Doing the cambelt - auto tensioner doesn't look good

[Rob Furniss]

I'm on with doing the cambelt and just took the bottom cover off and removed the alternator bracket, old belt is still on and tensioned but doesn't seem that tight really.
Thought i'd get away with doing the auto tensioner but now that it's exposed it doesn't look too good to me as the rod doesn't seem to be doing anything.



Look bad to you guys?

I've got a new manual tensioner and idler, water pump and new cambelt to go on.
Test the auto tensioner as per the workshop manual or don't be a tight arse and just swap it out?

[Sahin]

Start the engine and watch it, should come in and out as necessary (that’s what makes it an auto tensioner)

[Rob Furniss]

It's at least 6 years since I last did the cambelt on this car and I can't remember if I replaced the hydraulic tensioner then so i've decided to do it now while i'm at it, sourced one for $121.

[Vectose]

Could be tension was set wrong. Seen it on a fair few cars where the hydraulic tensioner was still good. When it's set correctly you should be able to insert a pin freely into the hole. Should be about 3mm of rod stick out. Exact measurement is in the FSM.

[Rob Furniss]

Yeah could be, it was the first time i'd done the cambelt but if so i've been lucky all these years.
I'll have a look through the manual before I swap it out remind me what to do.

[Vectose]

Well if it's been pushed in that far then it's ovetensioned.

[Rob Furniss]

Didn't feel like it on the belt, could it be cause i'd turned the crank anti clock wise when removing the crank pulley?
Or that the tensioner is/was knackered, i'll take it off later and see what the rod is like, picked up a new one earlier anyway but would be good to know if/where I went wrong last time.

[Vectose]

Turn the belt clockwise 2 rotations, leave for 5mins then check. (Without turning it anti clockwise)

[Rob Furniss]

Also doing the waterpump - that one bloody bolt behind the mount bracket, grrrr, i'd forget you have to remove the ps pump and rad.

[Nacho]

Rob did you undo the timing pulley too? Maybe the dot isn't in the correct position as shown in the user manual? The further the dot is the tighter the belt gets.

[Rob Furniss]

It's all good I swapped everything out anyway, new timing belt, idler pulley, manual tensioner pulley, new hydraulic tensioner and could remove the pin easy (left it to stand ages, turned over by hand a few times, still easy, left it more, still easy to remove, turned it over more, still easy to remove - phew!)

Also did the cam seals while I was there and new rocker cover gaskets, adjusted the tappets and did fuel filter, painted the rocker covers, went through about 10 cans of degreaser.
Just finishing off the FPR and dual feed fuel rails then put the supercharger and charge cooler back, hopefully no more oil leak.

[mezje]

It's all good I swapped everything out anyway, new timing belt, idler pulley, manual tensioner pulley, new hydraulic tensioner and could remove the pin easy (left it to stand ages, turned over by hand a few times, still easy, left it more, still easy to remove, turned it over more, still easy to remove - phew!)

Also did the cam seals while I was there and new rocker cover gaskets, adjusted the tappets and did fuel filter, painted the rocker covers, went through about 10 cans of degreaser.
Just finishing off the FPR and dual feed fuel rails then put the supercharger and charge cooler back, hopefully no more oil leak.

Good stuff, took us almost 2 hours to get the tension right, the pin just wouldn't play ball. I wish I did the tappets at the time, I did do rocker cover, cam and crank seal(s). Feels good knowing none of it will need doing for a while but fk it's a sh*t job!