Cam belt, not been changed for at least 4 years...

I don't think you'll get a clear answer on this one. the renewal at 2 years/60,000 mikes will certainly have a safety margin but do you want to bet that it's a 100% safety margin? Personally I'd be more worried if it was way overdue by milage rather than by age.

If the place you bought it from has also done all the servicing why have they not replaced the cam belt as and when it was due?

Regards. Mark.(AKA, Mr.Nice.)

From what I understand about cam belts, the most stress is placed on them during stop and starting procedures.

Depending on engine type they tend to stop in one or sometimes one of two positions.

Logic would dictate that more stress is placed on a cambelt in an engine that is stopped and started mulitple times a day rather than one which is started and driven 200 miles each trip.

You may only drive 5 miles a day but start and stop the engine 10 times....you get the idea.

Of course I could be completely wrong!

Alan M

Mine did 70,000 miles on a 200Tdi which I thought was the reccommended change interval. Then I realised that Landrover say every 35,000 if used offroad or in heavy conditions or something like that. Anyway, heart in mouth I had it changed immediately and it looked brand new when it came out - no perceptable wear at all.

However, that doesn't mean that it wasn't about to fail at any moment - it may have been. The vehicle is now some 14 years old and has 200k+ on the clock so I'm prepared to risk going to 50,000 on this belt, but on a newer vehicle I'd change it at 35k which would be just over yearly for me. For 150 quid it's just not worth worrying that it's gonna let go.

'Course, the 300 chewed belts up, but yours has the conversion kit of course, otherwise it wouldn't have got this far!!

TonyB

No, that's why it's off the road right now. However just because I now know it's way past due doesn't make it any more likely to shred the belt, so I was hoping that someone might be able to tell me how dangerous it is to drive it with a belt that's aged rather than near the limit.

Of course it's also almost at the 60,000 changeover point too, so something about burning candles at both ends springs to mind... It's about 5,000 miles short of 60,000 miles past the last change.

Something to do with them being muppets I think. They've called me over once or twice to point to something on the truck and tell me that it's been fitted badly, only to be told that they fitted it. The last time this happened it was the swan-neck on the steering drop-arm which was close to coming off. I also did my own 6,000 mile service last weekend and decided to drain and replace all the oils, the gearbox drain plug had a very thick coating of iron filings, and once they were removed and new oil put in, it's now changing gear better than it's ever done so I'm wondering if they ever changed the gearbox oil either.

I'll be going through the service history (which they've never recorded anywhere other than their computers) with a fine-toothed comb to see what else they've missed.

Well, that's what the dealer told me when I spoke to them...

Landrover Defender service manual says every 72000 miles or once every

*6* years, or three if it spends all its time in tropical climates or sandy environments..

So is it 6 or 2? Anyone back up either? If it's 6 then great, I've got another year and a half left. If it's 6 then the service guy at the dealer is.... confused...

Bloody dealers, I wish I had a set of ramps and about six times the spare time I have now!

On or around Sun, 27 Mar 2005 19:20:06 +0100, Ian Rawlings enlightened us thusly:

the book says 72000, or 36000....

personally, I'd go with 36000 meself. Not sure if the time limit is much to the point. The only one I know with a time recommendation is the 1.8 ford, on which it's recommended you do it every year so that it's always under guarantee...

A quick perusal of the (non-LR specific) literature at work doesn't give specific times for any vehicle, but there's a general overview page that makes noises about 5 - 6 years being a good interval on low mileage vehicles.

In message , Ian Rawlings writes

Don't worry about it Ian

The correct interval Is 72,000 miles or 6 years

Once the mod is fitted, weather done at the factory or not, you should have no probs. It you regularly dip your timing cover under water then you may want to do it more often and change the idlers as well.

36000 is only for tropical or extremely dusty running conditions, with such conditions being the normal environment for the truck. In Britain I don't think either really apply. It's certainly better to do it sooner rather than later though!

OK, that's mine then, only does about 6,000 miles a year these days. I'm not panicing any more.

On or around Mon, 28 Mar 2005 09:40:22 +0100, Ian Rawlings enlightened us thusly:

It doesn't cost much, though bearing in mind the other costs of doing 36K miles, and the cost of putting it right when/if it breaks are apt to be big.

Some 300 TDis have issues with belts getting eaten, too; so worth looking ta it sooner rather than later.

On or around Mon, 28 Mar 2005 09:23:55 +0100, Marc Draper enlightened us thusly:

If the belt's never been changed it might not have been modded, though, if it's one that needs it. Worth getting it done for peace of mind, I'd have thought.

Indeed, I'll be getting mine done at the next service, which will make it about 10,000 miles or one year early.

Mine's been converted already, I had them correct it, change the belt and put it all down on the receipt when I bought the truck.

I'm a very sensitive person .... must you keep calling it a truck?

OK, how about boneshaker!

'rattly old bus' is the phrase of choice around here ;o)

Regards. Mark.(AKA, Mr.Nice.)