devinsixtyseven

Who the !#$@% thought this was a good idea...I'm about ready to take this in and pay to let it be someone else's problem--that's how frustrated I am. Some tips would be greatly appreciated.

Passenger side went fine. The cam chain tensioner tool inserted, tightened, and compressed the tensioner.

Driver's side, the damn thing just bent funny, and further wrestling just broke off an ear. There is a flange at the bottom of the plastic section of the tool which I assume prevents compressing the tensioner piston too far, however, that flange has made contact with the head and the only effect is now a crack in the tool.

Interestingly, my friend who borrowed *my* tensioner tool (from Blauparts) broke it in the same fashion on a 1.8T head, and bought me a new one...the new one, now busted, is the tool direct from Audi, with the factory markings.

Any tips, hints, or even suggestions on proper hammer weight would be greatly appreciated :P. It seems like a waste of time to replace the cam cover seals, without replacing the obviously-leaking tensioner gasket and half-moon seal as well. Is there a pressure release valve somewhere? Do I hit it with a hammer? Yell at it? Kick it in that "special" way? Fabricate an all-metal replacement tool?

Why is this not working "as advertised"?

TIA,
Sean

4Driver4

Stop over tightening it?

Once it snugs down, that's it. The only time I've seen people have issues is either not aligning the plastic part of the tool correctly or by over tightening it.

devinsixtyseven

The tensioner is not compressing. It worked just fine on the passenger side. At the point the flanges on the tool contact the head, the piston should be compressed and the cam chain slack. There's only one way to align the tool, and it can't be overtightened unless the tensioner doesn't compress like it should...then the tool breaks. What is wrong here?

4Driver4

Are the plastic ears clear of the casting? Are you sure it isn't compressing? Sometimes the cams turn and make it appear as if it isn't compressing since all the chain slack is on the bottom.

Prospeeder

I have done dozens and doezens of these and still use the same plastic tool i got from buying a new one years ago. Never had it break. you not doing something right if its bottoming against the head and breaking. Not sure what to say its pretty basic

devinsixtyseven

Ears are clear and resting on the pad between the chain and the two flanges on the head. The tool only installs one way, a guy would have to try to mess it up.

I am watching the chain guide/pad, not just looking for slack in the chain. Nothing moves, rotates, nor slackens.

It's frustrating to try and describe what's happening, because as far as I can tell, this shouldn't ever happen. There's no way to screw up installing the tool unless you try...there's only one hole, one slot, and one place the curve of the tool can fit.

Let's just assume I'm stupid and that I didn't already successfully perform the service on the other head. Would someone mind describing exactly how they install the tool?

Prospeeder

You know, there was a guy on here that had the threads just strip right out and the tensioner wouldnt compress. You could remove the intake cam and chain and remove the entire tensioner and see what the hecks going on. Not really that much more work.

devinsixtyseven

I really can't remove the cam without releasing tension in the chain, for which I require a functional tool.

As far as I can tell, the threads are fine. The tensioner piston simply isn't compressing. That the person who borrowed my tool managed to break it in the same manner as I have this replacement tool, and on a different head (his is a 1.8T), suggests to me that this does happen, this is not a fluke, and the solution is just escaping us.

Unless someone else has a suggestion, I'm just going to put it back together with a new cam cover seal, and let a competent shop handle it with the next timing belt change.

I hate admitting defeat, but this tool/process is just not working as intended. What's particularly frustrating is it worked fine, on the other head.

jcman

Sounds like you have a stuck tensioner with an internal problem.

So you have a couple options

1) If you have vagcom; with the engine able to run check display group 94
function of camshaft adjustment, above 2k rpm's they should adjust with
results in field 3 (bank 1) and 4 (bank 2) for the OK pass, if not then
you have a stuck tensioner.

2) You can remove the chain tensioner by removing the intake cam, plenty
of links about that procedure if you're up to it, if you have a 2.8
the passat folks have links on this.

Looks like either way "its comming out", right?

devinsixtyseven

Well-put.

I'll throw it back together and hook to VC. It's frustrating to potentially do this all twice, but unless there's something seriously wrong, it should hold for quite a while. The tensioner area is dirty but hardly soaked.

What are the ramifications of a stuck tensioner, other than "pull everything apart and replace it"?

Thanks for the advice.