[icntdrv]

Hey Yall,

I'm helping a buddy work on his ALH TDI that the mechanic screwed up a timing belt job on. I checked his injection timing with Vag-Com and found it to be way off, but its still smoking and shaking and VERY hard to start so I'm pretty sure that the cam timing is off too.

This weekend I'll be checking out the timing, and could definitely use the advice.

Anybody in the Jackson, MS area want to swing by for a few beers?

 

[chittychittybangbang]

It sounds like you're on the right track.

What was wrong with the timing belt other than timing? I would check the index marks while the engine is at TDC to verify that the belt is on correctly.

 

[YMZ]

It would help to know what you mean by "mechanic screwed up a timing belt job"

If somehow (hard) contact was permitted between one or more pistons and one or more valves, in all probability there's damage to the cylinder head, and simply putting the engine back in mechanical synchronization will not help in the long run...

Yuri

 

[buggy9]

Yeah, slipped TB could be crushed valve. What went wrong?

 

[icntdrv]

Finally got this worked out. After going around in circles for months on this, I got a hold of some extra injectors, swapped them out, and lo and behold it ran great. Disassembled each of the injectors and found the #1 injector had a broken spring and was all sooted up inside.

Fortunately for all of us, the mechanic accidentally got the cam timing correct, but had tightened the timing belt tensioner backwards so it was only a matter of time before it failed. It appeared also that the mechanic did not bother replacing the roller bearing either, despite being handed a big box of parts from idparts. Time will only tell how much else the lazy bastards did wrong or lied about, but unfortunately the rough running and smoking issue cannot be blamed on them... I think.

Got the car buttoned up and sent back home.