Cam belt change

[alan_m]

Often when a garage fits a new belt they will put a sticker in the engine bay with the mileage of when it was changed.

[alan_m]

I had one go on on a Vauxhall Nova when starting the engine. Luckily I got away with no engine damage.

[alan_m]

Chains are not without problems. On some older cars it was common for the chain to wear away the chain tensioner. Chains can also stretch.

[Jim Stewart ...]

and belts break without warning

[Jim Stewart ...]

never seen that

[NY]

If I was considering buying an 11-year-old car with 110,000 miles on the clock, and no proven record of the belt being changed recently, I'd definitely get it changed ASAP. Around 100,000 to 120,000 is a typical mileage for getting a cambelt changed with most engines that have one (as opposed to a timing chain). Especially if the engine is an "interference" type where the valves descend lower then the position of the piston at TDC, and where it is only valve timing that prevents the valve punching a hole in the piston.

Some cars (eg with Peugeot 2.0 and 1.6 HDi engines) have the water pump driven off the cambelt, and I would get that changed at the same time even if it seemed to be working perfectly: it is cheaper to pay for a new water pump (which seems to be working OK) than to pay a second time soon after for the same labour as for changing the cambelt.

[Bob Eager]

Someone I knew had a Honda 250 bike (CB72) back in the late 1960s (I had one too).

Overhead camshaft, twin cylinder. The cam chain ran between the two cylinders, lubricated by oil coming down from the camshaft and also splash lubricated from the bottom. I did many miles and never had a problem.

You adjusted the chain tension (a regular maintenance item) by loosening a bolt, letting a spring do its work, and tightening it again. A few seconds' work.

He never adjusted the tension. It became very noisy but he didn't care. One day the flapping chain sawed through the main oilway at the front of the cylinder block. He kept riding. It ended up with practically no power at all.

He said he'd been offered a few quid by a scrappie. I offered him a bit less, cash, on tghe spot. He took it.

I broke it for parts and make a good profit.

The cams were scoured and virtually cylindrical. The cam ends of thge rocker arms were scoured and concave. The engine was full of swarf!

[SteveW]

Find out how much it would be to have the belt replaced and negotiate a price reduction?

My own car is due a replacement. I most car work myself, but th elast time I needed a belt, it was only £40 more for me to have the belt supplied and fitted than for me to buy a belt elsewhere and I considered £40 to be more than worth it to avoid the hassles of a belt change on a front-wheel-drive car.

[SteveW]

When I enquired (for a Zafira) 18 months or so ago, my local garage quoted £137 to supply and fit a new belt ... it'd have cost me £90-odd to buy one myself!

[SteveW]

A friend had a Fiesta where the cam-chain wore right through the cover.

[NY]

When I had the cambelt replaced on my Peugeot 306 (2.0 HDi) about 15 years ago, it took the local garage in my village a week to get the car running again, because a timing sensor broke off while they were fitting the belt. They had trouble sourcing and fitting a replacement, and then couldn't get the engine to start afterwards. I was cycling past the garage on my way to go shopping (no car, so I had to cycle!) one evening when they were still working on it, and so I witnessed the engine finally start and the roar of "Yessssssssssss!". The garage were persistent, and I saw the results of their persistence. The car ran perfectly afterwards for another 30,000 miles till I sold it, but I was beginning to wonder if I should have taken it to a Peugeot main dealer.

[Jim Stewart ...]

Mmmmmmm C72

[Jim Stewart ...]

bargain

[Fredxx]

Really? From Eurocarparts Manufacturer: Vauxhall Model: Zafira Year: 2012 Engine: 1.8 Fuel: Petrol

Price £28.92

You might be able to get it cheaper elsewhere too.

[Grumps]

Renault Clio, local garages quoting from £375 to £600+. This is from an online quoting web site, and verified by a couple of phone calls. There is only one at the cheap end, end they get too many poor reviews. All of the other quotes are £600-680.

All of this expense for a sub £2k car. Think I'll pass.

[Jim Stewart ...]

price isn't everything

[Tim Lamb]

2009 Ford Fiesta Diesel, cam belt, water pump, antifreeze, fitting £300.

[Grumps]

Interesting. Around here a 2009 Fiesta cam belt/pump is between £340 and £440. What part of the country are you in?

[SteveW]

Sorry, I was not clear - cambelt and tensioner ... which does actually seem to have dropped a little at about £75 now.

Obviously the garage gets considerably more discount.

[Tim Lamb]

This was Harpenden, Herts. Local service garage rather than main dealer.