Cambelt Replacement (1 Viewer)

[joggerman]

I have read so many discussions on when to replace cambelts, with varying advice, I decided to get it from the horse's mouth.

Having had excellent service from Fiat UK's Customer Care department on a couple of issues, I asked them for their recommended interval for timing/cambelt replacement for my 2004 2.3L JTD and got the following from them -

"According to the Fiat service booklet recommendation regarding service intervals on a 2.3L JTD Motorhome are:
Replace timing belt and various control belts every 240,000 km or every 60 months which comes first."

So that settles one of life's great mysteries !

 

[hilldweller]

So that settles one of life's great mysteries !

You think so. Not on this forum I bet.

 

[olley]

That's around 150,000 miles, way more than normal, maybe they are using special belts, or maybe its just wrong? For what it would cost to repair a knackered engine I would replace it a lot sooner.

Ian

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[hilldweller]

That's around 150,000 miles, way more than normal
Ian

)))

 

[simsy56]

l normally go on, 70,000 miles or 5 years.

Craig

 

[normanandsue]

I have read so many discussions on when to replace cambelts, with varying advice, I decided to get it [HI]from the horse's mouth.[/HI]
Having had excellent service from Fiat UK's Customer Care department on a couple of issues, I asked them for their recommended interval for timing/cambelt replacement for my 2004 2.3L JTD and got the following from them -

"According to the Fiat service booklet recommendation regarding service intervals on a 2.3L JTD Motorhome are:
Replace timing belt and various control belts every 240,000 km or every 60 months which comes first."

So that settles one of life's great mysteries !

Thought horses had reins and not cambelts! Neigh that can't be true

Norman

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[aba]

you may be able to get 250,000 Km out of a timing belt if it is running constantly.
but as stopping and starting an engine puts great stress on the belt therefore shortening its life.
this is why vehicles that do multiple relatively short distances repeatedly tend to suffer from earlier belt failure than the ones that are started in a morning and run non stop all day every day.

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Five years or 60,000 miles is the safest, whichever comes first and dont stretch it the time or miles because if it breaks it will be bloody expensive!

Peter

 

[haganap]

Five years or 60,000 miles is the safest, whichever comes first and dont stretch it the time or miles because if it breaks it will be bloody expensive!

Peter

see that's my horses mouth. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
:thumb:

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[John-Laika]

)))

John

 

[motor roamin]

I think manufacturers seem to push the envelope on belt changing, the truth is they will not pay for your damaged engine.......if they do you will have a long anddrawn out argument.

My advice as a motor enginneer would be the same as Peter 60k miles or 5 years, the alternative is not cheap, we had one let go on an Escort van this year at only 25,000 miles, the garage that does all our servicing on light vehicles stood the cost as we always service and maintain them, they didn't have too but I guess I spend enough with them and also recomend them to others.

All the best Rick

 

[joggerman]

Thanks for the replies...

I never worried about the mileage figure, as I have no chance of ever hitting the recommended figure in a motorhome.
It was more the time interval, which the general consensus seems to be five years, which ties in with the official Fiat advice.

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[joner8888]

Mines done 35k and is 15 years old.--Ducato 2.5 tdi
Just got it about 2 months ago and i cannot see any details of a belt change in the history.
Has it been done and someone has kept the receipt or has it NOT been done
Oh what to do ---it`s not that i`m tight--just carefull but -- i`m not a gambler either !

 

[DESCO]

Mines done 35k and is 15 years old.--Ducato 2.5 tdi
Just got it about 2 months ago and i cannot see any details of a belt change in the history.
Has it been done and someone has kept the receipt or has it NOT been done
Oh what to do ---it`s not that i`m tight--just carefull but -- i`m not a gambler either !

If it belonged to me I would get it changed, rather than risk the alternative of an blown engine, as you could be sure as hell it would not be in a convenient time or place.(s#ds law)

 

[pappajohn]

Mines done 35k and is 15 years old.--Ducato 2.5 tdi
Just got it about 2 months ago and i cannot see any details of a belt change in the history.
Has it been done and someone has kept the receipt or has it NOT been done
Oh what to do ---it`s not that i`m tight--just carefull but -- i`m not a gambler either !

