Ok - almost the last of the engine component comparisons. I'm eager to start piecing things back together.Picked up some new, OEM timing chain guides from my local dealership. After looking at online suppliers -- this worked out to be about the same price for the 5 components when I factored in shipping, duty and exchange rates. I'm not exactly thrilled to spend approximately $200 CDN for what amounts to 5 pieces of plastic (OEM chains would have been another $125-150 CDN). New PartsIn the comparison of the timing guides - all showed chain contact wear - channels/grooves in the plastic. With the guides from the good BDF - the channels are usually visible, tight/straight, but barely/faintly perceptable by touch. Lucille's (AXF) upper guides were always the worst condition - grooves showed a lot of lateral play and wear on guide - making the depth of groove hard to perceive. The AXF's lower guides were generally in better shape -- deep grooves but straight. The other garbage BDF's guides were almost always nice and straight, with deep pronounced grooves. I tried to use my callipers to get some more empirical data, but it's not the right tool. ChainsFrom Top-Bottom: Good BDF, Bad AXF, Ugly BDFChains -- by my eyeball and comparison were all very much the same length. I used a calliper in spots (such as the space between pins) and the results were consistently even on all the chains. One interesting note here -- is you can see that the upper chains from both the BDFs have some coloured links in them (to help count 16 rollers?) -- where as the AXF does not. I'm trying to determine if Lucille's had the chains done at all -- this could be a clue that it has. HAs anybody else had a coloured chain link from their AXF? Upper Right GuidesFrom L-R: New Guide, Good BDF, Bad AXF, Ugly BDFFrom L-R: New Guide, Good BDF, Bad AXF, Ugly BDFFrom L-R: Good BDF, Bad AXF, Ugly BDFTop Left GuideFrom L-R: New Guide, Good BDF, Bad AXF, Ugly BDFTop Guide From L-R: New Guide, Good BDF, Bad AXF, Ugly BDFOne thing I noticed with all this -- the disproportionate cost of the small upper guide. For it's size and complexity, it was considerably more expensive. I also noticed that this item is not always carried by the typical online suppliers -- and the reason why is that VW doesn't make this part or the cam phaser assembly. Lower Tensioner/GuideFrom L-R: New Guide, Good BDF, Bad AXF, Ugly BDFHere you can see Lucille's AXF guide which snapped when I tried to loosen the the intermediate sprocket retaining bolt.Lower Chain GuideFrom L-R: New Guide, Good BDF, Bad AXF, Ugly BDFHere you can see the guide from the Good BDF snapped -- these are very brittle -- and three of the used guides had at least a hairline crack in them along the back. Sorry no decent picture of this.Intermediate SprocketsFrom L-R: Good BDF, Bad AXF, Ugly BDFClose up of Bad AXF sprocket wear.All showed about the same amount of wear on the bigger sprocket that connects to the lower chain. This makes me think that the lower tensioner works very well -- steadily applying pressure to the chain. Where as the smaller sprocket from Lucille's AXF showed a lot of wear. The AXF also has the stiffest upper tensioner bolt -- which I think allowed more chain play -- and hence greater wear on the upper components.
Cam Phaser Module - you ask? Yes, if you noticed that cam phasers and the upper timing guide had a unique name stamped on to them: Hydraulik Ring. If you google it, eventually you will come to Hilite International's page here: http://www.hilite.com/products/engine-products/camphaser-modules.html Good to know -- as this could help others find a replacement for the delicate cam phaser oil filter screen, or even a cheaper source for the upper chain guide.Anyhow I pulled the cam phasers off of the engines -- I was just too curious about the screen condition. Something that probably everyone should at least check if they are deep into a timing chain job. Note, I also looked at the MK4 Jetta/Golf Bentley at this -- and the four bolts that hold the cam phaser housing on to the head are not stretch bolts. In some diagrams - they are referenced as "always replace" and in others there is no mention. The stretch bolts here are the ones that go through the cam phaser hub/sprocket and connect to the camshafts -- and then the large bolt that secures the intermediate sprockets.Anyhow, the pictures...Good BDFClean! Bad AXFBusted screen. I later found small pieces of the screen inside the control valves.Ugly BDFFilled with metal shards - but intact! Is this good evidence that sludge is what busts through the screen on these? That filter mesh is so fine -- I could see it reaching a point where it is so full of sludge that the incoming oil pressure just blows itself through the screen.FWIW - I also compared the cam phaser sprockets. There was evidence of wear - but generally all very even and nothing like the AXF intermediate sprocket.