Hi Guys

I am going to change the cam belt on my MY00, I need to Hold the Crank Pully, I know there is a special tool for this , Any one have a DIY Option, Is it possible to undo this by keeping the car in gear ?.

Thanks

 

I did mine with the car in gear and someone stood on the brake pedal!!!

 

It's bloody tight! I made up a tool to do it. If you were anywhere near me you could borrow it, but I bet your the other side of the country?
JohnD

 

Not the other side, Im in Hitchin Herts, I will have ago without it, If no joy would like to borrow thanks.

 

Put the car in 5th gear,hand brake on and chock the wheels.......using a long breaker bar with the correct size socket one swift pull should 'crack' the bolt undone.(i use a 3/4" drive 3ft long torque wrench for this job)

steve

 

No probs.
I found the "in gear, brake hard on" method still had too much flexibility to reach the torque required.
Are you changing the tensioner at the same time?
JohnD

 

Or if it's really tight you can use the old bodger trick of wedging the long breaker bar on the righthand (battery side) chassis member (put a rag under it to protect the paint). Gearbox in neutral and crank the starter motor for 1/4 of a second.

It does work, but it's only to be used as a last resort - otherwise it's taking off the radiator and getting the nutrunner on it

 

My car has in just coming up to 30,000 so am hopeing the tensioner would be ok and can be re set, What do you think,

Will give the 5th gear a crack so to speak.

Thanks

 

Personally I wouldn't change either the tensioner or the crankshaft seal at 30000 or even 60000, but I would definitely change the seal at 90000. I made up a bar with a couple of long bolts through it which locate in the crankshaft pulley and the bar wedges against the alternator shield. You can borrow it if you want - I am near Bishops Stortford.

Graham

 

Agree on the front oil seal at 90k..

Mine was find in gear with the handbrake on.

tensioners and belts are fairly cheap at www.camskill.com

 

I locked the crank pulley using a short section of 1" angle iron with two holes drilled in it for the holes in the pulley. Angle iron was long enough to lock on the garage floor and even then it took the T Bar and a 3 foot section of scaffold to break free. I did a thread on this earlier this year as I was doing the job - worth a search.

 

Thanks Guys

I will have a go at the weekend and see if i can shift the nut with the car in gear.