Cambelt advice

[rainagain]

Well do I ever wish I hadn’t started the thread about cambelt changing.

 

Last night I nipped outside to check my tyre pressures and started the engine so I could use my little electric compressor. There was a nasty screeching sound coming from the engine, which I just assumed was the aux belt as I hadn’t used the car for a while and it raining/damp.

 

However as I went round each tyre the noise kept coming and going so I thought I better take a quick look. I opened the bonnet and the aux belt looked and sounded fine, then I caught sight of the cambelt through the small opening in the cover. The bloody thing was riding off the pulleys hitting the timing belt cover (hence the noise) and then sliding back on!

 

The engine is a Fiat 1.2 16V with 140,000 miles on it.  The only pulley with a shoulder on it is the water pump which was changed at 80,000 miles. The other pulleys, crank, tensioner and single cam pulley don’t have shoulders. Which would make me think there is something wrong with the water pump, i.e. the bearings are knackered allow it to run out of true. However I thought this would mean I would be losing water???

 

I want to order the parts from carparts4less today so I can sort it on Saturday, I will be definitely ordering the full cambelt kit and I’m not sure if I should get a water pump as well. I’m planning on selling the car within the next month so I want to spend as little on it as possible given that fact I’ll get very little for it when I sell it. What would you guys suggest is causing the belt to run off?

[RichardMoss]

I wouldn't bugger about with it - new pump

[I_am_Diesel]

Definitely get a new pump. A new belt will put more strain on the pump and could cause premature failure. As the belt will already be removed, you will have access to the pump anyway. For me it's a no brainer, do it!!!!

[Pillock]

I'd do the whole kit and just be done with it. It's gonna be very hard to tell whether it's tensioner or water pump that's "sagging" and throwing the belt off - on my BMW, it was the tensioner that had gone stiff after only 500 miles and throwing the aux belt off as there was nothing to catch it.

[rainagain]

just spent 10% of the cars value and got the lot

[cort16]

You got all that for £10?

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Kidding

[RichardMoss]

I was a bit pissed off when the serpentine belt tensioner failed on my V8 Jeep - the new one was over £100 and only available at short notice from the dealer. That, of course, was also just a few weeks before I sold it (although those weeks also gave sufficient time for the water pump to expire)

[Station]

I'd buy a new pump - but technically, if it's pumping water it would be perfectly fine to use. A new belt wouldn't put any strain on the pump, it's just an impellor attached to a pulley (probably a plastic one).

[rainagain]

Stripped it down today, how long does a partco water pump last?

 

60,000 as i originally fitted it! What I was amazed by was how much play was in the bearing but it wasn't leaking a drop. Never had one fail like this without leaking.