Technical Using MES after timing belt change (phonic wheel)

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Technical Using MES after timing belt change (phonic wheel)

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I'm nearly ready to change the cam belt on my boy's 2012 Punto 1.4 8valve. Feeling fairly confident about the mechanical parts of the job. Waiting for various eBay purchases - Gates belt kit (with pump), cam cover gasket, sealant, engine locking tool kit, etc - to arrive. I've carefully read through the excellent forum guide for the similar 1.2 (many thanks to the author for an outstanding piece of work) & bought the Haynes manual (good discount at Halfords with trade card). As a matter of interest has anyone tried fitting a new belt without slackening the Torx bolt on the cam pulley and then seeing if the cam locking tool still lines up afterwards? I'd rather not disturb this bolt unless I really have to (by the way, if this bolt does need to be slackened should it be renewed or is it ok to just retighten the old one?). As I'm hoping soon to buy a Panda Dynamic Eco to replace our ailing family runabout, I decided to buy a registered copy of Multiecuscan. I bought from Gendan and have nothing but praise for them. I pestered them many times with "ignorant" questions and they were very patient and helpful. The kit arrived yesterday and my friend and neighbour, who "knows" about computers, is going to help me install and configure it on my laptop. I feel quite happy about how to scan for DTC's, and do other simple things but not sure about this Phonic Wheel Relearn which is, evidently, needed after the belt has been renewed. In fact I've never heard of a "phonic wheel" on anything else I've ever worked on! I've stumbled upon a guide, on YouTube, (I think the author was "Joni? or some similar name) which kind of shows the procedure but not in much detail. So I'm wondering if anyone can enlighten me as to exactly how to use MES in this respect. Is it as simple as selecting "adjustments" in engine mode then excecuting a "self adaption reset" followed by excecuting a "phonic wheel learn reset" followed by reving the engine up to around 5000 rpm three times (whilst keeping hankie ready to mop nervous sweat on forehead!) Followed by switching the ign off for a short period of time so the ECU can store the results. Do you always do the self adaption reset before a phonic wheel relearn? Is it necessary to do the lesser rev up proceeded detailed in the self adaption reset proceeded guide notes before going to the phonic wheel relearn or can you just go straight to the 5000 rpm proceeded when you do the subsequent phonic wheel reset? Indeed if I get away without having to slacken and retighten the cam pulley will a phonic wheel relearn still be needed? You can see I'm feeling quite unsure about all this. Anyone able to give me a step by step guide?
I've only been a forum member for a few weeks but already learnt a lot of useful stuff, like the how to guide for changing the cam (timing) belt. So thanks to you all, I'm loving it!
I'll also be doing a "big" service on this vehicle and have come across a very interesting website when looking for oil bargains. If anyone is interested try googling "Oilem". Lots of stuff to read. OK, going to make a cup of coffee and wait, with great excitement, for all your replies! Regards Jock!
 
The relearn is to compensate for the top and bottom pulley timing inputs gradually drifting apart as the belt slackens over the years...

The new kit should make an instant change/recalibrstion to this LEARNT setting..

So it needs to RELARN where things are..

This is a common issue with this engine in the Grande...lots more info in the GP section

Charlie
 
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Thanks for that Andy. Thanks also for your excellent guide to belt renewal. Now that I see your name I remember it was your guide I read!

Thanks for the explanation of why the cam pulley bolt needs to be slackened. I can see that. Has anyone fitted a belt without slackening this bolt and how did the cam line up afterwards? I'm wondering if these belts are so accurately made that the position of cam and crank will just return to what it was when the old belt was originally fitted?

As regards the phonic wheel relearn following the renewal of the belt, are you saying all I need to do is start the engine and let it idle for a while without touching the throttle to enable the ECU to become "happy" with the new relative position of crank and cam? Would it be advisable to switch off the ignition to allow learnt values to be stored before restarting the engine and touching the throttle? No need to use the MES then? Boy that would be great! In fact that could be accomplished whilst bleeding out the cooling system.

