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MG MGF Technical - Cam Belt, Sorted

Hi guys,

VVC cam belt sorted, but with a funny out come.

I went to three MG dealers, and this is what I found, so be careful please..

1. Fareham garage = £340
2. Portsmouth Garage = £260
3. Whinchester Garage = £235

All of these are Rover/MG garages!!

Weird stuff

Regards,

MG
Mike Gibson

Get out and get under and do it yourself!!!
WOooooo scary stuff eh!

Neil
Neil

di it youself my backside!
david morris

Any competent DIY mechanic could DIY the cam belt - no rocket science involved just care and time - BTW that is also the reason it costs at a dealers.

Ted
Ted Newman

Ted, have you done the job on a F? I have bought a belt and am planning on having a go. Reading the workshop manual makes it a little scary though, particularly the bottom pulley bolt which is torqued to 205Nm!
The access space in the engine bay also look like it won't be easy to see the markings on the Cam pulleys prior to locking them.
Anyone have any experience that may of use? Do I need to purchase a crankshaft locking tool to release the bottom pulley bolt or will putting the car in gear with the handbrake on work? Fitting the crankshaft locking tool doesn't look to easy either as it requires removal of the starter which is buried under pipework on top of the gearbox.
Dave - Rugby

Hi Dave

No I must confess I gave it to my dealer to do - time is money - at the time last year I though I would have some spare time but it did not work out!

However John Thomas did his and from the remarks and tips he passed on to us it is mainly time and care and I do believe he did it without the special tools and locking devices.

However if I keep the car and I retire then I shall certainly DIY it.

Ted
Ted Newman

I have the Rover manual details for this job
didnt look errr too hard...gulp.
well it cant be any harder than doing this job on a 1983 Lancia twin can the engine butts up to the offside inner wing, which I have done 4 or 5 times

Scary eh!
whatever happend to pushrods?
Neil

From my perspective is is a straight forward job made more difficult than a fwd car using the K series by virtue of the engines location.

Added difficulty arises not in removing the crank pulley nut, but in removing the cam wheels. Where the manual refers to the appropriate tool for locking out the cam wheels whilst you undo the securing bolts, you really are advised to get one of these or make one up.

The other aspect involves the positioning and locking out of the cam wheels when refitted and during the time your fitting the new belt. New belts are stiff and unco-operative so you need to have a tool that locks out the two cam wheels whilst your persuading the belt round. This makes this part of the job so much easier you would not believe. In inexperienced hands I do wonder if the job could be correctly completed such is the ease in which the cam wheels move with valve spring pressures. I have a small plastic moulded peice specifically designed for this lock out and it was a few pounds from Rover. Alternative tools are widely available from half decent tool suppliers.

It is worth adding a little thread lock to the threads of the cam bolts, especially to the VVC, as there are incidences of VVC engine imploding due to loosening bolts and lost cam timing.

Rog
Roger Parker

Just a tip here as we do not find it necessary to remove the cam wheels when replacing the belt, with the locking tool in place and the bottom pully removed the belt can be fitted over the cam wheels and fitted over the bottom pully with the tensioner slackened.
Of course it is wise to check or replace the cam wheel bolts at this time but these can be done without removing them.
Costs for fitting belts on a VVC about £210 all in.
1.8i £140.00
HTH
Mike.
mike

Are there any tricks to removing the crank pulley nut/bolt? I know Roger had mentioned he uses an air wrench which is not available to me.
I have bought a tool to lock the cam pulleys together and have a set of Mike's uprated bolts ready to go on, an uprated cam belt and new alternator belt.
Dave - Rugby

Hi,

Dave, I've seen a DIY electric impact wrench for about £25, if I remember rightly. I don't know if you can hire these (you may even be able to hire an compressor and air impact wrench, but some hire firms are scary about the maintenance on compressors). Whether an electric impact wrench is man enough for the job is another thing. If it gets the pully off then after you've used it to refit and tighten the pulley you could get your garage to check the tightness with their kit. Perhaps a mobile mechanic with a compressor could crack and retighten the pulley nut for a few notes.

Don't, by the way, fit the camshaft locking tool until the crankshaft pulley is loosened (does that sound obvious?). Loosen the pulley bolt a little, line up the pulley mark, check that the cam sprockets are aligned, fit the camshaft locking tool, take off the crankshaft pulley, then swap the belt as Mike advises. Don't turn the crankshaft AT ALL! There must be absolutely no slack on the drive side of the new belt between the crankshaft pulley and the exhaust cam sprocket (that's obvious too). Check that the pulley mark is correct (the cam sprockets will of course be correct). Just hand-tighten the pulley bolt, take the slack out of the belt with the tensioner, remove the cam locking tool, and tension the belt as per the manual. Tighten the pulley bolt with whatever means you loosened it.

I think that's it. If I've made any glaring errors someone will correct me. Good luck, just don't hurry, and check those cam/pulley marks again!

Regards, Kes.
Kes

Good advice there Kes, just a thought, the main engine mount bolts have to be removed, be careful here as the engine needs support and if it moves can tighten up the bolts on removal taking the threads out of the mount as well,if this happens a new engine mount will be required:-(
Mike.
mike

This thread was discussed between 18/09/2002 and 20/09/2002

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