!.8 Timing Belt
 

Just removed the top timing belt cover for my annual timing belt and tensioner condition check, and both look perfect. The belt has now been on the car for 12.5 years but only covered 16138 miles. Anyone else running a low mileage K Series engine got vast different time/mileage ratios between timing belt changes, or do you all change the belt between 6 to 10 years regardless of mileage.

I couldn't leave a belt on for 12 years.
Cheaper to change it than rebuild or replace an engine.
No, I've never had one fail but know 2 folk who have had failed belts. One Mondeo, one Astra, both were a huge pain to put right.
Low mileage means the belt isn't regularly moving and sharing the load- there will be long periods when the belt is static, with different parts under different amounts of curvature and stress.
Impressed you do a regular annual inspection, though.
Cheers!

I would change the belt, but not the tensioner, on the proviso that it spins smoothly and quietly.

I've just done this on my own 1800, as low mileage does not always equate to being fit for service, and 12 1/2 years is well overdue on time.

The belt part number is 5497XS and with tensioner and water pump is KP15497XS

The original Rover number is LHN100560 and were Gates HTD belts, not Dayco which I won't fit.

Unfortunately there is often no visible indicators that a belt is at the end of service life until it is too late, but at least in the case of the 1800 75 and ZT, they are a complete doddle to replace ;)

Brian :D

P.S. the car in question has covered 15000 miles since fitting seven years ago, so low mileage ;)

Brave - but not too uncommon; there's some 1.8s on quite a lot of miles / years without the belt being changed.
The official interval is 5 years / 60K for the 1.8 / 1.8T, which seems quite conservative.

As a side note, we prefer the upgraded metal tensioner to the original - but so does everyone else it seems, and we've been run dry for weeks now! :D

Nothings a "doddle" until you've done it once, up to that point it can be the most frightening daunting thing in the amateur mechanics life.

Fair enough Fred, I maybe should have qualified that statement with something like "compared to an MGF, which is akin to wallpapering the hallway through the letterbox"

They are straightforward though, even a complete beginner with basic tools can carry out a belt change on the 1800 75 in less than a day from start to finish, without shortcuts.

Brian :D

I agree.. I did a head gasket on a TF once, I swore a lot.


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I've just fitted my first timing belt, on my ZT 1.8.
No, I didn't do it in a day. Strip down went fine, including the water pump change. I had to have 3 or 4 goes at getting the timing right, although I'm sure the next time will be easier now I understand the process better.

Compared to the TF access and visibility is great.

Well done, lining the timing marks up on the cam wheels can be difficult as vision is impared by the angle of the engine.