Hi All,
I know there have been several posts asking for help with a cam belt change but I wanted to be 100% sure of the complexity before starting the job!
I have the 1.5 diesel as opposed to the earlier 1.4 with 73k miles on the clock. The previous owner who had the car from 6 months old and 3k miles assured me that the car was regularly serviced but did not know what a cam belt was or weather it had been changed?
I am a pretty decent DIY?er and actually work for a major OEM in the UK but have always tended to shy away from the diesel cam belt replacements. Having purchased the car this week and found that its actually a reasonable drive whilst being ultra conservative on the fuel I thought it may actually be a long term investment?
I would really love to have a crack at the belt and wondered if any tech?s out there have a step-by-step guide that was more fail safe than the Haynes manual that seems to muddle the 1.4 and 1.5 engines?
I know the cover removal parts etc the things I?m interested (or concerned) with are the 3? Pulley locking procedure, the removal and refitting of the new belt (and should I change the pulleys and/or the water pump) and how is the belt re-tensioned on refit?
Any help would be a great help!
Many thanks, Steve
Edited by o_ptic on 04/03/2009 at 13:14
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Steve, My partner has one of these and I keep it running - so far to 150k with no engine problems whatever. I've changed the belts 3 times so far...
Haynes is hopeless and muddles the 1.4 and 1.5 engines which are different. They didn't seem to bother with pictures for the 1.5 and probably assumed it was the same - it isn't.
Rather than going through the whole procedure, I'll outline a few pitfalls - you can always ask for more info.
One lower cover bolt is a sod to get at and the "Haynes" access plug is for the 1.4. You'll just have to struggle. The crank locking hole is on ther front of the engine near the speed probe and pegs the flywheel. I use a short M6 stud with a "nose" ground onto it. The camshaft lock is an M8 bolt - borrow one from the alternator tensioner bracket where it screws into the block. The injection pump is pegged with a 6 mm drill shank.
Make sure you understand how to use the vernier adjusters on the cam and pump wheels. Peg the engine, slacken the adjuster and fit a new belt with the 3 bolts on each wheel slightly loose. Tighten the belt and check that the bolts on each wheel are somewhere near the middle of their slots. Fully tension the belt before you tighten these bolts.
Domestic door handle square bar is a perfect fit in the tensioner wheel - just put a spanner on it.
These engines have really excellent camshaft drives. I renew the tensioner, idler and water pump at every other (50k) belt change. I would be happy to let the belt run for the stipulated 72k.
659.
Edited by 659FBE on 04/03/2009 at 18:26
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Thanks 659; a couple of other small things before I get going; you mention ?Make sure you understand how to use the vernier adjusters on the cam and pump wheels? I?ve not looked or seen them yet but I?m presuming that there is a fixed marker with a scale and the adjusted has a pointer? Is it a simple slide tensioner system?
You also thankfully answered my question regarding tensioner and water pump, the car has 74k on the clock now and I didn?t know weather to splash out and replace the water pump at the same time. Ive seen a belt and a belt kit the later I believe includes a tensioner and perhaps another guide wheel?
Do you buy OEM parts of direct replacements from a spares outlet? I have access to Maccess who are trade suppliers and have a Halfords trade card but previously for critical items such as belts and water pumps (things that generally last for a good few miles) I?ll go original or for a reasonable brand.
As you?ve already changed the belt several times what time period would you allow from start to finish? Also do you tend to jack the car up for the underfloor work?
Many thanks again for the valuable help.
Regards
Steve
Edited by o_ptic on 05/03/2009 at 08:10
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Steve, The vernier adjusters are very simple, but lots of mechanics get it wrong. They serve two very important purposes - to enable absolutely precise setting of both the pump and cam timing and also to enable the belt to be tensioned correctly without any "locked in" torque from the camshaft or injection pump.
When you peg this engine, you actually peg the wheel hubs, not the wheels themselves. Consequently, if you fit the belt correctly (a Dayco belt has marker lines on it which correspond to the marked teeth on the wheels) the slotted adjusters will be somewhere in the middle of the adjustment range for each. If it isn't, you've got it a tooth out. Remember that the crank TDC belt mark is at 12 O'clock on the crank toothed wheel, so you need to move the crank to check for registration with the belt mark. This is obvious when you actually do it.
The tensioner system is very simple and is an eccentrically mounted wheel. You need the door handle square to set it and make sure you turn it the right way - Haynes is correct here for once.
I bought a belt kit from German Swedish & French which included the tensioner and the idler. The wheels were made by INA and were identical to the ones removed in every respect, including part numbers. They are of excellent quality (VAG please note) and the ones I removed appeared perfect in every way. The water pump was a pattern - no problems but the old one was just beginning to leak. The water pump is hard to get out of the block - there is a trick...
The supplied belt in the kit was a Dayco - my favourite make.
You only need to jack up the front RH side of the car and remove the wheel - there's no need to go right underneath it. Remove the alternator belt tensioner to make a bit more room. The job is straightforward - this engine is very well designed - and 3 hours would be a reasonable estimate if you have not done the job before.
659.
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