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Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: Migv6 le Frog Fan on 26 December 2025, 10:39:42

Title: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: Migv6 le Frog Fan on 26 December 2025, 10:39:42
Had to feel sorry for our maintenance bloke. He just turned up at work to borrow the company Dacia Duster because his Grandland packed up on him yesterday as he was on his way to spend the day with his Daughter and Grandchild.
He sat at the side of the A12 for five hours until he got recovered home.
He says the recovery bloke diagnosed the cambelt has jumped teeth, which was why the engine died.
Its four years old and he bought it 15 months ago. Its only covered 55 thousand miles and  he says the interval is supposed to be 100 thousand.
Hes thinking about spending a couple of grand or so having a recon engine fitted.
Dont suppose anyone knows much about these little contraptions ?
Safe engine ? Worth fitting another belt and timing it up to see if he got away with it ?
Personally I think I would be having a bloody good moan at Vauxhall as it only has 55 thousand miles on the clock.
Title: Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: YZ250 on 26 December 2025, 11:20:35
Is this the 1.2 three cylinder engine with the dreaded wet cam belt? There was a recall on them a while back due to premature cam belt failure. They require meticulously maintaining the oil changes schedule (specific oil as well) but still no guarantee that they won’t go bang.

The belt running in oil degrades the belt prematurely, with belt dust getting in all sorts of places, the oil pick up, the turbo and vac lines to name a few. The belts either snap, or strip teeth when the starter swings over. There have been enough cases of belt failure now to prove it’s a shite design but still manufacturers insist on going down this route.
The joke is that they tell people to have the belt inspected regularly. How the bloody hell are garages  supposed to inspect a belt when it’s fitted internally. By the time they’ve stripped down the covers and gaskets etc., they may as well just fit a new belt.
Title: Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: STEMO on 26 December 2025, 11:25:52
Yep, shitty little engines. Four pot diesel is the one to go for.
Title: Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: Migv6 le Frog Fan on 26 December 2025, 12:03:13
Yep, its one of those engines. Dont think he has the service history exactly as they would want it, to try and claim so he has learnt an expensive lesson by the look of it.
Title: Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: STEMO on 26 December 2025, 12:53:09
Yep, its one of those engines. Dont think he has the service history exactly as they would want it, to try and claim so he has learnt an expensive lesson by the look of it.
It's in a lot of Stellantis vehicles, Peugeot and the like.
Title: Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: Andy B on 26 December 2025, 13:42:19
The lad across the road works for Stellantis, apparently there is go-no go gauge for the belt. As above, what a stupid idea!
Title: Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: YZ250 on 26 December 2025, 23:05:44
The lad across the road works for Stellantis, apparently there is go-no go gauge for the belt. As above, what a stupid idea!

Correct, they check for belt wear through the oil filler hole on this engine. What it doesn’t show is the fine belt dust degradation and fine fragments that clog up the oil pick up, which in turn starves the engine of oil.

This clip shows the intricate ;D tool for checking the belt width only. One can only assume that if your belt width is out of spec, you can turn the tool around and use it for blowing bubbles to amuse yourself while you ponder what to do about it. ;D

https://youtu.be/Bob5h_aevis?si=KykIL-PTBFkvulUi
Title: Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: Varche on 26 December 2025, 23:22:03
Think you are right STEMO . Diesel fairly simple.

What were the engineers thinking with a “ wet belt”!
Title: Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: YZ250 on 26 December 2025, 23:52:00
I’ve just watched a clip of one with stripped teeth at just 25K miles.  :o  The belt width was within spec.
Title: Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: ronnyd on 27 December 2025, 00:20:10
The lad across the road works for Stellantis, apparently there is go-no go gauge for the belt. As above, what a stupid idea!

Correct, they check for belt wear through the oil filler hole on this engine. What it doesn’t show is the fine belt dust degradation and fine fragments that clog up the oil pick up, which in turn starves the engine of oil.

