Cambelt Garages, for those chancers out there.

[Dan_172_cup]

After having my car drop a valve on me recently and then finding out the exhaust cam timing was way out too. The belts were only done 18months ago after losing a tensioner, with 'no' apparent damage. It just shows that no matter how good a garage looks or sounds always, always, always pay/go the extra mile to get a specialist to change the belts. Otherwise, as I found out, you'll be replacing it again very soon or if not the car.

 

[Alan]

Give you 1500£ for it..?

 

[MikeClio172SPT]

Done loads of these F4R belts.... to do this job... you need the full timing locking kit. otherwise things are gonna go wrong. Also very sorry to hear some muppet has wrecked your engine.... probably done it marking it with tippex!!

 

[Richyy182]

That's what happened to me - cost me 2700 to sort. Now runs sweet

 

[dmallett]

That's what happened to me - cost me 2700 to sort. Now runs sweet

Why didnt you just replace the engine?

 

[JON13S]

Hello Dan, thought you'd be on here. My cars only go to the select few.

 

[Beasley Clio182]

Sorry to hear about the engine buddy ! always pays to go specialist as you say , im a mechanic myself and even i decided let birchdown do mine as i couldnt get the locking kit at the time and wanted a dephaser doing !

Hope you can sort it buddy !!

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Why didnt you just replace the engine?

Must have bought a whole new car at that price !!!

 

[dmallett]

Must have bought a whole new car at that price !!!

My thoughts exactly! for that money i would be wanting at least two clios lol

 

[CJGREEN]

Had mine done at a Citroen specialist if that counts, never had a thing wrong with it.

 

[Sir_Dave]

Why didnt you just replace the engine?

7 times lol.

 

[Dan_172_cup]

Cheers guys, it's really frustrating that people will do these things to our cars and say it will be alright. I've manged to find an engine with only 24,000 miles and getting DanlP6 off here to do the work. So be back on the road for good and learnt the hard way lol

 

[dmallett]

7 times lol.

Genuine lolz.

 

[Andyrg@ ClioTurbo]

Its a gray area, how can you check the timing once the cars dropped a valve?? as if the head falls into the chamber as it will, this could cause the timing to jump..........

Best way is to get some one who knows what there doing, proper tools and never EVER use some one who wont replace the Bolts or Nuts on the Pullys. I refuse to do a belt unless they replace the VVT Bolt Exhaust Cam Nut and stud and Crank Pully Bolt, May be Anal but do it once do it right

 

[Dan@SJM]

All of their marks they'd made lined up lol. exhaust cam was about 8* retarded.

 

[mitch1503]

Thats why mines in at 519 .. It was done just before i bought it 2years ago but after 18months of use its due again... Im expecting my timing to be out when dan goes to lock it all and remove the old belt as theyv used good old tippex.. Atleast i know it will be 100% right this time round but luckily mines lasted the mileage from the last belt change

 

[Andyrg@ ClioTurbo]

Dan.... tip x sudddder

But u can see my point on my comment and a question id like to know a answer too

 

[mitch1503]

Well had my belt and dephaser done today and safe to say the tip x marks were quite abit out off who ever done the belts in the past.. Il fire a pic up later and also 1 of the tensioner's position how theyd set it. Atleast i know its been done properly for the next 72k

 

[Dan@SJM]

yeh I get what you mean, although in my experience when valves drop the timing doesn't get affected, it just mashes the valves and chambers in every cylinder.

 

[Dan519]

Well had my belt and dephaser done today and safe to say the tip x marks were quite abit out off who ever done the belts in the past.. Il fire a pic up later and also 1 of the tensioner's position how theyd set it. Atleast i know its been done properly for the next 72k

LOL.......

 

[MikeClio172SPT]

This belt change on the F4R, is not a real big deal..... providing... the proper locking timing tools are used for the cams..... & the crank is locked in the proper position... not in the balancing hole!!! You should.... use new bolts for every thing... i will have to admit... i have re-used a few crank bolts on these.... but i do so many belts... i know what you can do.... & what you cant do on certain engines. But renault sell the complete bolt pack for the cams & pulleys for about £25.

Again... use the correct timing tools.... & you wont go wrong.

 

[MartinR]

Is it an easy mistake to put in in the balancing hole?

 

[Dan519]

Is it an easy mistake to put in in the balancing hole?

if you don't have a clue what you're doing.

 

[Dan519]

This belt change on the F4R, is not a real big deal..... providing... the proper locking timing tools are used for the cams..... & the crank is locked in the proper position... not in the balancing hole!!! You should.... use new bolts for every thing... i will have to admit... i have re-used a few crank bolts on these.... but i do so many belts... i know what you can do.... & what you cant do on certain engines. But renault sell the complete bolt pack for the cams & pulleys for about £25.

Again... use the correct timing tools.... & you wont go wrong.

No, disagree, it's not using the correct tools, it's using the correct tools correctly. many many people do go wrong with using the genuine tools. Operator error is the main problem from the start.

