Hi

My marea weekkend 1.6 SX is getting its timing belt changed next week. Is it important to get the tensioners and rollers and uxillary belt done too. There is no noise or anything so should I just get the timing belt done.

BTW

All my quotes for this were under £200 including VAT and labour. I've seen some horrendous figures on this site, so I was a bit worried. I didn't go to a FIAT garage though just independent dealers in Dundee.

Thanks

I think it's better safe than sorry with regards the other belts.
The horrendous figure for timing belt changes would all be for the 20v weren't they?

Well you have to remove the aux belt so would guess it's worth having it replaced. As for it's tensioner - they're not known to fail and if they do they generally fail quite safely. I'd leave the tensioner.

my tensioner failed, and shredded the belt, which then jammed the crank pulley, and knocked the timing out. I had to change the timing belt, and it's tensioner(which came in a kit), and time the engine, which isn't easy without the proper tools. Luckilly the belt comes with marks on it to line up the pulleys.

defo change the aux belt (it costs peanuts so why take the risk)

the tensioner and idler should be inspected in the same way you inspect the bearing on the water pump for play and roughness, and indeed everything driven by either belt should be inspected in the same way. anything found to need replacment, or anything that may need replacing in the next couple of years, should be replaced.

Pete W said:

my tensioner failed, and shredded the belt,

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out of interest, at what milage?

Hi

I have 60,000 miles on the clock so I think it might be worth it to shell out the extras and get thhe tensioners etc done.


Thanks to all for advice

Mj

Hi, mine has done 133,000, so i think they have done well,the timing belt was last done at 70,000, but i don't think they changed any tensioners.

Yes mate get them replaced. This is through experiance, my weekender is a 1997 with only 25,000 FSH miles. I had the cam belt changed on time in November, the local garage told me the tensioner was OK so didnt replace it. The lot went over a month ago, total bill for top end £1,070 all 16 valves bent and they reckon the bottom end is damaged to, this was due to the tensioner failing. We have trading standard`s involved at the moment but it isnt looking good. The garage has offered my trade value for the car which is about £100.00 ?. Totally pissed off, I loved that car.

So yes get them replaced both together. hope this helps

Regards

Gogsown1

gogsown1 said:

Yes mate get them replaced. This is through experiance, my weekender is a 1997 with only 25,000 FSH miles. I had the cam belt changed on time in November, the local garage told me the tensioner was OK so didnt replace it. The lot went over a month ago, total bill for top end £1,070 all 16 valves bent and they reckon the bottom end is damaged to, this was due to the tensioner failing. We have trading standard`s involved at the moment but it isnt looking good. The garage has offered my trade value for the car which is about £100.00 ?. Totally pissed off, I loved that car.

So yes get them replaced both together. hope this helps

Regards

Gogsown1

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Cambelt tensioner or aux belt tensioner?

NEVER get the cambelt changed without changing the cam belt tensioners.

That would be my thoughts too. I have the Weekend 1.6sx with 99K on the clock. The previous owner had the timing belt & aux belt done at 80K but there is no record of the tensioners being done so I'm listening closely every day for sounds of tensioner bearings going bad.
I had a Saab 2.0 LPT previously & although its chain driven it has a big old (fan?) belt going round water pump & stuff inc 2 or 3 tensioners (it's a beast). I heard something whizzing after revs were dying down & my mechanic said it would be a tensioner but to go a bit further in the car & come back when it was a bit worse so it would be easier to tell which was gone.
Ah, the benefits of hindsight.
I took it on a 500 mile round trip the same week & the tensioner failed halfway shredding the belt & leaving me stranded somewhere near Doncaster. £250 to get the car home + repairs. Fortunately it didn't drive the cam, but at least I know what a failing tensioner sounds like now.