This past January I took my car (2003 Audi A6, 2.7T) in for service for a coolant leak. Of course they found the coolant leak, along with a slew of other things, one of them being the dire need of a new timing belt, thermostat, water pump, serpentine belt, and a few other minor accessories while everything was taken apart. The cost? About $3500.
The $3500 was a quote from the dealer. I refuse to take this car to any local shop as it seems from my past experiences that they simply cannot work on German cars without messing something up. (My town is pro-Ford and Chevy and finding parts for anything but one of those two makes is next to impossible without having to order them online)
So what did I do? Just what any other geek would do... Do it myself, of course. Certainly I had to do a little reading up about the car as there were a few things I wasn't too sure about, but I am quite surprised at how easy and straight forward the entire job was despite its complexity when looking at pictures (As you'll see below).
I think the entire job required about 10 different tools (Including 'weird' things like a strap wrench, and a 32mm open head box wrench) and took my the course of a week to complete from start to finish in between working full time.
So, if you've found this post while doing a search for an A6 2.7T timing belt job you may be asking for some tips / tricks. Here are a few mistakes / tips that I can give you:
- There are several YouTube videos out there showing this job from start to finish. Although they are a GREAT reference, some of them show the service being doing with the front wheels on. I tried this and wasted about a half hour figuring out how they did it. Just put the car on jack stands and remove the wheels. It'll make things a lot easier.
- One thing that took my by surprise was the fact that the power steering hoses needed to be disconnected when taking off the front bumper assembly (Not the bumper cover). Don't worry about your entire power steering leaking of fluid; You'll only lose a little bit and you can re-fill and bleed the system later when you've got it almost ready to go back on the ground.
- With the lower radiator hose disconnected, run the car for about a half minute to get most of the G12 coolant out. I took a nice bath in coolant when removing the thermostat because I thought the system was empty but it was not.
- The placement of the thermostat gasket is crucial. Place the gasket on the housing side, not the engine block side. You'll be taking it all apart again if you don't. Unless you're NASA, get this o-ring right the first time.
- Only make one firm mark on your cams to ensure it is lined up properly. I made the mistake of making 3 lines on each cam and was second guessing myself for hours wondering if they were JUST right.
- Make sure the crank is at top dead center (TDC) before taking off the timing belt. After taking the crank cover off, make a white line from the top of the crank to the engine block behind it. BY doing this, you will always be able to tell where the crank is without mounting the cover and pully again.
- Inspect your engine for leaks around your valve covers. Now would be a good time to change valve cover gaskets, and cam tensioner gaskets. This job alone is $1,200 from the dealer.
- Inspect all other components once you have it all taken apart. If anything doesn't pass inspection, replace it. You'll see why once you get going just how involved this whole process is. You don't want to be doing it again three months later.
And now, here are some pictures of the whole ordeal:
This is just the bumper cover and bumper assembly off, prior to actually getting started, per-say:
Here is the engine with the serpentine belt, viscus fan, timing covers, timing belt, and thermostat all removed:
Another image, different angle of the same thing as above:
Note I left the timing belt hanging here. I needed to use a strap wrench and a 32mm open end box wrench to remove the big black pully that is holding the belt in place:
Here are all the components that were changed out. All of that work just for a few components:
Here it is all put back together and cleaned up:
The car currently has 121,000 miles on it and it's running great. This summer I plan on removing the engine to service the turbos (Replace) and replace my valve cover gaskets that are leaking.
If anyone is doing an Audi timing belt job on their own and need advice or has questions, feel free to reach out and contact me and I'll help.
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