[365Lusso]

New member, great site, love all the technical How-tos.

My wife's 2005 Passat (BHW PD engine) has 110,000 mi. on it and is making some worrisome engine noises, kinda like just one of the links in the oil pump drive chain is stiff or worn--a quite subdued, quietish steady rattle with a steady single click per chain revolution sound at idle. It had a new timing belt put on at just 100k mi. and I unfortunately did not know about the chain to gear drive conversion & cam issues at the time.

She loves her Passat, commutes 100mi./day, and really depends on her car's reliability. I want to take her car to someone in the Seattle area (preferably not a dealer) who has actually done the Passat PD oil pump drive-chain-to-gear-drive inspection/conversion and cam inspection/repair-if-necessary a few times and really understands the Passat PD TDi engine.

Does anyone know a good TDi mechanic/shop in the Seattle area that has done this specific job? Am I asking for too much?

Thanks, Wil

 

[chittychittybangbang]

All chains will make some noise. The question is how much noise? The nosier it is, the more likely it is to break. How long or how many miles? I don't think there's any way to know for sure.

However, if you do this proactive modification, I would bet that the engine would be as bulletproof as possible. The only other common problem is camshaft wear. Because it has a new timing belt you can reuse the belt. If it's removed, make sure to mark the running direction.

Unfortunately, these aren't very common cars and this mod is not very common either. I haven't heard of anyone in Seattle doing it. I cannot make a recommendation but my opinion as a non-mechanic is that any good engine shop should be able to do it. The instructions are pretty clear and as long as they clearly read the instructions, use the correct tools (they probably don't have them and you would have to provide them), and provide a warranty, they would probably be able to do it. I'm not talking about an oil change shop or a tire change shop, I'm talking about a place that regularly does engine internal work. The place which did your last timing belt would be where I would start asking because they should also cover the timing belt warranty.

Also, I sent you a PM regarding the sound. I have a video but it's not done yet.

 

[365Lusso]

Thanks much for the PM videos, they give me a better idea of what I'm up against. The Passat chain noise is about like the video that shows a chain still in good shape but somewhat noisy. Except there is something else on the Passat chain noise that is not on any of the videos you sent me. It sounds alot like when a freight train goes over a rail coupling that makes the freight car wheels click; clickclick....pause....clickclick, and so on.

I do know of some good general mechanics in the area, I'll give them a call. There's got to be some mechanics who speak TDi in the Seattle area.

Thanks for your help,
Wil

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Some of the videos were too big to upload. I'll work on it later. A click click click could be the chain clicking on a broken tensioner. I can't make the decision for you but if it's clicking and loud and not another belt or something clicking, I would get it replaced as soon as possible, not as soon as practical. If you're driving and see a "low oil pressure STOP" message, pull over as soon as it's safe and shut off the engine. It's not worth getting into an accident to save the engine.

There are some local TDI mechanics but I don't know if any of them are experienced with this procedure because most aren't. Even if they are not, they should be able to follow the instructions. You could also find a mechanic who specializes in B5 generation Audi A4 1.8T or B5 5th generation Passat with 1.8T engine. These are basically the same car and the procedure to take the bumper and oil pan off is exactly the same. The only difference is that instead of a small oil pump there's an oil pump/balance shaft module. As long as they use the correct tools and follow the instructions they should be OK.

If you could take a video of the noise with the engine cover off, looking down at the hood, standing about 5 feet away from the front, that would help. With the engine fully warmed up, rev it up and down in park or neutral for at least 1 minute and upload it to youtube. I'm not an expert but I've heard and taped a few. It would help describe what the noise is and I could add it to the list.

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Here are some more videos that are already published - keep in mind that replacing the chain with gears will make it quieter so it's hard to hear the difference.

chain w/88k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbjgvh_eTDE

car with gear driven:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTQIaK-cwD4

noisy chain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nXCjJ5hhOs

 

[JoeMA]

How much does the mod cost vs. the engine? I'm the kind of person who will fix anything that is remotely off. The more things get out of tolerance the more likely they are to fail. You could probably put off the timing belt if it has some extra life built into them but some have it fail early. It's a bell curve. How lucky do you feel?

 

[365Lusso]

If you could take a video of the noise with the engine cover off, looking down at the hood, standing about 5 feet away from the front, that would help.

Chitty, I would like to do that but I don't own a video camera. Thanks for the videos, I have a better handle on how the Passat is doing. I think I've also found someone who can do the job is Seattle. Thanks for the help.

Wil

 

[mythmanq]

hi there,

have you found a good auto shop to do the oil pump/balance shift conversion yet? I am in the Seattle area and got 323,000 miles on my passat tdi and its about time to do a conversion to the gear system.

Thanks,
Max

 

[YMZ]

Although ZahnTech in Redmond is often recommended, I'm not sure if they've done any balance shaft replacements. The closest known shop is FixUmHaus in Portland, should you happen to be going in that direction some time...

All the best,

Yuri

 

[Arnie24]

Parts?

Where Can I buy the parts for this conversion?

 

[YMZ]

welcometomyturbodies Welcome to the website!

You should decide whether you want to go for the geared balance shaft replacement module or the less expensive delete option. I believe BoraParts.com has kits for both...

Good luck,

Yuri