Cambelt

[rocker8742]

Just a quick couple of questions about the belt

First is it supposed to sit like this or flush to the edge



Second which belt will i need (there are 2 different ones iirc)

Third how much is it likely to cost for a garage to fit the belt and water pump?

Cheers

[Piggy]

what engine?!

the belt should run central

price will differ depending on the garage

Small garage maybe £200 inc parts

Big garage £500 inc parts

[Jonny81191]

I'd check the tension on that belt, did mine too tight the other day and it kept trying to run off the side of the pulleys.

[rocker8742]

Its a gti piggy

What's the best way of checking tension?

[C2K]

Yes it should run central, hard to tell from your pic, looks like inlet cam pulley is running a bit far over in which case I would suspect your tensioner is up the swanny as it wanders like that when the tensioner is incorrectly fitted.

136 toothed belt is the favoured kit, 137 uses auto tensioner. It's up to you which one you want to fit. You can tell from Servicebox and your build number which you have, or put a photo of your tensioner up on here and i'll tell you. I strongly suspect you have the 136.

GSF do a reasonably priced belt kit, but if you aren't familiar with the engine, seek help as if you f*ck it up you can bend your valves. Edit: Seek help on 6 owners, but Lynx Engineering are prob closest to you in Southampton.

I know how to do cambelts but i'm glad i asked for help on mine today, as it's fine when all is going swimmingly but it's how to get out of trouble when you encounter it that sets people apart.

[rocker8742]

Thanks for the info Chris

[C2K]

My name is Simon :p

[rocker8742]

Always thought it was Chris lol thanks Simon

[miles]

136 kit, Most 306's are and you can see the tensioner in the pic,
I always use OE waterpumps now for the sake of £45.00 more than a pattern one it's not worth the risk. Do not use Vtech pumps or anything branded as they are very low quality.

Easy job but allot can fail big time due to the lower pulley slipping putting the timing pin out of location.

Tension is confirmed when all the locking pin's go back in the holes, or you can use the twist it method on the longest run.

Belts on these need doing at no more than 40k

[Niall]

Ignore all this bollocks scare mongering about "oh the gti engine is so hard to time. You WILL bend valves if your not a peugeot mechanic". It's the same as timing any other DOHC (like a golf) engine. Yes there is a smaller tolerance for valve damage due to the bigger valves but its still surprisingly a lot and I'm talking from experience there(asked a mate to time up the cams on his engine for me so I could put te belt on. He put the inlet pinned on top of the lug where the timing pin goes so it was about 20 degrees out. Run like a sack of crap but didn't do any damage)

Don't be tempted to buy a cheap belt kit. I used a continental kit on mine. The bearings are SKF who are very good. Some people moan about conti stuff but I've never had issues with it on any engines I've timed and they must be fairly good for some companies to use them as a OE part.

[rocker8742]

Thanks for the info again guys i won't be doing it myself as i don't wanna f*ck it up lol

[Frosty]

When you want it done Tom? I can poss do it for you

[rocker8742]

Probably want it done before the ring trip on the 5th

[Frosty]

5th April?

[rocker8742]

Yes mate, i take it running as it is isn't going to do any damage unless it slips/comes off?

[Frosty]

You should be fine but I would say something defo ain't right

[puglove]

Yeah thats sat waaaaaaaaaaay to far over, needs a new set of tensioners

[C2K]

Ignore all this bollocks scare mongering about "oh the gti engine is so hard to time. You WILL bend valves if your not a peugeot mechanic". It's the same as timing any other DOHC (like a golf) engine. Yes there is a smaller tolerance for valve damage due to the bigger valves but its still surprisingly a lot and I'm talking from experience there(asked a mate to time up the cams on his engine for me so I could put te belt on. He put the inlet pinned on top of the lug where the timing pin goes so it was about 20 degrees out. Run like a sack of crap but didn't do any damage)

Don't be tempted to buy a cheap belt kit. I used a continental kit on mine. The bearings are SKF who are very good. Some people moan about conti stuff but I've never had issues with it on any engines I've timed and they must be fairly good for some companies to use them as a OE part.

With no disrespect to the author, does the fact he's asking where his belt should be running on the pulleys fill you with confidence he could perform his belt change? If he's not certain, he's right to seek help - note that doesn't mean have it done for him if he's keen to pick up the spanners. Maybe he's fine with it, in which case go right ahead.

To be fair, nearly all the DOHC's i've done required no movement of the cam pulleys, not to mention the fact the cams could be individually rotated due to the absence of valve overlap in the event one springs. Whilst I was familiar with the necessary work methods to do mine, I wasn't going to pass on an opportunity to have an expert on hand as he had all the tips and tricks of having done hundreds of XU10 cambelts. In my case both pulleys were off to free the hubs up and the cams sprung.

His choice!

[Niall]

No I'm aware he probably doesn't want to do the belt him self but I only Mentioned it because I'm tired of everyone always saying how difficult these engines are to time when if you are confident doing a belt change on any engine, you can do one on these. All the 6 forum lads bang on like its certain death for a gti engine if you even consider doing a belt your self and unless you take it to CG or lynx, any garage will mess it up.

[Puggie]

What niall said i was bricking it and it turned out all good for me and if i can do it a monkey can do it

[miles]

Allot of people do muck it up due to the lower pulley, I have seen quite a few but if you have some knowledge and tools it's dead easy. The amount I take off that are out is quite alarming really, not a huge amount to damage the engine but no lined up with the std marks

Another tell tell sign is tipex marks, you know then it won;t be right

[Frosty]

When are you buying the parts Tom?

[rocker8742]

Matt see my text,

Everyone else wtf do i need to buy to change it, i'm guessing the tensioner would be a good idea, wp, belt anything else?

[Puggie]

136 tooth belt tentioners water pump i got skf kit from euro carparts

[rocker8742]

Did that include the wp puggie? Are skf a decent make ?

[Puggie]

Well i went with skf kit as there bearing are fantastic used them on my skateboards fir years without any big problems. Use the forum discount code bud. And yes that was water pump aswel oh and i did ny thermostat aswel saying i was on the job

[Niall]

Campbelt kit (personally I'd go with continental. SKF bearings and conti belt). That's idler, tensioner and belt and then you need a water pump and coolant and job done!

[rocker8742]

Got a gates kit and valeo waterpump on order with dorset auto spares for a reasonable price