mk4 golf 1.4 - cam belt and tensioner change

[Dan46]

Hi, I was washing the engine at the weekend and whilst the engine was running I could here a rattle, the rattle was coming from inside the timing belt cover. I removed the cover and a piece of plastic fell out in the shape of a circle with a section missing. Had no idea where this had come from so I took it up to the VW dealer and they have told me that it is a cam belt tensioner. The car has done just over 60 thousand miles so have be recommended to have the belt changed at same time as having a new tensioner fitted. I have been quoted £305 all in for this work to be done. Is this a fair dealer price and has anyone known of a tensioner breaking off and ending up inside the timing belt cover. Many thanks

[zcacogp]

Dan46 said:

I was washing the engine at the weekend

A common past-time, sir? I can't find enough time to wash the outside of my car these days, let alone the engine ...

Seriously. If you have bits of cam belt tensioner dropping off, I would NOT DRIVE THE CAR. No, not even to the garage to get it fixed. If the tensioner goes west, the belt may jam, and then the engine goes pop, and lands you with a MUCH bigger bill.

Get it low-loaded (or trailered) to the dealer, pay the nice man, and thank your lucky stars nothing else went wrong. OR find somewhere cheaper, OR DIY. (Parts for that job on a Mk1/2/3 will cost around £25, the job will take around an hour or two.)


Oli.

[raceboy]

I'd go along with the last post and get it sorted sharpish, I'd probably chance my arm driving it to the garage, but the one I use is about 500 yards away
Regarding prices I can only quote a price I had for a Mk4 1.8T and 'my man' wanted £200 all in, his book told him it would take 2.2 hours and that the tensioners must be replaced at the same time as the belt, the VW recomendation on mileage was 120k though.

[monkeyhanger]

Hmm...

By way of a strange co-incedence (or not) i know a Tech from a Skoda dealership who recently had a 1.4 Fabia in which now needs a new engine..

The reason?

Cam-Belt tensioner failure at 57000 miles...

[dern]

Don't know about a mk4 but on a mk2 the cambelt tensioner is a metal roller on a mount that bolts to the block and has an cam in the middle that you rotate to move the roller off centre to push against the belt to tension it. It isn't a bit of black plastic. The only bit of black plastic in that area is the cambelt cover on my car.

If there's anything to suggest that this is part of the tensioner though I wouldn't start it let alone drive it 500 yds without further inspection. A couple of things could happen... the tensioner may not be tensioning the belt any more although you should be able to work out whether or not this is the case by taking the cover off and if it isn't then the belt could jump when you start it and lunch your valves or the tensioner could seize causing the belt to skid over it. I had the latter happen and in my case smoke poured off the thing accompanied by a loud squeeling noise. I could it in time and only the back of the belt had melted and hadn't broken fortunately but then the belt was very new (and the tight bastard hadn't paid for a new tensioner).

On the mk2 the belt was about a tenner and the tensioner was about 15 quid and the job took about an hour.

Regards,

Mark