Doing the cambelt myself.

[John Gordon]

Hi,

So, in an effort to cut costs and get to know my car better, I've decided to start doing all the work myself.

I've ordered a cambelt kit, Dephaser and water pump ready for the change.

I've read the official PDF, and I think I have made sense of it, can you lot just confirm I've got my head around it?

In simple terms, I am confused about the tensioning part of the process.

Am I right in thinking that I have the cam's locked with the bar/horseshoe, I have the pin in the crank. Then I slacken off both cam pulleys (Dephaser), I slacken off the crank pulley, then rotate the belt a full cycle with all the new tensioners in place, then torque up all pulleys and its set?

Do I have to do anything with the Dephaser? How do I ensure it's in the right position to give the correct advance/retard movement?

EDIT: The timing tools I have only come with the pin and the horseshoe. Do I need another tool to lock the cam pulleys as I'm tightening them after setting the belt tension?

Sorry for the possibly stupid questions. I'm nervous for some reason.

Thanks

 

[Dumdum]

I don’t know how official Renault says to do it but I was told the crack pulley is keyed! And no that’s not how you do it anyway, you put the belt on with the top two pulleys cracked and free, 1/4 a turn is fine on each bolt as long as they are free but not able to rock, you don’t want em too loose! You have the bar in the cams and the crank locked, I fit the lower cover and the crank pulley as the bottom pulley can move a little...

Turn tensioner to the right position and nip up to specified torque

Now you tighten the cam pulleys, I do it to 20nm first, then kinda wedge the cam pulleys with a screwdriver (that’s your special tool for locking the cam pulleys!) against the ridges on the block, then whip the cam locking tool out and tighten the rest of the way with the pulleys wedged, once tightened again (check your cam tool is still straight, the two teeth tend to bend a little, use a metal ruler or your eye, if bent tweak em in a vice until straight again) reintroduce the cam locking tool, it’s easy when you have done it a load of times, then turn the engine over the specified amount to the crank locker and check the tensioner is lined up with its marks, if it’s not I tend to check the crank vs cam once more and adjust tension if needs be

Ps... I can’t remember if this is one where you over tighten then reduce tension to ensure the belt is bedded in nicely with over tension and the reduce it If so your turning it over when it’s over tight then checking timing, then reducing tension after that... (my experience is with lots of 182/172 cambelts without a water pump on the cambelt)

Treat the dephaser as a solid pulley, it’s sprung loaded to default where you need it when at rest for timing purposes!

 

[Dumdum]

As an aside the Renault instructions describes a cam locking tool, Ive always done it with the 20nm method so you get some bite and then wedging pulleys without moving them, but beware the cam bolts are tight and as you pull on the torque wrench your screwdriver will need to not bend, even a small pry bar can be used!

Also someone else on here told me the crank pulley was woodruffed, however the Renault instructions say otherwise, either way you refit the degreased Crank pulley and ensure that doesn’t move first before tending to the cams

 

[Dumdum]

Ps it’s not a cambelt I’d recommend doing for the beginner mechanic, not really nice, at the end of the day as long as your tension is correct, crank pulley and cams line up once it’s been turned over and cams tightened your golden, but double check, make sure and double check once more!

Oh and to insert the crank pin you need to get the cams just before where they should be (maybe 10 degrees off level), insert your pin, and then turn the 10 degrees, you’ll feel the crank stop and the pin click into place, once you’ve done that and the cams are definitely slots below the seam/join as described in the pics (you can also lock the crank with the cams 180 out with the cam slots above the seam/join, have a few turns and you’ll see what I mean)

Whereabouts in the country do you live roughly?

 

[Foxspeed]

only later engines have a keyway most are keyless

 

[Dumdum]

Anyway to tell? Is it from a chassis number or just a year? Any ideas what year do or don’t... do an early 197 will be keyless...

My 09 RS200?

 

[Foxspeed]

Anyway to tell? Is it from a chassis number or just a year? Any ideas what year do or don’t... do an early 197 will be keyless...

My 09 RS200?

no idea to be honest...my insider is no longer at renault...if i do i will post it on here the ones i have come across were keyles

 

[Dumdum]

that covers late 197 and all 200 pretty much as I doubt it will get changed between say a 2010 full fat vs a cup for example, I’d be very curious to know if you find out

 

[John Gordon]

Whereabouts in the country do you live roughly?

I'm in Utrecht.

Thanks for all your input. It's going to be good fun. The last cambelt I ever changed was on a Ford Sierra 2.0. Haha.

I'm just not going to start the thing until I've checked and made sure it's right.

 

[Dumdum]

Pinto ohc is the easiest one to change and also no danger of getting it badly wrong! Two marks, fixed cams and one idler from memory

 

[Foxspeed]

Pinto ohc is the easiest one to change and also no danger of getting it badly wrong! Two marks, fixed cams and one idler from memory

once did one of those at the side of the road lol

 

[Dumdum]

once did one of those at the side of the road lol

Yup, my old workmate did one on the m1

 

[Foxspeed]

Yup, my old workmate did one on the m1

the good old days lol

 

[John Gordon]

Hi.

Just a little more help. I'm changing the dephaser. Do you recommend I change the cam seals at the same time? Don't want to fit it all and then spring a leak.

Thanks

John

 

[Dumdum]

Hi.

Just a little more help. I'm changing the dephaser. Do you recommend I change the cam seals at the same time? Don't want to fit it all and then spring a leak.

Thanks

John

You won’t disturb them doing the dephaser, generally if they are weepy I’d do them, but for the most part I’d leave them be if it came into the garage, you are more likely to fit new ones and them get nipped on the way in and then leak... it has positives and negatives either way

 

[John Gordon]

You won’t disturb them doing the dephaser, generally if they are weepy I’d do them, but for the most part I’d leave them be if it came into the garage, you are more likely to fit new ones and them get nipped on the way in and then leak... it has positives and negatives either way

Cheers matey.