getting twitchy about cam belt =/

[leekirlew]

Had my 172 cup for almost 3 years.

its got 38k miles and its a 52, its almost a year over due its cambelt and i know before the "you naughty boy" starts lol

Anyway my wifes just lost her job "f..king recession" and i cant really afford to dump £450 on a cam belt right now.

a) is there a way to assess the condition of the belt and work out how long i may have on it? i only do like 8 miles a day and i know with my luck atm its gonna go now ive realised it needs doing.

b) anyone know a reliable/cheap garage (if that combo even exists) in the south cornwall area ?

cheers guys

 

[caister]

Has the cambelt ever been done?

 

[leekirlew]

no i bought it as it had its 1st MOT and the belt wasnt due til december 2007 / 72k, so its a year over due but like 34k away,

basically i wasnt aware of the "5 year" life until recently, i just thought i could run up 72k miles, for some reason i just thought "ill go read up on cam belt lifes for my rs" and then i shat my pants

 

[Dave..]

Mine hasn't had it changed yet either I wouldn't worry, I've been driving on it for the last 4,000 miles with it overdue.

Saying that, it's being changed tomorrow, and it tends to be like playing russian roulette with these aux belts.

 

[DrR]

Aux belt would be the main one, as thats overdue on millage as well as age.

 

[jablitt]

state the obvious, but it will be a lot more expensive if it snaps.

 

[mini-valver]

I'd honestly get it done. It's not massively common but not exactly unheard of. Make sure you get it done by a specialist (K-tec is near you) as they aren't a traditional woodruff keyed set-up.

 

[leekirlew]

thanks for the replies. K-tec is in dorset, its like 130 miles away, im right down in the heart of cornwall and well ... lol tractors an ll =p

i know it needs doing, im just hoping she will keep me going til next month, got some other major commitments this month (funeral =( for which i have to go to yorkshire for, hopefully in the golf ) so id be looking to get it done next month.

Getting annoyed with her now, its like everything at once, cause the indicator was coming on for some attention when it felt like it before christmas which is looking like the UHC

 

[pip.]

......

 

[pip.]

Mine hasn't had it changed yet either I wouldn't worry, I've been driving on it for the last 4,000 miles with it overdue.

Saying that, it's being changed tomorrow, and it tends to be like playing russian roulette with these aux belts.

Wondered where you were getting it done as mine is due and I'm in the shire.

 

[caister]

Including club discount a full belt change would be £360.53 at K-Tec. Thats if ive done the maths correctly. Not too bad in my eyes much better than taking the risk and then having a close to £1000 bill if it does go.

 

[iimushroomzii]

Get it done A.S.A.P, If its snaps before hand, tough s**t.

 

[Fletcher]

I'd change it asap too!

The rubber that the cambelts are made of weakens over time.

 

[RichCup]

Aux belt you can see on the LHS of the engine, just check to see if any parts of it look shiney or if there's any sign of wear.

The cam belt can be checked, but if you take the cover off it can be a bit of a pain to get back on without a jack. To do it without a jack, undo the 3 bolts (holding the cover on) on the LHS of the engine (near the mount), then undo the nut on the mount (you'll need a deep socket for this). Should come straight off. Again check for any general wear and tear and check to see if there's a shine on the belt (usually near the edge).

The pain is getting the bolts back in due to the mounts. I put the bolt nearest the front of the car in first. I'd use some grease so you can tell if it's gone in cross-threaded. Screw it in but leave it about 5-10mm out. Then I screwed the nut for the mount all the way back on. Then with the deep socket on the engine mount nut, I used a long extension and pushed the engine backwards (away from the front of the car) enough to get the top bolt in. Again, make sure it's not cross threaded. Put the 'middle' bolt back in and tighten up the bottom bolt.

Really needs 2 people, and it'd probably be a lot easier to jack the engine up from underneath, but I couldn't be arsed lol. For info on how to do it using a jack, search for a thread on how to change an engine mount.

Or, you could save the hassle and just get the cam bet and aux belt done, it's gotta be done at some point! Check the traders section as a few of the specialists have deal on at the moment. Plus if it's a cup with no climate it should be cheaper anyway?

I know what you mean about all the expensive coming at once, I've got cambelt, tax and tyres this month!

 

[W17GLE]

My mates williams cambelt snapped finally after 13 years and only 61k. He had only just bought the car and had the cambelt kit in the car when the belt gave up. You'll be ok but i would do it as soon as you possibly can

Cost him £700 to get it repaired so it up to you which way you play it.

 

[Riley!]

just done my cam belt on my 53 plate cup with 37k on clock. There wasnt much sign of wear at all. Would of managed another 15k or so easy

 

[Cupster]

^^ Saying that, just done my cup on 34K (53) and the aux pulleys were groaning (like old wheel bearings!) Belts them selves were not too worn but if they seized or something may have caused problems. I would suggest changing the pulleys at the same time as the belts. They are refered to as cam and aux belt 'kits'.

 

[Sir_Dave]

Cambelt/aux belt for a cup is £290 fitted at Rentech. Worth a shopping trip to Portsmouth imho

 

[sean_d]

Is the age a major thing or just the Milealge. Mines coming up to 5 year old and hasnt had the belts changed but its only on 26000 miles

 

[caister]

Belt age is fairly major as the rubber starts to weaken over time

 

[bmh.01]

And you can't really determine a belts condition visually either.

 

[Dave..]

Wondered where you were getting it done as mine is due and I'm in the shire.

Just got back from having it changed at GDI, and I can definatly recommend them for it, Dan really knew what he was doing.

Very honest blokes aswell, Andy even pointed out to me, where the last bloke who did work on my car, cheated me into paying for a new subframe, which he'd actually repaired instead. Very clued up on what they do.

 

[Ads_172]

Carlton Garage in Exmouth, Devon are probably your most local specialist on here mate; at a guess they're around the £350 mark for the change (that might be for the whole service).

Excellent service, too.

 

[Andyman]

Dont forget this is a Cup.

Cups im sure are a lot cheaper to get the Cam belt done as its a lot easier job than on the FF's

You could have a go yourself at a push??

 

[@Spoonie]

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