Technical 1991 Croma 2.0T i.e. in USA - tips on timing/balance shaft belts

[entirelyturbo]

Hello everyone,

I recently imported a pristine-condition 1991 Fiat Croma 2.0T i.e. to the United States.

It runs and drives fine, but it has a troubling whining noise coming from the timing belt area, which I suspect is a timing belt tensioner. I've hardly driven it at all since taking delivery, so no permanent damage has been done.

I'm reasonably mechanically inclined, and have serviced other vehicles' timing belts before (mostly Subarus). I already have the parts en route to me from Europe as we speak.

I've never serviced a Lampredi Twin Cam before though (for obvious reasons).

Does anyone have experience servicing the timing belt and balance shaft belts on these cars, or any other car with a transversely-mounted Lampredi Twin Cam (like a Lancia Delta, for example) that could offer me some tips? Any idiosyncrasies I should be aware of?

Thanks for any help, and below is a picture of my Croma the night I took possession of it:

 

[bugsymike]

Hello everyone,

I recently imported a pristine-condition 1991 Fiat Croma 2.0T i.e. to the United States.

It runs and drives fine, but it has a troubling whining noise coming from the timing belt area, which I suspect is a timing belt tensioner. I've hardly driven it at all since taking delivery, so no permanent damage has been done.

I'm reasonably mechanically inclined, and have serviced other vehicles' timing belts before (mostly Subarus). I already have the parts en route to me from Europe as we speak.

I've never serviced a Lampredi Twin Cam before though (for obvious reasons).

Does anyone have experience servicing the timing belt and balance shaft belts on these cars, or any other car with a transversely-mounted Lampredi Twin Cam (like a Lancia Delta, for example) that could offer me some tips? Any idiosyncrasies I should be aware of?

Thanks for any help, and below is a picture of my Croma the night I took possession of it:
View attachment 465161

Is this your Engine Series.?

 

[entirelyturbo]

Is this your Engine Series.?

I'll double-check my engine code later, but everything I see there indicates that's my engine.

That's a huge help! Thank you bugsymike!

I've read something elsewhere on this forum about Tempras that the crankshaft pulley/harmonic balancer bolt is reverse threaded... do you see any note of that in your manual?

 

[bugsymike]

I'll double-check my engine code later, but everything I see there indicates that's my engine.

That's a huge help! Thank you bugsymike!

I've read something elsewhere on this forum about Tempras that the crankshaft pulley/harmonic balancer bolt is reverse threaded... do you see any note of that in your manual?

Looking at the same manual it seems like the crank pulley stays on and you just under the smaller bolts and then retorque to 25Nm at number one in bottom of photo.

 

[entirelyturbo]

So the diagram was indeed helpful as far as getting the marks lined up, I was a bit lost on the correct placement for the cam marks until I paid very close attention to it.

My engine code is 154C4, so a bit updated from that workshop manual.

For example, i had to remove the front crank pulley for the accessory belts, there's no way to service the timing belt without removing it, which means I was able to confirm like I saw elsewhere on this forum that the big crank pulley bolt IS in fact a reverse thread. I'm glad I didn't learn that the hard way!

Anyway, I got the timing belt and balance shaft belt replaced...

... and after turning two crank revolutions, I bravely started it up briefly and it started right up and ran fine. So the timing is correct.

However, I think I'm unable to put sufficient tension on the timing belt since I don't have the tool that appeared in your picture from the workshop manual, bugsymike.

[

... so I think the timing belt is walking back and forth and occasionally hitting the balance shaft belt and making a horrendously unnerving noise.

The car is not my daily driver, so it's safely parked in my garage and will not be driven until I can get to it again.

Does anyone happen to know where I can procure that tool or is there a way I can fabricate my own? I've looked at universal tensioner tools on eBay and I don't think they will work with this configuration.

 

[bugsymike]

As @Pugglt Auld Jock mentioned in another post regarding similar tensioner adjuster, we have both used right angled circlip pliers in the two holes with success and gone by the feel of the belt tension. Obviously rechecked after running etc.
Another point is it may not be the tension that is causing the "walking" issue, normally the guides on the edges of the camshaft pulleys would keep that belt in line.
Your outer belt should be kept in place by the auxilary belt's pulley as a guide, I would have thought.
Many years ago I was watching one "walk" as you describe and luckily switched engine off when I realised the back of the missing outer pulley had a purpose.
I see what you meant about your later version with the balance shafts etc. A much more involved set up.
A bit late now, but based on your engine series number I have just found this.

 

[s130]

Does anyone happen to know where I can procure that tool or is there a way I can fabricate my own? I've looked at universal tensioner tools on eBay and I don't think they will work with this configuration.

I've used two M6 cap head bolts inserted into the two holes in the tensioner and screwdriver / bar as a lever between them.