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DIY: Timing chain, guides, & tensioner resources

mattpowers

Passed Driver's Ed
Hey guys, I just replaced my tensioner as well as the camshaft & balance shaft timing chains & guides. There's a ton of information regarding the tensioner replacement, but not a lot that goes the next bit further into replacing the chains. I am by NO means an expert, so if I make a mistake, please do correct me, but I'm putting out my experience to try to make things easier for others. Also, I know a lot of people have written better information throughout (I'll try to reference it), but if any mods want to take this post and compile it into something else, please do.

Most of the work is the same as replacing the tensioner. In addition to the tools & parts you need for that, you'll need a few extra things. Total time for me took about 3 days, but I don't have a shop or a lift, and it was my first time. The most difficult part for me was actually removing the turbo elbow, which is 3x allen screws that are super difficult to get to. I believe they are 4.5mm on the MK6. I also didn't KNOW that it's necessary, so I kept trying to work around it.

Guides to follow to take everything apart:

Resources for the rest of it:

Parts required:
This is not exhaustive, but don't count on every kit to give you everything you need. This is to point you in the right direction.
  • GTI Timing tools kit (donut to hold crank bolt, counthold tool, camshaft locks, etc.) I used this one, and it worked perfectly on a 2010 GTI CBFA.
  • A good set of ball-headed allen wrenches, flexible impact extensions, and some patience
  • lower timing cover, upper timing cover, all new seals
  • TTY bolts (stretch bolts)-- There are a number of motor mount bolts, all of the lower timing cover bolts, and a bolt on the exhaust camshaft that should all be replaced. Most timing kits do not include these parts
  • Oil change
  • Timing change kit (chains, guides, tensioners, Permatex sealant, etc.)

Personal advice / tips:
Removing the lower timing cover is a bit of a bear, mostly because of two bolts-- one behind the serpentine belt tensioner, it's not too bad. Take the belt tensioner pulley off, put bolt back on, then pull the bolt to the side with a ratchet and pop the torx out with your impact. The one that gave me hell was the torx behind the turbo elbow, the left-most screw. You will have to remove the elbow (or at least most of the bolts on it) to get to that screw. Many people apparently loosen the electrical connector bracket, remove the turbo elbow. These are all super tight spaces. I used a mini ratchet (the kind that takes screw bits), ball head allens, and flexible impact attachments, and a ton of patience to remove / reinstall those things. Someone on here may have a better technique for that.

I did not replace the oil pump chain, because I beive you have to drop the oil pan as well, and it did not sound like it is problematic. To replace the other two chains, make sure you have your motor in time before you take off anything. If you have the crankshaft dampener set to the mark, you should be good. I went ahead and zip-tied the camshaft chain together, set my camshaft locks in place (if they don't fit perfectly, you can either put a little tension on the camshaft with a wrench, or set one screw of the camshaft brace, then get a tooth to lock with the cam gear, then screw the other one in. You just need to make sure the cams don't spin.

Once those are locked, go ahead and remove your zip tie, remove the tensioner, and take the chains off. Then go ahead and remove any guides you are replacing, and reinstall according to the service manual. As far as timing, each chain has the marks on them (special colored links) that correspond to the timing marks on each gear / cog. Compare to your factory chain to see where to start them, but basically, just make sure that each colored link matches PERFECTLY to each marked gear. make sure it's perfect, install your tensioners, and then if it's all good, remove your cam locks, double check that it's all still perfectly timed, and install your new lower cover (do not re-use, it will be bent, and it will likely leak a ton of oil). Also, make sure to clean the mating surface super well. A razorblade works pretty great.


This is the turbo REMOVED, showing the torx that's hard to get to. The vacuum lines get in the way too. I had to loosen the electrical clip bracket and rotate it out of the way to get the turbo elbow off.


This is a stretch bolt, and should be replaced. I was unaware, so didn't do it, but also definitely OVER torqued it, which is not what I would strongly advise avoiding. learn from my mistakes. Note that when you take your old chain off, it most likely will NOT be lined up with the marks, due to some ratio (only lines up every 30+ rotations), but when you put the new chain on DO line up the links with the marks on the gears. Notice the new chain in the following photos lines up...


Also, because it would really suck to mess this up-- Remember there is a REVERSE threaded bolt on the intake camshaft. This is the one you need one of the special tools for. Righty-loosey.




