HELP>>>technnical, how to guide



  • Would it be possible for one of you that has or is about to do a cambelt change do a full comprehensive tech How to Guide on this with loads pics,,

    Rainy…



  • Snap. (No pun intended).

    There's bits and pieces of guides on changing the belt on mx3.com, but I can't find a complete one.



  • its in the workshop manual.

    but the short answer is.
    take covers off
    take tentioner off
    take belt off
    line up marks
    put belt on
    put tentioner on
    put covers on
    lovely…...



  • @0303de7bf7=tinyrhino:

    its in the workshop manual.

    but the short answer is.
    take covers off
    take tentioner off
    take belt off
    line up marks
    put belt on
    put tentioner on
    put covers on
    lovely…...

    You make it sounds so easy lol, im sure its about 2-3 hours at a garage.



  • i have a manual on disc very comprehensive but i was hoping to see it in practical terms from someone thats done it already …



  • @19756416d4=barrywhite21:

    @19756416d4=tinyrhino:

    its in the workshop manual.

    but the short answer is.
    take covers off
    take tentioner off
    take belt off
    line up marks
    put belt on
    put tentioner on
    put covers on
    lovely…...

    You make it sounds so easy lol, im sure its about 2-3 hours at a garage.

    id say more like 4-5 hrs as you need to undo the engine mount to access it all better



  • i knew that i had forgotten something lol

    i downloaded it ages ago and have it on pc and phone.
    tho i find it more useful on the phone as i have it with me all the time.
    got the same for the bike too.



  • I've done it a while ago, and I do mean a while!

    Tiny's short answer is the jist of it and as Rainy said you need to remove the top engine mount to get the belt off. So you'll need to support the engine some how, best way I found to do this was get yourself a nice length of wood 12 inches or so to spread the weight a peice of 2x2 or 3x2 is perfect. Stick this under the sump and use a jack on the wood to hold the engine while you work.

    One other thing, you need to reomove the water pump pully, it's held on by 4 10mm bolts. The trick to undoing these is don't take the aux belt off! Leave it all together, slacken the bolts so you can turn them by hand, then remove the belt and then you can remove the pully.

    So basicly slightly longer version and I'm going by memory so please forgive me if I miss anything out!

    Jack up the drivers side of the car and support with an axle stand. FFS don't just use a jack, I've seen them fail! If you have to just use a jack put a the wheel under the car so if it does go, it won't hit the deck and crush you.

    Remove the wheel and remove the arch liner.

    Undo the water pump pully bolts, just slacken them don't remove.

    Remove the aux belt(s) 2 if you have AC.

    Remove the water pump pully

    Support the engine with the wood and jack and remove the top engine mount on the drivers side.

    Remove the top timing covers.

    Using the crank pully bolt rotate the egine untill the timing marks on the cams line up and the timing mark on the crank pully line up at TDC on cylinder 1, for piece of mind put your own marks on there too using tipex or similar. You know it's all lined up right for refitting. To help rotate the engine remove the spark plugs but it is possible with them in.

    Slacken the crank bolt, good tip is put the car in gear and get someone to stand on the brakes. You might need a long breaker bar as it'll be stiff.
    Another tip i've heard on MX-3.com is rest the braker bar on the bolt and turn the engine over a tiny bit on the starter, but you have to make sure the car won't start so remove the injection fuse. I'm not keen on this way but the Americans seem ok with it!

    Remove the crank pully.

    Remove the bottom timing cover.

    Remove the hydraulic tensioner.
    You'll notice it has a hole in the body and a hole in the top of the rod, this is to hold it in the compressed position with a pin. Compress the tensioner slowly in a vice, do it very slowly cos you could wreck it, can't remember the stress limits on it but if you use to much pressure it'll break. While compressed put a pin (I used a small nail) in the holes to hold it down.

    Remove the timing belt.

    Refitting is basicly the reversal of above.

    Some notes:
    When putting the belt back on, put it on the crank pully first and work right to left. So sequence would be:
    Crank timing belt pully
    Front bank idler pully
    Front bank cam
    Middle idler pully
    Rear bank cam
    Tensioner pully

    You can now put the hydraulic tensioner back in, bolt it up and pull the pin.

