TDC on my VW

[JHastings]

OK here is my question. The head is off of my 81' 1. 6L vw and I am getting ready to put it back together but I am having trouble finding TDC. The TDC mark on the flywheel is definately not TDC so does this mean that the flywheel was probably removed at some point and rotated before it was reinstalled?



Thanks,

Jamie

 

[Skydiver]

Could you place #1 piston at TDC with the help of a dial indicator and go from there?

Wish I could wave a majic wand.

 

[JHastings]

thats what I was thinking. Doing that and then making my own mark.

 

[GCroyle]

Jamie,



Does your F/W have 2 pins in it that should align with the clutch cover?



I didn't look up the part numbers, but the old VW's use 2 notches in the cover to align the two pins in the F/W. It can be assembled with the pins incorrectly lined up and the timing mark disappears.



Good news, far as I know, this does not harm the engine, but it ruins the clutch cover. Expect possible release issues, probable poor clutch engagement, chatter.



If you did it wrong, just means you joined a special club of VW oops.



FOr the rest of the non club members, this series mounts the cover on the crank FIRST, then the release plate and retaining ring, then disc, and finally you blindly attach the F/W.

 

[Bob4x4]

If that is the old Rabbit diesel there is a slot in the cam made for a special tool (Almost a flat bar) that is to sit parrellel to the head surface to lock the cam in place for the timing belt. I don't remember the tdc mark to be sure about that part of it.



Bob

 

[JFaughn]

More info .
What marks are you seeing & how far off are they ?
There is a set of tools for setting up the VW eng , the flywheel has multiple marks , the one your looking for is a V notch , then a plug that goes into the pump gear to lock it in place , the bar for the cam fits in one way only , its off set from center , I've found that using feeler gauges of equal sizes under both ends of the plate to lock in center , works .

 

[JHastings]

Well here is the deal. The head is off so I can watch the pistons and it looks to be off by about 30* maybe. My flywheel only has one mark on it. You sight it through the bellhousing where there is a marker arrow and all you do is line it up with the only white mark on the flywheel. This pickup is new to me and I have not touched it yet so if it was put back together incorrectly I dunno. THe injection pump also has a mark on it that you can line it up with. I just figured that the flywheel was installed skewed one bolt over (6bolts = 30*). Does this make sense?

Jamie

 

[JFaughn]

Every car/truck , flywheel/flex plate I have put on , there is only one way , the holes are not symmetric .
Its been a while so I would need to see to , to see if something would jog the memory , take a picture .

 

[Bob4x4]

It's been over 20 years since I did one,but i Vaguely remember timing marks on the gears. When I replaced the cracked head I did the timing belt as well. You will probably need to renew the glow plugs when you are there. The injection pump gets locked with a big pin



Bob

 

[GCroyle]

Timing Marks, Methods

JFaughn,



I agree, only one correct way, but I cannot tell you how many guys have screwed up putting VW water cooled flywheels on to the clutch cover. This is the 1. 8L, 1. 6L, 1. 5L older Rabbits, Golfs, Jetta and Scirocco. I have looked at the warranties from their mistakes, it is an easy one to screw up.



We get flywheels back every so often that fit say 5. 0L Mustang's. These have an offset by 4 degrees in ONE hole, they send em back claiming misdrilled, you just need to align the externally balanced F/W with its pattern.



The VW is unique in that you have to set it up and orientate the F/W prior to bolting.



Jamie, look at the pins in the F/W, are they both extending through the cover, or is just one extending and the other is trying to punch a new hole?

 

[InfernoB]

When I was in school many years ago... We had some VW diesel's to play with, and the marks on that was not very good either. We ended up finding TDC #1. Reset the pump and cam to TDC #1 with pin and plate. Then we installed the belt per spec. The mark was barely visible in the flywheel, but we fixed that for the next class.

I'm looking at the book now, and do not see any mention of marks on the crank sprocket.

 

[JHastings]

Well,
I jerked the motor and transmission today and removed the transmission from the motor. The flywheel was just off one hole as far as I can tell. I have not reassembled it yet since I am going to just go ahead and put in a new clutch... I could not see anything that would indicate that it couldn't go back with the flywheel turned clockwise one hole, which would put the white TDC mark in line with the arrow in the hole of the bellhousing with the first piston protruding above the deck of the block. The mark on this flywheel is clear as day. It is a arrow pointed groove machined into the flywheel and it is painted white.

No correct me if I am wrong, but if this is correct then to get this thing back together all I have to do is:

1. Get engine at TDC
2. Line pump up with its own TDC mark and the arrow that points to it. (Assuming pump was not knocked or jarred around from its position on the block.
3. Bar the cam with the cam lobe on #1 valves pointing straight up. (valves closed)
4. Put on my timing belt and tension it.

Jamie

 

[JFaughn]

You need the special tools & get a manufactures manual , there is more to it than your list .