These are the camshaft sprocket marks. You can see how they line up with the colored links on the chains.


That's all I've got for now. I apologize for having so few pics, but hopefully this helps some people out! Thanks to everyone on this forum for giving ME, a new GTI owner, the knowledge and ability to do this work in the first place!

Thanks,
Matt
 

smanierre

Autocross Champion
This is great, definitely gonna use this when I do mine. I'll try and get some pics of the balance shaft chain and the marks all lined up on the gear on the crank since those are really the only pictures you didn't get.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk
 

Tony48

Go Kart Champion
@mattpowers great writeup with good information about some of the snags that occur that aren't in the service manual. The turbo outlet was a huge pain to get out and took a lot of patience/time. You've covered the best approaches and tools needed well.

In regards to lining up timing marks, I took a slightly different approach than you. I turned the motor over ~a dozen times until my marks were close (balancer shaft chain marks lined up but cam chain marks were off by 1 tooth on each cam). Then I counted teeth and measured the distances between cam marks per the service manual section (picture below in case the link breaks) to ensure I had not skipped a tooth. Pay attention to the note at the bottom of the procedure which states skipping a tooth will affect your measurement by ~6mm.

Capture by Tony G, on Flickr

After ensuring I had not skipped a tooth I then replaced the timing chain EXACTLY AS IT WAS. I matched the timing links up to one tooth off on each cam. Before and After pics below:


IMG_20171224_163623 by Tony G, on Flickr


IMG_20171225_151704 by Tony G, on Flickr



The way mattpowers and I did it will both work. I was trying to ensure factory timing chain position remained unchanged to satisfy my OCD. As long as you have the correct number of links between teeth it doesn't matter which way you choose.

I'm glad to see the info I posted in my build thread is helping people out. In fact, I just sent my timing tools to another forum member for him to borrow and answered a bunch of questions he had during his timing job. Got word yesterday that he got everything replaced and the car is running great! :w00t:

This is great, definitely gonna use this when I do mine. I'll try and get some pics of the balance shaft chain and the marks all lined up on the gear on the crank since those are really the only pictures you didn't get.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk
You mean like this picture? :thumbup: (side note, not sure why my new balance shaft chain had extra marked links but I counted links between marks on the old vs. new chain to ensure I used the correct marks)

IMG_20171225_133135 by Tony G, on Flickr
 

smanierre

Autocross Champion
Exactly like that lol. I'm gonna reference this when I do it this weekend, and i'll keep track of anything that may have been missed and add it in so hopefully we will finally have a total guide on here.
 

mattpowers

Passed Driver's Ed
@Tony48, Thanks!! I definitely used your information a ton, and it allowed me to get this thing up and running with no CELs or issues!

(side note, not sure why my new balance shaft chain had extra marked links but I counted links between marks on the old vs. new chain to ensure I used the correct marks)

Mine had the same thing. Those doubled-up marks were unused on mine as well. For others, I would take the new one, and count teeth vs. the stock one, to see which mark will go where (crank, balance shafts, etc.)

smanierre said:
i'll keep track of anything that may have been missed and add it in so hopefully we will finally have a total guide on here.

Yes! That would be great.
 

MrFancypants

Autocross Champion
Thanks for the write-up, great job!

I admit that this job is intimidating because I've always been somewhat timid about dealing with hard parts related to engine timing. But I'm at a place where my car can be down and I can take as long as I want to do it so maybe I'll add this to the list of things to do.
 

smanierre

Autocross Champion
Thanks for the write-up, great job!

I admit that this job is intimidating because I've always been somewhat timid about dealing with hard parts related to engine timing. But I'm at a place where my car can be down and I can take as long as I want to do it so maybe I'll add this to the list of things to do.
I was too at first but after watching videos it doesn't seem that bad. As long as you triple or quadruple check everything is timed correctly you should be good. The part I'm most worried about is re-sealing the lower cover, I'm not trying to buy that part 2 times. this is also a very good video, granted it's an Audi so it may be a gen 2 and have slightly different timing marks (not actually sure if that's the case) but does a really good job of picking up where the DAP tensioner video leaves off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DihEegHWaYM

