so i’m in the process of getting a list of maintenance items/upgrades in order with regards to a carbon clean (phenolic spacers, coils, trans fluid change, etc.), so i was wondering in terms of labor savings (as the aformentioned items are adding up quickly), is there any benefit to installing the jhm lightweight crank pulley at the same time or am i looking at the same amount of labor if i do it at a later time? and for those that have installed it, would you say it’s worth the cost? i haven’t done any upgrades to this car yet, so beyond those mentioned i would probably at most be doing a jhm tune and exhaust sometime in the future.
If in your list of maintenance parts you plan on having the front core support off then getting the JHM lightweight pulley is a good idea and a great idea to do now as you will have to pull the front core support off to install the crank pulley.
All the parts you listed from the intake spacers to the crank pulley make a nice impact on the car from all aspects. The crank pulley drops a big amount of rotational weight off the crank and that alone helps the motor spin with a little more ease and its felt at almost any point in the rev range. So over all its a good way to go but if you have the front end off for your work it will save you some money in labor and time.
overall performance the rounded off JHM tune and catback will make a HUGE difference and really help make the car run and feel like the super car it is. But for now doing the maintenance work your doing is a very smart move
i’d love to do it all at once, but even just the basic maintenance items and associated parts is adding up quickly! i swore after dumping a load of money at upgrades on my old 2.7 i was going to leave this car stock, funny how that feeling doesn’t last
Well the good point as that when your 5.2 is all set and done its WAY WAY WAY more relyable and issue free than the 2.7s were. Also from the sounds of it your mod list will put the car in a great performance place that will make you not miss your old 2.7 at all.
honestly your doing it right. Maintenance minded owner will always have less issues and more fun once the maintenance is done.
i have no doubt about reliability issues, after dumping about $12k into the 2.7 (turbos, exhaust, downpipes, clutch, etc. etc.) i had a couple “good” years and then when it rained it poured! - water pump went, steering rack, alternator, and on and on. i’ve been pleasantly surprised in the almost three years of ownership (after buying it with 88k miles) of the reliability…aside from constant battery issues i had since i bought it - finally fixed that last fall with a big AGM battery (i attribute problems to the very short daily commute i have to work), it’s been fairly problem free…but you are correct, definitely have to stay on top of the big maintenance items
if i do upgrade the crank pulley, is there anything i should be replacing while that part of the engine is apart? Accessory belt? belt tensioner? i don’t want to replace parts just for the sake or replacing them especially if they appear to be in good condition, but obviously makes sense to replace any $15 belts (if i go non oem) in the area. i’m obviously not terribly familiar with the engine layout so not sure what wear items are in and around the crank pulley…thanks again
Water pump
Tensioner
If you get the JHM pulley I think they send the pulley with the new belt. Look at the tensioner and check the condition. Most of the time its not a bad idea to swap them out. The water pump is a good idea depending on the condition of your current unit.
I would do the water pump. There’s no way of telling whether it’s good or not by inspecting it. They just fail. If you have more than 75,000 miles on the car and the radiator is already out I think it’s the right time. The heat on these engines is insane. Just know the R/R is somewhat involved, but it is straightforward with the manual.
My tensioner was seized, which is why I replaced it. I also did the idler pulley for the heck of it. I really didn’t want to go back in so another ~150 made sense to me. I think this car has the unique ability to absolutely bury any owner who’s not willing to throw a few hundred dollars at parts to stay ahead of the game. This is no Toyota Camry.
Just my opinion. I’m no expert by any means.
I’m waiting on one more part on my project before I can button everything up. Fingers crossed.
Good luck.
I second the tensioner for sure. I did mine this past summer and can add that it was seized as well.
that makes sense…regarding water pump, i’m just looking at ECS and they have a few options, either just the water pump ($167 vw brand or $50 for Uro) water pump module which comes with with thermostat for $380 (!) - i wonder what else that module includes because if it’s just the thermostat, that’s only $80 so i might as well get them separately…also, any thoughts on Uro brand?
There’s been a few posts I believe that mention failed thermostats. And the Tstat housing is made of plastic…I’d want to replace that. The w/p portion on mine was starting to leak on the side facing the engine block. I’d bite the bullet and get the whole unit.
Re: Uro or VW brand, I’d figure out of URO is the supplier. If so, just get that. If not, I’d be inclined to get the VW brand, but that’s just me. FCPEuro would probably know.
speak of the devil, last night driving home my coolant light flashed on and then car wasn’t shifting right - was shifting as if i was in sport mode, but wouldn’t go past 3rd or 4th gear unless i shifted with paddles. got home, topped off oil as that was a little low and coolant looked to be above minimum level - hard to tell because the air intake is right in the way, but i topped that off slightly to max level. started car up and drove down the street, waiting at stop sign the car was kind of surging/jerking, so i put in reverse to get out of intersection and it reversed fairly quickly without giving it any gas, so i stopped and shut the car off and tried to start it but wouldn’t start again…luckily i was stopped right in front of my mechanics house and he happened to pull in 5 minutes later, he got it started by giving it some gas, but later on it wouldn’t start, kept cranking but wouldn’t turn over…so this morning it actually started and got it to the shop, drove ok but still only shifted to 4th on it’s own…crossing fingers it’s not transmission related and just acting funny coincidentally because of the whatever the other issue is, also having an evap leak fixed that’s been giving me a CEL for a few months. mechanics initial thoughts were it’s something fuel related, pump or something…hopefully that’s all it is, we’ll see…at least i get to drive the wife’s S4 today, nice to not drive an automatic once in a while!
Just as a FYI you actually can inspect the water pump once off.
first the fail points are the fins and the shaft to fin connection. not to mention the obvious issue with the thermostat electronic part.
The most obvious is check the part number to see if its the updated water pump and not the original one from the factory.
After that look at the fins and check for any stress fracture or heat ware on the fins them selves. After that check the shaft and fin connection to make sure that there is no play in movement of the shaft receiver and the fin assembly.
Still the best advice is when in doubt swap it out. Especially on the V10 5.2.
If you can maybe start a thread just for this issue. EVAP leak can cause this issue and so will low or lack of fuel. As to try and help make you feel a little better about the transmission. If you don’t have a back light for the PRNDS the transmission isn’t in any limp or error mode.
My fins on the impeller look fine on my old w/p. It’s the seal that failed. What I’m saying is there’s no way to inspect the seal to see if it has degraded.
well a big sigh of relief, they replaced the coolant temp sensor, plenum gasket and a purge valve…they’re going to give it a once over and keep it til tomorrow to check again, but all good news in my book!