Technical 2014 Ducato 2.3 Cam Belt Intervals

[Mr Colpot]

Does anyone have a definitive years/miles interval for a cam belt change on the 2014 2.3? I had thought it was 5 years as its a Motorhome doing about 7000 miles a year but the Motorhome Dealer I am buying from says
7 years/70000 miles (may be method in his madness as he probably doesn't want to change it before I pick it up. I have called a couple of Fiat Garages and they are saying 4 years?
Thanks

 

[RS3100]

Does anyone have a definitive years/miles interval for a cam belt change on the 2014 2.3? I had thought it was 5 years as its a Motorhome doing about 7000 miles a year but the Motorhome Dealer I am buying from says
7 years/70000 miles (may be method in his madness as he probably doesn't want to change it before I pick it up. I have called a couple of Fiat Garages and they are saying 4 years?
Thanks

The maintenance schedule in the vehicle handbook says "irrespective of the mileage the timing drive belt must be changed at least every 4 years for heavy duty use or at least every 5 years".

Motorhome usage patterns normally fall into the heavy duty usage category - periods of inactivity/irregular use, periods of idling etc.

If it's a 2014 vehicle, it's due this year even if you go by the at least every 5 years instruction. If it's a coachbuilt vehicle, the Fiat chassis could be older then the date of registration too.

 

[Mr Colpot]

Thanks - the Dealer is going to get it done.

 

[rolandbrindley]

Rubber and fabric belts deteriorate for 2 reasons mainly, the amount of flexing suffered and the age or the belt. A 3rd reason my or may not be present, contamination by liquids, not usually present, and heat, always present.

The belt change periodicity is rarely stated in makers handbooks, if you query the main agents you will get hugely differing answers, so you have to work it out for yourself.

Does the belt drive a camshaft? If NO, you need not be so particular about regular changes, as breakage is not going to cause valve to piston contact. See Ford Escort Diesel pump drive belt.

Even if it does drive a camshaft, some engines don't suffer piston to valve contact due to careful design, such as the basic Punto Fire engine.

Does the one belt drive both water pump, camshaft and injector pump? This is a heavy loading and more frequent change is indicated.

Is the belt a wide thick one or does it appear to be thin and flexible? The thicker the cross section and width, the longer the periodicity one might assume.

I asked the service manager of Fegimotor Almeria for the recommended change period for our Jeep Limited. He replied 140,000 kms. Other makes suggest half to one third of that figure. Some makes do not admit their engines have a drive belt at all.

Our Jeep has 30,000km showing but is over 10 years old, and the belt has never been changed from new. I am not yet alarmed but intend to change it before the next annual test.

To sum up, between 4 and 10 years and between 40,000km and 140,000km. Not easy to make sense of, but batter safe than sorry.

 

[RS3100]

The belt change periodicity is rarely stated in makers handbooks, if you query the main agents you will get hugely differing answers, so you have to work it out for yourself.

But in the case of the OPs specific question, the scheduled belt change information is stated in the vehicle handbook as already explained!

 

[rolandbrindley]

My Fiat Punto 55 owners handbook makes no reference to any timing belt, nor to its replacement period.

 

[RS3100]

My Fiat Punto 55 owners handbook makes no reference to any timing belt, nor to its replacement period.

Which is all very interesting Roland, but this is the Ducato forum and the OP was referring to a 2014 2.3 Ducato and the owners handbook for that vehicle does include information about the replacement schedule for the timing belt (as well as the entire service schedule for the van) so I'm not sure what your point is?

I could also say that my wife's Hyundai i10 handbook doesn't mention a timing belt either, but I doubt that's much use to the OP

 

[rolandbrindley]

My point is that one does not need to know the makers recommended belt change period, if one looks at the belt, observes what work it does, what are its working conditions, and what its characteristics are. Using commonsense will get you within 20,000 miles either way in most cases, and the extreme limit of these belts is perhaps 2 or 3 times the period you are likely to guess at. And never forget the age of the belt, if anything as important as the distance covered.