I'd still like a step by step guide to doing the engine phonic wheel relearn including any preparatory memory clearing just in case I need to do one in the future.

Many thanks again for that guide Andy.
 
OK. I've been sitting thinking this all through. After a lifetime of "fixing" things I consider myself reasonably proficient with spanners, screwdrivers, torque wrench, etc and when all else fails a very big hammer! However, like many older people who haven't grown up with computers, I do toil a bit with them. I've got VCDS (Volkswagen softwear), a generic EOBD scanner and now Multiecuscan. I'm getting quite used to the VCDS package for simpler tasks and the EOBD scanner for reading DTCs. I haven't yet used the Multiecuscan in anger.

So now we come to my problem. After fitting the belt lets imagine I have the dreaded flashing engine light. Reading up on the forum it would seem that this will indicate the ECU is not happy with the new relationship between the crank sensor and cam sensor. If I understand correctly this can be corrected with a Phonic Wheel relearn which seems to involve getting the engine up to operating temperature and then reving it up to at least 5000 rpm and back to tick over three times then switching the ign off and letting it sit for a minute or so for the ECU to store the new settings before starting it up again.

When you go into adjustments on MES it shows two procedures, "self adaption reset" and "Phonic wheel learn reset". What I don't understand is whether I need to do either of these before doing the rev up procedure? or maybe I just need to do one of them and not the other? Please can some knowledgeable person enlighten me?
 
So now we come to my problem. After fitting the belt lets imagine I have the dreaded flashing engine light. Reading up on the forum it would seem that this will indicate the ECU is not happy with the new relationship between the crank sensor and cam sensor. If I understand correctly this can be corrected with a Phonic Wheel relearn which seems to involve getting the engine up to operating temperature and then reving it up to at least 5000 rpm and back to tick over three times then switching the ign off and letting it sit for a minute or so for the ECU to store the new settings before starting it up again.

When you go into adjustments on MES it shows two procedures, "self adaption reset" and "Phonic wheel learn reset". What I don't understand is whether I need to do either of these before doing the rev up procedure? or maybe I just need to do one of them and not the other? Please can some knowledgeable person enlighten me?



" phelonic wheel should relearn itself if you let the car tick over a few mins with no accelerator input from memory" - andymonty
 
" phelonic wheel should relearn itself if you let the car tick over a few mins with no accelerator input from memory" - andymonty
OK, it all sounds too easy, but then my wife always says I tend to look for the most obscure faults and miss the simple ones! - such as "you sure it hasn't simply run out of petrol dear"?

So my plan is now to do the belt change and leave the engine at a tick over whilst bleeding out the cooling system.

I'll let you all know how it turned out in a wee while - got to convince my boy to leave the car with me for a day first!
 
I'm having the same issue. 2013 1.2 500 duologic. I've tried the italian tune up twice now and that hasn't worked. i'm currently trying to find out what software to buy to enable me to do the Phonic relearn as Im sure if its mentioned in Multiecuscan then it must be a necessary part of the process.
 
Wee bit of a hold up. All the "bits" cam belt, tensioner, water pump, antifreeze, etc etc arrived but so far no timing tools! Think they've gone AWOL. I was very very nervous about installing the Multiecuscan onto my laptop ( I splashed out on the multiplexed version) because I am absolutely useless at computer stuff! Delighted to say the installation went very smoothly. Haven't had the chance to plug it into the boy's Punto yet but it's all looking good!

In the meantime I've been asking around the small garages in my area about how they would do the job. First off is they all say it's an easy one to do and, as it turns up in quite a few different cars they've all done quite a few. They don't seem to have the locking tools and would just mark up the pulleys with tipp-ex! None said they remove the cam cover! All said they've never heard of a phonic wheel reset and don't have the software to do it anyway also haven't had any customer come backs because of it! I find this very interesting. Andy's ticking over proceeded is looking better and better by the minute!

