Contents: General information ⬇ Tensioner ⬇ Camshaft gear ⬇ Crankshaft gear ⬇ Water pump timing belt ⬇
General information
Before starting the procedure, the engine and the car should be immobilized:
- a) Disconnect the negative battery cable.
- b) Support the rear wheels of the car with wedges and apply the parking brake. Move the manual transmission control lever to neutral position.
Note: If your vehicle's stereo system is equipped with a security device, make sure you have the correct code to activate the audio system before disconnecting the battery.
Tensioner
Removal
1. Bring the piston of the first cylinder to the TDC position of the end of the compression stroke (see section Bringing the piston of the first cylinder to the top dead center (TDC) position at the end of the compression stroke).
2. Separate the right powertrain support, then remove the accessory drive belt, crankshaft pulley, and upper and lower timing belt covers (see section Removal and installation the timing belt and its covers).
3. Loosen the tensioner roller hub lock nut and loosen the belt.
4. Loosen the lock nut and remove the tensioner from the mounting stud.
Examination
Clean the tensioner thoroughly to avoid contamination of the bearing, do not use any solvents. Rotate the pulley by the hub manually, make sure there are no jerks or jamming points. The presence of play indicates wear of the assembly and the need to replace it.
Installation
1. Place the roller on the stud. The tensioner base plate should fit with the U-shaped notch on the bolt. Lightly tighten the lock nut.
2. Tighten the timing belt (see section Removal and installation the timing belt and its covers).
3. Check the proper functioning of the tensioner by firmly pressing the belt with your thumb in the area in the middle between the toothed wheels of the crankshaft and camshaft; the sliding indicator protruding from under the roller will move away from the installation groove of the base plate of the assembly.
4. When releasing the belt, the indicator should return to its original position, again aligning with the groove. If the indicator jams, the tensioner should be replaced.
5. Reinstall all removed components (see section Removal and installation the timing belt and its covers).
6. After completing the assembly, check that the ignition timing is set correctly (see Chapter Engine electrical equipment).
Camshaft gear
Removal
1. Remove the timing belt covers and bring the piston of the first cylinder to the TDC position at the end of the compression stroke. After releasing the tensioner lock nut, loosen the belt and remove it from the camshaft gear.
Caution! To avoid damage to the cylinder head components due to accidental displacement of the crankshaft during removal/installation of the camshaft gear, the authors of this Manual recommend rotating the shaft a couple of degrees back from TDC. Before putting on the belt, do not forget to return the engine to the top dead center position.
2. Before loosening the fastening bolt, make sure the camshaft gear is locked. Use a simple fork grip made from two pieces of metal strip and three nuts with bolts. One of the bolts acts as the tool fork axis, the other two are attached to the sprocket.
3. After the gear wheel is securely locked, loosen the mounting bolt.
4. Remove the toothed wheel from the camshaft journal.
5. After removing the wheel, immediately check the camshaft oil seal for signs of leaks. If necessary, replace the oil seal (see section Replacing the camshaft seal).
6. Thoroughly wipe the mating surfaces of the gear and shaft journal.
Assembly
1. Place the timing gear on the camshaft journal (take care to align the keyway with the key).
2. After locking the gear wheel, tighten the bolt in several stages to the required force.
3. Make sure the engine is in the TDC position (see section Bringing the piston of the first cylinder to the top dead center (TDC) position at the end of the compression stroke), then install the toothed belt and adjust its tension (see section Removal and installation the timing belt and its covers). Install all removed parts and connect the negative cable to the battery.
Crankshaft gear
Removal
1. Remove the timing belt covers (see section Removal and installation the timing belt and its covers) and bring the piston of the first cylinder to the TDC position at the end of the compression stroke.
2. Block the crankshaft from turning. Blocking can be done using a special Skoda tool, or by jamming the flywheel ring gear through the hole for installing the starter (the procedure for removing the starter is described in Chapter Engine electrical equipment). Loosen the gear mounting bolt.
3. Blocking the engine from turning (see previous paragraph), loosen the crankshaft gear mounting bolt (don't turn it inside out yet).
4. Make sure the engine is in the TDC position (see section Bringing the piston of the first cylinder to the top dead center (TDC) position at the end of the compression stroke), then loosen the tensioner lock nut and loosen the timing belt tension. Carefully remove the belt from the crankshaft toothed wheel.
5. Unscrew the bolt and remove the gear wheel.
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6. After removing the gear wheel, check the shaft seal; if any signs of leakage are detected, replace the defective seal (see section Replacing crankshaft seals).
7. Thoroughly wipe the mating surfaces of the gear and crankshaft journal.
Assembly
1. Once the hub tooth is aligned with the keyway on the journal, install the wheel in place. Lightly lubricate the threads, screw in a new mounting bolt and tighten it, but only by hand for now.
Note: The final tightening of the bolt is done after the timing belt has been installed. The tightening force is high enough to eliminate the risk of accidental shaft rotation with the inevitable removal of the engine from the TDC position.
2. Make sure that the engine is in the TDC position (see section Bringing the piston of the first cylinder to the top dead center (TDC) position at the end of the compression stroke), then install the timing belt and adjust its tension (see section Removal and installation the timing belt and its covers).
3. Having blocked the crankshaft from turning, tighten the crankshaft gear mounting bolt in several stages with the required force.
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4. Reinstall the remaining components in the reverse order of removal and connect the negative cable to the battery.
Water pump timing belt
The gear wheel is mounted in the pump assembly and cannot be removed individually. A description of the pump procedure is given in Chapter Cooling and heating systems.