full cambelt kits - necessary?

tim · Post by **tim** » Wed Nov 10, 2010 5:35 pm

Now that the BX19 is enjoying its new life in the country I thought I'd get it some doggy treats as a reward for behaving. The cambelt is the obvious next job but the question is, do I need the whole damn kit at around £70 or just a cambelt? I can understand why a garage would do this (covering ones back plus a parts sale, fair enough} but is it really necessary? The beast has done 119,000 miles and I have no history at all on what's been done.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Wed Nov 10, 2010 5:51 pm

I've never fitted the whole kit. However I would always check both pulleys for "play" in them and also the water pump.
I've had to change the water pump on more than one occassion but only once have I ever needed to change one of the pulleys. Luckily I usually have one or two of these laying around so it's not a big issue if I needed one.

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Wed Nov 10, 2010 5:56 pm

Some people advocate changing the tensioner, water pump and idler pulley at the same time, but my feelings are that unless it's done mega miles, the OE ones are unlikely to be worn, and will probably last longer than the pattern ones that most people can afford to replace them with.

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Wed Nov 10, 2010 6:40 pm

The only trouble that springs to mind is that unless you have some nice brand new tensioners to hand, how do you know whether its worn or not? And apart from it leaking, how do you know if the waterpump is getting tired or not?

citronut · Post by **citronut** » Wed Nov 10, 2010 8:13 pm

i usualy give the tensioners a spin and a wiggle to firstly hear if they are dry or noisey, and secondly to feel if there is any play, and if the water pump has a crustation growing under the sprocket below the spindle seal it is cream crackerd, and again give that a wiggle to check for any sideways play,

regards malcolm

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Wed Nov 10, 2010 8:14 pm

Well, as Ken says, you can check them (for bearing noise and/or play) when the belt is off. The downside is if you don't have spares and it is your only vehicle you can potentially have to do the job twice.
If the pump and pulley bearings felt fine I would have no worries about leaving them for another 40k miles till the next change - they are very unlikely to suddenly fail without a good bit of warning first.

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Wed Nov 10, 2010 11:25 pm

What type of warning do you get Mat? Is it a metallic sound of some description?

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 12:14 am

Difficullt to describe really, the immediate description that springs to mind is that it sounds like a bearing on its way out...

Kind of a droning/whining sound (not the missus) that varies with engine revs. Probably changing to a higher pitched screech/squeal if they are ignored. Then seizure! Someone else might have a better way with words than me.

citronut · Post by **citronut** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 8:25 am

i agree with you Mat on not haveing the parts to hand with the car in bits,
although the interval is 72K between belt change's,

that all said i would rather spend the extra on new tensioners and pump, than have the expense of a belt fail,

i do also find the XU/D tensioners seem to go on indefinatly, compaired to later engine belt tensioners,

regards malcolm

KevR · Post by **KevR** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 1:03 pm

If you're planning on keeping the car long term, I'd be inclined to get a pump and tensioner kit anyway, then when you get down to doing the job you can make a judgement about whether to fit them now or wait 'til the next belt change. The water pump's more likely to give trouble than the pulleys/tensioner in my experience.

Post by **docchevron** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 12:58 am

72K mile intervals are only for XUD engines after 1992.
All upto 1992 are 48K miles.
Even then for later engines the interval drops to 36K between 92-95 and 55K from 1995 in "adverse conditions".
Either way for a £20 belt I'd be buggered if I'd leave mine that long.
I always do the full kit and waterpump, keeping the old tensioner and idler as spares if required.
Again, for the price I'd rather not worry about it.

Post by **Defender110** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 1:30 pm

docchevron wrote: I always do the full kit and waterpump, keeping the old tensioner and idler as spares if required.
Again, for the price I'd rather not worry about it.

But like Matt has already stated unless you buy OE parts you are likely to be fitting far inferior parts that would give cause for worry and are quite likely not going to outlast the origianal OE parts. (all mileage dependant of course.)

tim · Post by **tim** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 5:19 pm

Thanks for that, chaps. As I don't know the age of the belt I'd be better off changing it immediately, but cashflow won't really allow for the full kit this month! So I think my question is answered. If it turns out that some of the other bits are unwell then I can always order up a full kit next day delivery, then I only have a spare belt on the shelf. It's been suggested I should change the water pump if I'm in there but it seems happy at the moment and I feel you would get reasonable warning if it started dying, as has been suggested - unless anyone has had a different experience?

KevR · Post by **KevR** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 7:07 pm

Both my water pumps that died leaked a little bit for a long time first. With the first one I got blasé about it and just kept topping it up every now and then. Needless to say it failed properly on the way back from the south of France...
So when the pump in the other one started dribbling I played safe and changed it straight away - it needed a cambelt anyway.

citsncycles · Post by **citsncycles** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 10:39 pm

72K mile intervals are only for XUD engines after 1992.

I'm sure I remember reading in the Citroenian in the late 90's about reports of diesel ZX's suffering belt failures either just before they were due to be changed or a couple of K after it should have been.

Personally, I'm changing the belt in my 14 in the next couple of weeks (the current one has done 33k) and will plan on replacing it every 36k after that.