300TDi tming belt.

Do it properly - if it gives up the ghost prematurely in future you're in for another expensive, time consuming job.

Austin Shackles wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Was there much fan belt debris in the fan belt enclosure (whatever that is called)?

Can't answer your question (how long is a piece of string?) but I do have a 300Tdi which, according to the VIN number is one of those afflicted, and has so far done about 20,000 miles since the last belt change.

I stuck an artist's paint brush up the drain hole recently and did not find any rubber fragments so I am hoping I am safe for a few more miles. But any information you can give me would be helpful.

The local LR dealership suggested there would be rubber dust if the fan belt was being worn away. They also said that the timing belt failures they'd experience of occurred from about 20,000 miles so your 30,000+ may be optimistic.

It also occurs to me that if 2mm has been worn off now, the belt will be distorting so the deterioration is only going to accelerate with time. I'd fit the modification if only for peace of mind.

Derry

Well, I'd be extremely nervous about an expensive bang if I didn't.

On or around 3 Aug 2004 05:39:12 GMT, Derry Argue enlightened us thusly:

the belt is known to have done about 40,000. It was changed by the previous owner at about 50K, and now the clock says 90...

the belt looks to start off about 28mm wide. I've seen bad ones in the local garage which were worn half-way through.

On or around Tue, 3 Aug 2004 08:44 +0100 (BST), snipped-for-privacy@4x4cymru.spamtrapped.co.uk (Niamh Holding) enlightened us thusly:

it is a fact that there's evidence of previous valve-piston contact, which might've been due to the original belt jumping a tooth or something.

I guess we ought to do it right.

If you want a parts quote let me know :)

On or around Tue, 3 Aug 2004 13:02 +0100 (BST), snipped-for-privacy@4x4cymru.spamtrapped.co.uk (Niamh Holding) enlightened us thusly:

been talking to the nice man up at J.V.Like, and described the state of the belt to him - we discussed the prices of the 2 kits, but since this vehicle should want kit no.1 (the one with the front cover and fuel pump bracket as well) at about 175 notes (and I don't doubt the same parts are cheaper if available non-genuine) and it has definitely only slightly worn the belt in

40K miles, my decision in the end was to put a new belt on and keep an eye on it. He knows the bloke up the road who fitted the belt at 50k-odd miles, and reckons that he's a decent mechanic and wouldn't have left it unmodified if he thought it needed doing.

I'll have a look at it around 20K miles and see how it's doing.

injection pump timing was slightly off on re-assembly, dunno if that's normal; reset now.

You're a braver man than me, I don't think I'd want to risk it. 175 quid now could multiply by lots if the belt fails in the future.

I've seen more wear at lower mileage than Austin is quoting, on engines that I know have had the modded parts fitted!!! Work that one out if you will. I think the only way I'd ever be happy(ish) with a 300tdi is with a set of gears replacing the belt. Badger.

You really now how to makes someones day you do! :-)

Is there any way of gaining access to the belt easily to judge its condition without major dismantling? Mine was supposedly fitted with a new belt when I bought it last year but if I could see it for myself it would make me feel a bit happier .

Isn't there a company that produces a set of timing gears? Zuess or something?

Sorry Simon, not trying to pi$$ anyone off, just passing on my tuppenceworth based on what I've seen. I'd a job to do on a 300tdi disco a couple of years back that entailed removing quite a lot of the front of the engine so I suggested to the owner that it might be worth doing the belt while I was in there anyway, and he said to just check it as it'd only been done 20-odd thou ago. When I took off the front I found a right old mess, with the belt having lost around 1/3 of it's original width. When I spoke to him he told me it'd had the modded bits fitted when the main dealer had replaced the belt that I was now looking at! 3 months later, got a call from his son-in-law asking if I could have a look at his disco, turned out his had also had the belt and tensioner pulley and idler all done at the same main dealer* (alarm bells?) - the belt had worn and snapped at 39,500 miles! Luckily it had only bent 2 pushrods and broken 1 rocker arm, not an overly expensive fix.

Fraid not, only sure way is take it apart.

Yes, never priced any but I'd bet they're expensive. Long live the V8!!!!!!!! Badger. B.H.Engineering, rover V8 engine specialists.

• - same dealer that replaced 2 lambda probes to cure a misfire, because the computer said "lambda out of limits" DOH! of course it was out of limits, 2 of the 8 cylinders were chucking a lot of fuel at the probes! Cure - replace 1 coil pack.

