C5 cambelt change & brake caliper - woe and twice woe!

Johnno · Unread post by **Johnno** » 15 Apr 2011, 19:56

Well, finally decided to do the cambelt, waterpump and tensioner plus have a go at the alternator pulley - and then the brake pads for good measure.

Successfully negotiated getting the crank pulley and covers off and did the usual scraping of hands getting the engine lock in and the belt from under the engine mount (don't need to take the mount off, as I and the best mate discovered). New water pump on, new tensioner and new belt. Started engine and the belt immediately moved to the outside of the pulleys - "oh dear" is what might have been said.

Tried with old tensioner, same result. Turned the belt round - no change.

Could it be a duff water pump? The idler pulley? The pump is the more expensive one (Airtex) from GSF and the belt is a Dayco.

As for the brake caliper I decided to make good use of the remaining afternoon sun and removed the pads off the first one. The piston will not rewind, with whatever load and direction of turn I use. It has, in fact, come further out so I can't even put the old pads in. Is it new caliper time or is there something really simple? The pistion appears to be at the end of its travel and wobbles about a bit.

Not a great way to use a day's leave. Bother!

Oh, and I couldn't begin to shift the alternator pulley - it appears to be a left-hand thread, methinks.

Any thoughts / experience appreciated.

Unread post by **citroenxm** » 16 Apr 2011, 07:24

If u started tge engine without the crank pully on then naturally the cam belt will moove outwards...you need to have the crank pully on to help guide the cam belt inwards...

Altinator pullys have a clutch pully on them... No idea how they come apart.. Why do you want to remove the altinator pully?

Paul

Johnno · Unread post by **Johnno** » 16 Apr 2011, 07:49

Thanks, Paul. I did wonder if the crank pulley was required, but as the bottom timing cover sits inside the pulley and there are no witness marks on either item (I replaced the pulley about 2 months ago), I dismissed the idea.

Could well be the answer, though wouldn't the edge of the belt become frayed? When I exposed the old belt, it appeared to be sitting true on the pulleys. I'll try with the crank pulley in place and if that fails I suppose I could refit the old belt to see what happens.

As for the alternator pulley, there has been a ticking noise from that area along with intermittent flapping of the auxiliary belt on the tight side of the crank pulley. The tensioner is fine and the symptoms are the same as othes with duff alt. pulleys have experienced. They're not expensive, so seemed a good idea. Got to get the bl**dy thing off, first!

Cheers.

KevMayer · Unread post by **KevMayer** » 17 Apr 2011, 20:29

I've recently changed my alternator pulley.

The end of the alternator shaft on my 2.2 Hdi had a torx T50 fitting.

I used a special tool to do the job which had a T50 centre and a splined outer nut.

The pulley is threaded clockwise onto the alternator shaft and so I engaged the centre T50 with the alternator shaft and the outer splined nut engaged with the splines in the pulley. I then had to turn the splined nut anti clockwise which means the alternator shaft has to be turned clockwise.

My pulley was making clicking noises and when I got the old one off the freewheel mechanism had locked up solid. The new pulley freewheeled very easily.

New pulley now fitted and all is quiet.

In all, to chase down a noise from the aux belt area I've replaced the Crankshaft pulley, Aux belt tensioner and now the alternator pulley.

Unread post by **daviemck2006** » 17 Apr 2011, 21:17

Dont know anything about timing belt, garage replaced my one but when doing pads and discs recently I clamped the flexi pipe to stop fluid going back up through the system and opened the bleed nipple to wind the piston in, then bled the brakes afterwards. Worked a treat for me.

Unread post by **RichardW** » 18 Apr 2011, 12:15

C5 front brakes are handed - one of them is LH thread - can't remember which one

- although your experience would suggest it was the one you were working on

HDI · Unread post by **HDI** » 18 Apr 2011, 13:45

Johnno wrote: As for the alternator pulley, there has been a ticking noise from that area along with intermittent flapping of the auxiliary belt on the tight side of the crank pulley.
Cheers.

That could very likely be the crank damper pulley, had the same symptoms on mine recently, cured by a new pulley.

Johnno · Unread post by **Johnno** » 20 Apr 2011, 17:41

Thanks for the responses, guys. Paul was indeed correct - re-instating the crank pulley (only about 2 months old, as it happens) solved the problem. I think I was over-analysing the problem and had done that classic thing of not examining an earlier assumption regarding the bottom cover/pulley. Doh!

As for the alternator pulley, it's a tight little beggar, but I'll have another go tonight. And it is obviously a standard thread.

The front brakes are indeed handed and I most certainly did go the wrong way - the stupid thing is, I've done these pads before! Maybe I was just tired...

All in all, one of my less successful forays under the bonnet. One of those "Oh, it'll just take half a day". I sometimes wonder how I've survived so long.