Hi,

Have been told my alternator belt is cracking badly, how easy are they to change on the 1.3multijet?

I have been quoted 45 quid by fiat using non genuine parts.

Thanks

Cameron

Pretty easy to do - all you need is the drivers side wheel off (on stands of course) and the wheel arch liner removed. It's held on with several screws and a 10mm nut. If you get these out that's the hard part of the job done
Then it's time to get under the car;
Note how the old belt is positioned around the pulleys (it's easy to forget which way it went!)
The belt tensioner (15mm iirc) can be reached with a spanner and prised out of the way to slacken the belt, which will then slip off the pulleys. Replacement is just as easy - swing the tensioner back to slip the new belt into place. Nothing to adjust.

Then it's just refit arch liner and wheel.

Belt itself was about £10 from a local factor.

Think I may attempt it my self then in that case, sounds easy enough.

How fiddler is the job? Many hard to reach areas? I know for a fact a few of the wheel arch screws will need forcing off

Prize the auto tensioner the wrong way and the bolt holding tensioner pulley to the spring loaded bracket comes undone.

It's then hard to get the tensioner pulley bolt tight on the spring loaded as your kind on only going against the tensioner spring.

If you've got the 15mm spanner on the tensioner pulley and turning it, if the belt goes lose your going the right way.

Before you start, take a look under the water pump to check if it's started weeping coolant (yet).

If it has you'll be looking at a water pump as well as a new belt. If you don't fancy doing the waterpump yourself get the garage to quote for a pump and as they will need to take the belt off to do the pump it's £35 saved.

Odd that a FIAT garage would use non genuine parts.

Louie Bee said:

Odd that a FIAT garage would use non genuine parts.

Click to expand...

When I was talking to my Fiat dealer about me basically souring the parts cheaper (genuine and non-genuine parts) they said they would fit them for me, but there would be no part warranty or warranty on their work due to the complexity of proving it whether it was a part or fitting failure as they had nothing to do with the supplier / manufacturer etc.

Personally for the likes of the timing belt etc (big jobs) if I couldn't do it myself I'd rather source my parts and pay Fiat to do it than a bog standard mechanic simply because they have all the latest and greatest workshops and tools etc and machines