ive got this 2004 audi tt mk1 sitting in my driveway in seattle and the previous owner had no records of the timing belt ever being done. honestly the car is at like 95k miles now so im pretty sure im playing with fire if i dont fix it soon. i was looking at some diy guides on audizine and watching some youtube videos but im getting really mixed signals about the whole process.
some people say i absolutely have to pull the whole engine mount out to even get the cover off but then i saw this one guy on a forum saying you can just shimmy it past if you have the right offset wrench. also i see kits that come with the water pump and some that dont. one guy said the oem ones have plastic impellers that fail so i should get a metal one but then another post said the metal ones can leak more easily?? im super confused.
i dont have a ton of money to throw at a mechanic right now and i really need this car ready for a road trip down to portland next friday so i gotta do this myself this weekend. does anyone have a definitive list of what tools i actually need for the tensioner and if i really need to replace the water pump while im in there because it looks like a nightmare to reach...
You absolutely gotta do the water pump while you're in there! Those stock plastic impellers are total junk and will fail. Grab the Gates TCKWP306 Timing Belt Component Kit with Water Pump right now. You definitely have to pull that engine mount to get the clearance, no shortcuts there! Metal impellers are way more reliable. It's an amazing project for the weekend, you'll love how it runs after!