Rev 1, 3rd February 2008

Timing Belt Renewal for Audi 20V Turbocharged I5 Engine

Application – RR, 3B, AAN, ABY and ADU

Introduction

This document is designed to provide a useful guide for the procedure of renewing
the toothed timing belt on the ABY engine. The procedure described here is directly
applicable to the ADU engine of the Audi RS2 Avant, but there are a couple of
notable part number differences which must be observed.

The RR, 3B and AAN engines have a similar configuration to the ABY and ADU but
they are not identical. This document shall attempt to point out the important
differences in respect to the belt tensioning mechanism.

The timing belt on these wonderful 20VT engines should be changed every 80,000
miles or every 4 years – whatever comes first. It is important to remember these
engines are an interference design such that if you are unlucky enough to have a
timing belt failure, then pistons will come into contact with valves. The very
thought of such a stressful and costly experience is the reason this document
exists!

Disclaimer

As always, with documents of this nature – it is a best efforts affair. The author,
and other contributors or reviewers cannot be held responsible for any damages or
losses incurred by the use of this document. It is purely intended as a guideline for
experienced mechanics and automotive technicians who may not otherwise have
sufficiently detailed information on this task. The source of the info described here
is from official factory repair manuals and the cold, hard experience of those who
have done it. If in any doubt, seek professional guidance.

Pre-Requisites

In addition to the coolant needing to be drained before this operation, the following
parts also need to be removed in order to get sufficient access to the front of the
engine before getting at the timing belt:

• Undertray
• Front bumper
• Auxiliary Radiator (Not AAN)
• Intercooler (Not AAN)
• Front panels including the lock-carrier and cross-member
• Viscous fan (AAN only)

Other Tasks to Consider

While you are here, with this amount of disassembly done, it may make sense to
consider these additional tasks in this area of the engine:

• Thermostat & seal

• Two water pipes from the thermostat housing and turbo to the water rail
• Auxiliary drivebelts
• Snub Mount upgrade

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Tools Required

The following is a list of the main tools required to complete the timing belt removal
and refitting operations –

• Combination spanners – various common sizes at 10, 13, 15 & 17mm

• 1/2” sockets – various common metric sizes as above
• M6 allen key / socket
• 27mm 3/4” socket, large T-bar and sturdy extension pole
• Torque wrench from 20 – 200Nm
• Crankshaft locking tool – either VAG3256 or a modified VAG2084
• Pulley counter-hold tool – such as VAG3212 or equivalent

Parts Required

The table below depicts the part numbers required for the ABY with all known
differences to the other 20VT engines provided as well:

Ref Description 3B and RR AAN ABY ADU

054 109 119 G 054 109 119H 034 109 119 C
1 Toothed Belt (147 Teeth)
See ABY
(151 Teeth) (??? Teeth)
078 109 244 F
N 010 240 22
Relay/Idle Roller 069 109 243 B
2 N 010 368 1
See ABY Or a new See ABY
and Bolt bracket with
roller & bolt
054 109 479 A
Not Applicable.
Belt tension is
Bolts for N 010 218 6
3 achieved by the See ABY See ABY
Tensioner position of the
3-off
coolant pump
Washers for N 011 524 23
4 - See ABY See ABY
tensioner bolts 3-off
Coolant Pump 034 121 004 054 121 004 AV 034 121 004 B
5 See ABY
with O-ring (26 Teeth) (26 Teeth) (29 Teeth)
Allen head bolt &
N 014 715 4 N 014 717 2
6 washer for N 011 670 16
N 100 833 01
N 011 670 16
See ABY
coolant pump
N 010 358 1 N 010 247 8
Bolts & washers
7 See ABY N 011 525 20 N 012 241 10 See ABY
for coolant pump 2-off each 2-off each
8 Main pulley bolt N 010 143 2 See ABY 034 105 229 A See ABY
Allen head bolts N 014 726 3
9 See ABY See ABY See ABY
on pulley 4-off
Toothed belt
10 See ABY See ABY 034 105 263 A See ABY
crank pulley

Other items that you may wish to renew during this work package are as follows:

Ref Description RR 3B AAN ABY & ADU

Aircon belt 054 903 137
1 068 260 849 See ABY A without 034 260 849
(Where Fitted)
aircon
2 Alternator belt 034 903 137 A 054 903 137 034 903 137 B
035 260 849 C 054 903 137
3 Hydraulic belt 035 260 849 C B 034 260 849 E
with aircon

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Timing Belt Removal

Assuming you have all the parts to hand, the tools ready and have completed the
pre-requisite steps then we are ready to start. If you have completed all the pre-
requisite steps then your engine bay will look something like this one pictured
below.

Figure – Ready to start

1. Auxiliary Belt Removal – On the ABY engine, the order in which these belts
are removed is as Alternator, Aircon (where fitted) then the PAS belt last. I
expect something similar on the 3B engine (to be confirmed) but I am aware
that the AAN engine has a somewhat different configuration with one ribbed
serpentine belt that services all the auxiliary pulleys and a separate tension
adjuster for it.

