Xsara cambelt change

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 28 Nov 2009, 14:40

i havent done a TU3 16V cam belt yet but the 8V TU lump is very very easy, so easy you dont even need to jack up the O/S/F and remove the wheel, it can all be done from the top,

were abouts are you

regards malcolm

uncle buck · Post by **uncle buck** » 28 Nov 2009, 17:11

The 1.4 TU3 engine in the Xsara is an 8 valve engine...well it is in our Xsara.

As malcolm says its a very simple belt to change.....I seem to recall the aux belt tensioner giving me a bit of a fight but maybe that was down to the fact that everything on ours was smothered with oil & thick congealed dirt from the oil leak from the head gasket....hence the removal of the cambelt etc to replace the head gasket.

Cheers.

Post by **CitroJim** » 28 Nov 2009, 20:03

Hi Mike, an 8V TU is easy to do

As easy as an Activa and they don't come much simpler really. Even the crank pulley is easy as it's held on to a central boss with four small studs rather than one huge, tight bolt.

I shall be doing one soon as I've just bought my daughter a 52,000 mile 1.4LX 206 and that does have the 8V engine. Look at the rocker cover and if it's tin, flattish and about six inches wide and a narrow plastic belt cover, it's an 8V!

The only sightly tricky part is that it uses a manually adjusted eccentric tensioner. Tension is right when you can turn the belt easily through 90 degrees with the engine cold; exactly as you'd do on an Activa in fact.

Replace the water pump when you do the job, this is really dead simple and adjust the valve clearances.

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 28 Nov 2009, 23:45

if it is the 8V/TU lump it is by far easyer than any XANT cam belt,
and i think im right in saying if its the 16V engine it wont be a TU engine but an XU type,

regards malcolm

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 29 Nov 2009, 00:02

wooops DEBUG MODE kicked in there

the tensioner is not much of a prob, the earlyer AX type hade a small square hole in the face next to its locking nut, which is just a bit bigger than quarter of an inch,

i made a toll for adjusting this type out of a coach bolt, i cut the domed head of leaving the square under the head, then put a right angle bend about half an inch down the bolt shank from the end the head was,

i think in the BOL it shows the OE tool which looks like my home made version but have a groove at a secific distance alomg its shank, which citroen say to put a 1K weight on the achive the corect tention,

if its the later very similar type the hole is A quarter of an inch,

so i use a quarter drive T bar with a lomg extention, the extention just keeps the T bar out of the way of the 13mm spanner for the lock nut,

regards malcolm

i

Pleiades · Post by **Pleiades** » 29 Nov 2009, 10:31

The 1.4 16V engine is the same basic engine as the 1.4 8V, it's just got a twin cam head fixed to it. The cambelt is easy I have done a few.

Short story........

My son came home in his 1.4 16V 206 Pugot and asked me to have a listen to his car as it had a funny noise going on for about a week.
I started the car and yes he was correct, there was a noise, so on investigation I removed the top belt cover as it appeared to be in that area, when I got the cover off, the cambelt was revealed, it was as wide as an elastic band, how it diddnt snap is a mystery.
The water pump had collapsed and the pulley on the water pump was at a very funny angle, making the cambelt rub and wear on the engine mount, the water pump was not even leaking as I would have expected it to be with the angle of the pulley.
I would have guessed that another few miles and we would have been changing valves.

So the moral is I would suppose.

As with most cambelt driven water pumps. Change it with the cambelt.

Regards
Martin.

uncle buck · Post by **uncle buck** » 29 Nov 2009, 12:06

superloopy1 wrote: .... i 'thought' it was a 16v engine but i'm not so sure now. Any quick way I can check?

Trust me it will be an 8 valve.

superloopy1 wrote: Service site says belt is 108 DTS (which i assume means number of teeth) , 17 LARG (is that the width ie 17mm), no length but if I get a belt with 108 teeth it should be the right length, yes or no?

