cam belt change

[Cader]

if you look at the picture 2nd from bottom you see ian has an allen key in the idler pulley.

i found that if you place a screwdriver between the tab & nut you can move the pulley on its spring, then the hole where the allen key is lines up with a hole in the engine block, a 6mm allen key fits perfect & holds the tension off so its easy to replace the belt.

[Blobby]

I opened the tensioner then tightened up the nut to hold it in place.

Anyway I'm back on the road and only one bolt left over

It looks like one that holds the floor on, but I can't find where it came from

I have no thermostat right now so I am going to add some rad flush and let it do it's stuff

[buffallobob]

Originally Posted by Blobby

I opened the tensioner then tightened up the nut to hold it in place.

Sounds like your tensioner is not working they are sprung loaded and self tension the belt without undoing or doing up the nut
bob

[Blobby]

Originally Posted by buffallobob

Sounds like your tensioner is not working they are sprung loaded and self tension the belt without undoing or doing up the nut
bob

Oh that's different, the cars I have had in the past, you undo the nut, allow the tensioner to pull the belt tight then you tighten up the nut.
Leaving the nut lose allows the belt become lose depending on cam position.

The spring pulls the belt at an optimum tension. Normally on main service intervals you loosen the nut and retighten

[buffallobob]

Originally Posted by Blobby

Oh that's different, the cars I have had in the past, you undo the nut, allow the tensioner to pull the belt tight then you tighten up the nut.
Leaving the nut lose allows the belt become lose depending on cam position.

The spring pulls the belt at an optimum tension. Normally on main service intervals you loosen the nut and retighten

Yes i agree lots of other makes do but these have a live tensioner that is damped to stop it jumping about but it should move with the allen key without undoing the nut
bob

[buffallobob]

Originally Posted by captain emina

if your doing the belt do the water pump at same time, you can get them on flea bay for about £50
its well worth doing while your there

Unless it is a good quality either blue print or toyota which for that price it wont be it will be a cheap copy made in china and if it colapses then throw your head away for an extra £25 to £30 you can get a proper one
bob

[Blobby]

Originally Posted by buffallobob

Yes i agree lots of other makes do but these have a live tensioner that is damped to stop it jumping about but it should move with the allen key without undoing the nut
bob

Mine isn't damped at all in fact I don't remember seeing the allen key hole, there were two holes but both seemed round.

I remember changing the belt on a 2 litre Subaru legacy and that had a damper on it, I tried to close it with a pair of pliers but couldn't, I had to remove the assembly and stick it in a vice to close it, the damper was that strong (once closed you could hold it in your hand closed), then you put a pin in a hole to hold it there. you then put the new belt on fit the tensioner and pull the pin out, the tensioner would be back out in about a second.

[Blobby]

Anyway the Blobby mobile is fully running again.

I thought a good test of the radiator was driving about today no thermostat, in traffic, AC on and the temp gauge just hovered just over the C mark.

Thermostat is now in anyway the water ways have been flushed about 6 times and now has Texaco orange anti freeze in it. I had no trouble getting the water into the heater hoses. I just kept filling it up to the neck of the bottle and with the throttle wedged, engine holding about 1500 rpm (the smell of veg was very overpowering) I just kept topping it up.

[buffallobob]

Originally Posted by Blobby

Mine isn't damped at all in fact I don't remember seeing the allen key hole, there were two holes but both seemed round.

I remember changing the belt on a 2 litre Subaru legacy and that had a damper on it, I tried to close it with a pair of pliers but couldn't, I had to remove the assembly and stick it in a vice to close it, the damper was that strong (once closed you could hold it in your hand closed), then you put a pin in a hole to hold it there. you then put the new belt on fit the tensioner and pull the pin out, the tensioner would be back out in about a second.

The damping is internal and it is reasonably common for the tensioner to sieze so that it cannot move and that may explain why the allen key hole is round (it did not move for the last person)
bob

[Blobby]

Mmm this is getting interesting. There certainly weren't any signs of anything out of the ordinary the tensioner and all associated idlers and water pump were fine no signs of any play, no spanner marks.

I just undone the nut levered the spring back and retightened and it held there, I slid the old belt off, not very easily and slid the new one on, also not very easily.
As far as I know I bought the car from an importer, he had quite a few there plus various UK vans ex-BT and other companies.

I wouldn't have thought his mechanic would have changed the belt, all he di was get them ready for UK market, fog lights etc..