Marea HLX Timing belt - any ideas how big a job?

If what I heard from a garage owner today is correct, it's about an 8 hour job and the engine has to come out!

JB

The 4 cylinder cars are about 3 hrs and require competitant mechanic skills- not possible on your driveway with a 3/8 socket set, and the 5 cylinders are worse.

You can do it without dropping the engine / box out, but you still need to release it from the subframe and lift / lower it at certain points to put the belt in place.

Tim..

Well, when they say the engine has to come out, that usually means just removing a few engine mount bolts from one side and propping it up enough to slip a new belt under. I would've thought 8 hours was a bit much for a competent (and honest) garage, unless the Marea is a special case of course.

depends on the engine, a 2 litre 20v is quoted at ten hours by autodata. the others 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on engine

mrcheerful

If it's the 5 cylinder, expensive, engine out job due to "width" of the engine. Some places offer to do it cheaper by somehow not removing the engine, but only the belt can be changed this way, not the rollers. I wouldn't risk it..

Personally I'd avoid it, they're cheap for a reason ;)

Well, assuming the price is favourable and the OP lives near one of the specialists that does 'em for £400, it could well be a good buy.

However, a 'good price' for one needing a belt ASAP would be somewhere between free and 200 quid if it's a nice one with long MOT.

"Tim \(remove obvious\)" wrote in news:ipudnYcUs snipped-for-privacy@bt.com:

Some cars should really have a chain instead of a belt. Why can't designers make wearable parts more accessible? Crazy !!!

The point I'm trying to make is that no-matter how much you spend on it, at the end of the day it'll still be a Marea. With resale value to match. It might be worthwhile to spend money on a car you "really" like, but how many people actually set their sights on a dodgy old FIAT ? :)

Well, to pigeon hole the Marea like that is to miss out on a car with real character that's a hoot to drive.

I've been thinking of getting shot of mine recently to buy something that turns in more than 28mpg.... however, I took it for a spin again today after a week in the 75, and it reminded me just why I like it.

If the OP can get it for an all-in cost of £600 - £800, incl. belt change, then he should go for it.

Because there's no way you can make the belt accessible on an engine that wide in a car that size.

Yes, it's a bit crazy in terms of maintenance, but the engine note is worth it alone.... and it's a revvy, screaming lump. I love mine.

The message from Stuart Gray contains these words:

'Cos they're trying to sell new cars, not maintain a fleet of old ones. If they never wore out we'd never buy any more.

The message from snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) contains these words:

But chains can be replaced in-situ - bikes have been doing it for years. All it needs is an access hatch.

And how would you replace the tensioners etc?

Easy on a bike, but you'd be back to the same issues as the belt doing them on the Marea.

Yet the focus and S40 manage to get a five cylinder in and remain servicable.

Both of which are designed a decade later, making them larger in all directions than something designed in the late 80s / early 90s.

A Marea looks tiny parked next to a Focus, which even manages to dwarf the 75, which was a class above it's equivalent when launched, IYSWIM.

The message from snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) contains these words:

Fair point. Though I don't suppose it'd be insurmountable to make them accessible from the side of the engine instead of the end.

Still the same issue.....

Granted, a chain would last a lot longer, so it would probably last the lifetime of the car. Tensioners would still be a problem, though, given that they tend to fail several times over the life of the chain.

snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) wrote in news:1hgfo9v.1fw6ly3qjjdjrN% snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk:

Yebbut, a tensioner (non-plastic) in the same oil bath as the chain? Mind you, the cambelt seems to be the failure point of choice with a lot of manufacturers, now that big end/small end seizing seems to be out of fashion. A rebuild of the top end is easier and more cost effective for the main dealers.

snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk (SteveH) wrote in news:1hgfo9v.1fw6ly3qjjdjrN% snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk:

Come to think of it, what's wrong with cogs a la VFR? No tensioner required. (just saw your sig)