Timing belt roulette...

[EssDeeWon]

The ones on my KV6 75 were done 8 years ago and are 45,000 miles in. I'm wondering whether to get them done as its becoming a keeper. The cheapest I can find for the job is £490, which is more than the car is worth obviously. But apart from a few niggles the rest of the car is sound so it makes sense if I'm keeping it long term.

 

Rob I would not worry about those Belts mate. There is a chap on the 75/ZT forum who changed his belts at 54k / 9 years old, he said they still looked like new!!

 

My 2001 V6 Connie is running its original belts at 66k

 

I know of 1999 2.5 V6 launch car on 80k also still on original belts.

 

AFAIK these belts are specced up to 150,000 miles, but Rover recommended a rather conservative 90,000 mile changing interval, because the consequenses are rather messy!

[sierraman]

A lot have said about the damage to the engine, more my worry if its getting close to the time/ unknown, is the belt going mid overtaking or as I'm pulling out of a junction. Not sure I'd fancy the idea if the engine seizing at that point leaving me swinging in the wind.

 

That said, if I was keeping the car more that 6 month or so I'd be inclined to get it done. Focus cost me just over £100 fitted with new tensioner, so for the sake of the aggro I just got it done.

[hennabm]

I lost big time a few years ago.

 

I bought a Tipo 1.4 at 7 years old with only 27k on. I then ran it for a number of years and finally decided I ought to renew the belt.

 

So at around 10 years old I booked it into the local dealer in Broxburn for the belt swop. Well on the way over to the dealer on the day of the change, you can guess what happened.....

 

Yes it snapped.      

 

So instead of a bill for a few tenners it was a bill of around £500 as it mashed valves etc.

 

Now any car I have that I don't know the history gets an instant belt change - including my latest purchase of the ovlov. That remember had been sat in a garage for 8 years so no way was I risking it. When I removed it I found a none ovlov one so was pleased I took the decision to change.

[trigger]

The biggest mistake people make is fitting just the belt, they think they are saving money but they aren't, Always fit a cambelt kit as it's the tensioners and pulleys that normally seize snapping the belt, not the belt itself. 

 

Most garages won't warrant a cambelt unless you fit a kit and I've even heard of belts snapping just after being fitted due to seized pulleys and then garages having fights with the customer having to explain why it's their fault for being tight. 

[HMC]

The d24tic lump in the Volvo 760 has a belt and there's no indication of when it was done. In fact there's one at the front and a separate one run off the rear of the engine that serves the fuel pump. Mustard mitt I've been put off doing it from interweb stories about what a pain, " special tools" needed, setting pump timing and the crank nut has to be torqued to 250lb/ft - equally a quote from an older Volvo specialist came in at £450 which is pretty much what the car is worth!

[Lacquer Peel]

 

 

[EssDeeWon]

The biggest mistake people make is fitting just the belt, they think they are saving money but they aren't, Always fit a cambelt kit as it's the tensioners and pulleys that normally seize snapping the belt, not the belt itself. 

 

Most garages won't warrant a cambelt unless you fit a kit and I've even heard of belts snapping just after being fitted due to seized pulleys and then garages having fights with the customer having to explain why it's their fault for being tight. 

 

Yes This.

 

Belt snappage is quite rare, but tensioners can fail long before a belt gives way.

 

Also, I have heard of people weighing out £500+ for KV6 belt changes only for the bugger to break a month later because it was not done properly. The KV6 is a complex and expensive job, so if your going to spend upwards of £500 then make sure you use a decent garage and not some two bob place because they offered to do it Ã‚£50 cheaper. 

[Lacquer Peel]

The d24tic lump in the Volvo 760 has a belt and there's no indication of when it was done. In fact there's one at the front and a separate one run off the rear of the engine that serves the fuel pump. Mustard mitt I've been put off doing it from interweb stories about what a pain, " special tools" needed, setting pump timing and the crank nut has to be torqued to 250lb/ft - equally a quote from an older Volvo specialist came in at £450 which is pretty much what the car is worth!

 

^This puts me off doing the belts on the D5252T, it's a similar setup, the pulleys aren't keyed and it's supposed to be a pig of a job but if you do it methodically, line everything up and mark everything off it's supposed to be quite straightforward.

[forddeliveryboy]

I used to totally ignore belts on my old bangers - SudSprints, GSs, PSA dizzlers. They never gave a problem, even though most were probably beyond their change point. I therefore only began to appreciate the lack of timing belts on Saabs, Citroens and Mercs when an an AX 1100 coasted to halt with a bust belt - I towed the thing back, wound a new one round and off it went as well as before. Swapped it for a CX Turbo. Twice the fuel used by more than worth it by a factor of 73.

[Skizzer]

(Worries.  Checks HBOL library.)

 

Renault 16TL: Pushrods

Rover V8: Chain

Jaguar AJ6: Chain

 

Mwaaa ha ha ha ha!

 

 

All modern cars is shit, you know.

[derskine]

I'm playing belt roulette on the 18 and 340.

I really ought to change the 18's, as it gets used a lot more, I need to change the water pump anyway because it's fucked, so I'll get to it sometime.

I changed the one on the polo last year, so that's okay.

 

Luckily on both the 340 and 18 it's a piece of piss with having longitudinally mounted engines.

