Timing Belt tensioner tool, Can one do the jobwithout the original factory tool?

[Thevak]

have seen the tool and looks a simple enough tool so is it a real necessity? and how easy can it be manufactured? and if so anyone have a drawing to follow from?

[colcol]

Its a timing belt, the results of getting it wrong, will cost you a new engine.
Just buy one off ebay from a reputable company and buy some cam locks as well, these parts were once expensive, but have come down a fair bit in price.
There is a good place in the UK called 'TOTALLYALFA', the owner is an aircarft machinist that makes up special Alfa Romeo tools, give him a try, Colin.

[johnl]

I've recently done the timing belt on my TS, and didn't use the belt tensioner tool. Without the tool it is awkwardly difficult to adjust the tensioner position so that it properly tensions the belt, but doable. I assume it's a fair bit easier with the tool.

I did use the cam blocks, but not without problems. When the cam bearing caps are removed you'll see short tubular locating tubes / spigots (two per cap). On the cam blocks there are recesses obviously intended to slip over the locating tubes, except they don't (at least not with the particular cam blocks I bought). I found the spacing on the cam block holes to be slightly wrong, so while the holes were large enough to fit the locating tubes individually, you couldn't get the cam block onto both tubes simultaneously. I had to remove one spacer tube in order for the cam blocks to fit on.

Be careful removing these spacer tubes, they are very weak, brittle and easy to damage. I distorted / cracked one and had to make a replacement. I actually made a 'special tool' to remove these tubes. This is just a large pair of pliers with modified jaws. Easy to make, just heat the jaw ends red hot to anneal (allow to cool slowly), then with the jaws clamped shut drill a pilot hole end on into the jaws so that half the hole is in one jaw face and the other half in the other jaw face. Next drill the pilot hole to a larger size (matching the tubular spigot OD, or very close to it). Lastly you need to make sure the pliers can close the jaws enough to actually grip the tubes, which might mean strategic grinding of the pliers anywhere they may be 'fouling' before the jaws grip the tube.

Oh, and while I think of it, there are pages on the internet that (if I correctly understand what I read) say to use the cam blocks with the crank set to TDC on No 1 cylinder. Well, I did this, i.e. with the cam blocks installed I set No 1 cylinder to TDC using a dial indicator on the piston head. This results in the mark on the crank pulley being somewhat past the mark on the pulley cover (it is obvious that these marks on the pulley and pulley cover are not TDC). Anyway, after fitting the cam belt I manually rotated the engine, valves contacted pistons and the engine stopped turning over...hmmm.

More research and I find pages saying that the crank should be set with the pulley and cover marks aligned (which isn't TDC), so I change to this and all is good. I don't know what it is with those pages that say set the crank to 'actual' TDC, they are either just wrong or have explained something so badly it's very easy to misunderstand...

Regards,
John.

[colcol]

The first time i did mine, i had the Top Dead Centre Gauge and the flywheel lock and the cam locks, but no tensioner tool, but the second time i purchased a tensioner tool and it made the job a lot easier, without the guess work.
The cam locks for my JTS were made by Totally Alfa and they were spot on, the twin spark cam locks are different.
Some of the cheaper cam locks from China are rubbish and they use dodgy methods to hold the cam in position, the good cam locks are Computer Numerical Controlled machined and they are a good thing, Colin.

[cc]

Hi Thevak
I bought cam locks, the tensioner tool, dial guage with extender tube, camshaft sprocket puller and the large socket for the nut on the harmonic balancer from totallyalfa to replace the timing belt on my 2002 156 V6. Happy with the the tools bought.
When tightening the retaining bolt on the belt tensioner I didnt use a torque wrench as the one I have isnt calibrated for low settings. Access is v tight in the V6 too. Next time will be during an engine removal with a low torque wrench.
Be careful not to overtighten small bolts in Aluminium alloy as they are very easy to strip.
I used info from elearn on the process.

[bazzbazz]

I built my own set for both cam belt and balance belt tensioners, but only did so because I had a job on the next day and my teenage son had used the originals for a different purpose and broke them. 

Its a pain and you need to know how to weld, make your life easier, just buy the tool, trust me, buy the tool.

Baz