Just to satisfy my curiosity I've decided I'm going to mark up the pulleys and belt before removal. Then lock up the engine with the tools and remove the old belt. Next I'm going to mark the new belt up with identical marks to the old one. And fit it so these marks line up. I may have to remove the cam locking bar to do this. Then tighten the tensioner, rotate the engine by hand for a few revs and refit the crank locking tool. I'm having a wee bet with myself that the cam tool will just about drop in to the slot?! If not I'll have to slacken the pulley. If it does line up then maybe that explains why these small garages aren't having any comebacks!

By the way, this 2012 Punto does have a coded radio doesn't it? I'm assuming I need to use a memory saver to stop loosing the radio. We don't have the code! Anyone know?

Anyway, watch this space, I'll keep you updated as things progress.
Bigshineybike. Have a search on You Tube. Type in "Multiecuscan phonic wheel reset" the top clip on the list comes up something like "Multiecuscan 2.4 Random Error Codes- self adaption and phonic wheel reset" the author is Jonik. The last third of the clip shows stuff about this phonic wheel reset. I'm still confused though as to how you actually do it!!
 
Well the master plan was to have this belt change done by now before the cold weather arrives. Unfortunately, although everything else is sitting in a big cardboard box in my garage, the timing tools still aren't here! Contacted the vendor who says it was posted over a week ago so it looks like it's gone AWOL. Very nice people, many apologies and have sent out a new one. Just hope the cold holds off!

Once the job is done my plan is still to try Andy's recommendation of letting it idle for a while without touching the throttle. I don't want you to feel I am ungrateful for your advice Andy, hopefully this procedure will facilitate the relearn. But now being the proud owner of my own registered Multiecuscan I really would like to know, the exact procedure to prepare for and carry out the Phonic wheel relearn.

I've tried to find out by searching the forum but I can't find anything other than the "Italian Tune Up" proceedure. It's my belief that there is some sort of stored value to be erased from the ECU'S memory prior to doing this and it's how to do this that I'm unsure of. I have asked about this in a couple of different places on the forum but so far no guidance has been forthcoming. Please don't think I'm having a moan, I'm just sure that someone on here will know how to do this and I'm trying to grab their attention.

This is a great resource and full of so much knowledge. I'm having a skulk around most nights and all the time I'm turning up little nuggets of info I didn't know! Thanks to everyone who contributed. Regards to all.
 
At last, I think mine is fixed.
In my new to Fiats opinion Italian tune up cannot be done without the Multiecuscan.

I tried that and nothing happened. So I bought the kit from Gendan following a helpful phone call. The lead and software came to around £100. (They confirmed that the OBD lead I use for my Triumph motorbike is VAGcom and so not the same chip set or something).
I did struggle setting up the laptop I wasn't reading the paperwork accurately enough beware and tread carefully. I set the com 4 port to 9600 baud, also in settings my lead was called OBD link usb/bluetooth rather than any of the other suggestions which made more sense to me.

And so with the lead connected to the car and recognised etc I was able to go into a menu which resets parameters. choose 'Phonic wheel learn' and delete the existing parameters. An instuction and warnng panel flashes on the screen describing and warning of the need for the previously spoken of Italian tune up. once we tap that button; the engine MIL lamp, the warning triangle and the stop / start lamp all began to flash.
Took the car for a drive away from neighbours and a chance to warm it up. rev the knackers off it three times holding it for a few seconds each time and then all the warning lamps went off.
I turned off the engine counted slowly to ten and took it for a test drive.
for now it all seems to be fixed.

to keep my story together here is a brief history. Fiat 500 2012 500l 8v
routine service by Alfa main dealer, they changed cam belt and told us they had detected a misfire and that we should consider a new coil pack. didn't spot the connection. In regular use the car was fine.
On the motorway some months after that service the MIL light came on. Rac called and suggested coil pack. P0300, P0304 P0301codes recorded
we swapped coil pack, plug leads spark plugs.
Came to fiatforum and heard about Phonic wheel. Bought MES software.
See above.
 
