philibusmo Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 This weekend I have spent almost every daylight hour changing the cam belt on the Avantime. The belt on a V6 Avantime is meant to be an engine out job but I managed to get it done with the engine in place. It was a right fucking palaver and not something I wish to repeat in a hurry, but it was perfectly doable with a large selection of 1/4" drive sockets and a big dollop of patience. I won't bore you with the full details of every step but here is the edited highlights: The main problem, as you might expect, was space. Here is the amount of space down the side of the front bank after the alternator belt, crank pulley and power steering pump pulley had been removed. And here is the view back to the rear bank; behind the engine mount, wiper motor and linkage and under the fuel lines. The mount and motor was taken off, along with the wipers, scuttle panel and alternator belt tensioner. The fuel lines were disconnected and moved out the way along with the power steering fluid reservoir. Eventually the cam covers were removed, which was a right faff as they were held on with a selection of 6mm and 7mm screws in the most inaccessible places. The rear one was quite tightly jammed and had to be eased around the rear cams and twisted around so that it could be removed from underneath.Once everything was clear the cams and crank were pinned - I bought the proper tools and everything - here they were half way through, with a good view of both banks. Once the cams were pinned, the tensioner was removed, followed by the cam belt and then the three pulleys. The water pump was more of a pain in the arse as it was sat partially behind another section of the engine mount which couldn't be removed without taking the engine out. Luckily with the bolts undone as far as possible, there was just enough space to get at the pump and whip it off. I foolishly forgot that behind the water pump was all the engine coolant and I ended up with a rather damp arm. Here's the money shot that will be printed out and kept with the receipts for the cam belt kit and water pump to show that the belt was changed, despite there being no receipt for the work because I did it. The bit hanging down is a seal for the cover which was glued back in place. Getting the new belt back in place took a fair while as there was a certain technique to it which took some time to work out. Getting it around the rear most sprocket and the tensioner was the most difficult part, but once done it was fairly easy to set the tension and settle the belt. The kit for the belt for this engine had a right selection of tools for setting the tension, none of which seemed necessary. It seems that there has been an updated design at some point which is much easier to set. Happily the engine turned over by hand without bother so once the tensioner was staying put I started reconstructing the engine bay. Here it is half way through being put back together, which went fairly well, apart from the alternator belt tensioner which was a right twat to refit and the windscreen wash pipe breaking in half. Finally once all back together there was the moment of truth - would it start or would it munch all the valves? It was a tense moment as I found the keys and got in the drivers seat. One turn of the key and it fired into the life and very quickly settled down to being quiet and and exactly as it should be. I was very pleased and quite relieved. Somehow I have managed to go through all these shite cars and have never done a cam belt change before - this one seems to have been a good one to learn on, it can only be easier from here on in. From now on I will do ALL THE CAM BELT CHANGES. DS20, wuvvum, dave21478 and 27 others 30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonbennet Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Changed anti freeze on both cars today, then washed em both and gave em a quick hoover and clean inside. Hopefully thats it for mechanically now till November when i swap over to winter sets of wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuvvum Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Nice work Philibusmo. Don't s'pose you fancy popping up to Norfolk and doing a belt'n'pump change on a V6 diesel Vel Satis, do you? Didn't think so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat_the_cat Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Somehow I have managed to go through all these shite cars and have never done a cam belt change before Talk about jumping in at the deep end! I know what you mean though, I'm always nervous turning the key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Bo11ox Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Mega impressive effort there Philibuster. 14/10 dugong 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticvandan Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 great stuff,and well done for sticking two fingers up to the haynes "unbolt and remove absolutely everything" school of thinking! i recently changed the belt and pump on my mk2 polo,despite having owned 40+ cars,most of the british persuasion,ive never owned one with a cambelt! so feared this job with dread,and no mr haynes,you dont need to struggle to remove the bottom crank pulley,or jack the engine up,i found it much easier to undo the lower belt guide and slide the belt out from underneath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cort16 Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 philibusmo that's showing off. Changing a v6 Avantime timing belt as your first timing belt change is like saying "I've never walked up a hill before so I'm just going to pop up mount everest" before returning the next day freshly shaven and carrying a loaf of bread you baked while you were up there. mat_the_cat, philibusmo, Conrad D. Conelrad and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DS20 Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 I have just turned from a Morris Ital into an Austin Maxi. I think. Essex V6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skizzer Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 As promised, yesterday I went to look at the Renault 16 that appeared in the tat thread last week. The owner, a very nice chap, was showing it at the Tredegar House shindig near Newport and it gave me an excuse to go along. The Renault is a honey: Renault 16TL Automatic by Skizzer, on Flickr The interior is immaculate and gorgeous, with a mix of sumptuous velour and mid 70s vinyl in Autoshite official colours. The seats are the most comfortable seats I have ever sat in, anywhere - not just in cars. The underneath seems totally solid and has recently had work done properly. The paint is quite tired in some areas (old respray, maybe?) and there are a few minor scratches here and there, plus the bit of bubbling on the seams below the headlights that you can