Save yourself the extra cost. buy the timing belt kit from Blauparts (includes everything) and rent all of the tools required (more than those 2) for $35. They have excellent customer service and I know I wouldnt have been able to do it without all those tools

 

\


LOL! Thanks. I posted right after you did. I am glad to hear you gave them props. Think that is the way I am going to go.

So you have tackled this? Anything insight you can offer me?

 

Well stumbling on to this site has definitely paid dividends. found a website called blauparts.com. They will rent the tools needed for $38 and a $325 deposit. And they have the timing belt replacement kit for $250 which includes

1 Timing Belt
2 'NTN' and 'INA' Timing Belt Tensioner Idlers w/ Hardware
1 Water Pump w/ Gasket
1 Viton Front Crank Seal
2 Viton Camshaft Seals
6 Liters German G12 Plus Antifreeze (4 - 1.5L Bottles)
Appropriate amount for complete cooling system flush.
Thread Locking Compound
Blauparts™ Detailed Step-by-Step Vw Passat Timing Belt Instructions
Numerous pages and over 50 images of detailed step-by-step guidelines, including front bumper removal.
FREE Serpentine Belt
FREE Thermostat w/ O-Ring

 

Oh man its a big topic. Definately take your time. Blauparts offers a step by step guide with their kits and if you follow it exactly, you wont have anything go wrong. It is the best help I had and even included pictures

Heres my thread I made when I did my timing belt it might help

http://www.passatworld.com/forums/4...assat-b5-discussion/355416-help-me-make-my-timing-belt-job-smooth-possible.html

 

great read.. only saw one complaint about blauparts but everybody else was positive. Thanks for helping me out. I will keep you posted. Just got to get the garage organized and lay everything out this weekend, get parts ordered and take some time off work.. tell you the truth I was a bit intimidated by this, but I am feeling much better about the whole thing now.

 

Yeah I had never done something like this before and it was a hurdle. the step by step has everything you need and the tools will make it so much easier. Be sure to let us know if you need any advice or if you get stuck!

 

These three videos on this subject are worth watching:

 

Removing the bumper and getting it into the "service position".

Read this-
http://www.passatworld.com/forums/61-b5-information-base/301600-v6-alternator-replacement.html

and Watch this -

 

^^^ excellent videos!

 

The last time I checked the Koch tools site, they had the tools for about $60 a set.

The fan clutch doesn't need anything special; just a strong steel thing such as an Allen wrench of the appropriate size to jam the fan pulley, and wrench, not vice-grip, to loosen the nut- but remember, left-hand thread here.

Just be sure that you have a decent assortment of metric and Torx tools. This job can be easy although time-consuming, or frustrating if you don't have the big socket to, for instance, rotate the crankshaft, and your neighbor with the huge SnapOn setup in his garage is not home.

 

I watched all of those videos a few days ago. He made it look easy and his demeanor was calm, cool and collective the whole time. LOL.. makes you wander if the R rated parts were cut out! the errant F bomb as the half inch break over bar is hurled 15 feet across the garage floor.

 

A couple of F-bombs and a couple of beers seems about correct for this job.

Thanks a lot to everybody. You have definitely eased my mind a bit about this project. I have talked to some friends and they have been like.. just take it to the shop and pay the money. I guess i dont like to be told I cant do something. The shop gave me a low estimate of around $750. I am not even sure this is about the money now. Just the thought of giving somebody $750 to install a waterpump rubs me the wrong way.

I mean sure I am going to save around $450 doing it myself but I just want to tell some of my friends that I actually did it myself.. maybe a confidence booster of sorts.

There are all kinds of side benefits of doing the job your self. Don't forget to include that you get to see the condition of the other items while doing this.

 

Thanks a lot to everybody. You have definitely eased my mind a bit about this project. I have talked to some friends and they have been like.. just take it to the shop and pay the money. I guess i dont like to be told I cant do something. The shop gave me a low estimate of around $750. I am not even sure this is about the money now. Just the thought of giving somebody $750 to install a waterpump rubs me the wrong way.

I mean sure I am going to save around $450 doing it myself but I just want to tell some of my friends that I actually did it myself.. maybe a confidence booster of sorts.

 

before ordering your kit you may want to read my very recent experience with Blauparts:

http://www.passatworld.com/forums/4...s/42-volkswagen-passat-b5-discussion/356435-tb-tensioner-new-but-leaks-oil.html

there is also another fellow with a V6 who had a failure not immediately but far sooner than he should have. i don't have a link to that thread but you can search for it.

the job itself is easy but time consuming. you can do it if you prepare well and take your time. you need to be methodical and patient. i agree you'll learn a lot about your car.

$750 is not bad at all if you consider that a repair shop is bonded and will warranty a botched job or an early part failure for whatever damage it does. you won't have that kind of security if you do your own job and one of the parts you buy fails and kills the valves. the most you will get back from blauparts is the cost of the kit (or the failed part most likely), but you'd still be on the hook for the cost of repairing the head. warranty wise they stipulate that what you buy from them will be installed by an AST certified technician, so unless you are one, you will not be very happy.

 

I would look at other suppliers if I were you. Don't get fixated on the price alone - that's a race to the bottom as far as parts quality goes.

