Timing belt tip
This high-mileage 2014 VW Caddy van was in for its scheduled timing belt replacement. We have done quite a few of these over the years and have a good tip to make the job easier.
The new belt first needs to be located on the crankshaft pulley, so use a piece of cardboard torn from the box that held the new timing belt to support the base of the belt. This prevents the belt from dropping out of place as you start to locate it on the upper pulleys. It’s a very simple idea, but without doubt saves us a lot of frustration! There are purpose-made clips for retaining the timing belt onto the various pulleys, but we have found that the cardboard is all that is needed to ensure fitting goes smoothly – and cheaply!
Once the belt is in place, the cardboard can be removed and thrown away.