As a professional mechanic of over 40 years let me congratulate you on an excellent video. Actually one of the better automotive repair videos I have seen. Very thorough and precise. There's only one thing that I would do differently. I never crank the engine over with the starter. I turn the engine over by hand several several times to make sure I'm not coming in contact with a valve. And verify my timing marks. But excellent video thank you.

Because I read a guide on a reputable forum that said to tension clockwise, I’m now praying I didn’t kill something in my engine.

Thanks for the information! It’s mildly horrifying that the wrong information is SO popular.

Just bought a 04 Jetta 2.0 and it runs great no check engine light on.However I really want to change the belt and water pump and tensioner for peace of mind.Your video will be watched several times before I start and I will reference to it as I do the job.Thanks from Baltimore Maryland .

I’ve watched this video a few times in the last year. Christ just blessed me with a 1999 beetle AEG today and it’s got about 233,000mi. I ordered a gates belt kit and the tool for the timing tensioner. And I bid on a whole top end gasket kit. May as well. Valve seals and a new head gasket probably won’t hurt a thing. Thanks for the excellent content.

Setting the tension of that tensioner is the same as the old Chrysler for cylinder engines that I did for years as a professional mechanic.But it's good to know what I'll be getting into, because I have never done a Volkswagen myself just like you.Thank you

As someone who does their own work because i can't find an affordable mechanic that's better than a competent person with a Chilton's, the 2.0L in the mk4s are non-interference. If it was,  and the belt broke,  there's 100% chance of damage.  Usually fixable.  But always damage.  Non-interference typically won't have damage from the timing becoming disconnected but can from the belt damaging things.

I used a pair of 90 degree snap ring pliers and used the old tensioner for measurements. I the tack welded the snap ring pliers into place for a temporary tool for this job. It took me 5 hours counting the water pump and coolant drain and fill. This is the 1st vw 2.0 ive worked on.

Hi Matt, greets from England. These are everyday fare over here, I`ve personally done 4 in the last 12 months, and they`re not too scary. Working at an independant BMW specialist, we tend to get a lot of "exotic" european marques, with some complex timing belt arrangements. But the way to be relaxed about it is to follow the universal golden rules. Always turn the engine manually TWO complete revolutions, as you did, but with the plugs removed, (I know it`s a pain, but it gives tremendous peace of mind) before you install the outer cover. If there`s going to be any kind of mechanical interference, you`ll feel it by hand, and you`ll have the opportunity to corect it.
Once you`ve done that, always re-check that your timing marks/locking pins etc line up as intended, again as you correctly did. And if you want to be reassured more, do it over again.
I`m not a fan of running the engine, or cranking it before I`ve replaced the cover and crank pulley. This requires you being away from the area in question there are often compenents within these that hold the belt in track, without them in place, belts can "walk" themselves off a pulley while the engine is turning if unattended. By following the hallowed golden rules, I have never had a failure. The only failures I`ve had, (and in 35 years, there`s been one or two) is when I`ve failed to follow the golden rules.
As for the tensioner indicator, there`s no need to be too anal about the exact positioning, once the engine has run for a while, and the nap of the belt fibres have worn to a nice polished surface, you`ll find the the pointer will move away from the indicator anyway
Hope that helps.
On another note, I`m plain gobsmacked that the noise was mis-diagnosed elsewhere, ten seconds and a stethoscope, or a bar, or a screwdriver, or even a bloody pencil would have found that the noise was coming from the timing belt cover area, and about 15 minutes to get the cover off would have pinpointed the fault. Dolts....
Top show sir...Carry on...
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excellent video. I'm a mechanic trained specifically for gm and Ford and have recently moved to a dealership with several German products. the biggest bane of my existence is this specific engine and vehicle. Google, YouTube, and Mitchell's has yet to give me anything near this informative.  thank you for this vehicles video. I'm sorry I don't have a dollar though!

I will be doing this job next weekend on our 05 Jetta as I just ordered a new belt kit. The car is a recent purchase with no previous repair documentation and at 336,XXX kilometers I will put in the effort required to change the belt.

I have an ABA 2.0 Volkswagen engine 2001 and it has no time in tensioner like that that goes into the block and then you pull the gun sights together mine you have to use a tool in order to tighten the belt and tighten the 17 mm nut and a 13 mm to hold it something like a freeze out plug that's a neat system and you're right there's not very many tension YouTube videos on here thank you

Lol i know this is an old video but it popped up when i did a search. Anyway, i have the aptitude to do a timing belt replacement BUT I watch the videos for tips and tricks.  I save  a lot on my own time watching someone take off all the stuff needed and whatever helpful stuff they mention about the job along the way. So don't diss the simple stuff you should know if your doing this job

Great video on this specific application. You did great detail about the tensioner and position. I am a mechanic myself. The window at the transmission is another timing mark that you can use as an option. However, I do have just a couple of remarks. It is easy to run the belt starting at the crank like your instructions say. Your not going to rotate the crank when you pull the belt. You're the only person I have seen to bump the motor over by the switch and not have what you took loose reinstalled. And also  I have never seen anyone start the motor without the motor mount installed to check your work. But you did hit the mark about the tensioner. I have seen one other video that a guy mentioned about it and that was all.

Yes, sir,  you are so right. There is no video on YouTube mentioning the specifics about the special tensioner. Hell, I didn't even know that you have to rotate the tensioner counterclockwise to tension the mechanism. Thanks so much for the info.

I was wondering why the belt was so loose !!!! I guess this video saved it from disaster !!! Thanks so much !!!!!

Hi, just wanted to thank you for the extremely thorough video on this! Your video is the only one I found to help me actually fix my  2003 VW Jetta. This was very nerve racking beings it was my first time ever dealing with a major repair like this. Your amazing

Thank very much for showing my how to set the tension. VW dealer wanted $2048 to fix the po343.

Highly relevant these days still it’s the same tensioner pretty much  on my 2014 golf 1.6tdi only difference is an Allen wrench is perfect for the setting of tension on my particular tensioner.

I have watched several of your videos now.  You are the most professional non-professional mechanic I have run across.

Like you said, it is so much easier to route the new belt starting with the relaxed tensioner. Just no way the new belt was going over those tensioner ridges, had to go with camshaft first, then tensioner, followed by crankshaft pulley, then the waterpump last. Took 1 minute. (Does help to leave the belt half-sticking/hanging off shafts, so it is a smidge easier to rotate it when pulling onto waterpump)