[forddeliveryboy]

If only TBs were as easily accesible as this (and everything else, for that matter). But it's about the only reason I can think of for having an engine smaller than the one the car was designed for.

 

[Lacquer Peel]

 ^Audi 80 TDI?

 

(Worries.  Checks HBOL library.)

 

Renault 16TL: Pushrods

Rover V8: Chain

Jaguar AJ6: Chain

 

Mwaaa ha ha ha ha!

 

 

All modern cars is shit, you know.

 

Even when modern cars have timing chains, they're built like bicycle chains and timing belts outlast them. What is point?

[oldcars]

I have mine changed when i bought the Santa Fe. The shuma's was changed in 2008 but as it runs a mazda b series engine i am not to fussed.

[Richard]

Pushrod engines have chains too.

 

The easiest belt I've done was a 1.9 Savanna, you could just about stand between the timing cover and wing.

[Tartan58]

The Streetwise is currently on 63k and 10 years, I doubt it's been done, but given that I'm also playing OMGHGF roulette with it I figure it's not really worth doing one because sods law the other will go shortly after. As it is we'll just see which lets go first...I'm only doing about 4k a year so hopefully it'll hang on for awhile yet.

[forddeliveryboy]

 ^Audi 80 TDI?

 

 

Even when modern cars have timing chains, they're built like bicycle chains and timing belts outlast them. What is point?

 

When I first saw a chain on a modern thing, Ratners, not bicycle, was the word which came to mind!

 

It's an old A6 (100) with the older smaller TDi - the one which doesn't have the water pump driven off the timing belt and unlike the later versions of the A6 diesel, the thermostat takes a few minutes to change, not a whole day involving removing half of the car to get to it.

[bigfella2]

I was once told that belts don't break as such. It's just the teeth that are shredded off them. Or is that just bollox?

[Sigmund Fraud]

Or is that just bolloxs?

Afraid so... They most certainly do break.

[spike60]

[quote

 

 

Even when modern cars have timing chains, they're built like bicycle chains and timing belts outlast them. What is point?

I don't think any of Skizzers fleet count as modern by usual standards, the Jag probably the newest at 30 odd years old.

[Bren]

Yes, modern chains do look a touch unfit for purpose.

 

The one on my sisters 3 pot corsa ( cubed now thank fuck) look like the link on an old sturmey archer bicycle gear change.

[cms206]

[Skizzer]

I don't think any of Skizzers fleet count as modern by usual standards, the Jag probably the newest at 30 odd years old.

 

Indeed, and that design goes back to 1948 (obviously I meant XK not AJ6).  The tensioners are the things to watch, but they're more robust on the XK than the later engines.

 

Planning to do an oil change on the Renault this weekend, and it looks a bit weepy from the rocker cover so will order a new gasket.  This will give me the chance to look at the chain and report back on its robustness or otherwise, if anyone cares.

[captain_70s]

My Dolly 1850 has a chain, you're supposed to change them around the 80,000 mile mark apparently, mine is coming up to 90,000 miles. The PO bought a new chain and tensioner, never dared attempt it and kept them in the glovebox, I've continued the tradition...

[castros_bro]

They don't all last, there's a Fiesta outside at 54k miles with a broken cam belt which I can't get the head off,  my Morini (motorcycle) has a cam belt but no tensioner just different grades of belt it also is an OHV for added Italian shittyness.

[RayMK]

I've never had a chain fail.  Most of my cars through the years have covered at least 15K per year and been kept until they had covered 150K or had become too rusty. I've had two belts fail - my late wife's Tipo chewed itself quite thoroughly because she kept trying to start it after the bang. I  think that was at about 60K and 7 years old. It got fixed for £400 (new valves etc) and lived happily ever after.  My 1995 Sonata belt was actually derailed by a failed tensioner. Being a non-interference engine and failing to proceed whilst passing a garage in Buckingham, the whole affair was quite painless, quickly fixed once the new bits arrived at the garage and gave no further inconvenience during my ownership.  My son and I have yet to do a belt ourselves because transverse engines have so little room to attack the offending rubberwear.  We always get the belt and tensioner kit done on any new car if there's no proof of it being done previously.  In summary, chains have never given concern or broken. Belts have, and it costs good money to reduce that concern.

[Bren]

 

Maybe the manufacturers should start using tights?

 

They would last longer.

[Albert Ross]

I bought a virtually scrap 1994 Astra F with the Isuzu diesel in it. 6 figures on the clock, no history. Oil seepage and rusty bolts.. I never changed the belt in the 30 odd months I owned it. I sold it to greenvanman of this Parish. He used it for 18 months. He never replaced the belt either. Neither of us were particularly great custodians. Overladen. poorly parked, cheap fuel etc.. It never died. Ever. He had to scrap it in the end.

[RoadworkUK]

The KV6 is a complex and expensive job, so if your going to spend upwards of £500 then make sure you use a decent garage and not some two bob place because they offered to do it Ã‚£50 cheaper. 

 

To be honest DIY is a false economy. When I did mine the number of biscuits and the volume of tea I consumed doing it nearly bankrupted me anyway.

[twosmoke300]

To be honest DIY is a false economy. When I did mine the number of Prozac and the volume of whisky I consumed doing it nearly bankrupted me anyway.

Ftfy