Kv6 cambelt change?
 

Hi all,

After a few days of taking a closer look at my recent 2.0 v6 connie,

Ive comes across a rattle from cold start which goes quiet after a few minutes (took the aux belt off) and started it up and the rattle stopped. Noted a little bit of play in the tensioner.

Took one of the cambelt covers off (one nearest to the driver) and found the belt to be very dry and shiny. Seeing how the aux belt says rover.. I'm now dubious as to whether the belts have ever been changed. (Despite having some paperwork stating it was done)

I'm considering doing all the belts myself with the help of my brother.

So could do with a little bit of help/advice in regards to the best parts to buy as I'm thinking doing the following would be most beneficial for the longevity of the car.

All 3 belts
Tensioner oem-q or Ina?
Idler pulley (how many?)
Camshaft pulley bolts (how many do I need?)
Tensioner plunger? Is this the same as the tensioner?
Camshaft oil seals(the two big caps?)
Thermostat/housing (metal upgrade or original plastic?)
Water pump

Aux belt
Aux belt tensioner
Aux belt idler

I've read that i could rent the tool for a couple of weeks but due to work commitments etc and lack of garage I've been looking into an alternative.

I found this on ebay : has anyone used this kit before?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182630377814

I would have preferred to pay someone to do this particular job who has experience with these engines but think with what I'd like doing I think it may have to be a job that is done at home. For the mentioned above, if I were to pay someone, what could be expecting to pay?

Thanks and sorry for the million and one questions

Rob

Hi Rob,

Having done this job myself two years ago I can help with your questions.
:iagree:
Mine were the original factory-fitted belts and they were not shiny. Yours may have been renewed but the tensioner pulley may not have been adjusted properly. The instructions for this are not included in official workshop manuals.

So on to your precise questions.
A good quality timing belt kit (for example Gates) will comprise the three belts, the tensioner pulley and idler pulley.
If you're renewing them, four (two front and two rear). But having done this job the front pair don't need removing and you can re-use the rear bolts (unless they're damaged).
The timing belt tensioner consists of two separate parts; the hydraulic plunger and an adjustable pulley. You'll need only the pulley.
Remove the originals with great care and re-use them. You'll find stiff new end caps extremely difficult, if not impossible to fit with the engine in the car.
You won't be going anywhere near these parts. Are they leaking? If not, leave well alone. :}
That's up to you but bear in mind that some aftermarket pumps are poor quality so you could be swapping good for bad!
Renew if required. How many miles has your engine covered?

There's a tool available from a company in Wales to enable you to remove the crankshaft pulley bolt in a controlled fashion and to re-fit it to the correct torque.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Simon

Thanks for your reply Simon, much appreciated!

The car has done 63k miles with a piece of paperwork from rovetec asking the owner if the belts had been done. With writing stating the belts had been done at 29k miles in approx 2015 looking at the mot history.

I was considering buying the timing belt kit from dmgrs
Which includes the belts and water pump and tensioner and idler I think.
There doesn't appear to be an issue as far the thermostat or housing go but was considering doing it while everything was easily accessible but if you recommend leaving it. Would you also leave the water pump alone and just change the belts and pulleys?

Thanks
Rob

Hi!

I did this a few years back and did not use the special tooling for setting up the timing. I am of the belief that if I remove the old belt and put the new in place in the exact same position, everything shall be withing reasonable limits. This can off course be discussed regarding belt stretch/ length tolerances but that is the only contributing factor that may alter the timing during a belt swap. In my case it was basically an issue of getting hold of the tooling here in Norway that made me approach the job that way. Here is my KV6 TB thread, for information only: https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...d.php?t=204919 Happy reading :D :D

Yes I do. I'm a great believer in the American adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". :D It's the 'O' ring seals which flatten and leak as a result of incorrect setting of the plastic clips on the straight pipe. The purpose of these is to ensure a rigid assembly so if yours is watertight, don't disturb it!
The argument for renewing the water pump is that it's a lot of work if it starts leaking soon after the belt change. The argument against is that original factory-fitted KV6 water pumps rarely (if ever?) give trouble but aftermarket pumps have. Should this happen, you'll have to do all the dismantling that you were trying to avoid by renewing it in the first place! ;)

Simon

I change the hydraulic plunger once I’m in there.