Let me ask this about timing belts.....

read here to understand what happens to a diesel engine when you change the timing

later, dave Reminder........ Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes. Frieda Norris

I had the timing belt on my 78 Rabbit Diesel skip one notch years ago when I had to cross over a "ridge" of gravel because a grader was coming up a hill on my side of the road towards me.

The engine would start and run, but barely had enough power to move the car in 1st gear. (I know the joke - with only 48HP that was almost always the case.) It was NOT drivable. Luckily there was no damage, except to the timing belt itself...

Can't say on a diesel. I had the idler seize on my wife's Subaru and trash the timing belt. When I replaced the idler and belt I got it back on one notch off. It started OK and sounded normal at idle, but when trying to run it up it sort of misfired and had no power. I *knew* I hadn't touched the distributor, and it was running fine before the seizure, so I went back and found that what I'd thought was a timing mark was a gouge on the crank case next to the timing mark, which was covered up with road grime. It was about

- Bill