Rover 45 V6 - Timing belt MUTHA F*****

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Hey Gang

 

Has anyone on here done a cambelt on a ZS180 or 45 V6? I have been tackling this job today. I have been on it 8 HOURS and its still only half done!!!

 

 

 

3 belts on these. A big one on the front of the engine and 2 little ones on the back. You have to remove half of everything in the friggin engine bay - inlet manifold, throttle body, PAS pump, god knows how many pipes and wires, crank pulley, dipstick, mounts, engine front plate and so on. Its taken me all flippin day to get to the stage where I have all the new belts on but I have not even started the 'reassembly' yet.

 

The bit that usually takes ages - cracking the crank pulley bolt - took no time at all as I had spent £70 on one of these impact drivers from machine mart:

 

 

I had my doubts about this but it did the biz and rattled the crank bolt out in no time!!! fair play to it. Good tool.

 

 

Heres the second rear belt going on. Check this out for dickheadery. I did the rear belt on the forward bank, that went fairly smoothly. Then I repeated the job on the rear bank. Took about half an hour. for each one once it was accessible. Then i looked at it and saw that I had fitted the old belt off the front bank, onto the rear bank and I still had one new belt sat on the bench. FFS!!! SO i had to do the rear bank twice, putting the right belt on the second time. Had a right set-up with spanners cable-tied into place holding the pulleys as I ddint have the locking tools etc. Anyway I got them both on eventually.

 

 

Heres the front belt going on. It did need doing as the old belt was marked 'Rover' and had lots of little microcracks in the (somewhat shiny) rubber - I bet it was the original one. The Rover has done 105k now and is getting on for 20 years old!!

 

Now then the problem is this:

 

 

 

The enigne has this massive aluminium front plate covering the timing belt. It doesnt just slot on, as it fastens on both vertical and horizontal surfaces. You have to 'hook it on' over the belts at the top and then swing it down vertical against the enigne. Of course there is no fucking room at all to do this. I managed to wrestle it out but I spent a good hour this evening trying to get it back in and I'm damned if I can do it. Its just too big and unwieldy, and theres fuck all room. Looking at it I can't see why they didnt make it in 2 bits, the design is such that you could easily secure it with no extra bolts and it would be a million times easier to dismantle and reassemble. In fact if I cant get it back together I am probably gonna find another end plate and make my own 2-piece design out of them both.

 

I have to say, this is probably the fucking worst job I have ever tackled on a car. Its an absolute bastard. Even the Maserati is easier to work on. Absolutley everything is awkward and needs 2 or 3 other things taken off just to give you access. I was looking at it this evening and wondering about whether I should take the aircon compressor off to ease access. The problem with that is, the aircon compressor is completely inaccessible. I mean really completely and utterly inaccessible. To remove it I think you would probably have to remove the oil cooler, front bumper and radiator. Just to remove a compressor that I dont even want to remove anyway.

 

Has anyone got any tips? I can hardly face going out in the morning and looking at it again!!!

 

 

 

 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I've just watched a youtube film in which the guy basically just lobs the plate on in about 30 secs!!!! I must be missing something.

[Sir Snipes]

I use to do that with brakes shoes. Take off the old set, loose my mind and then somehow pick them back up and reassemble them with the new items still in the box.

[spartacus]

Fucking hell Bo11 that looks a proper 'mare! I'm afraid I can't offer any tips. You've done the right thing by walking away for today, but as you've pointed out you've only got to finish it tomorrow!

23/10 for effort, if it makes you feel any better I'm sure we've all had a job like that and feel your pain!

[spartacus]

You don't need to jack up the end of the engine or something like that, to give it clearance?

[Split_Pin]

I would be absolutely out my bin with that job, fair play to you.

[Pillock]

Saw that first photo and was instantly reminded of the old Auto Express photos where they ran a car for a few thousand miles and then stripped it down.