• Alternator Belt – loosen the lock-nut on the toothed adjuster for the
alternator drivebelt. Slacken the pivot bolt for the alternator, reduce
the tension with the toothed adjuster and remove the V-belt.

Figure 1A – Alternator Belt

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 Rev 1, 3rd February 2008

• Air Conditioning Belt (where fitted) – use the tension adjuster for this
belt at the aircon compressor and slacken the other bolts on the
compressor bracket which allow it to rotate within the adjustment
range by pushing it towards the engine. This allows the belt to be
removed.

Figure 1B – Aircon Belt

• Hydraulic / PAS Belt – same setup here… Slacken the pivot bolt first of
all. Then release the locking nut on the tensioner. Access is tight to this
one – a pair of 13mm spanners is required to squeeze in here. Remove
the PAS belt.

Figure 1C – Hydraulic Belt

2. Using a 2-pin counter-hold tool such as the VAG-3212 (or equivalent) as

shown below, remove the three Allen key bolts which hold the pulley onto
the hydraulic pump. This ensures ease of access for the next step on the
ABY, but it may not be necessary on all 20VT engine variants.

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 Rev 1, 3rd February 2008

3. Remove the two 17mm bolts along with the metal bracket that holds the
upper timing belt cover in place. Release the three spring clips and remove
the upper timing belt cover. See below.

Figure 3 – Upper Belt Cover

4. Before proceeding further, you may now wish to familiarise yourself with the
various timing marks on the engine… Use a suitable 27mm socket on the
bottom pulley bolt to hand crank the engine until the mark on the camshaft
pulley starts to approach the reference mark on the cover as shown below.
Don’t line it up just yet… Look for either a ‘0’ mark or a notch on the
flywheel through the aperture on the bell-housing. Confirm that the
crankshaft/flywheel mark is above the reference edge as shown in the photo
below.

Figure 4 – Approaching TDC on #1

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When the engine is at TDC on cylinder #1 – this notch should be just under
the reference edge – right where you can’t see it anymore. Not the most
useful bit of German Engineering I’ve ever seen but that’s life !

This is the point where the camshaft marks now align. My advice for keeping
an eye on the crankshaft position is to dab the area above the reference
mark with some paint so that you can just see it through the window.

Figure 4B – Crankshaft at TDC on #1

See below for the camshaft position and also where a notch on the bottom
pulley aligns with a reference spot on the lower timing belt cover at TDC on
cylinder #1.

Figures 4C & 4D – Aligned at TDC on #1

You are well advised to leave the engine in this position as it is needed later
on in the sequence for locking the crankshaft.

5. Now that you are familiar with the timing marks, release the tension on the
timing belt by slackening these three bolts on the tensioner bracket and
rotating it anti-clockwise.

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 Rev 1, 3rd February 2008

Figure 5 – Belt Tensioner

Note, on the 3B and RR engines, the timing belt tension is provided by the
position of the coolant pump… In which case, simply slacken its mounting
bolts in the block and rotate it to reduce belt tension.

6. Next, remove the rubber bush that forms the front engine support (aka
‘snub-mount’) and fit the crank-locking tool. A few options are available here
depending on the engine type. For the 3B and RR engines, the VAG-2084
tool is the right item. Note I took this photograph before I got to this stage
to ensure the modified 2084 tool I had was up for the task on my ABY
engine.

Figure 6A – Crank locked up properly

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 Rev 1, 3rd February 2008

On the ABY, ADU and AAN engine it is possible to use a modified variant of
the 2084 tool so that it engages in the deeper vibration damper fitted to
these engines. See below for pictures and approximate dimensions of the
modified 2084.

Figure 6B – 2084 Crank-Lock Tool

The 2084 tool locks the crank at the TDC #1 position approximately. The
more correct crank-lock tool to use on the AAN, ABY and ADU is VAG-3256.
This engages on the snub-mount in a slightly different way with a bolt to
secure it.

7. With the timing belt tension reduced and the crankshaft now locked
correctly, the main pulley bolt can be removed. This is very tight and really
needs 3/4” socketry to remove it along with a long sturdy extension pole to
put the required amount of torque into that bolt.

Figure 7 – Removing the big pulley bolt

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 Rev 1, 3rd February 2008

With 1/2” socketry it is common to have that equipment just bend or break
under the stress. If you have access to a high performance impact wrench
(air or battery driven) then that can be of assistance.

8. At this stage, the crankshaft pulley and vibration damper can be removed
along with the toothed belt drive that is keyed onto the crankshaft. This is
OK, but it is not possible to inspect the toothed crank pulley for cracks which
have been observed on some engines. Remove the four allen bolts that
secure the belt pulley and vibration damper onto the toothed pulley using
the VAG-3212 counter-hold again at the holes drilled in the vibration
damper.

