Post by oldschool on Mar 6, 2007 22:58:05 GMT
The following does apply to the FIRE engined Centos and 8v FIRE engines in the Punto Mk1. It was originally written for the Centos but essentially applies also the Puntos.
These are the
Cinquecento Sportings
Seicento Suites
Seicento Sporting
2001 onwards all Seicentos
Punto 55/60/75
When should the timing belt be changed?
The recommendations have now changed. The manufacturers originally advised, which will be found in many handbooks to do it after 63,000 miles or five years. Other rcommendations are slightly shorter.
Having seen to many snapped belts I personally would not wait for any mileage near it and urge people to do it round the 35,000 miles. 3 Years is fine if the mileage is not reached by then.
However if the belt snaps on the unmodified and many modified Centos/Puntos it usually does not any harm to the engine. But it can do harm in other ways such as finding yourself on the fast lane of a motorway stranded, which has claimed lives before and therefore is a sound investment to be done in time.
Before you start changing the timing belt you obviously have to get another one. But also get a timing belt tensioner. You can buy both separatedly or as a kit. Avoid very cheap timing belts as they might not last very long. There is differences.
The tools you need:
Block of wood or brick
a car jack and preferably axle stands
Phillps screwdriver no. 2
8mm spanner
10mm spanner
13mm spanner
17mm spanner
ratchet
extension
8mm socket
10mm socket
13mm socket
17mm socket
spark plug socket
pry bar or similar
wheel brace with 19mm socket
Secure car with brick or block of wood
Pull the handbrake (doesn't work most of the time in Centos, but no one knows!)
Turn ignition off. Open the bonnet and take battery leads off.
Put jack in safe position on the off side and slightly lift the chassis leaving plenty of grip for the tyres. Then slightly loosen the wheel nuts. Jack up the car. Take wheel off and secure with axle stand even if you leave it on the jack. Make sure that axle stands are not on soft ground. If so put some wooden plank under.
Take the 4 8mm hexagon screws (if not original they might be phillips) out from the shrouding and start pulling it down at the inners side. It might need some persuasion.
You will see in the cam belt cover a recessed a 10mm bolt, which you remove with the ratchet and socket. Then loosen the 3 13mm alternator belt bolts. You might need some help to prevent the engine turning. Take the pulley off and make sure you do not loose the washers.
To get better access from the top unscrew the stud on the headlight with a 8mm spanner, which is located in the line of the timing belt just behind the head light. Take the two light sockets off and pull the head light out from the clips. Take the spring loaded wire off that holds the indicator on the headlight.
Take the off 2 13mm bolts form the expansion tank. Check whether cap is tight an pull the tank out and place it somewhere in the engine bay. Pipes do not need to be removed.
Remove 10mm bolt behind the cylinder head and to two in front, which hold the cam belt cover in place. Take the two cables out where they are under the cover and remove the cover.
Look at the front of the cam pulley for a kerbing mark that is on on of the grooves. Take the 17mm socket with the ratchet or the 17mm spanner to move the kerb to the 9 o'clock position (facing to the back of the car).
Take a 13mm spanner and loosen the nut on the tensioner and remove it and the plate that tightens it down. Remove the tensioner and take the timing belt off. Put new tensioner in place and then take neaw timing belt. Hold the timing belt up while you stand on the timing belt end of the engine facing the cam pulley. You will see writing on the belt, two whit lineso or yellow lines and possibly some arrows. The arrows should point forward. If the are missing then the timing belt goes on that you can read the writing the right way round. One of the white or yellow lines lines up with a tooth, the other one with a groove. The one with the tooth has to be laid over the groove of the cam pulley. The other line (in over the groove of the belt) has to be laid over tooth of the crank pulley. If you don't do it right the lines and the marks will not line up perfectly. If done right it will line up perfectly. To do this it is good to have one helping hand when not used to it.
When the timing belt is laid over the cam pulley correctly, the helper holds with one hand the belt on the pulley and is ready to move the pulley with the spanner or ratchet forwards and backwards as you need it. Put the rest of the belt into position and lay it correctly over the other mark by turning the both pulleys as needed.
Now take the prybar and the 13mm spanner. The prybar you put behind the tensioner and find a (hinging) point to lever the pry bar to tension the belt to the required tension (you should be able to twist the belt by 90 degree with reasonable effort but not really further) and tighten the 13mm nut. After checking the tension, that the nut is tighten to the right torque and the result is satisfactory take the 17mm spanner and turn the cam a couple of revolutions to see that everything is fine without any sudden resistance (to make it easier it is best to take out the sparkplugs, not to be confused by the compression resistance).
Once satisfied. put the cam belt cover back on and re-fit the alternator pulley. It can be done without loosening the alternator bracket bolts. To do this you have to make sure that the little hole between two bolt holes on the pulley line up with the little proud mark (it should slot into the little hole. Put the belt over the pulley, line it up as well as you can and put one of the three bolts in and screw it in just before it gets hand tight. Carefully turn the crank with a 13mm spanner or ratchet till you easily can put the second bolt in till nearly hand tight and do the same with the third one. Before you tighten them all make sure that you have it line up properly. Relocate the sensor wiring, fit head light and expansion tank, reconnect the battery and check that the engine bay is clear of anything and that you didn't forget a tool or any other part.
Turn the engine over and check for any unusual noise. If everything is running fine, fit remaining bits.
If you should encounter a problem try to find it patiently, which will save you a lot of money. Do this by systematically going through the entire process.
