Exploded view - drive chain for balance shaft — AUDI
Exploded view - drive chain for balance shaft on Audi: 5 steps, 2 torque figures, engines CABA, CABB, CABD, CADA.
This page deals with the balance shaft drive idler gear on the four-cylinder petrol engines listed below, across the platform codes listed below. The job itself is short: the idler gear is secured, pulled down to 10 Nm, turned to check it moves, taken to 25 Nm and then turned 90° further with a rigid wrench. The make-or-break point is the part, not the procedure. The idler gear must always be new, because a new one carries a lubricant coating that wears in after a short run and creates the correct backlash. Refit a used one and there is no backlash at all, which ends in engine damage. Do not be tempted to clean up and reuse the old gear.
🧭 Before you start
Fit a new idler gear, tighten its bolt to an initial 10 Nm with a torque wrench and turn the gear to confirm it moves. Then tighten to 25 Nm and finish with a further 90° using a rigid wrench.
Fits: Audi Q3 (8U, 2011–2018); platform code 84
- Special tools named: torque wrench
- Renewed: idler gear
Don't miss
- Always renew the idler gear; a reused one has no backlash and will damage the engine.
- Do not remove or rub off the coating on the new gear.
- Sequence is 10 Nm, turn the gear, 25 Nm, then 90° further with a rigid wrench.
- General practice: renew stretch-type bolts that are tightened through a final angle.
Written for this job from the workshop steps below · TorqFix editorial.
🔧 Engine codes this applies to
🔩 Torque settings
Values can differ between engine variants — check the code stamped on your block.
| Torque | Fastener / step |
|---|---|
| 10 Nm (7.4 lb-ft) | Tighten with torque wrench initially |
| 25 Nm (18 lb-ft) | Tighten with torque wrench |
ℹ️ Always cross-check the exact figure against your vehicle's factory manual before final tightening — a wrong torque can damage the engine. These values are extracted from workshop data and may not cover every variant or revision.
📋 Procedure
- ⚠ Always renew idler gear. If this is not done, there is no backlash, which causes engine damage.The new idler gear has a special lubricant coating which wears off after a short running period and thus automatically creates the specified backlash. — Secure with new bolt as follows:
- Tighten with torque wrench initially to 10 Nm. — 10 Nm (7.4 lb-ft)
- Turn idler gear.
- Tighten with torque wrench to 25 Nm. — 25 Nm (18 lb-ft)
- Use rigid wrench to turn 90° further.
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Who makes these pages, and how
TorqFix was built by a mechanic — after a 2,700 km drive with five roadside repairs that no diagnostic tool could explain.
The figures on this page come from manufacturer workshop documentation and are shown as they are. The page is assembled automatically from that data — it is not written by an AI. The AI works in the chat, where it answers for your specific car. It writes nothing here.
Variants of the same model differ. Cross-check torque against the factory manual for your engine before final tightening.
Seen a figure that does not match your manual? Write to us — we correct it and note when. support@torqfix.com
The story behind TorqFix →Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.