The van has done it again

[ARW]

For "special tool" do you mean a screwdriver?

[ARW]

Well she could get me started and finish me off.

Then she could have a look at the van

[ARW]

The last time I saw so much bollocks was when I worked in gay bar.

[tabbypurr]

so many people drive such that if they come across something on the road they're not able to stop. It's so stupid.

NT

[tabbypurr]

I've done it & that's how it went, so hardly bs. Think what you like.

NT

[ARW]

There is only you that thinks it's a fan belt.

[Peter Hill]

I've seen two modern wide serpentine belts on the road in the last month. Like you I thought "not seen one of those for some time". Maybe they were fitted with a screwdriver?

The tool is a sort of ramp and using a screwdriver is going to damage the belt.

Some belt kits come with the tool, a bit of bent metal that clips to the pulley. Supposedly universal tools around £15. it's quite expensive for a one off use and something you shouldn't need in the first place. £33 for Subaru. I view expensive ones as franchise dealer lock in tool. Back street mechanic has to add the tool cost to the job as they may never see a 2nd one.

[Chris J Dixon]

Yes I noticed when I looked under the boot carpet in my '16 Mondeo that there is a polystyrene moulding which lifts the boot floor about 50 mm. It does give a nice level load space, and the boot is so enormous anyway that, for me, the loss of room is insignificant.

Presumably for some markets or models they omit the spare wheel, and have a bigger load space.

Chris

[Jim Stewart]

bona

[Jim Stewart]

no chance if the belt goes around the engine mount ...

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

[e-mail] laid this down on his screen :

I changed mine a few years ago, it was no side of the road easy task. It involved taking the front wheel off, the wheel arch liner, then took two of us - one working from above, one via the wheel arch.

[Jim Stewart]

that is some polava all to save the manufacturer a few pence in manufacturing costs by omiting the tensioner...that with rubber cam belts they should be giving the engines away ....is there a list of manufacturers fitting these works of the devil ? ...

[Jim Stewart]

why I have had mine on for 110,000 miles ...

[Jim Stewart]

Australia is not so stupid as allow delete of the spare wheel ....

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Steve Walker was thinking very hard :

For a few years, I carried in my boot - a red elastic tube version of an emergency belt. I seem to remember it having a joint piece, allowing it to be shorted if necessary.

[Jim Stewart]

old mercs were easy ... loosen off the tensioner...remove and fit new belt...set tensioner.....should never be made more complicated than that .....

[The Natural Philosopher]

Fundamentally service schedules should routinely require all belts to be replaced at sane intervals well short of failure. They are also fairly much a bitch to replace on the roadside.

That's why its fairly rare to see a failure. As far as I am concerned belts at 80,000 miles - or whatever the schedule says - are as important as oil filters or brake pads.

Especially cam belts where failure can lead to thousands of pounds of engine repair or replacement

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Jethro_uk pretended :

Yep, on mine at least. It's all electronic, via voltage and engine running sensing. I have an ignition warning light, plus a matrix display warnings. No charge brings on the warning light, plus alternator symbol and 'no charge' text. Difficult to ignore.

[Jim Stewart]

only if you have a stupid interference engine.....

[Jim Stewart]

best indication used to be the heater stops working ....and the engine runs better for a short while...