2004 Jetta Timing belt. AND 5TH GEAR CHANGE

[RED7654]

I have a 2004 Jetta TDI. It just turned 53 thousand miles.
Does anyone on here know if it has the 60 k timing belt or the 90 k timing belt.
It is the later motor that they put in the 2004 jetta's

I was also told that you can change out the fifth gear and get a higher gear. Has any one tried this and is it worth it?

As always and and all help appreciated.

Robert

[jmartin7]

I'm not that familiar with tdis but I believe that it is around 80k miles. However the car is almost 12 years old and the original timing belt is overdue by age. The belt is rubber and will dry rot just like the tires will. Also when timing belt is changed make sure that the water pump is also changed at the same time. These usually fail around the same time as the timing belt and the belt has to be off to change it anyway. A good source for timing belt parts is http://www.dieselgeek.com/ . I used them when I did the timing belt on my 1.8t Beetle. They have kits that will have everything you need including new coolant.
http://www.dieselgeek.com/2004_and_2005_Jetta_BEW_TDI_Timing_Belt_Kit_s/1822.htm


The fifth gear swap is what many people will do to gas powered cars or cars that have been modified. On a stock tdi I don't think it would be worth it. Here is a pdf on the swap. http://www.benricci.com/files/gearswap.pdf

[TDCTDI]

It's officially a 100,000 belt, but as jmartin7 stated 11+ years is a bit long for a rubber belt. Be aware that a fifth gear upgrade on 04 & newer may result in an incorrect ratio code that can disable your cruise control. Not all experience this but many have. A taller 5th will decrease revs & increase MPG, if your area is mostly flat, but if it's hilly you can lose MPG due to increased load or having to downshift.
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[RED7654]

Thanks for the help and info. It is appreciated.

Robert