No, I didn't bother with changing either. Variator is good and I figure that if the pump starts to leak I will change it. My B is 19 year old with 67,000 Km on it. This is the 2nd timing belt to be fitted. The first belt I managed to change without the workshop manual. Now I have the manual, I realise it is a guide for skilled mechanics and is not written like a Haynes manual. I will attempt to add in the sort of info that Haynes include. I will add info by page number.
Page 18. Wheel arch liner removal.
2 of the screws are shorter than the rest, make a note of where they come from. Rectangular cover includes 1 plastic rivet. Just push the centre part through to release it. As to removing the liner itself, it is one big struggle!
Page 19. Auxiliary belt removal.
The tensioner nut is 15mm. To increase the leverage of a regular spanner, I slipped a much larger spanner over it (see 1st photo).
Page 19 & 20. Timing belt guard removal.
The 3 lower & 3 upper screws are Ribe keys. You can use a Torx T40 instead. The middle 2 screws are 5mm Allen keys. I removed the header tank fixings to give better access to the top 3 cover fixings or you could remove the header tank altogether. I used a mini ratchet with T40 Torx bit (see photos 2&3). The left hand upper screw is exceptionally difficult to get to!!
Page 20. Air con pump cable.
Very difficult to get at! Connector is like the coil pack connectors. Squeeze the outer and it should pull apart. (difficult with a big pipe in the way!)
Page 20. TDC and cam locking
Before locking the cams I removed the auxiliary drive pulley from the crankshaft (page 22). I locked the crankshaft by wedging a prybar into the flywheel through the lower cover (page 22, pic 1)
When finding TDC the cam lobes on cylinder No1 inlet shaft should be facing towards the rear of the car.
To be continued tomorrow