 

 

Obvs they never accidentally reused an old belt on reassembly though

[sierraman]

I've a mate who worked for MG Rover, I can ask.

[dome]

That is exactly the sort of job that I'd have a brain fart and think "how hard can it be, I'll have a crack at that" and then no-one sees me for a month as I swear at the fecker.

 

Crack on!

[sierraman]

Its a full days job IF you know the job. Possibly why there's loads of 99k Rover 75 V6 about. My tame MG Rover mechanic mate used to avoid these jobs while ever possible. He said he used to prefer spending 10 hours draining sumps on L series taxis and doing 1.8 HGFs over and over above doing these. Its that much of a ball ache.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

^^^^ Cheers for letting me know what a massive ballache it is

[Talbot]

Wow. That looks like both a shitter of a design, and a shitter for access.

 

Well done for attempting it. Having done the belt on a 406V6, I feel your pain. That tosser took me 2 solid days and I had to borrow several special tools needed. Never again.

 

 

Edit... just looked at your photos again.. has that got belts at *both* ends of the engine? Who was smoking what when they came up with that design? the lash between the crankshaft and the furthest-away cam lobe must be measurable in yards!

[paulplom]

Can you not cut that cover in half somehow with a grinder?

[Peter C]

I bet you regret not paying your local garage £700 to do the belt for you.

[Split_Pin]

It has been mentioned before and you have probably tried it but would raising or lowering the engine a touch give you more access? Seems to be sod all online about this, and no mention of any bother with this on the 75 forums (most be more room on these).

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I've got the RH engine mount off so there's been plenty of engine uppy-downy action going on

[Mally]

This is exactly why I bought a diesel.

So far it's worked out well.

V6 is better though. When you know how to do it I may buy one and bring it for you to sort.

You have Bo11ox of steel.

[beko1987]

Hero! Can't help you re the belt though, I'm such a belt virgin I spent a while crying over my xud cambelt on the xantia before kru-joe called me and whispered comforting words in my ear

[DeeJay]

Nothing helpful to add but good luck, you deserve it for just thinking about doing those belts.

[Split_Pin]

It wouldnt slide up from underneath would it?

[Talbot]

"refitting is the reverse of removal"

 

*burns all haynes manuals*

[Isaac Hunt]

Well done on taking the task on.

 

With all of the 'up and down' of the power unit, has it moved further over ? Not by much, but by enough?

 

I had this on a Corsa 1.4T Water Pump earlier this year. Up with the engine, down with the engine, up with the engine to get certain bolts out. I swear the fecker moved across slightly as with some bolts, access was easy on removal than reassembly.

 

We know you will tame it

[sierraman]

  On 23/06/2018 at 06:29, Mally said:

This is exactly why I bought a diesel.

So far it's worked out well.

V6 is better though. When you know how to do it I may buy one and bring it for you to sort.

You have Bo11ox of steel.

I bet he can't wait for you to ring him up and ask him to do another KV6 timing belt.

[oldcars]

Massive respect to folk that can do this stuff. I so wish i have learned how to do stuff like this in my younger years.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

  On 23/06/2018 at 08:05, sierraman said:

I bet he can't wait for you to ring him up and ask him to do another KV6 timing belt.

Ha! Yeah if anyone asks me to do this job for them, they'll be getting the big FO!!!

[garethj]

Not on a Rover but on an XJ-S V12, I got much better access by removing a couple of the engine mount bolts and jacking the engine up.  Gently does it for stretching the rubber mounts at the back but you'd be amazed how far the engine will move in the engine bay.

 

Good luck, this is why you're the master Rover-licker

[SiC]

I've nothing to add apart from your bonkers. ...You've actually paid for photobucket!?

[omegod]

Slice the fucker in half and bolt it back on

[dave21478]

^^^ that. Or oftentimes when I find similar problems I grind/cut/smash off various mounting lugs and locating studs until it will slip into place.

[MikeR]

and the weeds need doing on the driveway !!