it this way, it may not be right, but it was effective for me.

Put a screw driver in here like so.


And use vice crips like so, and turn RIGHT. The fan clutch loosens to the Right, not left like normal things.


Here it is, fan clutch off.


Now there are 2 bolts you need to loosen that are inside this pulley system the fan clutch attaches too. I forget the size, but they are a PITA if you don't have long torx bits.
Here's 1.


And 2.


Fan clutch assembly off.


Make sure the Crank is TDC, then remove the crank pulley.


Then remove the cover behind the crank pulley, (2 bolts only)


Now with the markings on the cams, and the crank in TDC, take off the timing belt tensioner (the grenade, bottom left).


Next, the brass hook that's right by the grenade and the tensioner pulley.


You may now remove the timing belt.


Remove the idler pulley (bottom right).


Now loosen all the bolts to the waterpump. (Remember there is one behind the power steering pump)


Bolt behind power steering pump.


Loosen this bolt, and the 4 bracket bolts that hold the Power steering pump in place. Lift it, and remove the 1 last waterpump bolt.


Take the waterpump off.


Clean the surface along the edges, and then install the new water pump. Don't strip the bolts, they're weak...


Tighten/Bolt down the power steering pump now.

[PluschakovP]

Now the waterpump is done, take off the thermostat housing. only 3 bolts.


Take the thermostat out.


Clean it up a bit, and install the new thermostat. The O Ring needs to be on the housing side, NOT inside the block.

New Thermostat and Waterpump installed.


New idler roller, tensioner installed, with the brass hook thingy...


Now...
Make sure your cam pulleys are lined up properly to your previous marks.
Put on the crankshaft plastic cover on (2 bolts).
Then put on the crankshaft pulley.
Make sure it's at TDC still.

Take off the crank pulley and plastic cover. Make sure everything is aligned properly.

Once it is all aligned, put the belt on. It's a little tight, but make sure you don't spin the pulleys during this step.


Put your tensioner grenade on, but DO NOT pull the pin yet.

NOW.... squeeze the timing belt on the left just above the grenade with one hand, both above the cam pulley and below so as to give the belt some tension.

Take your 1" socket and rotate the timing belt several times. I mean 5-10 full rotations. Make sure each time that when the crank is at TDC, that your cam pulleys line up perfectly with your markings that you made. 1 tooth off and you'll have a check engine light.

So, now that you have rotated the engine 5-10 times, and each time it all lines up perfectly, PULL THE GRENADE.

You'll now have tension on the belt, so let go of it with your hand, and rotate the engine another 5-10 time, again make sure each time the crank is TDC, your cam pulleys are lined up perfectly too.

Now put everything back together.


And here are the things that are left of the mess.



Click the video below.

[Audi0s]

As a helpful hint. When youre marking tdc on the cams, mark the teeth on the crank gear and mark the block, no need for the timing cover and pulley to go on everytime.

[Vinchenzo51]

Great writeup man. I'll be using this soon. Appreciate your time you put into the pics and stuff.

[PluschakovP]

As a helpful hint. When youre marking tdc on the cams, mark the teeth on the crank gear and mark the block, no need for the timing cover and pulley to go on everytime.

I feel so stupid, but your tip makes such much more sense than how I did it lol. Thanks :)

Great writeup man. I'll be using this soon. Appreciate your time you put into the pics and stuff.

yeah no problem. best of luck man.

[blkrhyno]

Did you not change the cam seals ?

[PluschakovP]

Did you not change the cam seals ?

No, because I don't have air tools, like the impact drill to take the cam pulley off without spinning it. Unless there are other ways to do it... I plan to pull my motor in the next year again though for bigger turbos and clutch so I will probably redo it all again then heh...

[Johann2.7t]

No, because I don't have air tools, like the impact drill to take the cam pulley off without spinning it. Unless there are other ways to do it... I plan to pull my motor in the next year again though for bigger turbos and clutch so I will probably redo it all again then heh...

you just need a gear puller to pop it off, rent from autozone ~$40

[nitrolvr33]

PluschakovP- you're beautiful, man. I'm doing this same thing here in a couple weeks, and was wondering if I needed to rent the tools or not. Looks like I don't. Thanks!

[rollerton]

Good job, but istill really like using the lock bar, saves a few minutes and you can properly tension the belt. But either way works.
But...why does the coolant in your black pan look so green? I seriously hope it's an illusion or you're in for a coolant flush.

[PluschakovP]

Good job, but istill really like using the lock bar, saves a few minutes and you can properly tension the belt. But either way works.
But...why does the coolant in your black pan look so green? I seriously hope it's an illusion or you're in for a coolant flush.

yeah ive been running pure water for 1 week now. on my 6th cycle of water flush. prepping it all for new g12. it looks green because my windshield washer fluid is in there which was bluish and the container had some fluid in it before. when it mixed and made a green color. kinda blue too.

