MIKEG204

I'm replacing my head gaskets as there is coolant leaking is there anything I should do before I reinstall it eg with timming I have it all marked before i took it apart? So while the heads are out im replacing the valve cover seals

Huskerbob

Did you pin the crank? What did you mark? How did you tell your head gaskets were leaking?

Prospeeder

You really will want to break the cam pulleys loose and use the cam lock bar to set timing, As far crank pin who cares, set it by the balancer mark like most people do. When reinstalling you will want to roll the engine off TDC slightly so that when reinstalling the heads there are no pistons at TDC and possible valve damage if the cams happen to be in the wrong spot. Just put the cam pulleys on spinning free, the belt on, pull the tensioner, put on the lower cover and balencer, set the marks, use the lock bar on the cams, tension the belt, then if every things perfect, tighten the cam bolts. Done, set.

You really sure its the headgaskets leaking? Is it externally or internally? Overheated badly? I just have never seen one with a blown head gasket.

4Driver4

Crank pin is critical in setting the timing correctly.

Prospeeder

...no its not. Id love to see one case where somebody whos competent had any kind of reduced performance, economy, check engine, cam correlation codes from not using the pin. There are none. Theres nothing wrong with doing it that way, ill bet many Audi dealer techs dont use the pin either, what a total waste of time especially on flat rate, on 2.7T cars its misrible to put in.

turbo510

I think its a matter of certainty, that with the pulley and plastic timing cover removed, you wouldn't know if somehow the crank got moved. Plus, the pin-hole being drilled into the crank during manufacture, the position will be dead-nuts on. I've wondered, though, how many times people have hit the starter with that thing still installed.

4Driver4

Agreed.
There is a difference between "seems to run fine" and "right".
I don't care how good you think you are, your eye is no match for the pin, especially when you take into account variances in the plastic cover, crank, key, sprocket and harmonic balancer.

The mark and your eye is customer acceptable. The pin sets timing to spec.

Prospeeder

Uh you put the belt on, pull the pin, put the lower cover and balencer on, line up the mark, tension the belt, then tighten the pulleys with the bar on.

Oh and how do you guys explain VW 1.9TDI engines with the same style balencer and mark on the cover, and uses a cam lock tool, and has the pulley broken free to spin for tensioning, just like 2.8/2.7 cars, but no crank lock tool. How is that acceptable but its not for a 2.8 or 2.7T? Why would they ever put the marks there in the first place?? Many companies like ford will make sure not to put mark on the balencer so the pin must be used. Enough said, the lock pin IS OPTIONAL. Not critical, nor detrimental, the car performs exactly the same. Period.
its fine if you wanna tell people its a good thing for rookies or if you have lots of time to spare, but to say its "Critical" is a completely false statement and is misleading to somebody like in other threads are in a hurry to fix their car.

turbo510

Time your cams however you like, I've always used the tools that lock both the cams and the crank, but to each his own.

The 1.9 is a four-cylinder with one cam sprocket? There is a big difference in cam belt length, and consequently, more error possible when trying to get two cam sprockets and a crank sprocket all in the right place when there is a finite number of teeth on the belt, on the V6. But like 4Driver4 said, the shortcut result will probably be acceptable to the customer.

Prospeeder

Wouldnt the longer belt seem to be affected less by crank difference? That would make more sense seeing as its longer, so a smaller difference is even smaller to a longer belt drive vs a short belt drive