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Known fault

1.6 and 2.0 TDI: the belt driving the oil pump runs in oil and crumbles

Typically above 150,000 km. It does not show up on every car.

critical

severity

above 150,000 km

mileage

200–600 EUR

repair cost

3 sources next to the write-up.

The fault

How you spot it

On these engines the oil pump is driven by its own small toothed belt, and that belt runs in the hot engine oil. This is not the large timing belt that drives the camshafts, it is a separate belt in the lower part of the engine. In the oil the rubber hardens over time, its surface starts to crumble, and the loose particles block the suction side of the oil pump, so the oil pressure drops. If the belt snaps, the oil pump stops at once and the engine is left without lubrication within seconds. The rubber crumbs can also ruin the turbocharger and the camshaft adjuster, because they are lubricated from the same oil circuit. The maker specifies no replacement interval for this belt, so most cars still carry the one fitted at the factory, and the failures are reported above 150,000 km. Oil outside the specification and a stretched oil change speed the process up, because this belt ages in the oil. Replacing the belt itself costs between 200 and 600 euro, as long as the engine has not run without oil pressure.

Which model

Who it affects

The card opens the generation, the engine or the transmission.

Engines and transmissions

Checklist

1.6 and 2.0 TDI: the belt driving the oil pump runs in oil and crumbles

What you would check for this fault. Take it to the car.

Before you buy

Checklist

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vinkodex.com · Before you buy it, see what can go wrong.

Sources

How we know

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms