I'm thinking of swapping engines in my Golf. How much is there to c*ck up when doing a cambelt on a twin cam engine? I'd have the thing out of the car so access wouldn't be a problem. I'm happy doing most mechanical things but I've never done a cambelt before...
The obvious one is to prevent things turning during the swop - under the worse condition a valve might touch a piston and get bent etc if the crank or a cam was turned using force with the belt off. I'd guess even a Haynes manual would give the correct procedure.
& if you're going to swap the engine out then changing it out of the car's dead easy.
The pump seizing is disastrous, the plastic impellor falling apart isn't something I've seen, but I have seen metal ones corrode away.
On 09-Jul-09 13:19:54, Doki said
Erm based on what I've read here and elsewhere....
Do the water pump at the same time, and go for a non VW one 'cos they have a plastic impeller, and you're better off with a 3rd party job with a metal impeller that won't fall apart.
Is that correct? :-/
All the best, Angus Manwaring. (for e-mail remove ANTISPEM)
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I've seen the plastic impellor slipping on the metal shaft causing poor circulation and an overheating engine. (on a diesel 2004 Passat - 1.9L I think).
3rd party metal impellor pump fitted along with new cam belt kit. Engine far happier.
I've done several SOHC VW engines in-car, and it's dead easy. Don't the DOHC have another, smaller belt so the 2nd cam is driven off the first? You may need a tool for the tensioner, but they're cheap.
Isn't this on the later engines? IIRC we're talking Golf II here, in which case the 8v engines have a waterpump driven by the alternator belt- are the 16v the same?
the twin cam has a little belt between the cams and the water pump is driven by the cam belt
The engine will be a twin cam ABF - the 2l 16V from the MK3 Golf. From the looks of ELSA (VW service manuals) the ABF has a cam chain driving the second cam. The water pump runs off a poly V belt, similar to the old 16V setup.
That sounds like the old 8v in relation to the pump then, and the camchain arrangment is like from the first Golf 16v engine.
MrCheerful is probably thinking of the recent engines (like the 1.4 in our Lupo), which are exactly as he describes.
My first post wasn't exactly clear.
yep, engine size, model and year always helps, but no matter. abf engine is really easy to do
Would you recommend doing anything to the engine whilst it's out of the car? Whatever engine I get will be coming out of a scrap car with probably over
100k on the clock. Obviously a new oil pump and water pump would be a good idea. I'm tempted to get the head ported and polished as it can be done for a little more than a basic recon through the GTI club.
if you have the time and money then a new set of shells (if there is any wear) new rings, recut valves and seats and change the valve stem seals and crank seals and it will be like new. Really though there is no limit to what you could change/spend.
Going slightly away from the original, I have a 97 1.8 4 cyl. 20v Octavia. I was under the impression that it was an Audi engine. Ordering a part recently from the Skoda dealer, he tells me, "no, it is a VW engine". Who is right? Ta Alan.
He is.
Although it doesn't really matter, given that it's a lump shared with most parts of the VAG empire.
On BMW E36's the plastic impeller is a well known disaster waiting to happen. I expect the VW one is the same.
I've had two impellers collapse on RV8 engines - and they were ally.
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