dandelionbob

newbie here with first post. timing belt blew right at 90k miles. replacing head and would appreciate any and all tips regarding best repair manual (Bentley?), best providers of parts (especially head, Im in LA,Calif area), "watch out for this" tips and any pros tricks. I estimate 20+ hours for this job. book is 16hrs and I added 4 because my first time with an audi. Read, in here, that ECS Tuning has best timing belt kit. Would I be wrong, and really regret, opting for a rebuilt head for $1000 versus factory new $2200? Should I replace coils, more than 15k mi's since previous change? Any other "while you're in there" advice would be very welcome. Also- if anyone has tips on lining up timing and belt install based on their experience (beyond repair manual,of course) please let me know. P.S., Im having an exceptionally bad repair week, car broke down, tv quit and the coffee maker actually blew up with a "POP' and lots of smoke.And of course, the audi is my wifes and she takes it badly when her car is down. Wow! can only get better from here. Right?

romm

your whant to sell car as-is?

MapleSyrup

If your timing belt has to be replaced, might as well also replace the water pump.

cheeba

Your post somewhat implies that you have some T-belt experience, and changing one on the 1.8T is very straightforward job. The longitudinal engine is also much easier than the transverse, since once you have the front end off, you don't have to work around any parts.

As long as your rebuilt head comes with the cams timed, everything else is relatively simple. There's a keyway in the cam sprocket so it can only go on one way, then just line up your cam and crank marks and put the belt on. If you don't do this already, I always recommend that you crank the engine over a couple of times by hand so you can ensure that the valves aren't tapping the pistons.

As Maple stated, change the water pump! It's rare that it's the actual belts that fail - if they do, it's usually from wear from improper installation or another part or excessive age - rather, it's usually the tensioners, or water pump, or rollers that fail. Replace everything in the t-belt system!

The Bentley manual is the one to get; but, some of them contain some glaring omissions in information, so you should still know what you're doing under the hood.