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Last edited:

smanierre

Autocross Champion
I need some confirmation here. I got the balance shaft chain on no issue, everything lined up fine. To get the colored links to line up on the marked teeth, I had to rotate the intake cam back about 3 teeth, now with those lined up I am about 2 teeth short on the crank gear. Should I just trust in the markings and line them up with the marked teeth? I didn't mark the teeth when I pulled the chains off, so i'm thinking that's my best bet. Just want to see if it sounds normal to have to rotate the crank back 2 teeth to match the cams.
 

mattpowers

Passed Driver's Ed
I need some confirmation here. I got the balance shaft chain on no issue, everything lined up fine. To get the colored links to line up on the marked teeth, I had to rotate the intake cam back about 3 teeth, now with those lined up I am about 2 teeth short on the crank gear. Should I just trust in the markings and line them up with the marked teeth? I didn't mark the teeth when I pulled the chains off, so i'm thinking that's my best bet. Just want to see if it sounds normal to have to rotate the crank back 2 teeth to match the cams.

I imagine you already addressed this, but--

I would double check everything against the factory chain, same number of links, etc, but if that's all good, then yeah I would say you need to get all the marks to line up. On mine, the camshaft locks allowed a little stretch, and I had to rotate the intake shaft about 1 link to make it all line up. I think you're supposed to avoid turning the crank, but should ideally move the cams with a spanner instead.
 

smanierre

Autocross Champion
So i'm 99% sure I got it figured out. I actually ended up taking the crank gear off, making sure it was still lined up correctly with the actual shaft. Then I put the pulley back on to rotate the crank until all the marks lined up, only had to move it about 2 teeth. Everything is all lined up now though. Just waiting on the oil chain tensioner from the dealer since mine broke coming off. Also anyone know a part number for that screw that goes into the exhaust cam? I guess there are 2 different bolts that go in there, one being much beefier than the other. I had the weak one and used the torque value for the big one, whoops. I called 2 different dealerships and can't find a part number for it. There is one thread on the screw itself that is messed up but I doubt it messed up the threads in the cam, if I can't get another you think it's still safe to use assuming it still holds the proper torque value?
 

mattpowers

Passed Driver's Ed
Glad you got it figured out!

if I can't get another you think it's still safe to use assuming it still holds the proper torque value?

That's basically what ended up happening to me. I mentioned it to a master VW tech, and he said that the cam bridge doesn't get a whole lot of work until you are over 300HP. he wasn't terribly worried that I had re-used the stretch bolt on mine, although he said if I go K04, he would replace it. For whatever that's worth.
 

smanierre

Autocross Champion
Glad you got it figured out!



That's basically what ended up happening to me. I mentioned it to a master VW tech, and he said that the cam bridge doesn't get a whole lot of work until you are over 300HP. he wasn't terribly worried that I had re-used the stretch bolt on mine, although he said if I go K04, he would replace it. For whatever that's worth.

the plan down the road is a lot more than 300, although at that point i'm gonna be rebuilding the whole engine so it'll definitely get changed then, gonna see if the dealership can find one if I bring it in for them as a reference. shouldn't be too hard to change it out after the fact, just pull the upper timing cover
 

smanierre

Autocross Champion
So just got back from the dealership. The oil pump chain tensioner was $50 and the little screw that goes into the exhaust cam cannot be bought on its own. One of the technicians there suggested going to a pick and pull and getting one from there. Moral of the story is, don't pull the oil chain tensioner without pinning it unless you don't like your money and make sure you have the correct torque specs for the specific bolt you have going into the exhaust cam.
 

conortwomey

New member
Hi all,

I changed the timing chain, tensioner and camshaft bridge over the weekend. In total the work took 12 hrs. I did have access to a 2 post lift to make the job easier, but you simply have to take your time and double check everything. It's a really tight space to work on the Golf and there were a couple of tools that were very useful. 10mm racheting spanner and a short M12 triple square.

I bought all the parts from my local VW dealership. They were very helpful and gave me plenty of discount. Between this forum, YouTube and online documentation I got enough information to do the job with confidence. The timing tool kit I bought off eBay had not only the damper holding tool but also a plate that kept the two camshafts in position while I changed the chain. Torquing of the engine bracket bolts was impossible with a torque wrench because it simply doesn't fit in that space, so that was a bit of a guess. I also include all the torque settings that were required below.

