Open Road

Hey guys.
Can I get an objective rule out list for TB riding forward?
It’s always done so. Different belts, different gears, different WP’s over the years.

I always set the belt dead center on the cam gears.
It always ends up uncomfortably forward.
I heard somewhere that the S3 tend to do that but it sounds anecdotal.
Am I doing something wrong? Maybe too much drei bond on the WP gasket? Etc.
Stock tensioner, non-race belt.

The “washers” on the crank gear are what locates the timing belt relative to everything else. The water pump pulley also, but to a lesser extent. Pull the left-side belt cover and see how the belt is tracking on the WP pulley.

A bent tension roller carrier pivot bolt will also cause mis-tracking on the right-side gear.

Next time you are “there” see if the big washer behind crank gear is able to move or not. If the answer is no, and your pivot bolt is straight and the WP pulley isn’t dragging the belt towards the front of the engine, then…

… it’tis wha tit’is.

If the back washer is loose on the crank then your crank gear isn’t “back” far enough. Hard to do with the correct gear and a stock crank, but possible if your crank’s snout has been chewed on.

Ok, that’s gold. I will report back in.

You can also look at the tension roller and the witness marks on it from the belt. Centered? Or not, is more data.