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Cambelt relacement

Although on a visual inspection everything appears OK (no signs of any cracks or damage) after reading some of the various horror stories on these newsgroups and because I've only recently purchased the vehicle, I've decided to take the plunge and replace the cam-belt on my Vauxhall's 1.7 D diesel engine.

However compared to my old 1.6 Astra petrol engine it looks somewhat more complex, as there is an engine mount in the way and the belt appears to take a more torturous route driving extra pulleys (fuel pump etc?).

Apparently this model still uses the water pump to tension the belt and the Haynes book of lies informs me that it requires a tension meter and cam-locking tool, both of which I haven't got... can these items be got around without compromising performance and reliability?

Has anyone had experience of changing the belt on this particular engine and if so is it all as fraught as it looks?.. any guidance or tips would be most gratefully received TIA.

Reply to
Orange
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You must have the cam lock tool.

rest is straightforward

MrCheerful

Reply to
MrCheerful

Thanks, I managed to track down a cam locking tool at Premier Tools... how about the tension a 90 degree twist?

I'll replace the water pump as a matter of course, but is there anything else that should be checked as the engine has done about 118,000 miles with two previous local owners and from what I can gather I would be very surprised if it's had two belts in its entire life!.

Reply to
Orange

Just inspect the other bits you will come across while doing the job.

MrCheerful

Reply to
MrCheerful

Change the cambelt tensioner as well. They sieze and break the belt. Dave

Reply to
Dave Spam

As far as I can gather Dave, this engine like my previous petrol-engined Astra uses the water pump to tension the belt.

My main concern is accurately tensioning the belt without the use of a tension meter.

Haynes state that a 'rough' approximation is a 90 degree twist between thumb and forefinger, however I wonder if it would be possible to hire a tension meter from a parts store, as otherwise it would certainly be an expensive proposition to invest in one just for a one-off job.

Reply to
Orange

To be honest , the noise they make when under or over tensioned is a better guide than most tension meters.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

The reason I want to get it right is that I know a couple of people who've had premature failure of cam belts even when fitted by main dealers allegedly using the correct equipment.

A friend of mine owner a Peugeot 406 diesel had to have a replacement engine, because after only several thousand miles a newly fitted cam belt jumped teeth .

Reply to
Orange

If the tension was bad enough for the belt to jump a tooth, I am amazed it went several thousand miles. I suspect there's more to this - did a tensioner fail, or maybe slacken off, or did the belt get contaminated with oil or diesel? It's not that unusual for a belt to fail soon after being changed, but that's often down to mishandling of the belt during fitting.

Reply to
Bob Davis

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