Cam belt change or not??

[chumba]

Hiya the cam belt on my 1.9d 04 van was changed at 61k in jan 2009,van now reads 97k according to autodata it's not due yet but I'm thinking to change it to be on the safe side.what u guys think?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[geoff]

I believe the service interval is closer to 80 thousand miles but if you are able to do the job yourself then to keep your peace of mind " I'm thinking to change it to be on the safe side " then why not since the full kit including the water pump isn't expensive. A job for the garage ??? personally I'd leave it alone for now.

If you do go ahead then whilst it is in bits it would be prudent to check the valve clearances and adjust as required, the amount of further work to do so is minimal.

[ron]

I agree with Geoff 100%.Especially the valve clearance check.

[chumba]

Are the valves not hydrolic?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[my mucker]

hello chumba,i dont know off hand what it is ? but check the yearly interval as well,they normally state what ever comes sooner the mileage or the years ?? just a thought

[ron]

No.They are adjusted by shims under the camshaft hence the advice to check before belt as it's a cam out job to adjust.

[geoff]

Shims are available from the main dealers for not that much money really ( fiver roughly ) and in a wide variety of sizes, having said that you may not get the exact size shim you require and may need to get the nearest closest size to what you need.

I always advise to set the clearances on the larger side of the tolerance as this way you have some leeway for further valve recession and still remain squarely within tolerance as the engine ages further ( future proofing ).

Should you need a shim that isn't available off the shelf it is acceptable to flat a shim off with wet and dry on a flat surface, use a micrometer or good vernier caliper to keep an eye on the size. This is how I do it and it works.

Do take care of the cam bearing caps otherwise it will be a new head needed and always fit a new cam oil seal, don't forget to use sealant under the cap as specified in the manual.