No worries, I was only jesting, hence the smiley

I thought that'd be the case, bugger. I'll just have to cross my fingers and hope it lasts, which it will of course...

My original plan was to buy an ex military V8 and gas it, but a friend put me off by telling me how crap v8's are in water. I don't go in water very often at all but I didn't like the idea of being stuck when I did.

Plus I needed seats for the missus and kids.

I love the noise V8's make. Walking round Billing a couple of weeks ago listening to V8's everywhere almost made me regret getting a diesel.

On or around 4 Aug 2004 09:09:15 GMT, Simon Barr enlightened us thusly:

In theory you can see it through the drain hole... the other thing you're supposed to be able to do is look through the drain hole for rubber filings..

mind, 's the only *really* difficult bit is getting the big bolt in the pulley undone. I failed to shift it on mine despite damned great long socket bar - the bar sprang about 20 degrees, but the bolt didn't shift. Lined the bar up with the chassis, carefully took up the slack and fired the starter, and nothing happened. so I lined it up about an inch off the chassis and did the same, and it made a damned great clang and came loose. Earlier, I'd done the same trick with a lesser socket bar and smashed the bar.

Tightening it again... thread locking stuff on the bolt as per instructions, tighten to 59 lb, OK, put gearbox in 4th, take up slack and go for the "angle tighten a further 90 degrees" - not with any kit yer average type has available. I got it about 60 degrees and it don't go any further. Springs the socket bar (which is about 30" long) about 20 degrees, but the bolt doesn't move. I guess a heavy 3/4" drive bar would be less springy, but to tighten the bolt 90 degrees from where it was would, IME require a handle about 5 feet long, and I'm not entirely convinced about applying that much torque to the gearbox/handbrake - Having done the cylinder head bolts with the same bar, and noted by applying the torque wrench afterwards that they end up somewhere around 120 ft-lbs, I reckon that big sod on the front of the engine must be up around 200. I guess the transmission should take that much, at that, since the engine's rated around that...

Simon Barr wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@uni-berlin.de:

A mechanic at McRae & Dick, Inverness, suggested I look up through the drain hole in the bottom of the timing cover using a small torch to check to see if the timing belt modification had been done.

I am not able to do that as my head is afixed directly above my neck with both eyes in the normal forward position. But maybe there is someone here who knows of a device that can do the job?

I would imagine one of those little video cameras urologists push up your willy to examine your bladder from the inside would be just the job -- an endoscope? (Billy Connolly is an authority on the subject!).

The mechanic said to look for the outer rim on the appropriate roller which looks something like a large washer. But I've decided my 300 is going for open investigative surgery as it is one of those with the dreaded VIN number. I'm a worrier.

Derry

Derry has suggested the same thing, I'll have to try and take a look.

Is it not visible by removing the little plate on the timing chest cover directly in front of the injection pump then?

I think if it came to replacement I'd let someone else do it, I'm not geared up for nuts that tight!

When the belt on the missus's Astra needed doing I let a garage do it cos if it goes wrong it can be very expensive, and they'd have to pay for the bits.

On or around 5 Aug 2004 07:43:38 GMT, Simon Barr enlightened us thusly:

nah, that just gets you access to the pump-timing adjustment bits. I've not investigated this, but you might find that the timing cover, if unbolted, can be moved enough to look at the belt. The pulley , after all, isn't tight against the front of the cover. As I say, I've not tried it.

On or around 4 Aug 2004 20:37:05 GMT, Derry Argue enlightened us thusly:

there are several mods. The big one is a kit which consists of a new timing case, new fuel injection pump bracket, new crankshaft gear (with, as he said, flanges on the ends) and new idler and tensioner.

There's another kit which dates from after the FIP bracket was installed at the factory, I guess, and only has the belt gears/pulleys.

However, one of the things you're looking for is lots of black rubber dust - if you find this, you know the belt's wearing. I've yet to find out if you can actually see the belt through the hole, although if you can see the crank gear, then you should be able to see the belt too, and if it's worn, you'll see the teeth protruding beyond the edge of the belt:

proper belt buggered belt ___________________ _ _ _ _ _ | | | | | | | | | | | |_| |_| |_| |_| |_ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

in the case of mine, the protruding teeth are only about 2mm. I've seen 'em worn at least as much as the above, or even more. It's the back face of the belt (the smooth side) which gets worn, by the flanges on the tenioner pulley.