Hi

Has anyone changed the cambelt on an X250 2.3 JTD? Mine needs to be replaced as it's 7 years old and I've been quoted £380 so I'm wondering how easy it is to do at home. I've changed them on K series petrol and L series diesels before but in a garage not on the drive.

I realise that I'd need to buy camshaft locking pins and also a timing belt kit complete with pullies but at 28,000 miles probably not the water pump.

Is most of the work done from underneath and what pitfalls are there? Is it necessary to remove the front offside headlamp unit?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hi JDN
The price you have been quoted is quite reasonable. According to the independent Fiat specialist who changed my cambelt, this is one of those jobs where experience and special tools allows them to do it in a few hours. Access is tight, and because these vans are assembled by fitting the engine etc subassembly from below, the small bonnet opening is not much help. It's really only there for topping up the oil ! If you go the DIY route, read up as much as possible, make sure you have all the parts before starting and be prepared to spend all day.

Sounds like good advice, thanks. I've crawled underneath and it would be a lot easier on a ramp in a nice dry garage.

The £380 quote didn't include a water pump as it's probably unnecesasy at 28K. Another garage quoted £600+ with a pump change.

It seems mad that vans can have so little room under the bonnet and that rubber bands can be so expensive

On the contrary to some advice personally I would always strongly advise replacing the water pump. It is cam belt driven and always under load, you never know what maybe lurking underneath, have a close look at the coolant dribble stain under mine when I changed it at a similar mileage. It was otherwise unnoticeable.

Hi Anthony 489
Had my cambelt done at 5 years old and at 44800 ml. it’s the same engine as your van 2.3 130 bhp ( mine is on a 62 plate)

The non Fiat fitter showed me the belt and said it would have been Ok for a year or so more.! But For piece of mind I was happy it was changed now
We also changed the pulley bearing and tensioners as a kit .

I was advised to leave the water pump alone if not leaking when the belt was removed as the genuine Fiat pumps are much better than the replacement aftermarket ones !!

I have made my choice and as has been said before ya pays ya money and takes ya chances with it .

I can understand what Simonm is saying but if you are going to replace the water pump only fit a genuine Fiat one ! (if you can get one ) as the after market one’s are not as good as the one you have fitted mine is now on 63k still going no leaks !!

Mike

Interesting and useful advice re. the water pumps. When I had my X250 cambelt done 4 years ago the mechanic advised also advised against changing pump 'just in case' but didn't explain why, I just thought he didn't want the extra work

Will bear this in mind next year!

Crossingkeeper said:

Interesting and useful advice re. the water pumps. When I had my X250 cambelt done 4 years ago the mechanic advised also advised against changing pump 'just in case' but didn't explain why, I just thought he didn't want the extra work

Will bear this in mind next year!

Click to expand...

I was about to say that there's no such thing as a "genuine Fiat water pump", just a water pump made to Fiat OEM spec and supplied through a network dealer in a Fiat box, but looking at the photo above, the pump appears to be made by Fiat Powertrain Technologies, so I'm wrong!

Worth bearing in mind with some parts though, since you can sometimes get the exact same part from the same manufacturer for a much cheaper price.

I needed a new rear hub assembly for a Mondeo a couple of years ago. Went to local Ford dealer who showed me a GKN part in a Ford/Motorcraft genuine parts box, for which they wanted a fraction less than £200.

Went to my friendly motor factors just up the road. Exact same GKN part, but in a GKN box - less than £80.

Needless to say, although I find the blue Ford parts boxes attractive, I didn't find that one £120 worth of cardboard attractive

Job done! There is lots to take off before getting to the timing cover but plenty of room when you get there.

I changed the cambelt and its pullies over the weekend but left the water pump untouched. There was a small amount of crystalline deposit below the pump but a few drips are probably normal. There was no play or roughness in the water pump bearing, which is what should be expected after a measly 28,000 miles.

The cambelt tensioner and idler pully had no damage or bearing wear but I changed them anyway as they came in the cambelt kit.

I also replaced the auxiliary drive belt (for the alternator and power steering pump) while I was at it. It has to be done from underneath with the underbody splash guard removed.

And was the cambelt showing any signs of deterioration after its 7 years of life? No, not at all but I'll probably change it again in another 5 years time like the book says, just to be on the safe side. Might even do the water pump then even though it will still be relatively low mileage.

Costs:
Cambelt & pullies - £85
Auxiliary belt - £13
Timing pin set - £25

Saving from cheapest garage quote - £260

Time taken - about 8 hours spread over 3 days (double the book time of 4 hours) but I was in no hurry and double-checked everything.

Also worth doing - rust that was found during the job was treated on the engine sump, air filter lower mounting bracket and the coolant header tank mounting frame.

Removed items for access:
RH headlamp trims and unit
Windscreen washer pump
Windscreen washer tank
Power steering header tank (move aside without disconnecting pipes)
Engine coolant header tank (move aside without disconnecting pipes)
Header tank mounting frame
Right front wheelarch liner
Right under-engine splash guard
Aux belt
Aux belt pullies and tensioner
Crankshaft pully (easy - 4 small bolts)
Timing cover
Engine top cover (for access to camshaft timing blanks)

NOT removed:
Right front wheel
Right hand engine mounting

Conclusion:
Worth doing yourself if you've already got the tools and are handy with spanners, otherwise it's a garage job.