Mikes Cambelt!

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 18 Oct 2007, 21:34

Today MikeT and I started to change his cambelt after a very smooth job of changing his nearside lower swivel joint. It really went too easily, even to replacing a perished brake flexi

Flushed with success we then started on the cambelt. First problem, the crank pulley bolt was so tight it beat both Mike and I with breaker bars and took THREE spins of the starter to crack it

A gorilla had been there, which we think was amply proved later.

The timing covers had been a wee bit damaged in the past and the near-impossible 11mm bolt on the back of the rear cover was missing

. They had also bent the engine lifting eye out of the way to get the cambelt cover off, rather than removing it

The tensioner bolts were tightened up to the point of almost shearing. That was bad enough but when the belt came off we found this...

Mike was very lucky the belt did not let go on the 130 mile trip up to here.

Another view...

The tear extended nearly half the width of the belt

And then this

Any other explanation apart from a first-class Bodget and Scarper having been at work? Mike described it as looking like a nibbled biscuit

We're off to the scrappy tomorrow morning. Mike also needs a pinion valve for the steering rack. It is leaking LHM

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 18 Oct 2007, 22:20

Well caught Jim!
If I had changed Cassy's belt in time though, I'd never have met you guys, and at least we're practiced in replacing heads.

The scrappy has a rather nice looking L reg TD, I tried to get the cam cover breather pipe for Cassy, but I couldn't get it free

The Xantia is on top of another car.

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 18 Oct 2007, 22:53

How much to do my cambelt then?

TehAgent · Unread post by **TehAgent** » 18 Oct 2007, 23:01

Jim, looks like you might start your Citroen garage up after all

There are two Xantias down the Northampton scrappers, one is a diesel with a very fine and new down pipe / middle section, the other is a petrol, both in the same colour.

Hope all goes well, if this battery charges on my 406 tonight will hopefully be getting the exhaust done tomorrow and booking its MOT.

deian · Unread post by **deian** » 19 Oct 2007, 16:49

Looks like someone wanted to deliberately set up a time bomb there... probably for a previous customer whom the mechanic hated.

Timing belts are quite hardy and well made items when new, and to inflict that sort of damage you have to try bit.

Of course, they are built really well, this is proof, how long was the belt on?

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 19 Dec 2007, 21:43

Hi Dei,

No idea how long it was on but Mike and I did spend some time thinking about what had happened to cause all the damage.

We think the centre bolt came loose at some time which allowed the woodruff key to fret in the keyways due to a loose, flapping crank pulley. It was very telling that the crank bolt was done up way too tight. We think, in order to disguise whay we found...

Both the keyway in the crank pulley and the crank itself were badly worn to the extent that a ridge had delevloped along the leading edge of the keyway in the crank which made the cambelt sprocket exceedingly hard to remove. I did in the end without damage ut it was not easy. We think someone before us tried to lever the sprocket off and inflicted the damage shown in the pictures.

I dressed the keyway with a small file and replaced the sprocket, keys and pulley. Touch-wood all is OK. I heard from Mike today via a Christmas Card and he did not mention so I guess all is still good

MikeT · Unread post by **MikeT** » 21 Dec 2007, 09:16

deian wrote:how long was the belt on?

I got it with 118K miles on the clock (no service history) and that belt was removed after 123K. Interesting to note, the car starts and idles a bit better from cold now with less smoke (on veg oil).

I just cannot understand why someone would put that pulley back together like that considering the effort required to dismantle everything beforehand and the refitting after.

Thank heavens I had Jim at my side although the belt would probably still be on the car now if it wasn't for his kind offer of assitance to replace the ball joint. I couldn't even refit the cambelt cover on my own - even Citroen decided to revise the design, it was such a pig of a job.

KP · Unread post by KP » 21 Dec 2007, 18:37

Man that all looks a bit rough but good its all sorted now

reminds me of another thing that needs doing on mine

specialy as just like yours i have no history with it either

Unread post by **alan s** » 21 Dec 2007, 21:47

That belt reminds me of the time I was talking to someone who told me his "mechanic" could change cambelts without playing around with tensioners and got it right every time.
It seems he refitted the new belt by levering on using a couple of fairly large screwdrivers.....

So I'd imagine after a few miles, they could tend to look like that given the amount of localised pressure that would have been exerted.
Looks like you should breath easier now!!

Alan S