Former VWDieselParts.com Forum

Hey guys!

Got a 1991 Jetta 1.6td. recently had a buddy do the timing belt in the car. Upon completion and on the drive home the car drove the same. Probably about 500 - 1000 km later the car has rough starts, Bellows blue smoke on idle. And is very very slow and seems to be misfiring. The car was always sooting, now under load or boost does not throw any smoke. Any help is appreciated!

Recheck the timing meticulously. if the belt wasn't tensioned properly it may have jumped one tooth somewhere. I had that happen on one of mine years ago, fortunately no valve damage and easily resolved. you could also have a fule restriction problem and the water separator on MK2s is a common problem area. Search the forum for that subject for more info.

My guess is on belt skipping a tooth too. Its possible it skipped on the injection pump, which could cause these problems. As previously indicated, set crankshaft at TDC, verify camshaft is at TDC, and dot on IP pulley lines up with mark on IP bracket.

Yeah, sometimes a fresh belt stretches and gets loose enough to jump the injection pump one tooth.
Also check that the crank sprocket is solid,.. grab the crank pully and see if it moves.

Get clear fuel lines and look for air going into and out-of the pump.