Chain or belt? VW / Skoda 1.2 Petrol

[M4cruiser]

I believe VW/Skoda made several 1.2 petrol engines, some have timing belt, some have timing chain.

Is there a foolproof way to check which it is, without dismantling anything?
The plastic "cam shield" like in this picture is not able to "bend" like some of them do, to peek behind it.

[cliffords]

I think it's a belt engine however using the engine code you could check on the internet or call a really decent independent motor factor, give your reg and ask for a cam belt kit price.

It looks like a cam belt cover , generally chains are less easy to see, deeper in engine.

Is the cover sealed with a gasket against the block ? A chain is wet ,in the oil and would have a sealed cover no holes .

That's a general rule ,some fords have belts in tin covers with a gasket and then there is wet belts !

Call a good motor factor with your reg

Edited by cliffords on Tuesday 16th December 21:38

[stevemcs]

Go to the boot or handbook, get the build sheet lable and find the engine code then search on that, however i think that might be a chain

[Sardonicus]

Thats a chain not belt engine dont let that plastic top cover fool you , and yes they are also prone to prem wear/rattle noticeable on cold starts (rattle till oil pressure) but easy enough to renew

Edited by Sardonicus on Thursday 18th December 16:50

[E-bmw]

Sardonicus said:

Thats a chain not belt engine dont let that plastic top cover fool you , and yes they are also prone to prem wear/rattle noticeable on cold starts (rattle till oil pressure) but easy enough to renew

Generally a plastic side cover is a give away for a belt, but there are exceptions out there where plastic covers are on chains.

If it is a plastic cover on a chain they look like a properly constructed cover that would hold oil pressure back such as a plastic cam cover would be. This means you can't see any gaps/flaps etc.

When you look at the 2 side-by-side is is normally pretty obvious & your (OP) statement that you can't bend it etc sounds like the give-away here.

[Domski86]

Generally anything post 2014 would be the later cam belt engine. There are exceptions, the ea211 cam belt engine started showing up in VW/Audis a few years before the sub brands like Skoda/Seat.

The one you posted is an ea111 chain engine. The tell tale is the oil fill. It's more integrated into the valve cover whilst on the ea211 it sort of protrudes out separately, this is for the 1.2 and 1.4 engines; the 1.5 evo engine looks a bit different

[TwinKam]

Domski86 said:

Generally anything post 2014 would be the later cam belt engine. There are exceptions, the ea211 cam belt engine started showing up in VW/Audis a few years before the sub brands like Skoda/Seat.

The one you posted is an ea111 chain engine. The tell tale is the oil fill. It's more integrated into the valve cover whilst on the ea211 it sort of protrudes out separately, this is for the 1.2 and 1.4 engines; the 1.5 evo engine looks a bit different

...that, and the sealant seen protruding between the plastic cover and the aluminium head.

[M4cruiser]

Domski86 said:

Generally anything post 2014 would be the later cam belt engine. There are exceptions, the ea211 cam belt engine started showing up in VW/Audis a few years before the sub brands like Skoda/Seat.

The one you posted is an ea111 chain engine. The tell tale is the oil fill. It's more integrated into the valve cover whilst on the ea211 it sort of protrudes out separately, this is for the 1.2 and 1.4 engines; the 1.5 evo engine looks a bit different

Thank you, that sounds encouraging,
It's given me the idea that perhaps I could open the oil filler and use a mirror and torch to perhaps see the cam sprocket.

[paul_c123]

M4cruiser said:

Thank you, that sounds encouraging,
It's given me the idea that perhaps I could open the oil filler and use a mirror and torch to perhaps see the cam sprocket.

To check if its a belt or chain? Or to check the condition? If its a chain, it won't give much information. The concern isn't so much the chain breaking (or even stretching), its that a plastic guide or its fittings may break, making the chain loose and able to jump a tooth, put the timing out and possibly allow valve-piston impact.

To check if chain or belt, I'd put the registration number into a parts checker website then try to buy a cambelt or cam chain kit and see which results it returns. Or get the engine code and check with a decent reference such as Alldata.