how often should a timing belt be renewed ???
I have done 30'000 miles in 2 years and am thinking it must be about time...........also could a worn belt make the engine run rough (and cause vibrations ) ??
A Worn belt wont cause the engine to run rough, what will is if the belt has slipped a tooth cause its worn or just slipped.
if the belt has done 30k thats o.k, usually i think its about 40k you need to change them.
if your doing it yourself, you need some torque sockets (i think thats the name) for the bottom pully, these are a bitch, on my gsi they had been stripped and as they are only lightly grooved i had no chance, vaux quoted £110 and as i knew the bolts were kafooked it wasnt a bad price, i never got it done tho, sold it but still good price as they cant go over the quoted price like little garages.......
how complex is it to change myself ??
I have read the haynes manual but it mentions a tool for setting the tension - does the 20XE have an auto tensioner as it says in the book some engines do
looks not too hard to change the belt but changing the pulleys looks harder
anyone done their own timing belt without the vauxhall special tool ?
is gone just under - had a tensioner and belt done by prev owner who owns his own garage - gonna push him to see if he is telling porkies today - his computer should have a record of the last change which was authorised by himself - i think a tensioner has let go takin everything else with it. and no leaks as far as i am aware - cars ran fine the last 13,000 miles of me owning it, no noise or rattles - hoofed it up a hill last night - car just died - em light lit. goin for a futher inspection now
If the previous owner has his own garage and did the job himself, it sounds like a bodged job but you'll probably need a lot of big mates to support you to get anywhere.
2 tensioners seized - will not turn at all - cam belt hasnt snapped - its shredded like string - all 24 valves are bent, needs to have 2 heads skimmed, valve stems need doing - timing kit was all done at a little over 60k
I often wonder about these who say "yes the belt kit was fitted just a few k ago"
Do you take a risk on their word? after all they are trying to sell the car ie get shot of it so would it matter to them if it did break somewhere later down the time line.
Another senereo is that a fitter is given a kit to fit and just slips the belt on saving the tensioners for a mates car that he's working on for cash at the weekend. Would you know? Prob not.
The only insurance against this happening, and its still not foolproof as early breakages can still occur, is to treat the car as needing a belt kit the moment you buy it and get it done by someone you trust or better still by yourself.
DO VX main agents operate still a system of "we fit the belt kit and will repair the car for free if it breaks" as I think they used to do? hmmm....Maybe not any more since this does seem to be a common fault these days.
I see even the new chain drives are breaking due to oil spray lubrication nozzles blocking and the chain running dry.
The only insurance against this happening, and its still not foolproof as early breakages can still occur, is to treat the car as needing a belt kit the moment you buy it and get it done by someone you trust or better still by yourself
I did the above to mine, wasn`t worth the risk really. The service book said it had been done and on inspection of the belt it had been done but I changed it just to be on the safe side.
Go there for a nice how to for the belt replacement.
For extra peace of mind replace the old tensioner and idler bolts as well. You just dont know how many times they have been used before, if one fractures and snaps later on it will have the same effect as not having done the belt at all.
I use them to just nip the 2 camshaft sprockets together so they cant turn as the inlet one is just on the lobe on one valve and will move if its not held in place.
I think the cam locking tool is quite cheap (made of plastic) and just slides in between the 2 sprockets to lock them.
Be careful when using moles to not set them too tight or the cam sprockets will flex. I use a bit of plastic or wood wedged in between them to give them something to nip up against when using the moles to grip the sprockets.
Soon as my Mk1 GTE arrives, the 20XE will be treated to belt/tensioner/rollers/bolts/oil/filter/water pump/plugs as a matter of course... have to check dizzy cap see if that needs changing too...
I ain't leaving nothing to chance.
we recently bought the cam locking tool for Kirstys 16XEL. Was a tad under £17 inc. vat. Little cast metal jobby..... noice
Apparently you can get a full set of locking tools from PartCo for £25-ish.......
Coupla weeks ago bud.... just waiting for the GTE to be delivered to me mates yard where the work can start (and I can hopefully get driving the thing......)...
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