 

[MartinR]

if you don't have a clue what you're doing.

Cheers Dan just wondering

 

[FatRS]

If a Renault garage has done all belts and Dephaser etc and the techie has said he's done loads before and has used full locking tools, but the idling since collecting is a little more lumpy and had on a couple of occasions an erratic high fluctuating idle...should I be worried about what is in this thread?
Is there a easy test/ check that can be done to check all is good?

 

[Dan519]

If a Renault garage has done all belts and Dephaser etc and the techie has said he's done loads before and has used full locking tools, but the idling since collecting is a little more lumpy and had on a couple of occasions an erratic high fluctuating idle...should I be worried about what is in this thread?
Is there a easy test/ check that can be done to check all is good?

that sounds like it's got an air leak

 

[FatRS]

I think you mentioned that before when I asked about the highly erratic idle and smell but that has gone now. Now it feels a little lumpy/more lumpy on idle.

 

[mitch1503]

LOL.......

cheers for putting them up mate

 

[Ade182]

It's been said over a million times on here, but again, it's not worth taking an RS for a cambelt change to someone who isn't certain what they are doing.

 

[Andyrg@ ClioTurbo]

Shocking surly when they turned it over it wudnt align up.


I feel like a pro seeing garbage like thia

 

[mitch1503]

Shocking surly when they turned it over it wudnt align up.


I feel like a pro seeing garbage like thia

beleive it or not andy id ran the car like that for 60k in 18 months.. it was done a few months before id bought the car but doesn't say who done it but atleast i know its done properly this time round.. was shocked myself when Dan took everything off and showed me it

 

[MikeClio172SPT]

Shocking surly when they turned it over it wudnt align up.


I feel like a pro seeing garbage like thia

To be fair dude... what happened there... who ever done the belt before Dan519... didnt have any locking tools.. so they used them two tippex marks on the pulley, & on the casing for reference so when the belt was off, they could see if the cams moved..... so of course they did the belt change without slacking the cam pulleys. There was probably tippex marks on the exhaust cam aswell. I imagine Dan519 has locked the engine in the proper position.... so the tippex marks the previous guy put.... doesnt line up, but probably lined up when the previous guy put the belt back on, & turned the engine, just the enigne was in a different position when the belt was done previous, but he would have had to known where the crank was set to aswell.

The only concern there is that the belt tension wasnt correct, u can see its set wrong.

 

[mitch1503]

To be fair dude... what happened there... who ever done the belt before Dan519... didnt have any locking tools.. so they used them two tippex marks on the pulley, & on the casing for reference so when the belt was off, they could see if the cams moved..... so of course they did the belt change without slacking the cam pulleys. There was probably tippex marks on the exhaust cam aswell. I imagine Dan519 has locked the engine in the proper position.... so the tippex marks the previous guy put.... doesnt line up, but probably lined up when the previous guy put the belt back on, & turned the engine, just the enigne was in a different position when the belt was done previous, but he would have had to known where the crank was set to aswell.

The only concern there is that the belt tension wasnt correct, u can see its set wrong.

no tip ex on the cam but it certainly runs alot smoother since Dan has changed the belt it was rather lumpy before hand i.e even worse than they normally are

 

[scotty2hotty81]

Bought a turbo 172 with poor compression, stripped it to do a full rebuild and everything was tippexed, engine was built by a well known trader/tuner.

 

[Dan@SJM]

Is there any potential it has been elsewhere since?

 

[scotty2hotty81]

I doubt it very much, all the receipts for major work were from there, and it only did 16k from when it was forged.

 

[MikeClio172SPT]

no tip ex on the cam but it certainly runs alot smoother since Dan has changed the belt it was rather lumpy before hand i.e even worse than they normally are

Timing was defo out, valves not closing at the right time.

 

[mitch1503]

Timing was defo out, valves not closing at the right time.

yeah i gatherd..
What's more weird is the GOOD figure i got last year on RS tunings RR with the timing out. What i got the other week was quite abit less but paul did say due to my dephaser being rather bad it was proberly knocking the timing even further out.
Also that it may have been picking the rattle up as knock but iv since found i had a dodgy injector also so i want to get it back on the rollers in the new year now its all sorted

 

[MikeClio172SPT]

yeah i gatherd..
What's more weird is the GOOD figure i got last year on RS tunings RR with the timing out. What i got the other week was quite abit less but paul did say due to my dephaser being rather bad it was proberly knocking the timing even further out.
Also that it may have been picking the rattle up as knock but iv since found i had a dodgy injector also so i want to get it back on the rollers in the new year now its all sorted

lucky really dude, that you didnt end up with an engine rebuild. I know someone that had a rover diesel... i didnt have time to do the belt for them at the time.... so they went elsewhere, they had the car back.... took it on a run up the motorway... & it mashed a few valves..... anyway, i questioned the guy that had done the work... & he didnt lock the crank in position.