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[Shackeng]

Just doing my cambelt, and having watched the vid, my lower idler is not eccentric and has no adjustment. I guess any adjustment is done on the tensioner and top idler, correct?

[Shackeng]

On fitting the new Conti-tech belt, cams locked in correct position, and the double white line on the C/S notch, I have a choice of which side of the 1 & 2 camshaft sprocket timing marks I put the white lines on the belt, as the lines are in line with a belt tooth, (or sprocket dwell) and therefore could never be in line with the sprocket timing mark. Advice would be welcome.

[Kevin Wood]

Just doing my cambelt, and having watched the vid, my lower idler is not eccentric and has no adjustment. I guess any adjustment is done on the tensioner and top idler, correct?

Yes, You need to install the belt with the locking tool approximately vertical instead of clamped to the water pump. This gives you about a tooth of extra slack on the non-adjustable side to get the belt on. If you install it with the tool set to TDC it'll generally end up a tooth out on cams 3 and 4.

The timing of cams 1 and 2 can be set as usual with the top tensioner which is still eccentric. Spring tensioner is then set 3-4mm tighter than the aligned markings after turning over the engine to settle the belt and re-checking the timing.

PM sent.

[Kevin Wood]

On fitting the new Conti-tech belt, cams locked in correct position, and the double white line on the C/S notch, I have a choice of which side of the 1 & 2 camshaft sprocket timing marks I put the white lines on the belt, as the lines are in line with a belt tooth, (or sprocket dwell) and therefore could never be in line with the sprocket timing mark. Advice would be welcome.

The definitive reference is the binocular shaped tool. As long as the marks on that line up with the notches on the sprockets it's correctly set. You'll have to try to judge which side the belt markings need to be. If anything's out it'll probably be the belt markings.

[Shackeng]

Just doing my cambelt, and having watched the vid, my lower idler is not eccentric and has no adjustment. I guess any adjustment is done on the tensioner and top idler, correct?

Yes, You need to install the belt with the locking tool approximately vertical instead of clamped to the water pump. This gives you about a tooth of extra slack on the non-adjustable side to get the belt on. If you install it with the tool set to TDC it'll generally end up a tooth out on cams 3 and 4.

The timing of cams 1 and 2 can be set as usual with the top tensioner which is still eccentric. Spring tensioner is then set 3-4mm tighter than the aligned markings after turning over the engine to settle the belt and re-checking the timing.

PM sent.

Thanks for the guide Kevin, having read it through, I think I have to fit the belt and turn the whole engine over again to get the c/s tool vertical. In other words I should have done this before belt removal, and not as per the video. Is that correct?

[jonathanh]

don't think so

I think what kevin means is back the c/s tool off a bit, get the belt on - cos it goes on easier with the tool backed off and then get it lined up.  the point is that with cam3 & 4 lined up and the c/s tool on the belt run between the cams and the crank is under some tension so it is a bugger to fit and you are very likelyto get a tooth out

before you turn the engine over, you must have everything lined up AND the belt under tension - check all belt runs to be sure - if you don't have tension, the belt slips and its problem territory

[Shackeng]

don't think so

I think what kevin means is back the c/s tool off a bit, get the belt on - cos it goes on easier with the tool backed off and then get it lined up.  the point is that with cam3 & 4 lined up and the c/s tool on the belt run between the cams and the crank is under some tension so it is a bugger to fit and you are very likelyto get a tooth out

before you turn the engine over, you must have everything lined up AND the belt under tension - check all belt runs to be sure - if you don't have tension, the belt slips and its problem territory

Thanks Jon, but I understand that the c/s must NOT be rotated backwards, therefore I have replaced the belt and rotated everything as per the TIS guide, and 1 & 2 are now 1 tooth out. No problem, I'll sort it tomorrow. However this is a heads up to those with later engines, possibly only 3.2's, that following the video is not strictly correct.

[Andy H]

don't think so

I think what kevin means is back the c/s tool off a bit, get the belt on - cos it goes on easier with the tool backed off and then get it lined up.  the point is that with cam3 & 4 lined up and the c/s tool on the belt run between the cams and the crank is under some tension so it is a bugger to fit and you are very likelyto get a tooth out

before you turn the engine over, you must have everything lined up AND the belt under tension - check all belt runs to be sure - if you don't have tension, the belt slips and its problem territory

Thanks Jon, but I understand that the c/s must NOT be rotated backwards, therefore I have replaced the belt and rotated everything as per the TIS guide, and 1 & 2 are now 1 tooth out. No problem, I'll sort it tomorrow. However this is a heads up to those with later engines, possibly only 3.2's, that following the video is not strictly correct.

While the cam locks are in place and the crank tool is correctly attached you are perfectly OK to move the crank between TDC (top dead centre / tool cradling water pump) and -60 degrees BTDC (before top dead centre). (at 60deg BTDC all the pistons are approximately 1/2 way down the bores and safely away from the valves)

The problems occur after the job is finished. If you wind the crank backwards the tension required to turn the camshafts backwards is sufficient to compress the spring tensioner & cause enough slack in the cambelt for the belt to jump teeth on the cam sprockets.

[Shackeng]

Thanks for that Andy, I was somewhat puzzled as to why it could not be moved within the piston 'safety zone' provided the cam locks were in, however, I was following the instructions on the video to only move it clockwise. In any event, the video did not help with my setup, and I will work from basic principles. Crankshaft at TDC, and cam sprockets aligned correctly.

[Kevin Wood]

Yep, no problem turning the crank ONLY back a tooth until the tool is vertical. It's when you try to turn it back with the belt tensioned that things go pear shaped.

[Andy H]

The 'old' adjustment system with an eccentric adjuster on the downward belt run did allow a bit of slack. You could leave the crank at TDC and get the new belt on then take up the slack in the downward run using the eccentric adjuster..

I found that when I fitted a new cambelt kit to my 2.6 a year or two back it was natural to turn the crank back a bit to get the belt on. With the belt and tensioners in place I then turned the crank beck to TDC which put the tension back on the downward belt run.

[Shackeng]

All done now as per TIS, checked it three times, and everything lines up exactly, with the sprocket clamps dropping straight in, and the timing marks lined up beautifully.