Oh yes you are !

with no belt history can you be sure it wont fail due to age.

belt and pulley change = around £250/£300

a full top end rebuild = around £1500..more if the pistons and con-rods need replacing


your choice oh:

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[Munchie]

Geo has done mine at 4 years old and 27000 miles. The belt did show signs of slight cracking near the "teeth". :thumb:

 

[Stephen & Jeannie]

Whoaaaaa!!!

Dave Newell gave me a bollocking when I mentioned mine....Got the job done straight away !! And It's not because he want's the business...He doesn't do cam belt changes !!

 

[grasscutter]

As my MH is in for a new turbocharger after starting to become noisy on the journey home from Spain I thought it prudent to ask them to also do the cambelt. Spoke to them on friday and it also needs a new downpipe.Now awaiting a big repair bill on a 30.000 mile vehicle. The way my luck is going the cambelt would definately have gone.

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[Geo]

I make a reasonable living fitting cam belt and pulley kits
Id make a much better one if you'd only wait till they snapped
I recommend 50 years or 10,000,000 miles
Geo

 

[RonnieJ]

I replaced my cambelt and tensioner last saturday my motorhome has only coverer 17000mls but it's 13 years old, The kit cost £157 did it on my drive took about 3 hours in all the belt looked ok but i dont know if it had been changed before i got it, better be safe than sorry.

 

[GJH]

Our van was registered in May 2003 so we asked for a cambelt change as part of the purchase, not knowing when (if) it was last changed. As it happened the dealer's workshop foreman had already made a note to check.

Having had an engine rebuild on our Berlingo a year ago when the camshaft (not cambelt) sheared we would rather not repeat the experience

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[Hycon]

Changed my belt two weeks ago on my 16yr old 100,000 KM 2.5 D Hymer Fiat(Gaites Belt and pully kit) .Was changed 4yrs ago by dealer when I bought the Van.The belt was in good condition and would have gone a lot longer but one of the pullies must have been on the way out as the engine no longer squeeks after start up.So I assume that to save cost only the belt had been changed previously . Better safe than sorry.I will wait 5yrs before the next change.

 

[Geo]

It is quite rare for a Belt to break on its own these days without some sort of mechanical failure to assist it
usually a tensioner or idler pulley collaping, closely followed by water pump failure
People on the whole have learned their lessons over the short time belts have been in common use
There are however still very many ignorant of the costs involved with a failure
We have one such customer who after 3 years of advising him it was over due was supprised to be told we wont mot it any more untill it is done
hes booked in this week for a belt kit and Mot
I suspect it was the Mot refusal that's spured him on

 

[jezport]

I had read that some Fiat dealers now recommend changing at 4 years. We had ours done straight after we bought it as it was 5 years old but only had 12,000 miles on it.

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[rainbow chasers]

Cambelts are funny things, and there are no gurarantees, only recommendations based on testing.

Assuming that you owned the vehicle from new, then you can go to its' full life span if you wish.

The second choice, which most people go by is much simpler to understand;

Cam belt, Water Pump, Tensioners @ £250

Recovery,Complete Engine Rebuild & Ruined Holiday @ £1500+

 

[joner8888]

Ok guys, I got the message loud and clear :thumb: Get it done !
I will be organizing it this week to be changed.
I must admit when turning on to a motorway i think, i hope it does not break down on here !

 

[Encantador]

As I was buying a 5 yr old MH I thought I was being right clever by getting a cam belt change in with the deal.

On collection I was told `the only thing we have`nt done is the cam belt, because it hasn`t got one, it`s got a chain, they don`t need replacing`

Have I been stitched up (again)???

It`s a Fiat Ducato 3.0 petrol (160 something or other is in there to).

Steve

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[ciderman]

i would check first what engine you got there petrol or diesel

 

[Encantador]

Oh yes, it`s the car that`s petrol, well spotted.....

 

[icantremember]

As I was buying a 5 yr old MH I thought I was being right clever by getting a cam belt change in with the deal.

On collection I was told `the only thing we have`nt done is the cam belt, because it hasn`t got one, it`s got a chain, they don`t need replacing`

[HI]Have I been stitched up [/HI](again)???

It`s a Fiat Ducato 3.0 petrol (160 something or other is in there to).

Steve

No stitch-up Steve....we have the 3.0L 160 Peugeot version, which is similar to your Fiat and it has a chain so no belt. :thumb: Brian

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