Timing belt change (overdue!)

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sharrar
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Timing belt change (overdue!)

Post by sharrar »

Hello All,

My 1984 Excel is due for a timing belt change next week. It's officially overdue as it's been 4 years since the last change, I've took my eye off the ball there :shock: or maybe the time has just flown by. Although when ordering the new belt I spoke with Steve at SJ sports he mentioned he applies a 4 year interval to belt changes. I wondered if anyone else had heard that as the forum posts seem to go with the official 2 years?

My regular mechanic here in Ireland is a non Lotus / general mechanic. Are there any gotchas he should be aware of when changing the belt or is it a very simple task for a competent mechanic? Any info you think I should give him before the job?

Thanks again for the guidance,
Richard

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Tanz
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Re: Timing belt change (overdue!)

Post by Tanz »

I think most people go to at least 3 years and some 4 or 5.
Not difficult to do. Remove bonnet and there is good access. Make sure you put the tensioner on the right way round. You haven't filled in the details of your car and different tensioners were fitted to early cars.
Good video on how to change the belt here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPdLNZFE_Ps&t=181s
Cheers, Phil
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sharrar
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Re: Timing belt change (overdue!)

Post by sharrar »

Tanz wrote:
Fri Mar 25, 2022 22:00
I think most people go to at least 3 years and some 4 or 5.
Not difficult to do. Remove bonnet and there is good access. Make sure you put the tensioner on the right way round. You haven't filled in the details of your car and different tensioners were fitted to early cars.
Good video on how to change the belt here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPdLNZFE_Ps&t=181s
Thanks Tanz, that is an interesting video - although I'd not have the confidence to do it myself to be honest. It makes me feel a bit better on the amount of time I've left it.

One thing I have realised is I haven't ordered v belts for water pump, alternator and pas. Do most people change these belts at the same time? If I didn't and one broke are the consequences bad? (I'm now wondering should I cancel the cambelt change and wait to order the other belts too?)

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Hawaiis0
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Re: Timing belt change (overdue!)

Post by Hawaiis0 »

I did my last belt change at the 5 year point.

I'm a constant user of my Excel and can do up to 5000 miles a year.

I monitor the tension regularly and had confidence that a belt on a constant in use car would last 20 - 30000 miles. Hence as I approached 20000+ miles after 5 years or so, I did the swap.

I believe cars that sit idle for long periods apply higher forces at the acute angles around the pulleys which may be more damaging to the belt.

The data is there for recommendations on timings/mileage etc., so we can make our own judgement call based own our usage.

What is your mileage for the record on the old belt?

Stu
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Re: Timing belt change (overdue!)

Post by Pete Boole »

I changed the belt twice on our last Audi - at 70,000 and 140,000 - as recommended by Audi!

Pete

sharrar
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Re: Timing belt change (overdue!)

Post by sharrar »

Hawaiis0 wrote:
Sat Mar 26, 2022 10:58
I did my last belt change at the 5 year point.

I'm a constant user of my Excel and can do up to 5000 miles a year.

I monitor the tension regularly and had confidence that a belt on a constant in use car would last 20 - 30000 miles. Hence as I approached 20000+ miles after 5 years or so, I did the swap.

I believe cars that sit idle for long periods apply higher forces at the acute angles around the pulleys which may be more damaging to the belt.

The data is there for recommendations on timings/mileage etc., so we can make our own judgement call based own our usage.

What is your mileage for the record on the old belt?

Stu
Hi Stu,

I've done only around 5000 miles on my old belt - it's had a fair bit of time spent sorting out other issues or sat in the garage in the bad weather so very low miles done. I've looked at the belt itself and no glazing or apparent wear and the teeth look like new. The tension seems good (basic twist of belt). I was more concerned just with the time passed since the last swap.

I've got the new belt so happy to go ahead but do others swap all the other belts at the same time - is it highly recommended to. Would it be right to say though if one of the other V belts did break it's more of an inconvenience / extra cost removing the timing belt again, rather than catastrophic consequences?

I see from SJ Sports that it mentions all early models have the semi automatic tensioners. Is the locking pin for this part of the tensioner? If it's not available would it stop the mechanic from being able to do the job, or are there other hacks? Sorry so little experience on this and wanted to make sure my mech has everything he is likely to need.

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ChrisJ
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Re: Timing belt change (overdue!)

Post by ChrisJ »

GST change the belts every three years on both my cars (Excel & Esprit). I do use them both regularly all year round - and for me it's piece of mind, knowing that they have been done.

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Re: Timing belt change (overdue!)

Post by Pete Boole »

If you decide to replace the V-belts later the timing belt does not need to be disturbed again.

Pete

sharrar
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Re: Timing belt change (overdue!)

Post by sharrar »

Thanks Pete, that's good to know they can be done separately with no extra hassle. It would be peace of mind to get the belt swapped at this stage.

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