1.9 8V Timing Belt Change

[happygoron 2]

Gonna be cracking on with this soon. Had a read on here and in the Haynes and it all looks ok, just want to double check parts and tools required so I don't get caught out.

 

Gonna order a Timing Belt Kit from ECP which I belive comes with the tensioner and also ordering a new water pump. Can't seem to find a gasket for the pump anywhere though, anyone know a supplier?

 

Also tools wise anything out of the ordinary required beyond a good socket set? What's the best way of locking the flywheel as I read that dowels alone anr't suitable?

 

Finally, any tips that will make my life easier?

[Obey_R 23]

Just done this on my 1.6 whilst I had the head off. I'm just a home mechanic at best and did fine with a decent socket set and the obvious.

 

To get the crank pulley off I borrowed an 18v windy gun which got it off in seconds, if not you can take the flywheel cover off the side and jam it with a suitable screwdriver.

 

Check you have the right type if tensioner and waterpump as I got caught out when I found out I had the later eccentric tensioner.

 

As for waterpump gasket I got one in the headset and also one with the pump itself. Also used a bit of red instant gasket to help seal it up.

 

Id never done like it before and didn't really have any problems as long as you take care with what your doing!

 

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[Anthony 1,003]

It's an 8v - it's an absolute doddle to change a cambelt on one frankly.

 

Ignore the nonsense in the Haynes manual about having to jack the engine up and remove the complete engine mount casting - you don't need to do any of that. It really is as simple as lining the timing hole up, removing the bottom pulley and alternator belt, removing the cambelt covers, loosening the tensioner, removing the belt, and refitting is the reverse of removal

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Aside from normal tools you may find that you need a 3 leg puller to get the crank pulley off, it depends how tight it is, and whether the last guy to do it fitted it to the crank tail properly, or just bollocked it on.

[johnhenry 20]

when i did my first timing belt, took everything very slowly and read everything in haynes manual several times over! other advice that i was told over and over is to hand crank the engine several times to make sure its okay.

 

if your getting a new water pump, the gasket for it should be in the box with it, if not then the local motorfactor will have the specific gasket. also clean up the material left by the old gasket. paint scraper will do the trick.

 

also there are 2 types of cambelt tensioning systems - you will be able to identify which yours is fairly early on purely form the pictures in the haynes manual, and i think theres some info on which yours will be by date.

 

I used drill bits to chock in the holes provided, seemed to work okay/no issues

 

DO NOT LOOSE THE WOODRUFF KEY. its the small little semi circle piece that sits in a groove in the crank and can fall out of its own accord or be knocked out. seem to remember it being really important, and didnt have alot holding it in place. very peugeot PS sorry quite vague last point, long time since i did the job!

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

Aside from normal tools you may find that you need a 3 leg puller to get the crank pulley off, it depends how tight it is, and whether the last guy to do it fitted it to the crank tail properly, or just bollocked it on.

 

Don't need even that, you can get the pulley off with some careful leavering, just have to take care not to damage the inner edge of the pulley. It is all too easy to break a bit off (the outer ridge that the belt runs on).

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Don't need even that, you can get the pulley off with some careful leavering, just have to take care not to damage the inner edge of the pulley. It is all too easy to break a bit off (the outer ridge that the belt runs on).

 

I disagree, you will see I said "MAY" need a puller. Sometimes you do, sometimes not. As I also said, it depends largely on how it was put back last time. I like to dress the crank tail with emery to make it a nice slide on fit and hence a nice slide off fit next time it needs a belt. Many so called mechanics will get it started and then bollock it on with their hammer of choice, if this is the case, all levering will achieve is lumps broken off the inner face of the pulley.

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

I disagree, you will see I said "MAY" need a puller. Sometimes you do, sometimes not. As I also said, it depends largely on how it was put back last time. I like to dress the crank tail with emery to make it a nice slide on fit and hence a nice slide off fit next time it needs a belt. Many so called mechanics will get it started and then bollock it on with their hammer of choice, if this is the case, all levering will achieve is lumps broken off the inner face of the pulley.

 

Out of interest can you explain "crank tail"? I've got to do mine again soon and a smoother fit would be rather nice. No hammer needed last time but it was a rather tight fit. Are you just reducing the crank diameter ever so slightly?

[welshpug 1,657]

Just the removal of corrosion rather than any material from the crank.

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

As Welsh says, just a thorough clean of the tail of the crank (that the pulley fits on) and also the bore of the pulley itself. 2 min with some emery and you have a pulley that will slide on and off easily.

[happygoron 2]

Cheers for the advice guys. Will get everything ordered and give it a go! Will keep updated.

[happygoron 2]

Got the bits and doing it Thursday but one quick question. Think mine is the spring loaded tensioner type, the timing belt kit comes with a new tensioner pulley but you have to reuse the spring unit, is this normal/ok?

[Anthony 1,003]

Yes that's normal

[happygoron 2]

All done! Wasn't too bad in the end. 5 hours taking our time but a lot of that was taken up with the water pump being slightly different, it had an extra flange around the outside to act as part of the cambelt cover it seemed so my plastics didn't fit. Took care trimming them and all looks good now but are there a different set available?

[Anthony 1,003]

You got the wrong waterpump, that's why it didn't fit properly.

 

The waterpump you got was for the very late 205 GTi's with the 114 tooth cambelt and eccentric tensioner setup. This use a different cambelt cover setup where, as you've found out, the waterpump casting forms part of the cover.

 

The waterpump for most 205 GTi's with the 113 tooth belt and spring-tensioner setup has no flange as part of the casting.

 

The later waterpump like you've got it shared with some later XU engines, hence is typically easier to find now than the earlier, correct one.

[happygoron 2]

You got the wrong waterpump, that's why it didn't fit properly.

 

 

I did assume this, however I was half way through the job and it wasn't a big issue to get the plastics to fit and give good protection, though I intend to source some late ones to get it tidy. Sure I ordered the right one for the early engines though but that's life.