changing the cam belt

[lalli_d1]

my uncle tells me that the cam belt on the 1.4 leon which my grandad has needs changing every 60k miles. its now done 110k but its due its 120k service which means changing the cam belt, now id do it but im not confident enough to chance it.
any one DIYed the cam belt?

 

[james walker]

haynes manual is your best friend on this one.....

 

[lalli_d1]

got the haynes manual for a VW Polo, it had the same enine. i photo copied the paged that showed how to change the cam belt. it said that id need 2 M8 bolts and a bit of metal bar. i just need to know how long the M8 bolts need to be and ill rummage arround my tool box at work to see if i have any.

 

[adm013]

Cam belt change not for the faint hearted, requires lots of patience.

Andy

 

[olliep]

Is it a risky job? i.e. if you dont align it perfectly will it snap or wear quicker?

 

[lordgibbness]

I think the garages have a jig that stops any movement when the belt is off. I wonder if you could pick up one of these?

 

[Ronin225]

The catalogues we used to get replacement tools from at work were full of these, you could make your own but they were only about a tenner to buy anyway.
Are you going to replace the water pump too? as it is advised whilst its accessible

 

[lordgibbness]

Yeah deffo replace the waterpump (you can do an exchange with the dealer) as when they did my belt they noticed one of the impellors had broken. The standard VAG part is plastic, but some ppl have replaced with aftermarket metal impellors.

 

[Ronin225]

awesome gti do a cambelt and waterpump kit with a metal impellared pump

 

[lalli_d1]

The catalogues we used to get replacement tools from at work were full of these, you could make your own but they were only about a tenner to buy anyway.
Are you going to replace the water pump too? as it is advised whilst its accessible

its just the cam belt, not the altenator/drive belt that im changing. i just need to know the length of the bolts that will lock the cams in place!

 

[adm013]

Is it a risky job? i.e. if you dont align it perfectly will it snap or wear quicker?

Well if you mess it up you can pretty much say goodbye to your engine.

 

[Ronin225]

its just the cam belt, not the altenator/drive belt that im changing. i just need to know the length of the bolts that will lock the cams in place!

these are kits for the cambelt not the alternator belt

 

[Squintstream]

awesome gti do a cambelt and waterpump kit with a metal impellared pump

Try here... http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=175005

 

[lalli_d1]

ok iv been convinced to buy the cam belt kit. i still need to know the length of the bolts used to lock the cams in place!

 

[jwfcms]

the longer the better, doesnt have to be exact, id say maybe 60-70mm length max... im sure if its a 1.4 16v they have two cambelts, one which drive the camshaft and one from the the camshaft to the crank. personally id leave it to a garage, could cause alot more damage than its worth and potentialy damage the pistons and valves. not a nice job if its the two cambelts on a 1.416v such as on the golf engines with a code of BCA. i have done a few with this engine. if you havnt done a cambelt before id let the garage do it..

 

[lalli_d1]

i ordered the cam belt kit yestereday. i found out that it has the engine code APsummert-or-other. is it easier than the other 1.4 engines