1st of all get the car ready for the job in hand.
- disconnect the battery
- handbrake on
- loosen the drivers wheel bolts,but DO NOT unbolt fully or remove
- undo the 2 13mm mounting bolts on the expansion tank and lift it forward to the front of the engine bay.no need to remove the coolant hoses
- if you want a bit more access you can remove the drivers side headlight as well.
- there is 1 10mm on top and one 8mm to the rear of the headlight.then unplug the wiring connectors and indicator bulb holder
- remove the electrical wiring for around the top cam belt cover.undo 1 10mm bolt for the top cam belt cover(to the left front of the engine) and remove the cover
- jack the car up on the drivers side and put an axle stand underneath to support it.
- (do not work on the car with just the jack supporting!!)
- remove the drivers side wheel
- remove the wheel arch liner and lower engine cover.these are held in with 8 & 10mm bolts/screws
removing the belt
- remove the 3 13mm bolts from the crankshaft pulley.this drives the alternator belt so you will most likely need to slacken of the alternator mounts to slacken the drive belt.
- if the crankshaft pulley moves as you try and undo the bolts then use a screwdrier passed through the pulley to hold it in place.
- undo the 10mm bolt on the lower cam belt cover and remove it.this requires a bit of manipulating to get it out.
- look for the timing marks on the crankshaft cog which aligns with the mark on the engine block @ approx the 10 o clock position.
- also a mark on the camshaft pulley that aligns @ approx the 9 o clock position with a mark on the head.
- there are various methods of moving the belt into position but personally i just put a ratchet/small breaker bar on the crankshaft bolt and manually turn the engine over.you can remove the spark plugs to make it easier.
- undo the 13mm bolt for the timing belt tensioner and the belt will go slack.
- remove the tensioner noting the hole used to mount it to the engine.
- remove the belt.
now is a good time to lay the new and old belt together to make sure they are both the same size!
refitting
if you are fitting a new tensioner and if not why not?
you will need to tension it. there is a 'proper' tool but a piece of steel or the like with 2 M6 bolts at the correct spacing for the tensioner will do fine.
ive not tested it but you may find an angle grinder blade tool will fit as well.
so remove the centre section from the old tensioner and fit to the new one.
loosely bolt the new tensioner in place.
the new belt will have markings that corespond to the timing marks on the engine plus an arrow for rotation.
place the belt on the crankshaft making sure the timing mark doesnt move and the mark on the belt is aligned.
next up fit the belt around the water pump and then up to the camshaft pulley again taking note of the timing markings.
finally fit the belt over the tensioner pulley ensuring any belt slack is by the tensioner.
now adjust the tensioner up to remove all slack from the belt and tighten the 13mm bolt to hold it in place.
the belt shouldnt move more than 90o when twisted at the tensioner.
if its too tight or slack then readjust the tensioner.
refit the crankshaft pulley bolts and alternator belt and tighten up.manually turn the engine over 2 full turns to check everything is aligned and tight.
recheck the timing marks are still aligned top and bottom.refitt the spark plugs if you removed them.
now if you want you can turn the engine over while everything is still off though i tend to just go ahead and put it all together.
refitting the other parts
- refit the lower cam belt cover and bolt.
- refit the top cambelt cover ensuring its correctly aligned and all wiring is safely clipped in place.
- if removed refit the headlight
- refit the expansion tank.
- refit the wheel arch liner and lower engine cover.
- refit the drivers side wheel and tighten the bolts
- lift the car on the jack and remove the axle stand
- lower the car to the ground.
- torque the wheel bolts to specified nm
- reconnect the battery
fire her up and check the cars starting/running as expected. if it wont start or runs rough then re check the timing marks are aligned correctly but remember the engine may run a bit rough as the ECU relearns its perameters.
any torque figures needed can be found in the FAQ
