VW Issue -- Resolved

(I will update this post with a pic when I can) The VW has been running great since I got it. The worst fuel economy I have seen is 47.5 mpg on tank. That was up until Monday night.

On my way home, the engine started making a noise like something was caught the fan, but from the front of the engine. This didn't make a lot of sense, as the fan is electric and mounted to the radiator (sideways implanted engine). I pulled over, and found that the alternator bracket had broken in two. The bracket had broken prior to my taking ownership of it, but was welded back together. It had broken through the weld. There was clearly no penetration on the weld, just a big glob of weld around the break point. The belt had enough tension on it to keep the alternator and water pump going, so I limped it home.

Next day, bracket off, bracket welded, bracket on, and then the engine wont start. Battery seems dead, so I attempt to jump it. Can get a few cranks, but no luck. Battery had a tendency of going dead quickly if I left the radio on while I did work in the garage, so I pulled it and took it in. Battery tested bad, so I got a new one. The new battery is the one the car is supposed to have, which is a much larger unit. It rated at ~40 CCA higher than the outgoing one. Put the battery in, it cranks much faster, but still wont start.

I begin diagnosing fuel issues (since I don't have to worry about spark issues, job is cut in half), and found that I had made an error. The alternator bracket is held in my two M8 capscrews, one is about 10mm longer than the other. I had them swapped, and the longer one was rubbing on the pump pulley. My concern was that it had held the pulley stationary for a while, causing the timing belt to slip around the pulley and putting the pump out of time. I did a little searching on the internet about how to time the engine, pulled the timing belt off, and found it had slipped about 20 degrees. I got it all lined back up, and it fired right up. Drove like a champ today.