UPDATE:

Well I didn't need to remove the front clip, I just got a hold of a breaker bar which was long enough for me to do the job.

The bearing that I found in the belly pan I also found 2 more for a total of 4.

Now, I spin the crank clock wise until the mark meets the arrow. I look at the cam "ears" and the driver side (bank 2?) is straight, but the pass. side (bank 1?) is a little off. What I mean by off is if bank2 to is perfectly horizontal at 3:00, then bank 1 is at about 2:00-2:30.

Another interesting fact is that the timing belt is loose! The bottom of the belt has tension, but the top of the belt going over both cams are loose. I mean so loose that I can almost pull the belt up and spin the cam. That's not normal right?

So my feeling is that the tensioner siezed perhaps and threw some bearings leaving alot of play in the timing belt allowing the cam to slip 1 or to notches. does that sound reasonable?

So I am ordering the ESC tuning Ultimate Timing belt kit and I am going to attempt to change it with the help of my brother-in-law. My main concern is getting that cam in the right position, so please let me know if any of you have instructons for that!

 

Very very lucky by the sounds of it!

I would strongly recommend getting the cam alignment tool to do the job - it's about $100 on eBay or maybe you can find one locally from a member of this board? Cam timing is very critical on these engines and the bar is the only way to get it right.

If you haven't got one already, you'll need a manual too - even a Haynes is better than nothing, in fact it describes the timing belt procedure quite well. The Passat/A4 manual has all you need if you are in a pinch.

Best of luck!

 

Thanks Loach!

A few last questions, is the cam alignment tool this sucker that comes with the kit I ordered?



And once I align the crank and the bank 2 cam is perfectly horizontal, when I bolt up this alignment tool to the bank 2 first, then adjust bank 1 so it is now horizontal and bolts up to the tool, does that mean the cam is aligned perfectly?

And last, does our car really have a timing belt AND a timing chain? From reading other posts, it appears that way, but it doesnt make sence to me. If so, do I need to check the chain links to make sure that is it 16 links apart as well?

Sorry for all of the questions, I just need to make sure I have a good idea of waht I'm getting into before I start!

 

That's a very nice kit! It has the alignment bar and the crank hold pin so you are good to go. You will have to pop the cam sprockets off with a 3 leg puller, but other than that the rest of the tools are pretty ordinary.

You are right - once you have the crank pin in at no.1 TDC and the cam alignment bar installed on the cam plates, your cam/crank timing will be perfect. From there, install the belt, apply pre-tension and tighten/torque the camshaft pulley bolts. Remove the alignment bar and crank pin and turn by hand until you can get alignment bar back in, check crank mark is in the right spot and you are good to put it all back together.

Don't worry about the cam chains - they are there but they won't be disturbed during this job. If you have oil leaks at the rear of bank 1 or front of bank 2, then now would be a good time to replace the tensioner gaskets because it is much easier and more likely to go well with the belt removed. If you do decide to do that, you will need another special tool(!) - the tensioner collapsing tool.