My daughter is on her way to my house to pick up my grandsons.

She calls and tells me there's a loud squeaking/squealing noise coming from under the bonnet and something smells like burning rubber.

She had already pulled over and the smell had gone so I told her to start the car and come straight to my house as she was only half a mile away.

Just as she was turning right onto my drive the dash lit up like a christmas tree and she couldn't turn the steering wheel.

She turned the ignition off, switched on the hazards and bailed out of the car. Ran straight in through my front door and announced her new car was dead!

Appologising to the que of traffic I took a quick look under the bonnet to confirm it was the Auxiliary Belt then started the car and drove it onto my drive.

A quick trip to Fiat to purchase a new belt and 20 minutes to get the car on the ramps and change the belt and the panic was over.

However, check out the condition of the old belt in the pic below.

never a dull moment with you lot is there stu!

good job you live so close to fiat though huh.

i take it you didnt 'baseline' it after she bought it?

richydraper said:

never a dull moment with you lot is there stu!

good job you live so close to fiat though huh.

i take it you didnt 'baseline' it after she bought it?

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"Dull moment" here?

I wish ..

Yeh, Fiat dealer is only 300 yards away.

What do you mean "baseline it"? I thought the 150 mile journey home was sufficient to check for most things. Plus I only paid £800 for it in the end ...

Shadeyman said:

"Dull moment" here?

I wish ..

Yeh, Fiat dealer is only 300 yards away.

What do you mean "baseline it"? I thought the 150 mile journey home was sufficient to check for most things ..

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baselining... maybe more of a given name than anything too official... whenever i buy a car, regardless of service history, i give her a full service. ive only ever had petrols so i flush the engine 3 or 4 times using diesel(new filters every time), new filters, plugs, coolant system flush, g/bag oil, brake fluid change, new belts (unless the timing belt has obviously been changed recently). that way i know shes good and i have a reference point to say she was serviced on this date at this milage. it might just be me on here that does it but a lot of my more switched on collegues and family members do it as a matter of course

richydraper said:

baselining... maybe more of a given name than anything too official... whenever i buy a car, regardless of service history, i give her a full service. ive only ever had petrols so i flush the engine 3 or 4 times using diesel(new filters every time), new filters, plugs, coolant system flush, g/bag oil, brake fluid change, new belts (unless the timing belt has obviously been changed recently). that way i know shes good and i have a reference point to say she was serviced on this date at this milage. it might just be me on here that does it but a lot of my more switched on collegues and family members do it as a matter of course

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Oh right.

In that case I shall be "baselining" the crap out of it this weekend once I have all the parts. I do it to every new car we buy.

Filters, fluids, brake pads, bulbs then a full valet from a mate of mine.

Service history is good, cambelt changed March last year, only done 13,000 miles since then.

There's a slight knock at the rear, I suspect new rear bushes will be needed but haven't had chance to check them yet. Not a problem, £50 and a few hours work will sort that out.

...i think shes got the bulbs covered...

richydraper said:

...i think shes got the bulbs covered...

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Deffinately!

Paid £800 for it but after this weekend the cost will have risen to around £1000 mainly due to the cost of the bloody bulbs ...

But my daughter and grandsons will be traveling in the car. If it costs me a few quid and a few hours of my time to make sure the car is the best it can be then so be it.

Can the car be started with a snapped auxiliary belt?

Shadeyman said:

Oh right.

In that case I shall be "baselining" the crap out of it this weekend once I have all the parts. I do it to every new car we buy.

Filters, fluids, brake pads, bulbs then a full valet from a mate of mine.

Service history is good, cambelt changed March last year, only done 13,000 miles since then.

There's a slight knock at the rear, I suspect new rear bushes will be needed but haven't had chance to check them yet. Not a problem, £50 and a few hours work will sort that out.

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I always have the Aux belt changed when the cambelt is changed and the tensioner for Aux Belt checked, as with many cars the Aux Belt gets forgotten.

vladof said:

Can the car be started with a snapped auxiliary belt?

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yes but you loose the alternator and water pump so its not adviseable to drive very far with it

richydraper said:

yes but you loose the alternator and water pump so its not adviseable to drive very far with it

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Only loose the alternator and AC pump on a JTD. Water pump is driven by the cambelt.

Is it different on your petrol?

yes bud 1.6 (what me and vlad have) have a dedicated timing belt. Alt and wp are on the aux belt and AC has a dedicated 'stretch' belt.

richydraper said:

yes bud 1.6 (what me and vlad have) have a dedicated timing belt. Alt and wp are on the aux belt and AC has a dedicated 'stretch' belt.

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So on a 1.6

The cambelt(timing belt) runs nothing but the cams?

The Aux belt runs the alternator, water pump?

And the AC also has its own belt?

Thats 3 belts in all?

I have a 1.8 AC is on the auxiliary belt and alternator as well. Not sure about the water pump.

I only have 2 belts, auxiliary and cambelt.

Shadeyman said:

So on a 1.6

The cambelt(timing belt) runs nothing but the cams?

The Aux belt runs the alternator, water pump?

And the AC also has its own belt?

Thats 3 belts in all?

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Yes...

Sorry vlad cant see signatures on the mobile version of FF

vladof said:

I have a 1.8 AC is on the auxiliary belt and alternator as well. Not sure about the water pump.

I only have 2 belts, auxiliary and cambelt.

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richydraper said:

Yes...

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So 1.6 is a 3 belt setup and the 1.8 is the same as the JTD(2 belt setup)?

Shadeyman said:

So 1.6 is a 3 belt setup and the 1.8 is the same as the JTD(2 belt setup)?

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heres what ive found on ePER for Aux belt setups, it would seem that only the 1.6 and 2.4 has the 3 belt setup for AC but Non-AC 1.6 and 2.4 is a 2 belt affair


1.2&1.4 Non-AC


1.2&1.4 AC


1.6 Non-AC


1.6 AC


1.8 AC (No Diagram for Non-AC)


2.4 AC (No Diagram for Non-AC)


JTD Non-AC (belt 1) and AC (belt 8)

ill tag this info on here
just done aux belt change on jtdm 16v with man a/c.





didn't look like a near miss but needed doing.
an extra long 15mm ring spanner was great for opening up the tensioner and without 3 hands I cable tied the other end of the spanner to the control arm.