I have an 02 A4 1.8T and the timing belt broke. We replaced the head and put it all together and timed it. It starts and runs but has no power and throws a cam position sensor code. We have checked the timing 4 times and get different results. We have the book but the timing procedure is vague. Any tips on how to check the timing and be sure that the cams are inline with the crank?

Thanks

 

What do you mean by different results? The crank pulley lines up with the mark on the timing belt cover and the cam sprocket lines up with the mark on the valve cover. Always turn the engine by hand two full revolutions and recheck your marks before starting the car.

Did you mess with the timing between the intake and exhaust cams at all? Did you ever have the camshafts out?

Post some pics of your timing marks so we can see where your at.

 

Thanks for the reply. What I mean by different results is simply that the cam timing is close but can be off because of the cam chain tension-er. Also it seems like there is play in the timing belt so if I line up the crank and cam pulley, then put the car in gear and rock it back and forth, the crank and cam pulley move at different rates. Mainly because of the slack on the belt. I assume this is normal.

As for the cams, yes they were removed and put on a new head with new valves. One thing we found was that when the cam position sensor was installed, the part that attaches to the cam was not tightened properly and was not turning properly. We replaced the sensor and now get P0341

As I mentioned, the car starts on the second try, idles and runs fine but has no low end power. You have to rev it up to 3K and let the clutch out to get it moving.

Here are pictures of the timing...

 

Thanks for posting up the pics. Were all those pictures taken at the same time, without moving the engine at all? It looks like all your marks line up, but from what you are describing it sounds like the timing between the intake and exhaust cams is off. Maybe remove the valve cover and check it again? You may just be off slightly. With everything at TDC, those marks on the cam caps and cams should be close and you should be able to count 16 chain links from mark to mark.

Let me know how you make out. Hopefully its just an ajustment to get the car running well again.

 

Yes, the pictures were taken at the same time. The marks never line up exactly mainly due to the cam chain tensioner so we put the car in gear and rock it back and forth to line them up. And I have counted 16 links twice. I am going to check the CPS again to be sure the metal part is attached to the cam properly. Is it possible to have the crank and head out of phase on this engine? In other words, the crank turns twice to one revolution of the cams. Can the crank be one revolution off? What is the reason in the manual for turning the engine twice to bring it to tdc? Lastly, is there a specific way to time this engine besides the vague procedure in the manual?

 

If you search you may be able to find a good DIY timing belt thread to give you a different perspective. No, you can not mess up the crank timing if your marks are correct. You may want to verify that cyl #1 is actually at TDC when the mark on the crank pulley/timing cover is lined up.

I'm still pretty confident your timing is off cam to cam. It doesn't take much to make the car run poorly. I have had machine shops time them incorrectly after valve jobs more than once. I know you think the marks are close but it may not be good enough. You shouldn't have to roll the car to get them to match up. Trust me on this one.

 

You were right! It was the cam to cam timing. Running like a top again!

THANK YOU.

 

Awesome! Glad you fixed it.