Northern Auto Tech - ECU and Blue & Me Repairs

Technical What's Your View (Fiat Brava 1.2 timing belt gone)

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Technical What's Your View (Fiat Brava 1.2 timing belt gone)

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Angua2

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Jul 31, 2007
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Dear All,

My partner just came home courtesy the nice AA man. His Brava 1.2's timing belt had gone.

Opinions sought because AA man said he thought to replace timing belt might be anything from £300-400 to £800 - £1k....

Bear in mind the car was bought at auction 3 years ago, is a W reg and has done 97k.

Methinks it's time to get another bargain at auction.... Partner wants to get quotes on repair, but the car also needs new front tie arms and has a dented front off-side quarter panel, thanx to a numpty in a carpark reversing into the parked Brava.

With age and mileage, is it worth sinking more squids into the Brava?

Many thanx.

Angua2
 
Thank you for your reply!

I had the feeling you (someone, anyway! lol) would say that. No, he can't do the work himself and yes it's a complete nightmare to do oneself - (I helped reseat and grind new valves for a Volvo 360 years and years ago....)

Also, thank you for the welcome. My partner's been really happy with the car and would have another Brava. Thanx for heads-up on the 1.4 12v.

Great photos of Binki - do you read Terry Pratchett?

Again, ta.


dave said:
it will be the higher end of the estimate as it will have bent valves maybe more, if he cant do the work himself then best get rid, you can get good ones now fore as cheap as chips just avoid the 1.4 12v

btw welcome to the forum :)
Click to expand...
 
LOL - can't afford to be sentimental about the Brava. BTW cam was changed at 60k....so this is a bit of a freak think. And yeah, I know the basics of what needs replacing when to keep car safely motoring. FYI - the culprit in the previous instance of timing/cam belts was a garage mechanic misfitting it!

Even prompt servicing isn't a guarantee that nowt will go wrong, eh?
 
Ahhhh im having my belt renewed...well today actually. It was done recently but my mechanic said its so loose he can push it off with his finger!

Its these usless buggers that dont have the right tool to repair it properly.

Before i got the car (1.6 brava) the belt snapped and cost them about 1k. I think it would be wise to choose a new car. Like said before steer well clear of the 1.4 if geeting another brava/o. 1.6 or 1.8 chucks out lots of power and i heard before that the insurance is the about the same price between them!

If you want somthing abit more sporty the HGT are nice :p That is if you dont mind loosing 2 doors!
 
beau said:
if cambelt was last changed at 60k, its done 40k, id of said it was over due imo.
Click to expand...


I'm listening, Beau, & appreciate that you've bothered to reply. Many thanx. ;)

40 k isn't excessive for a cam belt, tho'.... not according to mechanic who services the Brava anyway.

Again, thanx.
 
well tbh, the cambelt is probably actually due at 40k so you were 3k under :p, but if the belt was done at 60k, (how long ago though?) then id say maybe the its the tensioner which has broken, and it wasnt replaced?

you might be able to get a new engine fitted cheaper though? my 1.2 16v punto had a new engine at some point, engines can be got for 150ish and the fitting was £170 including cambelt and service.
 
Yikes! You mean Terry Pratchett knowingly ripped off the name from YOUR rabbit? Ye gods, is there NO integrity in the world left?
;)
dave said:
me read words written on bits of paper :eek: no never :eek:
Click to expand...
 
I've generally found it's not the actual cambelt which can cause failure, but tensioners or other aux belts run from the same pulley.

On the Uno range, the tensioner can perish, which will eventually disintegrate and take the belt with it. On the Coupe the power steering belt can sometimes snap, and this can take the cambelt with it.

The key, of course, is to replace the belts and tensioners within their maximum life-time or maximum mileage. And keep a check on them during normal use. Any signs of cracking on the belts, or unusual noises from the tensioner, then don't drive it, and replace the parts.

Incidentally does anyone know why Fiat use a rubber belt, rather than a timing chain on these engines? I've a friend who owns a Honda CRV, with a petrol engine, and that's based on a metal chain not a rubber belt - or so he tells me.