Yes as long as you get a belt with the correct number of teeth it will be the correct length.
Our 1.4 Xsara's belt has...108 teeth by 17mm wide, the belt I used was a Dayco 94256 (108SP170H)

superloopy1 wrote:
Uncle buck whereabouts are you based?

I'm North Newcastle (Gosforth Park area)

Cheers.

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 29 Nov 2009, 13:22

so there is such a beast as the 1.4 16V TU lump then, as i could not see one on service citroen, but i know the SAXO VTS has the 1.6 16V TU lump fitted,

regards malcolm

wheeler · Post by **wheeler** » 29 Nov 2009, 14:06

The only 1.4 16v is the newer ET3 engine seen in C3's & C4's etc

Post by **myglaren** » 29 Nov 2009, 14:47

uncle buck wrote:
superloopy1 wrote:
Uncle buck whereabouts are you based?
I'm North Newcastle (Gosforth Park area)

Practically next-door neighbours

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 29 Nov 2009, 16:12

wheeler wrote
"The only 1.4 16v is the newer ET3 engine seen in C3's & C4's etc"

thats why i could only find/see the XU lump in the 16V version on service citroen under XSARA

regards malcolm

Post by **CitroJim** » 29 Nov 2009, 20:53

superloopy1 wrote: Take a few pics when you're doing your daughters car and pass them my way.

Will do Mike! I'll make note of where the locking pins go as well.

It'll perpare you well for the Activa belt as the procedure is nearly the same. The Activa is the easiest of the whole lot of Xantias, honestly!

superloopy1 wrote: Someone mentioned a tool to set correct belt tension after initial tensioning . Any ideas on that one?

It's called a SEEM gauge Mike but not really needed if you are careful. It's vitally important to not over-tension the belt and bear in mind the engine will expand as it gets hot and tighten the belt as a result. A tight belt will whine very audibly. A loose belt will flap around so leave the cam covers off and look/listen as the engine reaches temperature.

Generally if you can just turn the longest run of the belt through 90 degrees between finger and thumb, it'll be tensioned more or less correctly. It does need a tad of practice though and I guess you really could call this a rule of thumb....

uncle buck · Post by **uncle buck** » 30 Nov 2009, 01:00

myglaren wrote:Practically next-door neighbours

Yeah on the scale of things we are

superloopy1 wrote:.....Uncle Buck
Any problem me picking your 'local' brain if i decide to do this and get well and truly stuck

No problem.....I'll gladly lend a hand, let me know when you're doing the job & if I have nothing on I'll pop down to drink some of your tea

It was almost 2 years ago that I changed the belt on our xsara along with the head gasket due to an oil leak...whenever I try to picture the belt part of the job I end up picturing the cambelt set up on my old TD ZX as I changed that belt straight after the xsara's while I was still in cambelt changing mode

...I do remember the belt on the xsara being very easy to fit & tension....I never used any fancy gauges or anything like that just the old school 90 degree twist which worked fine. The cambelt set up is such that there is a long straight run so the twist method can be used, more complicated belt runs where the belt twists all over the place can make getting the correct tension tricky hence the use of tension gauges.

I normally use GSF in Newcastle for parts, they are very helpful & competitive on prices, another place I have used recently and found them to be very good on price is NPA motor factors....give them a try.
http://www.npamotorfactors.co.uk/newcastle.asp

It's wise to take a look at the camshaft & crankshaft oil seals while you are in there just to make sure they are still doing their job.
A new aux belt is a must, and if you are intending to change the water pump you will need new anti freeze to go in.

Cheers.

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 30 Nov 2009, 08:22

for the 8V TU lump you just need one of the tools i mentioned earlier to adjust the tensioner, and also a 13mm bolt (10mm shank)
at least inch and a half long to peg the cam sprocket, and a length of cunifer brake pipe (maybe knicked of a neghbours E**ORT ),

this is for peging the flywheel trough the hole in the cranck case,

then the rest is very very easy,

i still say by far easyer than any of the XANT's

regards malcolm