You can actually buy the parts from the VW dealer for about $300; that's a kit with the belt, tensioner, and roller, plus a water pump and thermostat added separately. I've always had good luck with original parts, so that's what I've used.
It's a great belt. Do it. As to noise, it's no more noiser than stock (aka not much noise at all)
So, a bit more longevity that actually holds up to the OE change interval with the conti belts is a plus.
Well guys.... Heres a little update. It was a bad water pump. Real bad. The car just rolled over on 145k. The original owner never had the original timing belt and water pump replaced. After taking everything apart, I realized how lucky I was that the pump was the only thing to go. The belt was severely cracking.
My mother had an '86, then upgraded to a '93 Pajero (so euro) 2.5TDI GLS. Not what you're looking at but I'll share some stuff FWIW. She sold the '93 in 2010. It was a pretty good car. Big and slow, but surprisingly comfortable, especially in the front. These are not as refined as a Range Rover etc, and they feel a bit like farm equipment at times. Got around really well in snow and cold with its advanced 4WD system, could put it in 2WD and get power oversteer too (I managed to smash a fence this way). Interior never felt top quality, but held up really well in terms of wear and tear. Floaty steering feel, squishy manual gearbox, easy clutch, squishy but decent brakes, turbo lag diesel engine. The timing belt snapped (probably because the mechanic did not replace it properly) and the head cracked, which cost a lot of money to replace and was difficult to source. Overall, not a great driving experience, but a decent and solid car that will do whatever you ask of it without grumbling.
The belt was a brand new continental OEM belt with less than 50 miles on it.
As an alternative to a chain drive, timing belts also markedly reduce CO2 emissions. ContiTech developed the CONTI® OIL RUNNER™, which runs like a chain in oil and holds out for the entire life of an engine.
It is still a really great product that will last longer than an ordinary belt.
I already flipped the belt around (now I have two fuzzy sides). I'll try de-tensioning it a little, and I guess if that doesn't work, a new belt and another new tensioner are in order. Might as well go with ContiTech this time around I spose.
The tab that the cam gear has to spin the cam, snapped off the gear. Even though it was in time, the gear just spun on cam and didn't spin the actual cam.
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