Replacing the timing belt (VW Golf 2)

The toothed belt is located under the protective cover.

The belt is designed for a mileage of 100,000 km, unless, of course, it has mechanical damage by that time. In cases where the toothed belt has been replaced, or removed, or the liquid pump has been removed, it is necessary to check the valve timing. If the toothed belt is reused, it must not be contaminated with oil. Twisting the toothed belt is also unacceptable. The tension of the toothed belt is adjusted by moving the liquid pump housing left or right using a screwdriver. In this case, the tightening of the pump mounting bolts must be pre-loosened.

If the belt breaks down on the road and this is due to the shearing of 1 or 2 of its teeth, you can get home using the following method - remove the belt as described below, cut it lengthwise into two rings of the same width. Move them in a circle relative to each other so that the damaged area of one ring coincides with the serviceable one of the other.

Install both rings in place, placing them with the uncut sides facing each other. The order of operations when removing the belt:

Remove the belt guard and loosen the V-belt tension by moving the generator on the bracket.

Remove the V-belt.

Loosen the V-belt pulley mounting bolts and remove it.

The text is copied from this portal VWmanual

Unscrew the upper and lower toothed belt shields.

Drain the cooling system (see section) and loosen the coolant pump housing mounting bolts enough to allow the nuts recessed in the special sockets to be turned.



Turn the pump body, loosen the tension and remove the toothed belt. All the described operations are also performed when repair of the valve timing drive is required. In this case, you should also unscrew and remove the toothed pulley from the camshaft.

When installing the timing belt, remember the timing marks. Then adjust the tension of the timing belt. To do this, insert a screwdriver into the groove of the pump body (figure 91) and install the pump so that the belt can be twisted 90° with your fingers (in the place shown in Figure 92). In this position, tighten the pump mounting bolts. The toothed pulley mounting bolts to the camshaft are tightened to a torque of 80 Nm, and the V-belt pulley mounting bolts are tightened to a torque of 20 Nm. Fill the cooling system with coolant.


The V-belt should be tensioned so that its deflection when pressed with a finger does not exceed 10-15 mm. After adjusting the tension, tighten the generator mounting bolts.