Engine: 2.3 F/Inj B23E/B230F: 17.41 Cam belt fails > 18.20 continue journey

[Mike_Brace]

This evening suffered a minor inconvenience when my cam belt failed a few miles from home at 17.41 and yes it was raining. Fortunately my son Matt the 240 cam belt king was with me. A quick check through the car revealed no spare belt which I normally carry so a quick phone call for a spare to be brought to us. I rigged up my fluorescent flood light off the inverter and helped get the tools out. At exactly 17.50 we were ready for the belt. We lifted the rad up out the way without draining it.
We the had a 10 minute wait during which time the local milkman had stopped and given Matt a bottle of orange juice and offered use of his spare pick-up if we needed it!
At precisely 18.00 the belt arrived and by 18.10 it was fitted and we went to start it. We had failed to tension the belt properley resulting in a massive lpg backfire. Oh well, reposition pullies and try again, fires, quick tweek on the dizzy and throw the tools back in the car. Look at clock 18.20. If we had belt and not rushed quite so much it would have taken all of 20-25 minutes. Who said cam belts are a difficult job. We did cheat slightly - if you look in the pictures you'll spot the cordless impact wrench for the bottom pulley - that tool is worth its weight in gold.
Before anyone asks - yes the belt was neglected. The previous one was a temporary measure back in the summer when an oil leak had soaked the belt and not having a new one available used a secondhand one as a "temporary" measure. That must have been about 10,000 miles ago. I must remember to change this "new" secondhand one for a Volvo one and put a spare in the car.
It really does pay to change your belt when its due - OK it was only a minor inconvenience for us but ...




Stripped ready for the new belt.




Tensioning up the power steering belt.



Mike

[Richard C]

Don't you just love non-interference engines!!!

[James_N]

lol! thats quite.......amazing!

Like to see you do that on a newer car

[Velorum]

Newer models would be in the dealers for a number of days!

[Clifford Pope]

Fast work!
The most difficult part of the job on mine is getting one of the small bolts out that hold the upper timing cover on. One of them takes an AF socket instead of a metric, and I always forget which one. Having dug out the right socket I then have to keep switching about and remember to put the sockets back in the right pockets.
Also I have to remember that the Torx screw needed for the upper timing cover to backplate screw easily falls out of its socket in the handle. Try finding that on the roadside on a dark night!

I've simplified the job by cutting a slot in the lower timing cover, so it spreads over the pulley and I don't have to remove it. Also I just transpose white paint marks from old to new belt, having put corresponding dabs on the sprockets. So no need to bother with timing marks.

[Alec Dawe]

Originally Posted by Clifford Pope

I've simplified the job by cutting a slot in the lower timing cover, so it spreads over the pulley and I don't have to remove it. Also I just transpose white paint marks from old to new belt, having put corresponding dabs on the sprockets. So no need to bother with timing marks.

Cliff; does that slot mean that you don't have to take the bottom, crankshaft end, 'V' belt pulley off??
Sounds a hell of a good idea to me, thinking that the belt cover os only there to keep the muck out the belt.

[white van man]

Originally Posted by Mike_Brace

This evening suffered a minor inconvenience when my cam belt failed a few miles from home at 17.41 and yes it was raining............................




............................Look at clock 18.20

FLIPPIN ECK !

Took me 2hrs just to change the ball **** in my toilet

wvm

[Mike_Brace]

Originally Posted by Alec Dawe

Cliff; does that slot mean that you don't have to take the bottom, crankshaft end, 'V' belt pulley off??
Sounds a hell of a good idea to me, thinking that the belt cover os only there to keep the muck out the belt.

The early B21 the cover came off and you could get the belts past the bottom part ok. Later ones half the pulley had to come off (6 x M6 bolts). Then we had the fully enclosed ones - they are a bit of a pain - when in a hurry they have been known not to be refitted.

Mike

[Clifford Pope]

Mine's a later all-enclosed plastic cover. It was already butchered at the bottem, so I got the idea of just cutting away a bit more so that it would spread over the pulley. There's no need to remove anything else, but it is hard to see the timing mark. Hence my method of putting a line of white snopake along the underneath of the belt and on to the edge of the sprocket tooth before removing the old belt.
The first time I went to the trouble of patching it up again with Duck tape, but now I just leave it. There's nothing likely to catch in the belt, and there is the plastic engine shield to guard against road debris.

I know it's not stricktly pucka, but it keeps it simple, If I had an impact wrench I think I'd use it and do a proper job.
Another thought is that it gives somewhere for any oil drips to drain out, instead of accumulating round the sprocket and possibly getting on the belt. Maybe there's meant to be a hole though.

[GeoffB]

I'll be writing to you you very soon!