Cam belt adjustment 2lt VX

[birtdog]

Can anyone tell me how to adjust the cam belt on my car as both pulleys only have a alan screw in the centre.The car is dry sumped .

How tight do you get it when you can adjust it

[16vastra]

the top roller moves side to side, so you get the slack over to that area by locking the cam pulleys into position taking the slack up on the long stretch of belt

then you just loosen the top roller and push it across till the belts tight.

it needs to be fairly tight obviously, i have done mine so you can only just twist the longest section thro 90 degrees and no more.

[stevefoster]

Later VX's post engine no 141xxxhave an adjuster on the tensioner pulley with an indicator that needs to be aligned and then the crank put through 2 full revolutions to verify tension.

Earlier ones have the adjustment by mean of the the water pump rotating excentrically (don't know much about them though).

 

Email me if you want more info on ther later type I have a manual I could send you....

 

 

 

My racing pics, 7 DIY, race prep. Updated often here

Photo's of the year here

Hants (North) and Berkshire Area club site here

 

 

Edited by - stevefoster on 26 Apr 2003 21:17:39

[16vastra]

http://16vastra.members.easyspace.com/vauxtimingbelt.jpg

[Alex Wong1697456877]

Mine has the Swift modification such that both pulley's are fixed now and there is more than enough adjustment available through rotating the water pump.

[Paul Deslandes]

Its easy to do but you need to buy (or borrow) a special spanner for turning the water pump. If you are near Guildford you are welcome to borrow mine, otherwise Halfords (I think) or Camberly Auto Factors have them.

 

 

[Chelspeed]

There are loads of options.

 

Originally there were two options, neither used the water pump as adjustment as you can't get to it behind the cam belt cover. The old design used a single centre idler that is mounted on a slot for cam belt tensioning. The newer (post 1993 I think) design used a pair of fixed idlers at the top of the block on an alloy block and a third idler below the water pump pulley which is spring loaded for continual on-line belt tension adjustment.

 

When the cam belt cover is abandoned (in the pursuit of lightness, and because it looks nice....) with the early design you are forced to lock up the top centre idler because the adjustment uses the back of the cam belt cover for mounting. Fortunately without the cover it's very easy to use the water pump for tensioning.

 

With the newer design you can retain the spring loaded tensioner without the cover and continue to use it. But SBD have seen the spring loaded tensioner resonate at high revs, for engines revving to 9000rpm that is, so lock it with a couple of alloy sleeves and again revert to the water pump for tensioning. Mine's like this.