I need to have my cam belt replaced. The parts shop has advised that I buy an entire cam belt kit and not just the cam belt. I have been advised that the water pump should be replaced at the same time. The kit costs £57 and the cam belt alone £11. I cannot afford to spend £57 pus the cost of the pump. On a 57 reg car is it necessary to replace the tensors and the pump? Thoroughly confused at this point!

Personally I'd advise the full kit rather than just the belt.

Wee Smurf said:

Personally I'd advise the full kit rather than just the belt.

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Same here, for an extra 40 odd quid it's got to be worth it.

There are loads of posts on here about cambelts and it's a subject which tends to generate a lot of hysteria. If you've got a 57 registration 1.1 or 1.2 petrol engined Panda then nothing too serious should occur when the cambelt snaps. You will of course break down and need recovery but it should be a simple job to fit a new belt and the engine shouldn't be damaged. If you can risk that inconvenience then I'd say don't even bother with the new belt let alone the full kit. If you can't afford to be stranded then I'd replace the belt and tensioners and get the garage to replace the water pump only if it is weeping or it's pulley is rough.
Cambelt change on a Panda is a very simple job for any competent garage so you don't need to go to a Fiat dealer or even a Fiat specialist.

lamlash said:

There are loads of posts on here about cambelts and it's a subject which tends to generate a lot of hysteria. If you've got a 57 registration 1.1 or 1.2 petrol engined Panda then nothing too serious should occur when the cambelt snaps. You will of course break down and need recovery but it should be a simple job to fit a new belt and the engine shouldn't be damaged. If you can risk that inconvenience then I'd say don't even bother with the new belt let alone the full kit. If you can't afford to be stranded then I'd replace the belt and tensioners and get the garage to replace the water pump only if it is weeping or it's pulley is rough.
Cambelt change on a Panda is a very simple job for any competent garage so you don't need to go to a Fiat dealer or even a Fiat specialist.

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What if the cambelt lets go taking the water pump with it ?....your doing 70 on the motorway.....all the coolant disappears from the engine and cooks it which then means you need recovery and a new engine..... i'm guessing that'll cost more than a new belt and pump..

With the belt off, replacing the tensioner takes moments. Even spinning it may not show if it is soon to fail. Space is at a premium, with the engine mounting in the way being removed for access, once in there, replacing all potential issues makes sense. "A stitch in time..."

I recently changed my belt and tensioner. The water pump spun fine and did not appear to be leaking. Fiat used a fair amount of sealant, so getting it off was hard work, I twice considered leaving it there. I did take it off, and there was evidence of slight leakage, so needed replacing. This is a 06 plate, with about 40k on the clock.

Your engine, like mine will not have timing marks, needing the tools to hold the crank and camshaft. Any garage without these should be able to borrow them from their cambelt supplier.

Of course, with the pump out, it adds the cost of new coolant, but that is a regular replacement item anyway. To avoid bigger bills and inconvenience later, do the whole job now.

I'd go with out some thing else to save money and get the lot done myself its false economy not too

as others have said,
it wont damage the engine on a FIRE 1.1, 1.2

but.. sods law says it'll let go at the least convenient time, and / or the most dangerous place,

ultimately your call..!!,

my '04 panda had a new kit.. ( no pump) over the winter. was @£40 from Europarts.http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/F...4f4feb4ad4733047efdd6098a44bfeff69999e&000332

your car should still be worth @ £1000,
it's well worth keeping it running well for such a small investment.

charlie

Careful, 04 is likely to be the earlier narrower belt and manual tensioner. My 06 is the later wider belt and auto tensioner, as will the OP's be.

portland_bill said:

Careful, 04 is likely to be the earlier narrower belt and manual tensioner. My 06 is the later wider belt and auto tensioner, as will the OP's be.

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yes.. but still worth changing..

especially for less that £20 ( postage is free)
http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/F...8d83de054452ccf523ebffba3df7ee48a46cc7&000332

charlie

Worth changing, but this one, http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/F...ba8c9a7a44d205989680d5873a44159d7e7033&000332
Auto tensioner and wider belt.

Worth changing, but use a dayco kit, comes with dayco warranty then

If you're thinking of buying from ECP, also check CarParts4Less as they're the same company and CP4L are often cheaper. The code SAVEME75 will get you an extra 7.5% off at CP4L , discount codes won't be working at ECP at the moment as they're having a sale.