[PluschakovP]

PluschakovP- you're beautiful, man. I'm doing this same thing here in a couple weeks, and was wondering if I needed to rent the tools or not. Looks like I don't. Thanks!

honestly, just a good set of torx bits. vice crips. some sockets (10mm-17mm should be fine). vice crips. 1" socket is a must to crank the motor. nothing special tho. i mean i have a pretty small tool box but i have the important stuff. maybe ill post a pic of my tool box sometime lol.

[PluschakovP]

Good job, but istill really like using the lock bar, saves a few minutes and you can properly tension the belt. But either way works.
But...why does the coolant in your black pan look so green? I seriously hope it's an illusion or you're in for a coolant flush.

oh and yes, lock bars are nice. definitely feel more safe with using it because you can't go wrong with them.

[martianbooby]

Awesome write up

No, because I don't have air tools, like the impact drill to take the cam pulley off without spinning it. Unless there are other ways to do it... I plan to pull my motor in the next year again though for bigger turbos and clutch so I will probably redo it all again then heh...

Like Johann said all u need is a gear puller... (i always buy them in sears use and return lol)
If u havent done ur vc's yet then when u do them ull have to do the whole timing again... (assuming ull do the camseals)

Also another way to do the fan clutch is use 45 degree needle nose pliers, there are two holes that u can grab then turn it like u did (might help if u have a friend lend a hand... Takes 30 seconds that way)

[ECS Tuning-Audi]

Glad you chose to go with our timing belt kit! Great write up as well!!

Jason

[PluschakovP]

Awesome write up



Like Johann said all u need is a gear puller... (i always buy them in sears use and return lol)
If u havent done ur vc's yet then when u do them ull have to do the whole timing again... (assuming ull do the camseals)

Also another way to do the fan clutch is use 45 degree needle nose pliers, there are two holes that u can grab then turn it like u did (might help if u have a friend lend a hand... Takes 30 seconds that way)

What are "VC's"?

And yeah I like your way with the pliers. My way was kind of tough to get it off... That fan clutch sucks lol.

[Mike@PureMS]

You didn't pull the cam gears off. In order to properly time the motor, you have to pull the cam gears loose form the cam and let them freely rotate. By not doing so, you're not taking the slack in the belt into account, and your timing may be off. Bentley details this pretty clearly that both cam gears must be removed to achieve proper timing.

[martianbooby]

What are "VC's"?

And yeah I like your way with the pliers. My way was kind of tough to get it off... That fan clutch sucks lol.

I meant the valve cover gaskets
Yea the fan clutch sucks
But the bracket was even worser pita for me because the bolts were stripped...

[PluschakovP]

You didn't pull the cam gears off. In order to properly time the motor, you have to pull the cam gears loose form the cam and let them freely rotate. By not doing so, you're not taking the slack in the belt into account, and your timing may be off. Bentley details this pretty clearly that both cam gears must be removed to achieve proper timing.

or...

Crank to TDC.
Pull Valve Cover Gaskets.
Rotate both cams to TDC via these marks.



As long as you have 16 links on the cam chains, and you have TDC on crank and cams you will never, never go wrong. There ARE more than 1 way to properly time motors.

Then when you put the belt on, yes it's loose, but that's why you hand crank the motor before and after you put tension on the belt. Once everything is on besides the timing covers, you can again double check if your timing is on or off.

[PSUS4]

So by releasing the pulleys from the cam it allows the pulley to move a bit while tensioning the belt without moving the cams themselves? I'm changing the VCs at the same time so the post above was helpful and gives you another look to double check your alignment. When you break the pulleys loose what becomes of the "wings" attached to the cam lock bar? The bar will hold them, but they just get sandwiched back in when you tighten the cam bolts again right? Sorry for so many questions on a great write up. I just want to be certain.

[02 A6 2.7T]

So by releasing the pulleys from the cam it allows the pulley to move a bit while tensioning the belt without moving the cams themselves? I'm changing the VCs at the same time so the post above was helpful and gives you another look to double check your alignment. When you break the pulleys loose what becomes of the "wings" attached to the cam lock bar? The bar will hold them, but they just get sandwiched back in when you tighten the cam bolts again right? Sorry for so many questions on a great write up. I just want to be certain.

The "wings" are keyed to the camshaft itself, not the pulley. The pulley's themselves are a conical fit and held in place by the torque of the pulley bolt. As Mike from PureMS stated, the only way to correctly index the cams when installing the timing belt is to use the cam lock bar (and crank lock pin). The belt needs to be installed on the pulleys AND TENSIONED prior to fully tightening the camshaft sprocket pulleys, as per the Bentley manual.