    Put the bottom timing cover back on and refit the crank pully and bolt. Turn the engine over again by hand untill the makrs line up again, should be 2 full turns of the crank. Make sure the marks line up, if not refit the belt again.
    Check the tension, you should be able to twist the belt on it's longest free run by approx 90 degrees. Any more and you'll need to replace the tensioner.

    The rest is the reversal of above

    Sorry if I've missed anything but it has deffo been a while since I've had to do this! And it'll be a while till I do it again as my MX has about 40k till it's due again. Unles I do a ZE swap that is :D

    This job should take about 2 hours if it goes smoothly and you've experiance of replacing timing belts.
    If not take your time so 3 to 4 hours. This is by far the easiest belt I've ever done when compared to 16v engine cos you don't need locking tools, and we've only 2 cam pullies to deal with instead of 4 compared to other V6's. The only other engine I've done which is as easy are ford CVH's.
    Even though the space between the inner wing and engine is small there is plenty of room to get the belt in and out with out scraping your knuckles too much!

    EDIT:

    I think the dip stick tube gets in the way too, so unbolt it and it should just pull out.



  • any chance admin can put this in how to section :D :D



  • As soon as i get my scanner working i have some pictures.



  • Sweet i fancy having a go when my time comes :D





  • **Red's due a full service and a cambelt change. Faced with the choice of £700 minimum to get it done or £300 in parts from Fordprobestore and a lot of spare time (and a spare car), I'm pretty much coming down on the side of DIY.

    I'll have a look at getting it done by the end of the month and give feedback on the guides from the point of view of a nearly-novice mechanic.**



  • good luck with it.

    make sure you have the right tools for the job. as running to halfords can be a real pain in the ass. believe it i know…..



  • **Well, I'm a nearly-novice so I not only don't have the ability but I don't have the tools either.

    Luckily I have a friend who's nowhere near a nearly-novice and has a toolbox which exceeds the value of my house :D Plan is to attempt it myself and wait for him to go "Ooooh, no!".**



  • lol good plan, pulled that one many a time, however for xmas my mrs bought me the deluxe halfrauds toolset, has everything i need with lifetime guarantee £70 acnt argue with that.

    Now i love taking bits off mostly for cleaning, gets you used to using the tools and the snapping noise when you undo that first turn of a 17 year old screw (still makes me cringe lol)



  • @710230848b=barrywhite21:

    lol good plan, pulled that one many a time, however for xmas my mrs bought me the deluxe halfrauds toolset, has everything i need with lifetime guarantee £70 acnt argue with that.

    Now i love taking bits off mostly for cleaning, gets you used to using the tools and the snapping noise when you undo that first turn of a 17 year old screw (still makes me cringe lol)

    **Even more cringeworthy that they're 12 year old screws in my case…

    :shock:

    Actually, I do have a question... Pulleys - replace or not? I'm tempted to, though I've been advised it's not necessary unless they show wear - and it represents just about an £80 difference. The hydraulic pretensioner is being replaced (I remember the last cambelt change she had - they opted not to replace it and guess what failed the next day?).**



  • @3106a1b0b8=Famine:

    @3106a1b0b8=barrywhite21:

    lol good plan, pulled that one many a time, however for xmas my mrs bought me the deluxe halfrauds toolset, has everything i need with lifetime guarantee £70 acnt argue with that.

    Now i love taking bits off mostly for cleaning, gets you used to using the tools and the snapping noise when you undo that first turn of a 17 year old screw (still makes me cringe lol)

    **Even more cringeworthy that they're 12 year old screws in my case…

    :shock:

    Actually, I do have a question... Pulleys - replace or not? I'm tempted to, though I've been advised it's not necessary unless they show wear - and it represents just about an £80 difference. The hydraulic pretensioner is being replaced (I remember the last cambelt change she had - they opted not to replace it and guess what failed the next day?).**

    Personally i would say yes, once you get that deep into working on the engine might as well do as much as possible in one go. I put in another post that mechanic might have one going, you should PM him and find out.


 

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