Worth mentioning to the 'experts' who charged plenty for the cambelt change..
Been very busy with other stuff for the last few days so haven't been thinking about the Punto. However something has happened which made me remember - The timing tool kit has arrived! Yipee! So now everything is in place to get on with my boy's car. The only fly in the ointment is that we had planned to do it during his recent leave days, that's gone now due to the delay (the order went in, via eBay, on Oct 19th. Due to abortive shipping attempts, I took delivery on the morning of 7th Nov). He works unsociable hours with very little notice of when his shift times will be so it may be a wee while before I get my hands on it which, as it's a 2012 car with about 4500 miles on it, is making me slightly twitchy!

Anyway, I've just been catching up on the thread and Charlie's post about the cost of a cambelt change set me to thinking that some of you might be interrested in the research I did whilst trying to decide whether to let a "professional" do it or do it myself. Bearing in mind I worked as a mechanic in the late '60's, '70's and '80's I was not too concerned with physically doing the job. But how did the expenses stack up? Tools and potentialy expensive parts needed to be bought and I only had my VCDS (VAG-com, as it used to be) generic scanner which I've never tried on a Fiat and anyway it wouldn't do a service reset on it let alone anything more technical. Besides, I really really would like my own Multiecuscan! So I started ringing and visiting workshops and exploring the internet possibilities. Herewith a sumation of the results:-

First off I rang a couple of large (Posh showroom type) Fiat dealer service departments:-
To renew timing belt and water pump inclusive of fluids etc. £426
Major service (special price) £169
Total cost £595
Both dealers, not surprisingly, quoted virtually identical prices. I'm not sure what the special price on the service is all about. I was offered it without asking or any particular explanation of why I qualified for it so it was probably that months "special". Stupidly didn't ask what the standard price would be! Both wanted to know why I wanted to renew the water pump. They suggested that it is often not necessary, that it would normaly be checked during the procedure and only changed if necessary! I was told it would save a worthwhile amount if it didn't need changing. Now I don't know about you, but I don't know how you can "check" an installed pump and predict that it is going to outlast the new belt which you are about to fit? On installations where the pump is part of the timing belt drive train (as it is on this Punto) I would always renew the pump. (seen too many with collapsed or seized bearings and the very annoyingly expensive results) in fact I would always renew the pump even where it wasn't an integral part of the drivetrain but was so buried on the engine that to change it would require the timing belt to be removed for access.

So, sweating at the prospect of that expense, I approached quite a few smaller independant workshops. Generally speaking they were all very friendly and prepared to talk and answer questions. (I think they were a bit surprised at this "Old Boy" who actually seemed to know what they were talking about!) As we know this family of engines turn up in quite a few makes of car and these smaller garages were all familiar with it. I chatted with most of them about how they would do the job. Nearly all said they would automatically buy a belt kit which included the water pump unless the customer specifically said they only wanted the belt fitted on it's own. Not one of them could produce a locking tool kit, although two said they could rent one from a trade source if needed (My local factor rents them out to trade sources only). Several said, however, that they've done them in the past by tipp-exing the pulleys and never had a problem. None said the cam cover needed to be removed, knew what a Phonic Wheel Relearn was, why you would want to do it, and only had generic scanners (Bosch, Snap on, etc). All considered it an "easy job" and were happy to take it on. Several were familiar enough with parts prices to quote on the spot with the others saying they would like to check the cost of the belt kit but knew they could "knock spots" off the Main Dealer price. These quotes were verbal and varied a bit so I've averaged them out for comparison:-
To renew timing belt and water pump etc. £235
Major service (There was about a £30 variation here) £185
Total cost £420

