Dodging a C4 UrS timing belt failure

[UrS4boy]

This was posted by Mark G in Chicago on the quattroworld UrS forum.

"I thought you'd like to see what a dodged bullet on a timing belt situation looks like. My water pump froze up and sheared off 3/4 of the ribs on the belt. And no it never jumped time. Lesson: use only Audi water pumps! I'm currently at 190,000 miles and counting. "

Thought I better share.

[Thuppu]

I don't understand the text, his water pump failed and now he's at 190k miles and counting with stock pump..? He waited a bit before posting that pic..? And the rule is to change the pump every time you do the timing belt. 190k... it's just a matter of time when it's failing again.

Edit. maybe he means total 190k on clock..?

[John.]

Edit. maybe he means total 190k on clock..?

Probably,
you'd think the bearings would be suspect when the belt was changed?....and that belt is fresh.
What puzzles me in that picture is it looks like the cam has seized as the belt is on fully at pump and hanging off at cam pulley??
.....anyone?

[K Simmonds]

I've dealt with a PD engine that did something very much the same, though in that case the belt was ancient as well as the pump which had sheared it's impeller. Remarkably the engine was still running (just) and the car was actually driven to my workshop...by a woman who said it sounded a bit funny.

The belts are much tighter on PD's than our old I5's and it was just gripping the pulleys enough to run purely on tension all be it with timing that was jumping about! I put a new belt kit on it and it's still going strong.

I'm amazed he got away with that on an AAN.

[UrS4boy]

The point of the story is when you are doing timing belt on an AAN (or ABY or ADU) you want to use an OE supplier (Graf or Hepu) water pump, not some generic cheap Chinese cr@p. He has 190,000 miles on the engine so far and it survived this non-fatal failure to live on.

One AAN kit with decent parts listed: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/aud...-s4-s6-s4s6kit

[hunker7]

If you use Chinese cheap stuff then you deserve this to happen.

[K Simmonds]

The point of the story is when you are doing timing belt on an AAN (or ABY or ADU) you want to use an OE supplier (Graf or Hepu) water pump, not some generic cheap Chinese cr@p. He has 190,000 miles on the engine so far and it survived this non-fatal failure to live on.

Yep, agree with that one. I use Gates belts and a pump or complete kit from TPS on customers VAG cars, depending on the model. If they present me with cheapo parts sourced at random from eBay I refuse the job.

The PD engine I mention was considerably past the service interval for it's belt change.

[slacky]

One AAN kit with decent parts listed: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/aud...-s4-s6-s4s6kit

Hi Dave , is this the kit you've used in the past ?

[Vorsprung durch Technik]

Wish we could get those parts as cheaply here.

[UrS4boy]

Hi Dave , is this the kit you've used in the past ?

No. But it contains the same parts that I bought when I did my timing belt in 2011.

IF the kit indeed contains those parts, its probably a good deal. There must be somebody in the UK that would (should?) offer the same parts.

[mcandmar]

I would wonder if the belt was too tight and ran the bearing in the water pump.