This clip shows the intricate ;D tool for checking the belt width only. One can only assume that if your belt width is out of spec, you can turn the tool around and use it for blowing bubbles to amuse yourself while you ponder what to do about it. ;D

https://youtu.be/Bob5h_aevis?si=KykIL-PTBFkvulUi
That checking tool looks a complete load of shoite
Title: Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: YZ250 on 27 December 2025, 11:56:57
Yep, its one of those engines. Dont think he has the service history exactly as they would want it, to try and claim so he has learnt an expensive lesson by the look of it.
It's in a lot of Stellantis vehicles, Peugeot and the like.

I believe that the 1.2 PureTech engine has now returned to a cam chain over the past couple of years, due to the terrible experiences of the wet belt issues. If truth be told, they only did this as people were avoiding vehicles with wet belts. Even meticulously maintained low mileage wet belt vehicles have had the same problems, with oil pump strainers getting blocked, vac pumps getting blocked and Lord knows what else.
I dare say that Ford will eventually be forced back down this route with their EcoBlue wet belt engines, as some of their EcoBoost engines have already returned to a cam chain.

To make a claim I believe that the owner must have:
Full dealer/Indy service history, and an invoice showing a breakdown of oil spec supplied, oil filter spec supplied and a full breakdown of every other part supplied during each service. Not an issue if the services are electronically logged but could be an issue for people with paper copies. Regarding the specific oil, it’s interesting to note that Peugeot themselves changed the oil spec after the wet belt issues came to light, in an attempt to slow down the issues.
Title: Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: STEMO on 27 December 2025, 12:47:19
Yep, its one of those engines. Dont think he has the service history exactly as they would want it, to try and claim so he has learnt an expensive lesson by the look of it.
It's in a lot of Stellantis vehicles, Peugeot and the like.

I believe that the 1.2 PureTech engine has now returned to a cam chain over the past couple of years, due to the terrible experiences of the wet belt issues. If truth be told, they only did this as people were avoiding vehicles with wet belts. Even meticulously maintained low mileage wet belt vehicles have had the same problems, with oil pump strainers getting blocked, vac pumps getting blocked and Lord knows what else.
I dare say that Ford will eventually be forced back down this route with their EcoBlue wet belt engines, as some of their EcoBoost engines have already returned to a cam chain.

To make a claim I believe that the owner must have:
Full dealer/Indy service history, and an invoice showing a breakdown of oil spec supplied, oil filter spec supplied and a full breakdown of every other part supplied during each service. Not an issue if the services are electronically logged but could be an issue for people with paper copies. Regarding the specific oil, it’s interesting to note that Peugeot themselves changed the oil spec after the wet belt issues came to light, in an attempt to slow down the issues.
If it was serviced at a main dealer, they'd surely have a problem denying a warranty claim. If the dealer hasn't used the appropriate oil and filters, then the claim should come back on them.

Although......when I took the wifes to Perrys, a Vauxhall main dealer, they gave me the choice of Vauxhall parts, or cheaper equivalents. Hers is the 1.5 diesel.
Title: Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: TheBoy on 28 December 2025, 13:31:46
If it was serviced at a main dealer, they'd surely have a problem denying a warranty claim. If the dealer hasn't used the appropriate oil and filters, then the claim should come back on them.

Although......when I took the wifes to Perrys, a Vauxhall main dealer, they gave me the choice of Vauxhall parts, or cheaper equivalents. Hers is the 1.5 diesel.
It would make little difference where it was serviced, as dealers are just 3rd party retailers.  Of course, dealers would update the OSH, but that still would not show what oil/filter etc was used, only that it was done (or pretended to be done)
Title: Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: Migv6 le Frog Fan on 28 December 2025, 19:08:37
I probably wont see him again until early January, by which time he may well have sent the car to Ipswich to have a recon engine fitted at a cost of around three grand, on top of the fourteen grand he paid for it 15 months ago.
Fools and their money............ ::)
Title: Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems
Post by: STEMO on 28 December 2025, 22:50:01
Ignore the last 5 minutes

https://youtu.be/0SASSFjIt5I?si=s8MYcdYxbu2ol8jq