Figure 8 – Pulley & damper removed

The other advantage of this method is that it is easier to refit the

components with the new belt when the time comes. Note the curiously
thick spacer washer that is placed between the toothed pulley and belt
pulley when performing this disassembly sequence. Note the bolt holes are
offset such that they can only be assembled in the correct position.

9. Now the two 10mm bolts can be removed to take the lower timing belt cover
off the engine.

10. Finally, remove the timing belt – noting its orientation around the various
pulleys. For reference purposes, the ABY configuration is shown below, but
of course the 3B / RR setup is slightly different in that the idle pulley is down
at the oil pump and the tensioning mechanism is different.

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 Rev 1, 3rd February 2008

Figure 10 – ABY / ADU / AAN Timing Belt layout

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Timing Belt Refitting

11. The idle/relay roller can be replaced first. The new bolt for the relay roller
can be torqued up to 20Nm at this point, but the new tensioning bracket
bolts (where fitted) should remain hand-tight for now.

12. Using a smear of (rubber friendly) assembly grease, fit the new O-ring to
the coolant pump and ensure that the mating surface on the block is clean
and dry before fitting the pump. The grease isn’t essential but it sure
increases the confidence that the O-ring hasn’t moved out of its slot as you
fit the pump. On the ABY, AAN and ADU engines the water pump bolts can
be torqued up now to 25Nm. Note the use of mixed fittings on the water
pump… The allen-headed bolt on the ABY/ADU also secures the tensioning
bracket for the hydraulic pump. Expect some water loss when you remove
the old coolant pump.

Figure 12 – New coolant pump and belt tensioner fitted to ABY

13. Fit the new toothed pulley onto the keyed area on the end of the crankshaft
as shown below. Its quite a snug fit as you might expect.

Figure 13 – New toothed crankshaft pulley fitted

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 Rev 1, 3rd February 2008

14. Next, fit the new timing belt around the pulleys, ensuring it is neither
trapped or kinked in any way, as shown in Figure 10 above making sure to
check that the timing marks for the crankshaft and camshaft positions align
correctly.

15. Apply sufficient torque to the tensioning bracket (where fitted) or the
coolant pump (3B & RR only) so as to remove any slack from the belt and
hand-crank the engine at least two times and satisfy yourself that the timing
marks are correct. To do this, one can temporarily fit the crank pulley and
damper to the toothed pulley so that the engine can be rotated clockwise by
hand. If all is well, then apply sufficient tension on the timing belt so that it
can be just twisted through 90 degrees in the area above the coolant pump.
Hand-crank the engine again as a double-check that timing is good.

Figure 15 – Checking belt tension

16. Check torque on the tensioning bracket bolts of the ABY/AAN/ADU to 20Nm.
The coolant pump bolts on the 3B/RR are also torqued to 20Nm.

17. Refit the lower timing belt cover and torque the two bolts to 10Nm.

18. Apply your favourite thread-locking compound to the new big pulley bolt.

19. Fit the crankshaft pulley and vibration damper to the crankshaft pulley
(remember the bolt holes only align in one position) and hand tighten the
new main pulley bolt as shown below.

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 Rev 1, 3rd February 2008

Figure 19 – New pulley bolts

20. Use the counter-hold tool (VAG3212) in order to torque the four allen-
headed bolts up to 20Nm plus an additional 90 degrees. This is to ensure
the pulley/damper do not move around when tightening the main bolt.

Figure 20 – Torque up the small pulley bolts

21. Using the crankshaft locking tool, the big bottom bolt can now be tightened
to a torque of 200Nm followed by an additional 180 degrees. You can use
1/2” sockets & torque wrench for that 200Nm setting, but you will need the
3/4” set for the final schwing.

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Figure 21 – Initial torque setting on the main pulley bolt

This step requires some serious and careful effort with the 3/4” socketry.
Use paint marks on the bolt and pulley or special tool to measure this angle
after the initial 200Nm torque.

22. Further hand-cranking of the engine is a good sanity check at this point to
ensure the timing is 100% and to make a final check of all the nuts and
bolts to verify that nothing has moved or been forgotten.

23. Refit the upper timing belt cover with spring clips and mounting bracket.

24. Where applicable, refit the hydraulic pump pulley with the assistance of the
counter-hold tool and torque those bolts up to 25Nm.

25. Refit the auxiliary belts in the order which the reverse order of which they
were removed, setting the correct tension on each one at a time.

26. At this point, the engine can be spun on the starter with to verify all is well
with the timing before you fill up with coolant and rebuild everything. To
prevent the engine from starting during this test, you can either remove the
fuel pump relay or disconnect the wiring plug to the camshaft position (CMP)
sensor. The CMP is located near the camshaft pulley on the ABY, ADU and
later AAN engines or inside the distributor of RR, 3B and early AAN engines.

Now it is just a matter of refitting all the engine and bodywork periphery that were
removed before this procedure started.

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-o- Good Luck –o-

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