[Allen]

A friend of mine rolled the car out of the driveway backwards and popped the clutch. I think the timing belt jumped teeth on the cam shaft. It won't start now. Any suggestions? Do you think it damaged the engine?

Any opinions or ideas would be very appreciated.

Thanks...

 

[fstjetta]

Yikes! Don't crank it AT ALL. How many miles were on the timing belt? I can't believe that popping the clutch would make the timing belt jump though.

Look through the FAQ at the timing belt writeup. Check the timing belt index marks at the flywheel, camshaft, and injection pump. If they are still correct then it didn't jump. If it did, do more inspections.

 

[Allen]

Yikes! Don't crank it AT ALL. How many miles were on the timing belt? I can't believe that popping the clutch would make the timing belt jump though.

Look through the FAQ at the timing belt writeup. Check the timing belt index marks at the flywheel, camshaft, and injection pump. If they are still correct then it didn't jump. If it did, do more inspections.

The Car has 90K miles and only about 3K on the new timing belt. Why would a popping a clutch in reverse cause any damage. Would a Chilton manual show me the correct timing on this engine? Also is there a way to determine if there is any valve damage to the head? I was told there is no clearance on the valves.

Thanks...

 

[chittychittybangbang]

I doubt Chilton will show this amount of detail, look through this:
http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q_how_to/a4/timing_belt_part_1.htm

Only way to make sure is to remove the camshaft and lifters and then do a compression check. Any impressions on the lifters indicate valve damage. There is no clearance on the valves but if it slips at the injection pump than the cam/crank will still be in time.

I don't think the clutch damaged the timing belt. Since it was done about 3k ago, it's possible that it was done incorrectly. Who did the timing belt? Did they use the locking tools or just paint the sprockets because that doesn't work well on these engines. And if you reuse the tensioner or didn't torque them misc bolts/nuts down then they could have failed. Were the motor mount bolts replaced and torqued down because they tend to strip and let the engine fall down.

 

[xmachineheadx]

Listen to this advice. Many a TDI enigne has been ruined by half assed timing belt jobs. If there's no valve-piston contact there isn't valve damage. Why do you say you think it jumped teeth on the camshaft? If he was trying to jump start it, the fuel cut off solenoid needs 12v to work and a low battery will prevent starting.

 

[vw709]

Get a Bentley manual. It's invaluable and way better than chilton.