Cambelt and Alternator Belt Change..... HELP!

wainy · Unread post by **wainy** » 21 May 2009, 10:53

Hi,

I am planning to change the cambelt, tensioner and alternator belt this weekend

. The Haynes manual, for what its worth, doesn't cover the TCT engine so any help would be MUCH appreciated!

I haven't changed a cambelt since I last did them on my GSA a while back....... this was dead easy once all the panels were off

(to think people used to criticise GS's for being difficult to work on.... what a load of rubbish!). The last alternator belt I did was on a Peugeot 206 1.9 diesel which was an absolute pig..... you needed fingers as thin as a car aerial and as strong as a JCB to do it easily, plus an extra pair of hands when setting the tensioner! I suspect this job is going to be more like the Pug after looking at the access to the belts, so I'll have a swear box at the ready

!

Thanks,

WAINY.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 21 May 2009, 12:43

Hi Wainy,

It's not a bad job at all on an TCT

But for two things, it's almost a doddle..

This is an extract from an earlier Post I made in Xac's Blog...

The cambelt really is a lovely job on the Activa, bar for two things. NEVER use the crank pulley as a timing reference as the hole is on the outer of the dual mass part and it always slips. You must get hold of a solid pulley from a lesser XU engine for this and I use one from a 205GTi engine.

Secondly, it has a manually adjusted eccentric tensioner and you have to be careful in setting the tension on it.

That aside, the job itself is this: Remove the crank pulley by undoing the central bolt and normally it's not too tight as it should only be done up to 88 ft. lbs.

Remove the timing belt covers. One bolt is a bit tight for access but you don't need to touch the engine mount.

Time the engine and pin the cam in the timing hole and crank in it's timing slot using the pulley you obtained for that job.

Loosen the eccentric tensioner and slip off the old belt.

Replace the water pump as a matter of course. Check the condition of the tensioner and jockey wheel. If they run smoothly there is no need to replace them.

Replace the belt and tension so that the longest run of the belt can be twisted between thumb and finger an easyish 90 degrees. Don't over tension as the engine expands as it gets to operating temperature and if the initial (cold) tension is too much it can be over-tensioned when hot.

Check the timing carefully and then remove the locking pins and spin the engine over a good four or five full revolutions with the crank pulley in place. Recheck timing and tension.

If you want, leave the covers off and run the engine up to full temperature (be careful of any fuel lines that may chafe on the exposed cam sprocket) and recheck tension whilst the engine is hot. On the longest run of the belt, you should be able to just twist 90 degrees.

If the belt whines then it's too tight.

Job done!

Take careful note of the routing of the Auxillary belt as it's nothing like any other engine. If you do loose how it goes, I have a diagram...

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 21 May 2009, 17:01

Hi Wainy

Jim is of course right as always

but if you have the haynes book of lies just follow the guide for the 2l normally asperated engine, they are exactly the same apart from the bits bolted onto it, same heads, blocks, engine mounts, cambelt, pulleys etc etc etc

Good luck
D

wainy · Unread post by **wainy** » 22 May 2009, 12:16

Thanks............

WAINY

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 23 May 2009, 08:04

This is the diagram of the Activa Auxillary belt...

Apologies for the quality of the sketch

addo · Unread post by **addo** » 23 May 2009, 08:26

That looks somewhat like a sculpture of a seated woman, nursing.

DickieG · Unread post by **DickieG** » 23 May 2009, 08:30

addo wrote:That looks somewhat like a sculpture of a seated woman, nursing.

That made me chuckle

Unread post by **myglaren** » 23 May 2009, 10:27

Barbara Hepworth is still among us

wainy · Unread post by **wainy** » 25 May 2009, 21:46

That's made me laugh too

!

There's lots of sculptures that look like that at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Maybe there's a market for a haynes manual illustrated with abstract art representations of all the jobs. Just think, all the pictures of the car would look like a Sssssangyong Rodius.

More useful than a normal Haynes manual too....... My favourite piece of bad advice from a Haynes manual is that you need to take the dashboard out on a GSA to change the left hand wiper pivot, when actually all you have to do is take a speaker out! Come to think of it, I'm sure the Xantia manual tells you to take the dashboard out to change the heater controls

.

Think there must be someone at Haynes with a dashboard fetish.

WAINY.

SLYTZD · Unread post by **SLYTZD** » 07 Jun 2009, 16:09

Wainy have you done your cambelt? How'd it go?

I would be interested in knowing how long it takes as I have no idea when mine was done last. Is on my to-do list.

red_dwarfers · Unread post by **red_dwarfers** » 07 Jun 2009, 16:20

wainy wrote: More useful than a normal Haynes manual too....... My favourite piece of bad advice from a Haynes manual is that you need to take the dashboard out on a GSA to change the left hand wiper pivot, when actually all you have to do is take a speaker out! Come to think of it, I'm sure the Xantia manual tells you to take the dashboard out to change the heater controls .

Think there must be someone at Haynes with a dashboard fetish.

WAINY.

After reading up on changing a rear ABS sensor for my Xantia a few months back, I found that in the latest BoL ('93 - '01) that you need to jack up and secure the front of the car on axle stands to get at the rear ABS sensor...hmm

wainy · Unread post by **wainy** » 08 Jun 2009, 19:25

Hi,

I didn't do it in the end...... got all the parts ready but keep needing the car at short notice and its the only one I've got running at the moment. I'm beginning to panic

cos I don't think the cambelt has ever been done. I'm driving very carefully and hoping to get onto it this weekend, fingers crossed!

Could do with another car to use daily while I get the jobs that need doing done. Would only take a couple of weekends if I didn't need to use the car............. has anyone got an SM they could lend me???!!!!

WAINY.

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 08 Jun 2009, 20:38

has anyone got an SM they could lend me???!!!! Wink

Yeah sure, i will pop it in the post for you, dont damage the box though!!! collectors dont like em with damaged boxes

D

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 09 Jun 2009, 16:12

I'm going to be doing mine this weekend I think.
You see, I've got water pouring out the bottom of the rad, so as I have a replacement, I thought I might as well do it all together.
Bought a water pump for £20, and 5L of concentrated anti-freeze.
Once I've got the belt off I can check the state of the rollers and replace if required.
Now, the pump comes with instructions that say to use sealing compound (Curil), but when Jim changed Cassy's pump, I don't remember us using any sealing compound on the gasket. Does it need sealing compound?

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 09 Jun 2009, 18:28

Technicaly you shouldnt have to use a sealant if the mating surfaces are good, but i always put a thin smear of rtv silicone on both sides of the gasket before fitting because you dont want to fit it dry, find it leaks a few days later when hot and under pressure and have to do it all over again

D