Monday, September 19, 2011

How difficult is it to change a timing belt on a jetta?

i think my 99 1/2 jetta has a worn timing belt. autozone carries it for $25. how hard is this job? i have a fair amount of mechanical expertise as well as a friend who know VWs pretty well. is this a job that can be tackled over a weekend?How difficult is it to change a timing belt on a jetta?It's a pretty complex job--you have to remove most of the engine and the water pump (you should replace that while you're down there too) and it takes several hours. It's a tricky job, not one I think should be tackled by anyone but a professional. When I got mine done, they had to re-do it because the water pump on Jettas is hard to place correctly...How difficult is it to change a timing belt on a jetta?It can be done in a day with two people who pretty much know what they are doing. But I'm pretty sure that it involves jacking the motor a few inches to be able to get it around a couple of the pulleys.How difficult is it to change a timing belt on a jetta?this is a big job. The part is cheap, but you need to tear down the whole front of an engine to do it.



Accordingly you better have all the tools and equipment you need to tear down an engine.



You should check with your friend if he's done it before. Wouldn't recommend doing this job if neither of you have done it before.How difficult is it to change a timing belt on a jetta?Hard. You will need to buy a special set of tools from your VW dealer to even attempt it. Also you should replace the Water Pump while you are in there because the VW water pump is the most notoriously under-engineered POS ever invented.How difficult is it to change a timing belt on a jetta?With the service manual aka Haines, Chiltons, etc. and two pretty competent people with a good tool box, you should be able to get it done over a weekend. Get the book first and look at the procedure, then you can see if it looks like something you can do or not. Like some of the other contributors said you should replace the water pump and other pulleys while you are in there. It is just good insurance.