V6 Timing Belt Replacement Advice

[dave lincs]

My thoughts on this as an ex rover technician are that when these cars were new we were selling them for over £20k and when the belts were due the owners had them done to protect there investment now these cars are old and worth very little people seem to want to run them for peanuts

its quite simple if the cambelts are due get them done

[marinabrian]

Originally Posted by SD1too

Let's look at this evidence then Brian and put it into context. The difference between that engine and mine is that a main dealer workshop was involved. You cannot rule out careless workmanship when this belt was fitted. We read about it all the time don't we; problems with cars that have been maintained by the trade. You have corrected the damage yourself on many occasions, including this one.

There is a cause; you just are not inclined to consider it because it's easier to impress people with your dramatic stories.

My goodness, yet another defamatory remark. Why are you so afraid of a logical argument which opposes your own? You are displaying intolerance and insecurity Brian. Some might be reconsidering whether to use your services in the future.

By the way, here is what you fellow trader, Big Russ, posted on the subject two years ago:

"The belts on our cars do not spontaneously break on their own no matter what age or mileage they've done
Belt breakage in almost all cases has been caused by the tensioner, idler wheel, water pump or covers interfering with the belt."

Has Russ got his head in the sand as well? Does he obviously neglect his own cars and his customers' cars?

Simon

Well the careless main dealer workmanship lasted for over seven years Simon, I have the greatest respect for you in other areas, however consider why MGR specified the change intervals, consider why the manufacturers of the components date them, and consider yourself lucky when you finally get around to doing the job hopefully before it is too late, that you'll be doing it yourself

Your car is on borrowed time in regards to this, and any motor engineer worth his salt will tell you the same.

It comes across as you are afraid to do the job, perhaps it's a little too complex for you, or you don't wish to spend the money on an eighteen year old car

I'm not insecure either Simon, rather the opposite, I am secure in the knowledge that my car is being maintained correctly as per the manufactures guidelines

I'm off to the machine shop now with a cylinder head to have it skimmed

Brian

[3pinplug]

Maybe we should retitle this thread " Cambelt Rambos"! lol

[Tiff]

Whilst I agree that belts should be changed at the correct intervals,and as a full kit, with the 75 I keep seeing £4-600 mentioned as a cost to change by a decent mechanic. With the values of these cars so low at the moment the take this cost off the price of an otherwise decent car, the you could even be in the negative- especially when you add in the cost of other fettling that will be required.

Some folk just have a 75 because it was a nice car at a good price and that is all.Enthusiasts who love the 75 will never be in it for the money as we are all a bit bonkers spending thousands on a car that, if damaged in a bump will be offered a market value sum,unless agreed value is in place. A £500 service the day before isn't considered.

This is rather a strange place, where the values of the cars is talked down, but the need for stringent new car levels of maintenence is required for car to even be considered worth buying. I work beside 2 big scrapyards and see quite a few going in, most of them are there because of a bump, or a costly MOT failure, some suspension work and brake pipes is enough,financially,to see off a 75.

My belts are due, and they will be done, but I'm not losing any sleep over it. I once rebuilt the head on a 14000 mile 13 month old Peugeot after the water pump failed and threw the belt off,and looked after an Escort van that had done over 300,000 miles on the original belt. 90k or 6 years IMO is best practice and preventative maintenence..if you are in the car for the long run.

To be honest, if I wasn't a car guy, and popped in here for a browse with the thought of buying a 75, I'd run a mile.

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by marinabrian

... consider why MGR specified the change intervals ...

I already know the answer to that Brian but there's no point in me telling you because you won't believe it.

...consider why the manufacturers of the components date them ...

For warranty claims and to identify a particular production run I would say.

Your car is on borrowed time in regards to this ..

Absolute nonsense. MGR, in order to compete, decided that the average customer drives 15,000 miles a year. As the belts have a life of at least 90,000 miles, they tell owners to visit the dealer after six years. A driver who covers 10,000 miles p.a. would not need to go to the dealer until nine years have elapsed. The belt doesn't become more susceptible to breakage just because less miles are driven every year!

But let's examine this "borrowed time" claim further. According to you, and most others, my car has been at risk for 11 years yet the belt hasn't broken. That alone should make you think that the theory might be rather unreliable.

It comes across as you are afraid to do the job, perhaps it's a little too complex for you, or you don't wish to spend the money on an eighteen year old car

That's the fourth insulting remark you've made, and a deliberately provocative one too, because we've had technical exchanges about 1.8 head gasket replacement and thermostat housing 'O' rings, remember?

Simon

[Dorset Bob]

Originally Posted by SD1too

Absolute nonsense. MGR, in order to compete, decided that the average customer drives 15,000 miles a year. As the belts have a life of at least 90,000 miles, they tell owners to visit the dealer after six years. A driver who covers 10,000 miles p.a. would not need to go to the dealer until nine years have elapsed. The belt doesn't become more susceptible to breakage just because less miles are driven every year!

Simon

I am sorry Simon, but maintenance schedules are not "dreamt up" like this.

In my experience there is a team of engineers (eg. mechanical, stress etc.etc.) chemists, metallurgists, to name but a few.
They will test, inspect and draw on field service data.

It is also unlikely that MGR would have had all of the expertise in house and would have worked with outside companies ,such as Gates and Dayco, who are specialists in their field, to come up with the schedule.
This is true of other components and other items, such as oil specification and change intervals.

I think that is needs to be made clear that this is not just an MGR thing.
In fact, to my knowledge all engines have a schedule that is on hours/ mileage and/or a time limit.
It is for a reason, because, despite what you think, if less mileage is driven per annum it can make failure more common.
This is why there is a time limit.

In can see no logic in your revised schedule and am unsure of what expertise you have drawn on, as it goes against all sound engineering practices.

[xsport]

simon, if you do decide to do the belts kit replacement yourself can you have a look to see what make (if poss to read/see ) the belt was.also the bearing manufacturer and water pump if any identification ? im sure that your milage alone is testament to the quality of the original rover parts fitted. it might serve us a little in trying to persue better quality replacement parts at least we can try. im afraid that the old service schedules intervals are now useless in practice to a degree owing to the lack of quality and trustworthy parts and is much more of a lottery than it ever was before. the belts themselves are becoming a less threat component after fitting in terms of longivity and we need to source quality bearings and water pumps because one mistake could possibly mean in the case of the kv6 especially the end of the road as these engines are becoming increasingly scarce. kind regards xsport.

[jn12]

Hi Simon,

Do you still plan on changing your belts this year? When you do this job please take some pics of the parts removed.

I have attached a picture of a original belt that had done approx 100k on a 2002 car upon inspection in 2011. Needless to say it looked desperate for replacement. Lots of cracks across the width, with some to the edge.

[marinabrian]

Originally Posted by SD1too

But let's examine this "borrowed time" claim further. According to you, and most others, my car has been at risk for 11 years yet the belt hasn't broken. That alone should make you think that the theory might be rather unreliable.


Simon

Tick tock, tick tock



Thanks for posting that picture John, Simon will be impressed with my latest tabloid headline

[Tree hugger]

Thank you to everyone for all your advice and will be asking the seller for a price reduction.