Then I looked at Multiecuscan and decided that, if I could justify it, the Multiplexed version with its bluetooth capability, single interface, multi device instalation, etc, was the one I'd like. Whilst making my mind up I pestered Mike West at Gendan on many occassions with what he probably found to be "stupid" questions. He was very patient and answered all my concerns very fully. I can strongly recommend this company. The other piece of equipment I didn't have was a kit of locking tools. There is a large selection, widely varying in price on eBay. The cheapest come from China directly, and would have saved me around £10, but I decided to buy from a British supplier as I felt that it would be easier to communicate if something went wrong (Boy was I glad!) I bought a Neilsen branded CT3395 kit and it looks robust and well finished. So here are the prices I actually bought things for:-
Multiecuscan Multiplexed version. (Don't tell the wife!) £234.95
Neilsen Timing Tool kit £ 45.00
Fuchs Titan 5w-40 engine oil (5 litres) £ 22.95
Gates Timing Belt kit (with water pump) £ 61.92
Air Filter £ 6.40
Oil Filter £ 2.60
Cabin Filter £ 4.28
Cam Cover Gasket £ 10.40
Spark Plugs (4 off standard type) £ 16.00 approx.
Antifreeze mix £ 10.00 approx.
Total cost £414.50

So. Wow, I can do it myself for the sort of money an independant is going to charge and end up with a set of locking tools and a multiplexed version of MES to "play" with when I've finished! So it was no contest. I ordered everything up. The only thing that fell apart was the delivery on the timing tools which took two abortive attempts and a change to another delivery service before it got to me. I live in Edinburgh and have never had a problem before so what went wrong this time? well who knows.

As a wee follow up to the main dealer recommendation it may interrest you to know that during my investigations I turned up a very nice, but overpriced, 2010 Dynamic Eco Panda - a model I'm looking for for my wife - I contacted the dealer, who was another branch of the dealer network that gave me the "Dealer price quotes" you see above to get details of service history etc and to ask if there was any proof of the cam belt having been done. Didn't know but would ring me back. 20 minutes later a phone call to tell me "Yes it has been done by us as part of the sales preparation" and was the water pump done as well? Another wait and the information that was "NO, it didn't need one"??!! Oh deary me! I despair!

Anyway folks, hope you found the above interresting. I feel I could have probably got some of these prices down by playing one against the other, especially some of the smaller workshops, but I think the above comparissons are valid and realistic. It would be interresting to know how these prices compare with other parts of the country if anyone has recently done any costing.

That's all for now folks I'll keep updating as the Punto timing belt and service work progresses. Especially the comparison I want to do between the accuracy of using the locking tools and doing it with Tipp-ex marks on the pulleys/belt/engine casings.
Please do let me know if all this is just too boring and I'll stop. In the meantime, good night, I'm off to bed!
 
At last, I think mine is fixed.
In my new to Fiats opinion Italian tune up cannot be done without the Multiecuscan.

I tried that and nothing happened. So I bought the kit from Gendan following a helpful phone call. The lead and software came to around £100. (They confirmed that the OBD lead I use for my Triumph motorbike is VAGcom and so not the same chip set or something).
I did struggle setting up the laptop I wasn't reading the paperwork accurately enough beware and tread carefully. I set the com 4 port to 9600 baud, also in settings my lead was called OBD link usb/bluetooth rather than any of the other suggestions which made more sense to me.

And so with the lead connected to the car and recognised etc I was able to go into a menu which resets parameters. choose 'Phonic wheel learn' and delete the existing parameters. An instuction and warnng panel flashes on the screen describing and warning of the need for the previously spoken of Italian tune up. once we tap that button; the engine MIL lamp, the warning triangle and the stop / start lamp all began to flash.
Took the car for a drive away from neighbours and a chance to warm it up. rev the knackers off it three times holding it for a few seconds each time and then all the warning lamps went off.
I turned off the engine counted slowly to ten and took it for a test drive.
for now it all seems to be fixed.

