Timing belt change on S4. Need some advice. I love you.

[CETME]

I go to Denmark every summer. I'm about to graduate with my bachelors in Social Science Education. I'm a Danish citizen, and since my whole family, including my mom lives there, I figured that I would teach English in DK for a year or two.

I shipped my 2001 S4 to Denmark. It has not had its timing belts changed yet. I know.. stupid... but it only has 4000 miles on it.  I'm going to replace them when I get there. But I would like to take everything I need with me to do it.

Do I need just the belts? or do I need anything else? Bolts? Nuts? any little things I need to change the belts? Or can I just go with some tools and the belts and complete the task? I would hate to get there to realize I'm missing something.

Any help would be great.

[Speeddog]

Besides the tools needed to get the covers off, and the tools to loosen the adjustable pulley, the only thing is a tool to rotate and hold the eccentric while you tighten the lockdown nut.

IIRC, the eccentric has a 19mm hex, but there's not enough space to get a regular open-end wrench in there, especially on the vertical.
I've used a small pair of needle-nosed pliers, or something like that, but they're not very good for it.

I'm thinking one of the thin sheetmetal wrenches like the bicycle shops use for wheel hub bearings.

The intake cam on the vertical will fight back when you go to put the belt on, as it'll be partway open and the closer springs want to backdrive it.

Getting the middle belt cover off of the motor is a bit of a Zen puzzle, there's a way to do it without getting it jammed, but I don't do it often enough to remember the technique, and I doubt I could explain it even if I could remember it...

[Rameses]

Getting the middle belt cover off of the motor is a bit of a Zen puzzle, there's a way to do it without getting it jammed, but I don't do it often enough to remember the technique, and I doubt I could explain it even if I could remember it...

I can second that.

All I remember about it that a fair amount of obscenities were involved.

[CETME]

What about an offset wrench like this one from Sears?  http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00944366000P?vName=Tools

Would that work better for the eccentric?

[Speeddog]

That might work, if you spent some time on it with a grinder.

Problem is you need that wrench on the eccentric, and a 13mm box wrench on the lockdown nut.
Frame tube location makes it a real PITA.

[gage]

That might work, if you spent some time on it with a grinder.

Problem is you need that wrench on the eccentric, and a 13mm box wrench on the lockdown nut.
Frame tube location makes it a real PITA.

I was able to get a wrench on the Vertical.

You'll also want to get a set of fuji shoulder lock nuts for the eccentrics (8mm, Someone please confirm).  How do you plan to tighten the belts?  You can get any cheap microphone and download a guitar tuner measuring in hertz to tune the frequency.  Do a search (maybe not here) and you;ll come up with it. Worked great for me.

[Speeddog]

I was able to get a wrench on the Vertical.

You'll also want to get a set of fuji shoulder lock nuts for the eccentrics (8mm, Someone please confirm).  How do you plan to tighten the belts?  You can get any cheap microphone and download a guitar tuner measuring in hertz to tune the frequency.  Do a search (maybe not here) and you;ll come up with it. Worked great for me.

I was thinking one of these, they're bicycle cone wrenches.
Very thin.



I've run 30k miles tightening my belts to a 10mm freeplay between the cam pulleys, and no issues.
By 10mm freeplay, I mean 5mm up/5mm down with reasonable finger pressure.
This 10mm number was given to me by a very well respected Duc wrench who's done *tons* of work on desmoquattros.

[CETME]

I know this is old, but I figured if anyone was curious, a 22mm offset wrench combined with a 12mm offset wrench works perfect for the adjuster eccentric and fuji nut. There is tons of room to work. These are Bahco brand tools, I bought them in Denmark. If anyone is interested in them, PM and I'll bring some home for anyone who wants them.

[gage]

That's how I did it. Method works great

[woodyracing]

those are very convenient tools but IMO its much easier just to use a big flathead screwdriver to adjust the eccentric.  Doesn't take much effort to turn that thing, an offset wrench is just overcomplicating things

[fouramdesigns]

those are very convenient tools but IMO its much easier just to use a big flathead screwdriver to adjust the eccentric.  Doesn't take much effort to turn that thing, an offset wrench is just overcomplicating things

Woody! It's Spence

[woodyracing]

Spence, give me a call man.  I deleted your voicemail by mistake and don't have your number stored in my phone

[CETME]

I'm sure you could use 3 matches, a pair of porcupine quills and platypus talon to move the eccentric as well, but isn't the easiest thing to do is use a proper tool for the job?

If you use a flathead screwdriver to move the eccentric to tighten the belts, it will probably slip off as you're prying and scratch the paint on your frame, then scratch your cylinder head, then break through the head and smash the valves, then work it's way down and bust a hole in your piston, which will in turn explode your connecting rod, which will snap your crank in half, then your whole bike will spontaneously erupt into flames, burning down your garage, then your house and then kill four owls.

the wrench I have is safe and easy, my house is fine, my bike is fixed and there are no dead owls.

[ducatiz]

I'm sure you could use 3 matches, a pair of porcupine quills and platypus talon to move the eccentric as well, but isn't the easiest thing to do is use a proper tool for the job?

If you use a flathead screwdriver to move the eccentric to tighten the belts, it will probably slip off as you're prying and scratch the paint on your frame, then scratch your cylinder head, then break through the head and smash the valves, then work it's way down and bust a hole in your piston, which will in turn explode your connecting rod, which will snap your crank in half, then your whole bike will spontaneously erupt into flames, burning down your garage, then your house and then kill four owls.

the wrench I have is safe and easy, my house is fine, my bike is fixed and there are no dead owls.

but what am i to do with all these platypus talons??  sheesh

[Jarvicious]

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