How to Change the Timing Belt on an Audi A4


1. Park the Audi on level ground.
2. Lift the front portion of the Audi using a jack and rest it on axle stands.
3. Remove the two screws from the wheel wells and the six screws from the Audi's underpan by turning a screwdriver counterclockwise.
4. Take off the two lower grilles and the bolts found near the Audi's fog lights by turning an Allen wrench counterclockwise.
5. Grab and remove the Audi's headlight washer hose, found by the driver's side lower grille. Put a bucket under the Audi's front bumper to collect any fluid that will drain out.
6. Jerk the front bumper from the Audi in an upward, then downward motion to remove it. Grab and take off the horn and headlight wiring and turn signal bulbs on either side of the Audi's front end.
7. Remove all three driver's side headlight screws and the four passenger's side headlight screws found under the headlights by turning a T45 Torx screwdriver counterclockwise.
8. Take off the two screws found above the headlights and the two screws found at the sides of the headlights by turning a T30 Torx screwdriver counterclockwise.
9. Grab and take off the lock carrier from the Audi's fan, as well as the wiring and timing belt cover, then unscrew all four bolts from the fan by turning an Allen wrench counterclockwise. Slide the fan away from the Audi.
10. Loosen the two A/C compressor bolts to take off the A/C compressor belt and jerk the spring-loaded tensioner found by the fan using a crescent wrench to reveal and remove the Audi's serpentine belt.
11. Take off the damper pulley from below the Audi's fan by unscrewing its four bolts counterclockwise using a metric wrench. Hold the damper pulley with a breaker bar. Remove the lower timing belt cover by unscrewing its three bolts.
12. Turn the damper pulley crank clockwise to line up the cam sprocket and valve cover with their marked sides. Then unscrew the three bolts that hold in the tensioner and the bolt that holds in the guide pulley. Install a new tensioner to the guide pulley. A tensioner and a new timing belt can be purchased with a timing belt kit from most auto parts shops.
13. Unscrew the guide pulley's bolt from its brass-colored portion, take off the timing belt, then place a new timing belt at the Audi's sprockets. Assemble the guide pulley with an Allen wrench, then take out the new tensioner's pin using your fingers.
14. Install all of the Audi's components back in their places by performing these steps in reverse. Remove the axle stands from the Audi to lower the vehicle.