to keep my story together here is a brief history. Fiat 500 2012 500l 8v
routine service by Alfa main dealer, they changed cam belt and told us they had detected a misfire and that we should consider a new coil pack. didn't spot the connection. In regular use the car was fine.
On the motorway some months after that service the MIL light came on. Rac called and suggested coil pack. P0300, P0304 P0301codes recorded
we swapped coil pack, plug leads spark plugs.
Came to fiatforum and heard about Phonic wheel. Bought MES software.
See above.
Hi bigshineybike. I intended to thank you, in my last post, for detailing your experience with your 500. I find it very interesting that it did not respond to the "Italian Tune Up" without any preparatory work. Having read quite a number of posts on the subject some people seem to have had success but they seem to report flashing lights etc before attempting the proceedure so maybe the ECU was already in mode to accept it? Others, with older cars, say to disconnect the battery for a while to reset it. ( I can understand that working). However on later model vehicles, like my boy's Punto, there does seem to be the need to use Multiecuscan to set the ECU up to accept the new values. I seem to have gathered though that not all engines need this reset, the 16valve engines being a case in point? Or am I mistaken? Anyway, won't be long now and I'll be discovering all about this for myself!

Interesting also to hear of the configuration problems you had (baud rates etc.) Although my Multiecuscan is successfully installed on my laptop, I haven't yet had the chance to connect to my boy's Punto as he's always working. Something to look forward to!

Not sure if I like the term Italian Tune Up? In my workshop days an Italian Tune Up would mean getting a car nicely warmed up and then driving it hard, but not dangerously, - the idea being to stress the engine so as to burn out all the gungy deposits. We did not do it often but it could work well on a vehicle that had spent it's life toddling a couple of miles down the road to the shops, sitting a while and then toddling home. Quite probably without the temp gauge even moving off it's stop! Luckily I was seldom asked to do it as the younger mechanics were always happy to oblige!
 
Sitting (careful with the spelling Jock!) here on our living room couch, recovering from a spectacular dose of jippy tummy (which knocked me out the day before Christmas) with my beloved watching more programs about buying houses (is she trying to drop hints? I'm only biting if it's got a double garage - with heater!) It occurs to me to update you all on the progress, or not, regarding the cambelt change.

I'm nervously able to report that the belt is still unchanged! However I'm feeling just a little less nervous than I was because: although usually we host Christmas day, this year, for the first time ever, my older boy and his wife bravely decided to host the whole event. (wife, self, my brother, wife's sister, my daughter her husband and two kids and my younger boy, wife and daughter to say nothing of his own boy!) This all involves a lot of preparation and, luckily, whilst my boy was down here at our house, he left his car for a couple of hours whilst sorting "stuff" out with my wife. Not enough time to do the belt but plenty to do some checking.

So, off with the belt top cover. O.S.F wheel jacked clear of the ground and with top gear engaged I was able to, very slowly, walk the wheel round with my left foot whilst closely examining the whole length of the belt. I then inspected the root of the teeth in about 8 different positions, with a small magnifying glass, as this is most commonly where they crack. Luckily the belt looks in good order with no obvious defects. It also seems to be correctly tensioned and there are no untoward noises from the tensioner or water pump bearings. So, although I think it's probably the original belt, (but there are signs of white lettering on the smooth side of the belt?) and I will be changing it as soon as my boy lets me get my hands on it, I'm just a little less anxious than I was!

As I had completed this before they returned from the shops I had a quick crawl around whilst I had the jack out and was disappointed to notice, but not surprised to see, the crusty rusted condition of the sump. Hope it's not going to collapse when I stick the jack under it when I remove the mount! Think I'll drain the oil before I start just in case! Also noticed a small leak of oil from the crank pulley seal - I'll now be able to get one before I start on the belt change and just do it at the same time. The cam seal looks good with not the slightest trace of a leak.

As they still hadn't returned when I put the car back on the ground and moved it away from the standing in front of my garage so my wife could park there on her return. Perfect opportunity to try out my new toy for the first time and see if there are any DTC's stored. Fired up the laptop, plugged in my MES cantiecar interface, MES up and running - but, oh dear, connection failed! Check interface and cabling! Just at that wife returned and the boy departed with the car!

I know the MES is loaded to the laptop and I've been playing with the simulate mode quite a bit. The laptop shows the interface at COM3 and, in MES settings, I see the Cantiecar at COM3. I need to reconnect to the car and make sure the COM port is saved and the speeds are correct. I think? - Don't really know what I'm doing but it's quite fun fiddling and I suppose I'll get there in the end? Would be nice though just to go through the downloading proceedure and have it work without all this phaffing about? VAG - COM worked straight off!

