[moved] Top Tensioner - How Much?

[Seademon 0]

Hi guys - how much roughly would I be looking at to have the top tensioner changed? Has a little rattle from the right hand side of the engine so Im pressuming it is that & its only done 67k but I havent got the funds for a full chain job at the mo.

[Atlas 12v 0]

£38.01 with the washer inc VAT. Just checked.

[Seademon 0]

Cool cheers mate! Do you know if its quite an easy job or pretty labour intensive?

[Atlas 12v 0]

I was actually talking to a VAG tech this morning. He showed me the said item. It's just a case of undoing it, withdrawing it from the head and replacing with a new item.

[Seademon 0]

Cool cheers I'll give that a go myself then!

[badboyV6 4]

Thought someone on here said you need to be very careful when doing it- especially when starting it up when changed... Do a search on the forum mark.....

[acf8181 0]

pull the fuel pump fuse (no. 18 i think) out and crank engine for a few secs, then replace and start.

as long as its a new tensioner bolt then it shouldn't need bleeding.

[macas3 0]

make sure you fill it with oil first or you will get lots of very loud rattling and prob shit your pants be warned

[Atlas 12v 0]

Having not seen one how do you fill it with oil? Just stick it in a pot of oil and depress the tensioner so it sucks in oil?

[FishWick 21]

It would be easier to disconnect the crank sensor plug on the front engine mount....that way you won't get fuel or spark for safe cranking.

The tensioner bolt doesn't need filling with oil if it's an OBD2 engine, and I'm assuming yours is as it's a 97...but to check, the head of early engines' tensioning bolts was about 1cm deep. If yours is about 4 or 5mm thick, it's the later spring/hyrdaulic type bolt and won't need bleeding. Part number ends with B on the later ones.

You'll need a 27mm socket to remove it.

At 67K, I seriously doubt you have tensioner or chain issues but stick a long screwdriver on the casing there to act as a stethoscope to be sure.

[ Edited Wed May 11 2005, 10:53AM ]

[Seademon 0]

Thanks for the replies guys! I have a slight rattle from around the chain area of the engine but its going into the garage next week to be looked at so if it does need doing I'll get it done - better to be safe than sorry! Im doing a road rally month which includes a trip to the ring so I want to know that its all tip top before I go :0)

[SankysVR6 1]

do you need to set the timming marks up or can you just remove it and insert a new one

[acf8181 0]

i would just remove the old one and pop in the new one....but then crank the engine wihtout the fuel pump fuse in till the rattling stops.

if you wanted to be really sure you coudl set the engine to TDC before, and then check it again before you fire it up.

[rickvr6 0]

Remember to tighten the head bolts in the right order

[acf8181 0]

eh...you dont touch the head bolts!

[rickvr6 0]

Sorry, reading to many things at the same time, i am on here, vw vortex,ukmk4's and was on cgti. think i will close some down. Yer, forget the head bolt thingymajig.