Clio 2 ph.2 - 172
Hi to all!!!
I am doing the cambelt on my 172 but find myself with some trouble... I do have all the correct tools for the job -the cam pulleys locking tool and adapter needed, the camshafts setting tool a.k.a. horseshoe the crankshaft locking pin.
I have stripped all down according to the engine manual. I am changing the dephaser so I replaced the oil camshaft seal, but I did not wanted to touch the exhaust pulley -and seal- because there is no room for torque tools back there; said this, I fitted the new seal and dephaser and tightened it, and decided to use the second procedure in the manual for setting the tension and timing... reinstalled the belt with the corresponding levering up and down of the engine, but I notice the next:
My camshaft setting tool has less than 1mm gap between the camshaft end grooves, very little and should not be a problem... UNLESS:
- The camshaft “self” rotate by means of the valve springs pushing them (exhaust counter-clockwise, dephaser clockwise) at TDC point. AND
- belt is still not tensioned, even though, when tensioned the belt helps to rotate the pulleys in the way mentioned before... which means even more trouble!!!
These three factors are making me n#ts, no matter what, every time I re-set the tension, and make the two turns to check tension, then verify the timing, the horseshoe tool would not slide in!!!
I am now thinking of slackening BOTH cam pulleys -replace the exhaust seal-, and use the first procedure of the workshop manual ,that as I understand is:
- find TDC and lock crankshaft
- lock the camshafts with the setting tool in the correct positon.
- fit pulley locking tool and slack them, change whatever needed.
- re-fit pulleys without tightening bolt/nut, to freely rotate on the shafts (took me a while to understand this, as the manual never tells to remove the setting tool neither tightening the pulleys!!!) so they MUST rotate freely on the shafts.
- re-fit cambelt and crank sprocket
- re-fit crank pulley without tightening bolt
- fit the new belt, and tension it.
- rotate the engine by six revolutions (with the cam pulleys and crank loose) so the belt tension can equalize itself.
- after tension is set, tighten the crank and cam pulleys bolt/nut. So engine should stay at TDC with cams in correct position and tension would be set already
* I would add: re-check by turning two revolutions the crank just in case
Would you advice me to proceed with the described procedure??? I accept all suggestions/info about your previous experience doing this... maybe inserting shims between the setting tool and camshaft end grooves to manually revert the spring effect, but I am guessing this would be more empirical and longway of doing it...
Taking It to a professional is not an option for me, I just don’t trust the ones near here, nearest one I trust is about 380 miles away and of course my car is almost stripped to bits!
I am extremely reluctant to leave it half or so tooth out of timing!
AND does somebody knows where the h3ll the "large screwdriver" mentioned in the wshp manual to lock the flywheel should be inserted ? (with a picture) I had a hard time trying to find the correct place and I was not able to do it, so I only used the locking pin for the purpose (It will be too bad if it bends when I torque up the TTY bolt of crank pulley)
As a little contribution here are some tools needed for the job (apart from the renault and other obvious ones).
External Torx E-12 socket for the aux-belt tensioner uper bolt
External Torx E-14 socket for the bolt cap where the crank locking pin is to be inserted
hex 14mm bit for the dephaser blanking nut
hex 8 mm for the aux-belt tensioner lower bolt
hex 6 mm for cam-belt tensioner
13 mm socket with small ratchet or 13mm ratcheting spanner for cam-belt tensioner nut.
16 mm ratcheting spanner comes very useful for different purposes
I found really helpful to keep sorted variety of extensions and swivels for your ratchet and Make sure to have a good assortment of short, long, and extra short sockets of 13, 15, 16 & 18mm specially for performing the job with engine still in the car, as I am doing.
I am doing the cambelt on my 172 but find myself with some trouble... I do have all the correct tools for the job -the cam pulleys locking tool and adapter needed, the camshafts setting tool a.k.a. horseshoe the crankshaft locking pin.
I have stripped all down according to the engine manual. I am changing the dephaser so I replaced the oil camshaft seal, but I did not wanted to touch the exhaust pulley -and seal- because there is no room for torque tools back there; said this, I fitted the new seal and dephaser and tightened it, and decided to use the second procedure in the manual for setting the tension and timing... reinstalled the belt with the corresponding levering up and down of the engine, but I notice the next:
My camshaft setting tool has less than 1mm gap between the camshaft end grooves, very little and should not be a problem... UNLESS:
- The camshaft “self” rotate by means of the valve springs pushing them (exhaust counter-clockwise, dephaser clockwise) at TDC point. AND
- belt is still not tensioned, even though, when tensioned the belt helps to rotate the pulleys in the way mentioned before... which means even more trouble!!!
These three factors are making me n#ts, no matter what, every time I re-set the tension, and make the two turns to check tension, then verify the timing, the horseshoe tool would not slide in!!!
I am now thinking of slackening BOTH cam pulleys -replace the exhaust seal-, and use the first procedure of the workshop manual ,that as I understand is:
- find TDC and lock crankshaft
- lock the camshafts with the setting tool in the correct positon.
- fit pulley locking tool and slack them, change whatever needed.
- re-fit pulleys without tightening bolt/nut, to freely rotate on the shafts (took me a while to understand this, as the manual never tells to remove the setting tool neither tightening the pulleys!!!) so they MUST rotate freely on the shafts.
- re-fit cambelt and crank sprocket
- re-fit crank pulley without tightening bolt
- fit the new belt, and tension it.
- rotate the engine by six revolutions (with the cam pulleys and crank loose) so the belt tension can equalize itself.
- after tension is set, tighten the crank and cam pulleys bolt/nut. So engine should stay at TDC with cams in correct position and tension would be set already
* I would add: re-check by turning two revolutions the crank just in case
Would you advice me to proceed with the described procedure??? I accept all suggestions/info about your previous experience doing this... maybe inserting shims between the setting tool and camshaft end grooves to manually revert the spring effect, but I am guessing this would be more empirical and longway of doing it...
Taking It to a professional is not an option for me, I just don’t trust the ones near here, nearest one I trust is about 380 miles away and of course my car is almost stripped to bits!
I am extremely reluctant to leave it half or so tooth out of timing!
AND does somebody knows where the h3ll the "large screwdriver" mentioned in the wshp manual to lock the flywheel should be inserted ? (with a picture) I had a hard time trying to find the correct place and I was not able to do it, so I only used the locking pin for the purpose (It will be too bad if it bends when I torque up the TTY bolt of crank pulley)
As a little contribution here are some tools needed for the job (apart from the renault and other obvious ones).
External Torx E-12 socket for the aux-belt tensioner uper bolt
External Torx E-14 socket for the bolt cap where the crank locking pin is to be inserted
hex 14mm bit for the dephaser blanking nut
hex 8 mm for the aux-belt tensioner lower bolt
hex 6 mm for cam-belt tensioner
13 mm socket with small ratchet or 13mm ratcheting spanner for cam-belt tensioner nut.
16 mm ratcheting spanner comes very useful for different purposes
I found really helpful to keep sorted variety of extensions and swivels for your ratchet and Make sure to have a good assortment of short, long, and extra short sockets of 13, 15, 16 & 18mm specially for performing the job with engine still in the car, as I am doing.
