I just finished replacing the timing belt in daughter's vanilia VW Golf (1.8 sohc).

Geez! Gimme a good ol' B21/23/230 any day of the week, blindfolded, one hand behind my back, standing on one foot.

In all fairness, I suppose that once you've done a few, the job becomes second nature. But even after a hundred, you've still got only 2 inches of working room, whereas the Volvo has about 2 feet.

Sure am glad it's not an interference engine!

Takes me a good 8 hours and I've done it twice now!

Sounds like you lucked out. Try an 86 and older Camry. Two inches of clearance sounds like heaven. When I found that the 96 Camry has a whole inch of clearance, I was pleased.

Skin on your knuckles? Unheard of amongst Toyota hobbiests.

Don,

Nothing personal, but my cousin owns a Golf...I would be VERY scared to drive a car like that in city traffic or on the highway. It's so damn small. I'm 6'1" and I could just barely squeeze in there...extremely claustrophobic.

And then last week he calls me and says that he accidentally bumped the car in front of him while trying to manuever out of a parking space. Get this...the bumper CRACKED and the styrofoam started coming out.

No shit...this thing has friggin' styrofoam in the bumper...I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes.

I just know that they would be extracting him from that thing piece by piece if he were involved in a serious accident....

Are you sure that it's not too late to convert her? Maybe offer to buy her Golf for blue book and then have it crushed...she can use it as a doorstop or put the nice, round block in the trunk of her "new" 240 for additional traction when it starts snowing next winter.

Just thinkin' out loud...

Aren't those styrofoam bumpers something else? A Honda Accord t-boned my wife's '80 240 a few years ago. The honda front end disintegrated and I could see the styrofoam spilling out. Those bumpers are built like my old motorcycle helmets. They can take one blow and then they must be replaced. I suspect that all of these plastic coated, streamlined bumpers on the new cars are full of styrofoam. Congress, in its political (lobbied?) wisdom says we only need 5mph bumpers so that's the result.

Have to tell you... US Federal Regulations only require a bumper capable of a 2, yes TWO MPH crash without damage!! 5 is a test for extra protection in cars....

"Congress, in its political (lobbied?) wisdom says we only need 5mph bumpers so that's the result..."

Ronnie Raygun did that.

I no longer bother with logic -- it doesn't work with the fairer sex. She had an '86 245, which was perfect for hauling everything everywhere.

But she got sick of the 245 and sold it back to me (I originally gave it to her for college, so I bought that car twice). Then she went to NYC with no car -- but a neighbor here said, "Hey, does your daughter want this '89 Gol, free?" All it needed was a radiator, tune up, four tires. And a buncha tiny stuff like a stereo, and so on.

All-in-all, it has been reliable.

But you're right -- I wouldn't wanna hit a heavy hamster in the damned thing. Anyway, in September she's off to Skip Barber's school of truly offensive driving. She can learn to avoid hamsters.

"...when it starts snowing next winter..."

She drove her 245 through Syracuse winters, snow tires on all four, and never missed a beat. Wouldn't need the crushed Golf in the back.

Before I found VOLVOs I was a VW nut. My personal best time on an '84 rabbit timing belt change was 42 minutes, from opening the hood to wheels on the ground and running.

I can see that if all the fasteners are rust-free and accessible, and if you have all the tools, and don't hafta reinvent along the way, and know exactly WHERE everything's supposed to be, and aren't blind in both eyes, then MAYBE this could be an under-one-hour job -- just like a clean 240 can be.

But finding the timing marks (not knowing what they look like and also becoming confused by spurious, suspicious, similar-looking other marks) is royal pita #39.

Try timing belts on a Ferrari 512 boxer or a Mazda mellenia (or whatever that thing is ) Volvo has got to be the easiest. Good therapy for you though, Don. Did the check engine light come on? You're luckey if it didn't.

-George

"...a Ferrari 512 boxer or a Mazda mellenia..."

If I could afford one o' them, I could afford...........

"Did the check engine light come on?"

No -- I don't think the car has one.

I've just got to ask: so you've done the belt on a BB? I've only just SEEN one in a parking lot in my entire life -- & i've been around for a while!

Yeah, I did a dang Miata a couple of months ago; what a pain.

I hope my kid's Fow Veh doesn't require my assistance.

Fifteen to 25% are interference engines. You must remember my comments regarding a VW Quantum I once owned. The tensioner on it seized, and the belt broke. Two exhauast valves were bent. The shops I talked to said that it was designed to be a non-interference engine, but there was a significant percentage that had manufacturing tolerances accumulate and become an interference engine.

Yes -- I remember your comments about "some" number of them having interference. After I discovered that I had missed the cam timing by many teeth, my heart fell. But then I realized that "some" were not interference.

Once I finally found the correct timing mark and reset the cam timing, I check compression -- all were over 200 psi.

Runs fine in the garage -- road test shortly.

What a pita!!

No, it doesn't get any easier. And I think your estimate of 2 inches of space is generous. Just wait until you try to change the O2 sensor on that car (it is rusted in place, and very difficult to reach).

Have you noticed yet that VW fasteners corrode, round off, strip and break far more frequently than Volvo fasteners?

Though I have to admit that the plastic fuel tank on the Golf makes it easy to change the in-tank fuel pump (no rust). And VWs are fun to drive.

"...estimate of 2 inches of space is generous..."

My scraped and bruised knuckles agree with you.

...noticed yet that VW fasteners corrode, round off, strip and break..."

Yes, yes, yes, and not yet. I was lucky -- no broken bolts. But the rust is unbelievable. Fortunately, I bought a replacement timing cover off eBay ($1) -- the original was rusted through.

I'm also glad I bought a tensioner. The original was frozen solid, and the belt was scuffing against it. I had to improvise a tensioner torquing tool. The car (an '89) has only 69k original miles, so I believe this was the factory belt. I think I caught it just in time.

"...plastic fuel tank on the Golf makes it easy to change the in-tank fuel pump (no rust)..."

I can imagine. And if I'm lucky, that's as far as I'll go with it.

"...VWs are fun to drive..."

That's true, but a little voice in my '86 245 whispers, "Relax -- I'm comfortable, reliable, roomy, and safe."