:)
 
assuming all valves are bent, it should still only cost £400 at most at an independant gararge. the value of the car at that age/milage/condition is probably less than £1000 (mostly due to the dent) so its hard to justify spending the money, but on the other hand the car's worthless if you dont fix it so can you afford not to?

i would at least get quotes from several independant garages so you know what your options are. tell them to quote on the assumption that several valves will be bent.

i would also try to find a wing in the correct colour at a local scrapyard. if a £20 wing sorts the dent out you'll easily add a couple of hundred to the value. the wings are only bolted on so its an easy job.
 
Thanx for your reply, Circolo.

My partner said he was going around a bend (on a small country road, fortunately) when there was a noise like a ping or click and then he lost power and coasted to a stop.... Previously no noise / hints of wear, but I'm going to make the cambelt part of our routine visual checks.

If he kept the garage receipt from 3 yrs ago, he might be able to see what was actually done when the cambelt was changed - not to have a go at the garage, but just to see....

circolo said:
I've generally found it's not the actual cambelt which can cause failure, but tensioners or other aux belts run from the same pulley.

On the Uno range, the tensioner can perish, which will eventually disintegrate and take the belt with it. On the Coupe the power steering belt can sometimes snap, and this can take the cambelt with it.

The key, of course, is to replace the belts and tensioners within their maximum life-time or maximum mileage. And keep a check on them during normal use. Any signs of cracking on the belts, or unusual noises from the tensioner, then don't drive it, and replace the parts.

Incidentally does anyone know why Fiat use a rubber belt, rather than a timing chain on these engines? I've a friend who owns a Honda CRV, with a petrol engine, and that's based on a metal chain not a rubber belt - or so he tells me.

:)
Click to expand...
 
Thanx for reply, Jug.

Yeah, I guess worst-case-scenario is that all valves are bent.

In student days, I helped boyfriend replace & reseat all valves in Volvo. Fiddly job, but we were skint and did all the work ourselves. He went on to drive the Volvo for years and wasnae a bad amateur mechanic. I seem to remember that the big worry - after replacing the valves - was that the new cam belt was on properly so that the first time the engine was turned over after the work it didnae slip!

Has anyone replaced their own valves on a Brava? Tips, tricks, hints and things to watch out for?

Anyhow, you make some really good points and there are things to think about. Local scrappies don't have the wing, but I've had luck in past with an online national breaker (hope I've kept their contact details!)

Ta again.

jug said:
assuming all valves are bent, it should still only cost £400 at most at an independant gararge. the value of the car at that age/milage/condition is probably less than £1000 (mostly due to the dent) so its hard to justify spending the money, but on the other hand the car's worthless if you dont fix it so can you afford not to?

i would at least get quotes from several independant garages so you know what your options are. tell them to quote on the assumption that several valves will be bent.

i would also try to find a wing in the correct colour at a local scrapyard. if a £20 wing sorts the dent out you'll easily add a couple of hundred to the value. the wings are only bolted on so its an easy job.
Click to expand...
 
partsgateway is usually expensive, but thats to be expected.


if you did the job yourself the most improtant aspect is making sure you set the timing correctly, if you dont you'll bend the new valves when you try to start the engine. a haynes manual has a step by step guide on how to do the whole job using the correct tools to set the timing.
 
I share the Pain in this thread, although I suffered it at 2am on a sunday morning when it was -2 with ice hanging from the car, with a two hour wait from the RAC :(

Anyway I opted for replacing the engine. As garage that was looking after the car found that to repair the engine would cost more overall. I had managed to crack the pistons as well as bent all the valves in the head.

I paid £285 for a 188 model engine (Bosch electronics) to match what was in mines. Came from a 51 plate model, probably only month younger then mines. and paid under £400 for the fitting work including a new timing belt for the replacement engine.

Done a search via www.247spares.co.uk online and www.findanengine.co.uk
 
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