I got a $300 B5 Audi from a good friend of mine

[Halfrican]

My buddy bought an Audi A4 for his sister two years ago with 120,XXX. It has about 135,XXX. He changed the timing belt on it a few months ago, started it, and said the driver side cam skipped a tooth (or a couple). He said the car was ran for only 30 seconds before being shut down, but that is all it may take for these interference engines. I haven't yanked the valve covers off yet.



The belt still looks brand spanking new. Would it be worth my time to correct the cam with a cam locking tool, throw on a new belt, and do a compression check of all 6 cylinders? Either way I can sell or part out the car for well over $300. I was looking for a chassis for a 4.2 V8 swap anyway.

Ignore the power steering pump and ignition coil.

[Nollywood]

The timing belt was replaced, and your buddy left the original crusty belt idler in place? Was the tensioner and roller replaced too?

Not really important though, if you're looking to do a V8 swap. What's the rest of the car look like, and what year is it?

[Halfrican]

The timing belt was replaced, and your buddy left the original crusty belt idler in place? Was the tensioner and roller replaced too?

Not really important though, if you're looking to do a V8 swap. What's the rest of the car look like, and what year is it?

The hydraulic tensioner, roller, and belt should have all been replaced. I have not dug any deeper than removing the timing belt covers.

2001 Brilliant Black sedan, 5-speed, with Onyx leather interior

The outside is fair. Dings and paint chips, only one half-ass pulled out dint on the driver-side fender. I would give it a 6/10 for it being nearly 16 years old. The interior is in pretty damn good shape.

[Halfrican]

He not only preformed all the work on his sister's car, he paid for it all too, so I am not surprised he left that rusty idler roller. He's cheap. Lol

[Halfrican]

Turned the key to check the electronics. I am NOT cranking the engine. The battery was shot as figured after sitting through the winter. Gave the battery power, all the electronics worked, but the instrument cluster did not. Not sure what to do about that. Perhaps replace the battery? He said the cluster worked perfectly fine before the timing belt change. I have known him since childhood and he has no reason to be malicious at all after giving me such a deal. Plus he gave me a buyer's remorse receipt. Lol

I should get the cam-locking bar in the mail by Saturday. I am going to throw the bar on, break loose the cam sprockets, put on a new belt, reassemble, and do a cylinder compression test. If worst comes to worst, the engine is not salvageable, but I can still make profit or keep the chassis for a future project. Either way, I am sitting tall on this deal.

[Avant Nate]

You probably just hit the button in the bottom of the right stalk
http://www.audiforums.com/forum/b5-m...isplay-102414/

[Avant Nate]

He may not have torqued the cam sprockets down, but I may be misremembering when I did my 2.7.

[walky_talky20]

From here the timing doesn't look too far off. Rotate it to TDC and see if the cam "wings" come up straight. If they don't, fix the timing. If the belt is only a couple months old, just reuse it. It has literally 0 miles on it. Check all the idlers and such. If that's just surface rust on the idler from sitting, just clean it up.

I'm wondering if the timing is even off. If the tensioner was replaced, there should be no reason in would jump. Maybe foreign object - that would do it. It could be a misdiagnosis. Might have just been misfiring after sitting for a few days while t-belt service was happening. That is super-common to happen on the 2.8's. The valves get sticky or something and they can have low compression on one or more cylinders for a minute.

[Halfrican]

From here the timing doesn't look too far off. Rotate it to TDC and see if the cam "wings" come up straight. If they don't, fix the timing. If the belt is only a couple months old, just reuse it. It has literally 0 miles on it. Check all the idlers and such. If that's just surface rust on the idler from sitting, just clean it up.

I'm wondering if the timing is even off. If the tensioner was replaced, there should be no reason in would jump. Maybe foreign object - that would do it. It could be a misdiagnosis. Might have just been misfiring after sitting for a few days while t-belt service was happening. That is super-common to happen on the 2.8's. The valves get sticky or something and they can have low compression on one or more cylinders for a minute.

Thank you for this response!

I am waiting for a nice day off to tackle this job. The weather has been great, so hopefully this weekend offers some time. Your directions were my intentions. I was anxious to use the same belt, because it literally does have 0 miles on it. I will further inspect the belt and determine its need for replacement. Hopefully there is none.

That is just surface rust that most likely wasn't there before the change. I took a wire brush to it and cleaned it right up.

I still have not got any of the accessories off yet to verify what has been and what hasn't been changed. If they all were, my plan is throw the cam-locking bar, straighten the "wings," and button her up.

I'm no seasoned mechanic by any means, but I have been wanting a B5 Audi since I sold my last 30V several months ago. This car is so nostalgic. In fact, it's the exact same year and color. The only difference is the interior. If all goes well, I will use this thread to track my progress with my second ever Audi.