If you can't find the problem (rather unlikely) contact the forum before you it is getting expensive.
These are the
Cinquecento Sportings
Seicento Suites
Seicento Sporting
2001 onwards all Seicentos
Punto 55/60/75
When should the timing belt be changed?
The recommendations have now changed. The manufacturers originally advised, which will be found in many handbooks to do it after 63,000 miles or five years. Other rcommendations are slightly shorter.
Having seen to many snapped belts I personally would not wait for any mileage near it and urge people to do it round the 35,000 miles. 3 Years is fine if the mileage is not reached by then.
However if the belt snaps on the unmodified and many modified Centos/Puntos it usually does not any harm to the engine. But it can do harm in other ways such as finding yourself on the fast lane of a motorway stranded, which has claimed lives before and therefore is a sound investment to be done in time.
Before you start changing the timing belt you obviously have to get another one. But also get a timing belt tensioner. You can buy both separatedly or as a kit. Avoid very cheap timing belts as they might not last very long. There is differences.
The tools you need:
Block of wood or brick
a car jack and preferably axle stands
Phillps screwdriver no. 2
8mm spanner
10mm spanner
13mm spanner
17mm spanner
ratchet
extension
8mm socket
10mm socket
13mm socket
17mm socket
spark plug socket
pry bar or similar
wheel brace with 19mm socket
Secure car with brick or block of wood
Pull the handbrake (doesn't work most of the time in Centos, but no one knows!)
Turn ignition off. Open the bonnet and take battery leads off.
Put jack in safe position on the off side and slightly lift the chassis leaving plenty of grip for the tyres. Then slightly loosen the wheel nuts. Jack up the car. Take wheel off and secure with axle stand even if you leave it on the jack. Make sure that axle stands are not on soft ground. If so put some wooden plank under.
Take the 4 8mm hexagon screws (if not original they might be phillips) out from the shrouding and start pulling it down at the inners side. It might need some persuasion.
You will see in the cam belt cover a recessed a 10mm bolt, which you remove with the ratchet and socket. Then loosen the 3 13mm alternator belt bolts. You might need some help to prevent the engine turning. Take the pulley off and make sure you do not loose the washers.
To get better access from the top unscrew the stud on the headlight with a 8mm spanner, which is located in the line of the timing belt just behind the head light. Take the two light sockets off and pull the head light out from the clips. Take the spring loaded wire off that holds the indicator on the headlight.
Take the off 2 13mm bolts form the expansion tank. Check whether cap is tight an pull the tank out and place it somewhere in the engine bay. Pipes do not need to be removed.
Remove 10mm bolt behind the cylinder head and to two in front, which hold the cam belt cover in place. Take the two cables out where they are under the cover and remove the cover.
Look at the front of the cam pulley for a kerbing mark that is on on of the grooves. Take the 17mm socket with the ratchet or the 17mm spanner to move the kerb to the 9 o'clock position (facing to the back of the car).
Take a 13mm spanner and loosen the nut on the tensioner and remove it and the plate that tightens it down. Remove the tensioner and take the timing belt off. Put new tensioner in place and then take neaw timing belt. Hold the timing belt up while you stand on the timing belt end of the engine facing the cam pulley. You will see writing on the belt, two whit lineso or yellow lines and possibly some arrows. The arrows should point forward. If the are missing then the timing belt goes on that you can read the writing the right way round. One of the white or yellow lines lines up with a tooth, the other one with a groove. The one with the tooth has to be laid over the groove of the cam pulley. The other line (in over the groove of the belt) has to be laid over tooth of the crank pulley. If you don't do it right the lines and the marks will not line up perfectly. If done right it will line up perfectly. To do this it is good to have one helping hand when not used to it.
When the timing belt is laid over the cam pulley correctly, the helper holds with one hand the belt on the pulley and is ready to move the pulley with the spanner or ratchet forwards and backwards as you need it. Put the rest of the belt into position and lay it correctly over the other mark by turning the both pulleys as needed.
Now take the prybar and the 13mm spanner. The prybar you put behind the tensioner and find a (hinging) point to lever the pry bar to tension the belt to the required tension (you should be able to twist the belt by 90 degree with reasonable effort but not really further) and tighten the 13mm nut. After checking the tension, that the nut is tighten to the right torque and the result is satisfactory take the 17mm spanner and turn the cam a couple of revolutions to see that everything is fine without any sudden resistance (to make it easier it is best to take out the sparkplugs, not to be confused by the compression resistance).
Once satisfied. put the cam belt cover back on and re-fit the alternator pulley. It can be done without loosening the alternator bracket bolts. To do this you have to make sure that the little hole between two bolt holes on the pulley line up with the little proud mark (it should slot into the little hole. Put the belt over the pulley, line it up as well as you can and put one of the three bolts in and screw it in just before it gets hand tight. Carefully turn the crank with a 13mm spanner or ratchet till you easily can put the second bolt in till nearly hand tight and do the same with the third one. Before you tighten them all make sure that you have it line up properly. Relocate the sensor wiring, fit head light and expansion tank, reconnect the battery and check that the engine bay is clear of anything and that you didn't forget a tool or any other part.
Turn the engine over and check for any unusual noise. If everything is running fine, fit remaining bits.
If you should encounter a problem try to find it patiently, which will save you a lot of money. Do this by systematically going through the entire process.
If you can't find the problem (rather unlikely) contact the forum before you it is getting expensive.