Does it really need a new cam belt?

[wankski]

well yeah... alfa originally reckoned they ought last 5 yrs or so.... but a whole heap kept on busting valves on pistons well under than hence the revision..

for every 'check out the longevity thread' (there is just the one i know about) there are a dozen, "OMG my belt just went on the way to the mech, it was only 3.x years old..."

sure u can do it for shits and giggles, and it may even be amusing if you can rebuild it for around 200 quid over 2 evenings...  for anyone not so equipped, it for all intents and purposes writes off your engine...

as always, your choice. I knew about this, but i specifically didn't mention it due to the predictable response... obviously, its a bit of rubber on metal pullies... it doesn't go with any accuracy, it's all random... but AUS isn't UK... shit get real expensive real quick over here.

[tony8028]

really, anyone who isnt fully aware of the belt issue with these cars simply hasnt done their homework (same goes for people who buy selespeeds!).

As cars come down in value ( i saw a mint condition red 147 for sale within this forum for 10K) the idea of spending 10% of the cars value on something that 'might be ok for another 20K', you can see why people try their luck.

I wondering if anyone has used Lube Mobile or a generic mechanic to change the belt and what that cost?

[bix]

For your general amusement gentlemen, the British sense of humour:

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-145-and-146/158218-cambelt-fails-at-last-105486-miles.html

Nice thread & nice valve marks on the pistons.
At our 932 tech night, Bruno reckons the 146 tends to be more susceptible to belt failures than 156s even though they're the same engine...

[trippytipo]

I did a bit more of reading on the Internet regarding the 156 2.5 V6 cam belt change intervals and the following interesting titbit caught my eye:

http://www.alfaromeo.com.au/default.asp?action=article&ID=21719

I was also reading up on on some post in the alfaowner.com forum (lost the link now) where the OP e-mails Alfa Romeo UK for clarification on the timing belt frequency and he was told that the schedule is 72,000 miles or 5 years BUT under "harsh driving conditions" (i.e. cold climates, heavy traffic, long periods of idling) it should be done every 36,000 miles or 3 years. It appears that most people in the UK do them around 50,000 miles or 4 years.

BUT given that our climate is harsher than the UK (in terms of the heat and dryness) and I do heaps of heavy traffic / city driving, I've decided to book her in for a timing belt change next week. Being $1200 poorer is better than worrying about being $8000 poorer every time I turn the ignition.

I just want to clarify that Sebastian from Mauceri Motors did advice me to consider a timing belt change when I first drove in for a service earlier this month but I was quite adamant (having read what the British Alfisti do) that it should be good for another year or 10,000 km (4 years or 40,000 km). He offered to take off the engine cover for me and have a visual inspection of the belt and said that it should be fine till the next service but did also advise me that it is usually not the belt that fails, but the tensioners.

In a nutshell, the decision was mine to delay it but thanks to all the sound advice from the fine people in this forum - it will be done next week.

Hope this helps anyone stuck in the same dilemma as I was!

[colcol]

Hey Mr. Bix, i will be a smarty pants here and say that the 146 wasn't sold here, you must be thinking of the 147, maybe that 156 owners drive more responsibly and care more about their cars than 147 owners...., no, no-one will buy that one, i drove my brothers 147 twin spark, and it seems quite lively, maybe the lighter weight allows it to spin up more freely, and something not mentioed about cam tensioners, the genuine Alfa Romeo are head and shoulders above non genuine cam tensioners, the non genuine ones always seem a bit more wobbly in the bearing and the grease has started to leak, and they appear not as good quality, has anyone else noticed that?, Colin.

[trippytipo]

If anyone's still interested in my story, I finally got the job done. Replaced the following:

Engine timing belt, tensioner and pulleys
Water pump
Coolant
Auxiliary belt and pulleys

While the timing belt, tensioner and pulleys were in good shape, the water pump was showing signs of wear and slight leakage. Glad I went ahead with this, otherwise who would know what would have happened had I waited a year!  *shudder*

All in all, the damage was ~$1600.

Very reasonable, given the brilliant job and attention to detail by the fine mechanics at Mauceri Motors.

[Southern75]

Apparently a big part of the problem is too much friction in the tensioners causing the belt to heat up and become brittle ... not sure but it sounds fair

[colcol]

With poor quality non genuine tensioners, they are sloppy to start of with and  time the bearing wears out and the tensioner starts to run at an angle to the belt, wearing the edge of the belt, and or the grease in the bearing can leak past the seal causing bearing to dry out and become noisy, thats when you change it, if you don't, it will seize up and rub the belt away until the belt breaks, and you have to look for a new motor, thank christ for the internet and ebay, where we can buy good quality tensioners at a reasonable price, Colin.