My Golf was only 500 miles from it's next service so the change of oil and filter required synced up well. Engine has 139K Kilometres and the previous chain stretch was only -2.32 degrees. Now the stretch is +0.35 degrees. VW advised changing the chain while I had so much of it a part. It was then I discovered the broken screen in the camshaft bridge. Anyway, engine running like a dream again.

Hope the information below helps some people.

The parts I replaced were as follows:

Parts
Code:
Camshaft Bridge 06H-103-144-K              €142.22 exc vat
Timing Chain Tensioner 06K-109-467-K        €40.84 exc vat
Lower Timing Cover 06H-109-210-AG           €86.43 exc vat
Sealant D174003M2                           €24.61 exc vat
Crankshaft Pulley Bolt WHT-001-760           €5.36 exc vat
Engine Bracket Bolt N10701501 x 3           €10.21 exc vat
Engine Mount Bolt N10552402 x 2              €7.26 exc vat
Camshaft Timing Chain 06H-109-158BE         €63.66 exc vat
Side Rail (Tensioner) 06H-109-509Q          €12.51 exc vat
Side Rail (Idle) 06H-109-469AP               €7.93 exc vat
Top Rail 06H-109-469T                        27.29 exc vat
Bridge Bolt N91096701 x 1                    €0.29 exc vat
Genuine VAG Oil Filter 06J-115-403Q         €13.55 exc vat 
Castrol Edge Professional LLIII             €37.00 exc vat
Sump Bolt N91167901 x 1                      €2.34 exc vat

Total (exc vat)                            €461.50 exc vat

I also needed a number of tools that I didn't have

Code:
Engine Support Bar                          €98.00 inc vat
TSI Engine Time Tool Kit                    €68.12 inc vat

Torque Settings
Code:
Engine Bracket Bolt (TTY)       40Nm + 180 degrees
Engine Mount Bolt (TTY)         60Nm + 90 degrees
Crankshaft Bolt (TTY)          150Nm + 90 degrees
Belt Tensioner Pulley Bolt      23Nm
Oil Drain Plug                  30Nm
Spark Plugs                     25Nm 

Dipstick Bolt                    9Nm
Turbo N75 Waste Gate Bypass (x2) 3Nm
Turbo Outlet Elbow (x3)          9Nm

(Upper Timing)
Upper Timing Cover               9Nm
Camshaft Exhaust (TTY) Bolt      8Nm + 90 degrees (M6)
Control Valve Link              35Nm (reverse thread)
Camshaft Bridge Bolts            9Nm

(Lower Timing)
Lower Timing Cover               8Nm + 45 degrees (requires thread lock)
Camshaft Tensioner Bolt          9Nm
Camshaft Guide Rails            20Nm
Oil Pump Drive Chain Guide Rail  9Nm
 

godnf8

Passed Driver's Ed
A few things of note from doing my tensioner/chains/guides over weekend with help from Tony48.

Buy a tube style sealant for lower cover and make your life easier. I had the audi branded version that came with my kit from fcp euro and you have to use your thumb to press bottom in making it a very slow and painful process and rushing to put cover in before the 5 minutes is up. Really wish I'd have thought this one out lol

A white paint pen will come in super handy for marking up chains to match with new ones. I was not able to get both timing chain marks and camshaft balance chain marks lined up at same time, so we (Thanks Tony48!) lined up timing chain and then marked balance shaft chain. Thank goodness Tony48 brought his so we weren't delayed for a store visit.

The upper chain guide was a MF'r to get off. 2 flat blade screwdrivers were used 1 on each side to pry off. It will go flying so watch your face lol and more importantly put a towel below so no pieces drop down inside your open timing covers.

27mm needed for lower tensioner as well as a ½” universal joint to fit a wrench above axle

Be careful when removing the oil pump chain tensioner, I broke a clip on mine but seemed to go back in ok still, but probably could have been avoided had I know it was going to fly every which way. Hold with one, pry with small flat head with other and make sure you don't break the tabs off prying out

We could not install the second camshaft lock tool in with upper tensioner/guide still installed (one closest to firewall). A 19mm wrench was used to hold cam in place so this definitely would not have been possible without a second person helping remove the tension before installing camshaft lock while still keeping timing lined up. This was also the case when putting new guide/tensioner in, the camshaft timing lock had to be removed closest to firewall and a 19mm used to hold in place. A 2nd 19mm came in handy for adjusting the other cam sprocket as well since we basically had 1 19mm permanently on sprocket closest to firewall.
 
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