A timing belt is a serious job. It's definitely within your reach. Just don't try to go with the cheapest. You might have to go in there again and again afterwards. I don't know which thread you saw but here is one bad experience:

http://www.passatworld.com/forums/68-b5-garage/356781-engine-problems.html

If this is your first time doing this it is not worth it risking having to go in two or three times to replace defective parts. And there is high chance you may have much more serious damage to the tune of several thousands. There are many other things to go thrifty on in this car. Not on the timing belt system.

 

Always buy quality parts, especially when they are in locations awkward to access.

 

The one place I am not going to cut costs on this job is quality of parts. Where I am hoping to cut costs is by doing it myself. Roostereggs makes good sense when he talks about parts failing and not being covered by the warranty. That has been a consideration of mine. But when you are talking about buying parts, that is a crap shoot in itself. I have installed brand parts that people rave about and have had them fail.. and vice versa too..

So with that said. What is the best parts supplier for this job? Some of you guys have raved about blauparts while others have said stay away from them. Are these part failures that people mentioned just one off bad parts or is there really a trend. From what I have read the TB tensioner from Blau parts might be an issue. I heard somebody say the only got 20K out of a waterpump from BParts. So maybe I buy the $250 kit from Blauparts and the tensioner from Napa, if I need it.

Any other suppliers that sell these timingbelt kits along with tool rental?

also, one other thing.. keep all this in one thread for me. Any reason to disconnect the battery during this job? I have heard about driveability issues after you disconnect the battery.. I have also heard varying posts as to this issue. some say they got check engine lights, others had problems with the power windows. I know about the radio code and I already have the code for that. some say they had no issues after reconnecting the battery. What about the alternative power source plugged into the cig lighter?

The only thought I had for disconnecting the battery was for the air bag sensors when you disassemble the front end. Other than that does not seem to be a reason to disconnect the battery.. Thoughts?

 

No, No, absolutely do not leave the battery connected! You don't want any chance, no matter how remote, that the engine cranks while the TB job is in process. Battery's get disconnected all the time, so don't worry about it.

 

so no driveability issues after disconnecting the battery?

 

X a gazillion

disconnect the negative.

For the windows the pinch open/close works after they travel fully up and down.

 

I'm glad I logged in today, doing this job in about 10 days and all of this knowledge should help keep me out of trouble. I wish I had known about the tool rental from Blauparts. I took a chance on an ebay tool for $65ish shipped. Got the parts from Autohausaz and ECS.

 

well at least I wont be alone! LOL.. we can keep each other updated on progress.

 

$750 is a bargain compared to what I was quoted yesterday at my nearby VW dealer. $1500 to do the water pump, thermostat and timing belt. I just asked while I was there to pick up a seal and some G12 ($30 a gallon, ouch!). I told the guy no thanks I'll do it myself when the time comes. Of course he looked at me like I was crazy, I guess being that I'm female.

I've spent a lot of time in my BFF's workshop doing maintenance, repairs and rebuilding various vehicles.

I'm like you about the internet. I've learned so much. So what my family and friends freak out over (including my mechanic brother) I stay calm about.

 

+1 on the Internet for DIYers. Especially forums like this one. I haven't been on here long but it looks like one of the better ones. There is no way I could afford to own and maintain our cars if I was paying people to do the work.

In my head, this job will go just like those 3 videos and I will be on the road before lunch. Real life experience tells me it will be a two-day knuckle skinner but well worth it for the experience and the fact that parts+tools cost <$400.

 

Bought my Passat in July of last summer. Did a few minor things like plugs/coils/filters/etc over the summer but the TB and associated work was the first "major" job that I did on it. It will definitely help you to familiarize yourself with your engine. After doing it, most other jobs won't seem daunting at all. Plus you save a few hundred bucks.

The job is not that difficult as long as you double check your work. The only timing work I've done in the past was on a Chevy/Mercruiser marine 4 cylinder in a 1985 Wellcraft and I had more trouble removing the lower radiator hose than fiddling with the belt and tensioner. It took me a long time (few hours one night then 5 or 6 hours the next day) but my priority was doing it right, not doing it fast.

You seem to be doing things the right way. Exhaustive research on the internet is the way to go and will make your life easier. After reading about a million diys and watching videos it will be obvious once you get in there.

Because it hasn't been mentioned yet in this thread, I'd recommend buying a new snub mount and replacing it while you've got the front end off for the TB job.

 

One thing not often mentioned, but which helps me, is to make cleaning the work area step #1, on any engine/suspension job. Now you don't have to go to the extent that I did on my A4 2.8, using an old toothbrush and degreaser on the engine, in places you can't see with the cambelt covers on. But for me, a clean engine is easier to inspect while you work on it, and therefore you tend to see details that you might otherwise miss. An independent shop or dealer, in business to make money, probably won't put in this extra effort beyond the basic repair, but you can if working on the car yourself.

 

As a veteran of two 1.8T timing belt jobs and one 2.7T bilateral cam seal job (2/3 of a timing belt job), I recommend tackling it yourself, if you have time, patience, and some experience working on cars. I am about ready to do a timing belt job on my trusty old 1996 12-valve 2.8. I would not attempt the job without a Schwaben or equivalent cam lock bar. (Standing offer to anyone near north coastal San Diego County to borrow it or my VCDS/VAG-COM or my O2 sensor crowfoot.) I have had very good luck with ECS Tuning's timing belt kits, but this is not a criticism of any of their competition.

 

Got my eBay tools today. I didn't take the timing belt covers off but it looks like they are the right fit.