89 Excel cambelt tensioner

[snafu]

Can anyone tell me whether the cambelt tensioner fitted to my 912 engine can be used on the older 910 engines in my 1984 Esprit Turbos. It is a much more sensible system.

[AndyC]

Yes.
You may need to drill and tap a hole for it, which is best done using an air conditioning plate as a guide, but you could try without. You may need to fit a spacer to get it to to the right place, but hat's pretty much it.

[AndyC]

Roger, it's so sneaky of you to have completely different IDs on different Lotus Forums. OK, you did make it clear by having the same tag line on each post and the same geographical location, but how as I to spot that, that would mean I need to pay attention?

[snafu]

Yes, Hi Andy.

My cambelt tensuioner bearing is due to arrive on monday, 24 days after ordering it and it being sent airmail. unfortunately it has to go through our customs and that is where the delay is.

I can't remember why I changed my name for the different site, but I thought snafu was rather apt.

We have three guys in Cape Town with "G" Esprit Turbos and I don't think that one of them is on the road.

Mine are all under wraps in the garage just waiting for the next run on the 13th. Regards

[lambert.john]

Can I ask you guys how often you renew your cambelt tensioner? The "Lotus Maintenance Plan" I have says to change the cambelt at the "C" service (2yrs/24000 miles) but only "inspect" the tensioner for obvious deterioration. As yet, I've not changed the tensioner on my Excel (a 45000 miler) although I change the cambelt every couple of years or so. Does renewing the tensioner make a much bigger (and more expensive) job of it?

John Lambert

[AndyC]

I tend to think of it as every other belt, inspect the other time.

In the Excel it's less of an issue than in an Esprit where replacing the tensioner can mean it's easier to take the whole engine and transaxle out, for the Excel it's a 5 min job to replace. Thus, a lot of Esprit owners prefer to change since you are reasonably sure you're not going to get a massive amount of unplanned maintenance work to do as a result of a squeaky bearing.
Yes it's a more expensive job if you replace the bearing every time, but not really bigger in terms of time or may even be cheaper in labour cost terms if a mechanic had to spend time inspecting , cleaning running surfaces etc.

[Lotus-e-Clan]

Yes, Hi Andy.

My cambelt tensuioner bearing is due to arrive on monday, 24 days after ordering it and it being sent airmail. unfortunately it has to go through our customs and that is where the delay is.

I can't remember why I changed my name for the different site, but I thought snafu was rather apt.

We have three guys in Cape Town with "G" Esprit Turbos and I don't think that one of them is on the road.

Mine are all under wraps in the garage just waiting for the next run on the 13th. Regards

Also, particularly with the Excel (rather than the Esprit), if you garage it between drives, the belt and the tensioner will last a hell of a lot longer.
And if you've dumped the upper cam belt guard (because you think it looks cool without) AND keep it outside all the time it will last least longest.