see in the photo, but nothing a shiter couldn't happily live with. Very tempted. Mrs Skizzer wants a Renault 4 though, and for ease of maintenance plus practical boxiness she may have a point. I've got first refusal on a potentially nice R4 but that won't get resolved until at least next week. There's now also the possibility of a Lancia HPE VX in the offing. Aagh. Will post more Tredegar House photos later - a few nuggets of chod amongst all the MGBs'n'shit. richardmorris, Mr Lobster and Asimo 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micrashed Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 So I come out of work and there is the GP who left half an hour ago."You look like the sort of Man Who carries jump leads" he says.And you know what? He was correct. Only the bloody thing we're buried under the spare wheel under the boot floor.Micrashed to the rescue. Skizzer and Lord Sterling 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlabamaShrimp Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Not the oldest in the car park today Micrashed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asimo Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 After all those cambelt heroics, you are going to sell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philibusmo Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 After all those cambelt heroics, you are going to sell?I am. It is going for its MOT tomorrow and I can't think of anything that it will fail on. Once it has 12 months ticket I will put it up for sale at £3150 as I think that should be about the rate for a V6 manual with 12 months MOT and fresh belts. Please note: this car is available with an Autoshite discount for £2990. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Madness. Can you not enjoy the new cambelty goodness for a bit? Anyway, today took an unexpected turn, and I ended up driving this ex-Finnish post-office electric Japanese van. More details to be found here. http://classichub.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/unexpected-electric-driving-a-finnish-ev/ dugong, Jim Bergerac, michael1703 and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skizzer Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 You're not going to go all Linda McCartney on us with this recent rash of electric vehicles, are you DW? beko1987, brickwall and myglaren 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STUNO Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Good news for motorists in my part of the world. Read this and weep ! The cost of registration ( tax to you) is to.... DROP BY NEARLY HALF in April next year. Minimad5, nigel bickle, Essex V6 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Gawd no. Dinner was beef stew. Don't worry. I genuinely do like electric vehicles though. They don't have all of the answers, but nor does petrol or diesel. Electric is the future of the past. brickwall, dugong, Skizzer and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 If it makes you feel better, I've been burning a shit load of fuel in this recently. I've filled it up four times in the past ten days. That's 200 or so miles to a tank... vulgalour, myglaren and Skizzer 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cms206 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Think it's time for a change of scene. Been nearly a year at my current workplace and things are going sour. Think I might leave and get back in the saddle elsewhere. I miss the roads Asimo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugong Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Did a ghetto wheel \ kerb Charade-Enkei mock up. Looks well. I need to sort those inserts out. cobblers, vulgalour, Shep Shepherd and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
320touring Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Think it's time for a change of scene. Been nearly a year at my current workplace and things are going sour. Think I might leave and get back in the saddle elsewhere. I miss the roads Check out myjobscotland.gov.uk and see if there are any bin lorry driving jobs going.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardmorris Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Did a ghetto wheel \ kerb Charade-Enkei mock up. Looks well. I need to sort those inserts out. Reminds me of either noughts and crosses or Terrahawks. brickwall, oman5, dugong and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 vulgalour, Mr_Bo11ox, cobblers and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philibusmo Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 The Avantime failed its MOT- bad times. Luckily it was only on a few small things - good times. Offside rear brake pipe corrodedOffside rear brake ferrule excessively corrodedNearside rear brake ferrule excessively corrodedNearside front anti-roll bar linkage has excessive play in a ball joint. The anti roll bar drop link is the on that Phil_lihp and myself had a half arsed go at changing a few weeks ago and gave up because it didn't seem worth the bother. I'll change the brake pipe with a spangly new copper one and clean up the brake ferrules until they are sparkling then grease them. Should be a simple lot of fixes and hopefully not cost a penny. As soon as it is MOT'd it will be up for sale. brickwall 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cort16 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 What did you think of it? I take it you didn't get on with it that well if you're selling it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philibusmo Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I thought it was pretty awesome. I loved the looks, the engine and the interior, it is a surprisingly nimble steer and very comfortable. Sadly I have rather run out of space and need to raise some cash and the Avantime is the most obvious one to go as I don't generally have a need for such a large car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Do you get some sort of loyalty card discount deal with your local MoT guy now? cms206 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cort16 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I really like mine too . They must be pretty light with all that plastic I was also surprised at how well they drive and handle. . I find the driving position quite uncomfortable on long journeys . I had a totally dead right foot after a 3 hour drive . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brickwall Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I haven't heard the word "ferrule" in donks, then two of Phil's flop him an MOT. myglaren 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Phil - Keith Adams is currently looking for a new motor. He has expressed an interest. Do I get commission? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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