[PSUS4]

Thanks for the quick response. That's what I thought. I'm basing my knowledge simply on reading all these diys and parts diagrams. I'm assuming when you tension the belt the cam pulleys will move slightly but the cams won't since they have been separated. If the pulleys aren't allowed to spin freely, the tension of the belt would turn the cam when taking up slack. So pulley movement is okay, but cam movement is not. Sorry to seem so clueless. I'm a history teacher trying to be a weekend mechanic.

[02 A6 2.7T]

Thanks for the quick response. That's what I thought. I'm basing my knowledge simply on reading all these diys and parts diagrams. I'm assuming when you tension the belt the cam pulleys will move slightly but the cams won't since they have been separated. If the pulleys aren't allowed to spin freely, the tension of the belt would turn the cam when taking up slack. So pulley movement is okay, but cam movement is not. Sorry to seem so clueless. I'm a history teacher trying to be a weekend mechanic.

You are absolutely correct; the the cam lock bar maintains the position of the camshafts relative to the crank. Once the correct tension is on the belt, you tighten and torque the pulley bolts to lock in the position. This is also why you need to use the crank lock pin (although it's a true PITA to install and remove!!). The timing marks on the plastic lower TB cover is close, but IMHO not close enough. It takes several hours to do the TB job so it should be done right the first time...should never be a second time within 75,000 miles....

[PSUS4]

Tackling it this weekend. I have a three day weekend so plenty of time to do it right and go slowly. Previous owner had it changed at 80k but I'm at 103k and the water pump is leaking. Assuming the indy dealer lied about them changing the belt or they were lazy and didn't do the proper job. Thanks for all the help. Audizine has been great to sit back and gather info as a new owner.

[rollerton]

Sounds like you understand it well enough, that's what matters. If you have and USE the bar it's a piece of cake and you won't have any question about whther it's right or not.
That crank-lock-pin, though...? what's the deal with that thing? I should have used it, never have, too much of a bitch. Keep the crank lined up and you wont need it. I mark the crank-gear to the engine block in a couple spots, the crank usually moves 1/2 to 1 tooth while tenioning the belt, I just move it back to the marks, tighten the cam gears, remove the lock bar. Done deal.

[PSUS4]

Thanks for the support. I tried to do my homework before making the decision. Previous owner replaced at 80k 4 years ago. Now I'm at 103k with a leaky water pump. Investigating today to determine if the leak is in fact the water pump and not the after run pump leaking to the front of the engine through some creative path. Is it okay to turn the crank counter clockwise if to get it realigned if it moves half a tooth or should I remove the belt and go a complete turn? Thanks for the continued help. Hoping these conversations will help future weekend do it yourselfers. (This is an expensive hobby and car to own if you don't learn to work on them.)

[NickyAsixx3sixx]

Great write up.

I am at 98K, not sure when it was originally done. The tag under the hood is not specified lol

I am taking a trip to Miami from NY in march sooooo idkkk what to do lol

[MCargill12]

Just wanted to say thanks for making this, successfully finished my timing belt job in about 8 hours with no issues other than removing the silicone the previous "mechanic" used that was fucking everywhere.

[huey]

Great write up! i have just ordered the parts to do my timing belt, cam seals, and valve cover gaskets. Wondering if it would be easier to do my vcg first or vice versa?

[suth31]

you are going to want to do them at the same time, as some of the plastic covers can get in your way if you replacing the driver side cam tensioner gasket. I would get the front into service position, break everything down, then replace the gaskets, and that will give them some time to cure if you are using gasket maker anywhere. then after that, tackle the timing belt job.

[huey]

you are going to want to do them at the same time, as some of the plastic covers can get in your way if you replacing the driver side cam tensioner gasket. I would get the front into service position, break everything down, then replace the gaskets, and that will give them some time to cure if you are using gasket maker anywhere. then after that, tackle the timing belt job.

Thanks that's what the advice I was seeking

[huey]

Can chain pads. Any opinions on if they're necessary?

[Brav]

Can chain pads. Any opinions on if they're necessary?

Yes. They are.

[Racin2redline]

When I originally did my timing belt a year ago, I didn't use a cam lock bar, I was unfamiliar with the 2.7t and didn't know any better, but I don't remember my cam gears moving at all when I installed the new belt. I checked and double checked a few times becuase I was nervous before I pulled the pin. I also had the valve covers off and everything seemed to line up... Granted next time around I will be doing it as per spec. But I don't see how my timing could be off? And if it was how much can it be off?

[julex]

Cam bar is for a TB service without valve covers opening. If you open valve covers, you can also time the cams by notch to arrow method and thus you don't need cam bar. IMHO the cam bar's only use it to prevent cams from jumping, one side's cam lobes are just past their peak extension over lifter at TDC and the cam might jump ahead at slightest touch.

[AR15Texan]

Oh the cams will definitely jump.