Could someone tell me with absolute certainty whether the 1.4 12v in a brava is non interference engine or not.

The car is only worth about £500 on a good day but i don't know when the timing belt was last done. If i can just wait until, if, it goes then change it without a failure causing any damage then i'd rather save my pennies for something more interesting instead.

Cheers in advance!

bad news, the valves and pistons can hit each other.

for the sake of £25 you might as well at least stick a new belt on.

my kam belt cost me £156 fitted £90 of that was labor

...but with a haynes manual, and only the smallest/basic tools, you can do this job yourself. And the cost, as Jug says, is a much more realistic £25.

On the 1.4, and 1.2, I'd say anyone with a moderate mechanical knowledge could do the job in around an hour.

:yeahthat:

its one of those jobs people are scared to try because the myths make it sound scary, and because you'll cause damage if you get it wrong. once you do it youself and see how easy it is you wonder what all the fuss was about. then again the same goes for anything in life, its only easy once you know how.

Absolutely.

I remember my first Uno T. And I was quoted something like £300 to do a cambelt change. So thought "sod that", bought a haynes manual, the parts, and gave it a go.

£20, plus the cost of the manual, plus an hour later, new cambelt and tensioner, with no issues at all.

And we'll always do a better job than a Fiat or backstreet garage....

A lot of it is getting the space and tools. I've got a fair number of tools but the list seems to grow as you try new jobs.

Hellcat said:

A lot of it is getting the space and tools. I've got a fair number of tools but the list seems to grow as you try new jobs.

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true, there's no point doing it on the roadside with a set of spanners. you never know what the weather is going to do, or if you're going to hit a problem, so imo a garage is very important, or at least a flat driveway. i find my tool collection has shruk over the years as things go missing (borrowed permanently). its bloody annoying when you need something and you cant find it. its better to prepare and make sure you have everything you need available.

Most complex thing I've tried 'on the road' was a Brava clutch slave cylinder. Don't think I'd have tried it if I'd have been thinking sensibly!

my main fear in that situation would be someone going into the back of the car while i'm working.

jug said:

my main fear in that situation would be someone going into the back of the car while i'm working.

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i have buses to worry about!

jug said:

my main fear in that situation would be someone going into the back of the car while i'm working.

Click to expand...

I was in a garden centre car park.. everything done from above.

did you have a crowd watching you?

i've been called out to help people in McDs carpark before and we had a crowd of at least a dozen chavs watching with interest as i attached a new earth lead. annoying little biggers kept saying "ew mista, whats that bit for like?"

I remember having to replace the air flow meter pipe to turbo on my Uno T. A common problem was the pipe would pop off, as there was very little to hold it on.

Anyway, this was in a McD carpark too. Suffice to say, the number chavvy kids taking interest in me & the car, partly because the car was very nice. (Metallic Black, Round Twin Headlamp and grill conversion, 15" rims, lowered 80mm, etc).

I had about ½ a dozen of these kids asking for a quick ride in the car, when I'd finished the job. I finished the job, packed the tools away, and then took the car for a "test drive", which involved me NOT taking any of the pikey's for a drive, but just going home...

Thinking about it, it just shows how bored they were though.