Well that's the Punto Story up to date for now. Still intending to let you all know how I get on comparing timing marks by the "tipp-ex" method Vs the "timing tools" method. Lastly, can I just repeat my appeal for anyone in the Edinburgh area, who understands MES and would feel able to help if I'm unsuccessful configuring my interface, to make contact? As "Arnie" famously said, "I'll be back"! Hopefully with joyous tidings of a cambelt renewed! Happy new year, when it comes, to all.
 
Sitting (careful with the spelling Jock!) here on our living room couch, recovering from a spectacular dose of jippy tummy (which knocked me out the day before Christmas) with my beloved watching more programs about buying houses (is she trying to drop hints? I'm only biting if it's got a double garage - with heater!) It occurs to me to update you all on the progress, or not, regarding the cambelt change.

I'm nervously able to report that the belt is still unchanged! However I'm feeling just a little less nervous than I was because: although usually we host Christmas day, this year, for the first time ever, my older boy and his wife bravely decided to host the whole event. (wife, self, my brother, wife's sister, my daughter her husband and two kids and my younger boy, wife and daughter to say nothing of his own boy!) This all involves a lot of preparation and, luckily, whilst my boy was down here at our house, he left his car for a couple of hours whilst sorting "stuff" out with my wife. Not enough time to do the belt but plenty to do some checking.

So, off with the belt top cover. O.S.F wheel jacked clear of the ground and with top gear engaged I was able to, very slowly, walk the wheel round with my left foot whilst closely examining the whole length of the belt. I then inspected the root of the teeth in about 8 different positions, with a small magnifying glass, as this is most commonly where they crack. Luckily the belt looks in good order with no obvious defects. It also seems to be correctly tensioned and there are no untoward noises from the tensioner or water pump bearings. So, although I think it's probably the original belt, (but there are signs of white lettering on the smooth side of the belt?) and I will be changing it as soon as my boy lets me get my hands on it, I'm just a little less anxious than I was!

As I had completed this before they returned from the shops I had a quick crawl around whilst I had the jack out and was disappointed to notice, but not surprised to see, the crusty rusted condition of the sump. Hope it's not going to collapse when I stick the jack under it when I remove the mount! Think I'll drain the oil before I start just in case! Also noticed a small leak of oil from the crank pulley seal - I'll now be able to get one before I start on the belt change and just do it at the same time. The cam seal looks good with not the slightest trace of a leak.

As they still hadn't returned when I put the car back on the ground and moved it away from the standing in front of my garage so my wife could park there on her return. Perfect opportunity to try out my new toy for the first time and see if there are any DTC's stored. Fired up the laptop, plugged in my MES cantiecar interface, MES up and running - but, oh dear, connection failed! Check interface and cabling! Just at that wife returned and the boy departed with the car!

I know the MES is loaded to the laptop and I've been playing with the simulate mode quite a bit. The laptop shows the interface at COM3 and, in MES settings, I see the Cantiecar at COM3. I need to reconnect to the car and make sure the COM port is saved and the speeds are correct. I think? - Don't really know what I'm doing but it's quite fun fiddling and I suppose I'll get there in the end? Would be nice though just to go through the downloading proceedure and have it work without all this phaffing about? VAG - COM worked straight off!

Well that's the Punto Story up to date for now. Still intending to let you all know how I get on comparing timing marks by the "tipp-ex" method Vs the "timing tools" method. Lastly, can I just repeat my appeal for anyone in the Edinburgh area, who understands MES and would feel able to help if I'm unsuccessful configuring my interface, to make contact? As "Arnie" famously said, "I'll be back"! Hopefully with joyous tidings of a cambelt renewed! Happy new year, when it comes, to all.
Hey Jock. Just a quick one. In the end with your sons punto. Did you find the manual phobic relearn worked or did you need to use scan tool?
 
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