Does my cambelt need changing now? 74,000 miles

s_b

you wont go wrong with fai parts available at most factors and very reasonably priced (made in factories all over the world to their specification so might even be chinese)

anyone who buys what are basically white boxed parts off the internet unless the source and make and seller is trusted are just plain mad

just like i would never buy wheel bearings from anywhere but my factor or a bearing shop if price is a factor

interstellaflyer

Destination_..._? wrote: »

What do you mean all stripped down ?

Replacing the timing belt has nothing to do with the waterpump .
My advice was based on what I did on a Clio had no problems .

That would depend on what engine.

This one certainly does. http://www.donkennedy.co.uk/Clio/Clio.htm

And

@ the scouselander, looking through the clio forums, waterpumps do give trouble, many tend to leak so change the timing belt and all the labour costs to go with it and then have to pay out the same labour costs to replace the water pump a few months later, not very money saving is it.

interstellaflyer

s_b wrote: »

you wont go wrong with fai parts available at most factors and very reasonably priced (made in factories all over the world to their specification so might even be chinese)

anyone who buys what are basically white boxed parts off the internet unless the source and make and seller is trusted are just plain mad

just like i would never buy wheel bearings from anywhere but my factor or a bearing shop if price is a factor

This is the part that thescouselander can't get his head round, he's assuming that if you don't buy the OEM part then you are going to to buy some cheap unbranded crap off the internet, has he not heard of QH.

interstellaflyer

thescouselander wrote: »

Who said anything about Renault? I said get the OEM part, whoever the OEM is in this case (should be easy to find out).

And in some cases the OEM part comes out of the same place as the aftermarket part, the brands sold at your local motor factors and those sold to the trade will not be cheap and chearfull knockoff parts, they are reputable branded parts, Names like QH which have been arround for years.

jase1

thescouselander wrote: »

Yes but from an reliability engineering point of view fitting a new pump could actually make the car more unreliable - thats just how the statistics come out.

Clutches are a different matter because you can see how much it has worn but predicting bearing failures is somewhat more difficult.

Clutches are not a different matter at all. I've had a clutch fail on me 100 yards after fitting, resulting in £100 worth of damage to the gearbox bellhousing.

So fitting a clutch at the same time as a gearbox has the same potential reliability impact as a new water pump.

I'd approach this from a different angle; the car is 10 years old. I'd have replaced the cambelt five years ago in all honesty. As sb says the Clio is known for failed water pumps. So given that the new pump is guaranteed against the short-term risk of early failure by the garage (if it lasts 1000 miles it'll last 100,000 miles I would suggest), it is indeed a bit silly not to replace it.

I replaced the water pump (with a garage-supplied FAI replacement) on a Mitsubishi earlier this year, and that engine doesn't have a history of failed pumps. No way was I going to allow a 9 year old pump run for another five years when the car has already done 110,000 miles! (This was against the recommendation of the Mitsu dealer who didn't think it was necessary, surprisingly).

red_eye

the182guy wrote: »

Morning all. I think my cambelt needs doing. It's a 2002 1.2 Clio with 74k on the clock. I've had it since 35k and as far as I know it's never been done.

Should I get it replaced ASAP? Also, what are the other bits that should be done aswell, pulleys? Can this job be done in a day?

Thanks in advance.

belt tensoner and water pump (if driven by belt) should take 3-4hours but garage will have it for the day.

If you dont know if the belts been changed its a good idea to have it changed. a new belt with labour is a lot less then a complete engine rebuild

red_eye

the182guy wrote: »

Booked in and dropped off. £197 for the kit: belt, pulleys, tensions the whole 9 yards.

Now I'm wondering about the water pump. They never mentioned it.

Edit: Phoned and asked and they said they will check it when stripped down, if it's noisey or something or leaky and will phone me if they think it needs doing.

have it changed its only £20-30 if the pumps on it way out it could take out anything with a bearing that is driven by the belt

red_eye

thescouselander wrote: »

Yes, I am aware of the economics of changing the water pump during a cam belt change but from an engineering point of view it isn't necessarily the best thing to do for the reasons I described earlier.

I do think £30 is a bit optimistic for a water pump though and don't forget the coolant will probably have to be replaced too so the OP could be looking at an extra £100 to add to the bill for perhaps no benefit.

but what if, the pump throws and takes out the cambelt along with the valves and mabe a piston or two. I think that outwegs the

mumf

My Brother had the cam belt go on his van. It was POOR SERVICING by the previous owner. 2 grand for a new engine(diesel),so when my diesel came up for service,i had a cambelt change done,even though it had another 10,000 miles in it. Do notskimp on servicing-it costs in the end.

Stigy

The cambelt on my Fiancee's 2001 clio just broke, and it was changed at 50,000 ish miles back in 2005 so was due for a change. Mileage wise it was okay, but in terms of age it needed doing!