Technical Head Gasket/Cam help needed.

[Haggis23]

Spacers? The tensioner was just a one piece unit that came off the car as I had planned to reuse it with the belt as the cars only done a few thousand miles since replacement. I did try my circlip pliers but they didn’t allow the socket to go on and kept slipping out of the holes.
Is the general consensus that belt and tensioner should always be changed? Even with low mileage?

Thanks

 

[bugsymike]

Spacers? The tensioner was just a one piece unit that came off the car as I had planned to reuse it with the belt as the cars only done a few thousand miles since replacement. I did try my circlip pliers but they didn’t allow the socket to go on and kept slipping out of the holes.
Is the general consensus that belt and tensioner should always be changed? Even with low mileage?

Thanks

I can understand the reluctance to replace a fairly new part, but something is wrong if trying to torque a nut to 25 Nm is resulting in all this grief.
No disrespect, but if the tensioner is undamaged and correctly located against the engine block, so when turned in the correct direction according to the guide manual to the correct belt tension then the 25Nm torque should be no problem when holding the tensioner simply using a pair of right angled circlip pliers. Are you happy the torque wrench is accurate? Maybe recheck the tensioner operation as something is not normal.
Just to clarify when I say spacers, on some vehicle tensioners a flat washer is against the block then the tensioner held in place with a locking washer and nut. It is quite possible yours only uses the locking washer and nut on the outside.
By the way on some vehicles the back of the tensioner is held in a position by a locking tab part of the tensioner in a locating hole in the engine block although yours may not.

 

[Haggis23]

I'm not sure about the tensioner, but the belt is a 'one time' product; the tensioning process won't work correctly with a used belt.

I can understand the reluctance to replace a fairly new part, but something is wrong if trying to torque a nut to 25 Nm is resulting in all this grief.
No disrespect, but if the tensioner is undamaged and correctly located against the engine block, so when turned in the correct direction according to the guide manual to the correct belt tension then the 25Nm torque should be no problem when holding the tensioner simply using a pair of right angled circlip pliers. Are you happy the torque wrench is accurate? Maybe recheck the tensioner operation as something is not normal.

Yeah, I’m coming to the same conclusion, thought I might be doing something wrong,
it doesn’t help having a bad quality tool that snapped so easily. I’ll get a new one tomorrow.

Thanks for helping.

 

[bugsymike]

Yeah, I’m coming to the same conclusion, thought I might be doing something wrong,
it doesn’t help having a bad quality tool that snapped so easily. I’ll get a new one tomorrow.

Thanks for helping.

Maybe take the tensioner off and check the way it operates to see better, it could be faulty , but it is not unknown for even experienced mechanics to do something not quite right.
If you have done all that other work on the engine then I am sure with a close inspection you will sort it out.

 

[Haggis23]

I'm not sure about the tensioner, but the belt is a 'one time' product; the tensioning process won't work correctly with a used belt.

Yeah, it’s all coming off, I’ll have to get an ECP new belt & tensioner tomorrow and make a new tool, that’ll keep me busy.

Thanks

 

[Haggis23]

I'm not sure about the tensioner, but the belt is a 'one time' product; the tensioning process won't work correctly with a used belt.

Well it worked! New tensioner and belt did the trick, unfortunately I lost one thread on the Engine mount but I figured there are three others! But thanks for all your help, no fault codes, no leaks so far. Starts first time now, runs so much better without water in the cylinders.
Hag