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Timing belt changed.

Posted: Thu May 25, 2017 10:58 pm
by bobthevoice
So today i had the 1990 Cavalier GLI 2.0L in the workshop and had the timing belt and water pump changed.this is the car i brought up from Taunton a few weeks ago after negotiating with the family to be it's next custodian.
on this engine there is no tensioner as you may know and the job was straight forward enough once the pump was persuaded to release it's grip on the block.in keeping with the original owners habit i sourced the parts from a Vauxhall dealer.the car has only covered 36000 miles but the last belt change i could see was a hand written note in the service book from 18 years ago.so i could not under any circumstance take a chance using the car until this job was done.
so one down and the same task will be done possibly next week to my 1993 car although this should have the tensoiner set up. here;s hoping there are no dramas with this one,

Bob.

Re: Timing belt changed.

Posted: Thu May 25, 2017 11:11 pm
by Robsey
Ooh, a belt tensioned via the water pump.
A nice simple job.
And peace of mind for another 4 years.

I personally prefer the later ones with the automatic tensioner. It takes the guess work out of setting the belt correctly.

I remember the old "twist by 90 degrees" rule from my mk2.
Those were the days.

Re: Timing belt changed.

Posted: Fri May 26, 2017 8:34 am
by Mk3alan
Nice job, WELL worth doing! and such a simple setup.
First time I changed mine I had the belt too 'slack' which made the valve gear rattle - as the camshaft was being allowed​ to bounce around.

Alan

Re: Timing belt changed.

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 9:26 pm
by bobthevoice
bobthevoice wrote:So today i had the 1990 Cavalier GLI 2.0L in the workshop and had the timing belt and water pump changed.this is the car i brought up from Taunton a few weeks ago after negotiating with the family to be it's next custodian.
on this engine there is no tensioner as you may know and the job was straight forward enough once the pump was persuaded to release it's grip on the block.in keeping with the original owners habit i sourced the parts from a Vauxhall dealer.the car has only covered 36000 miles but the last belt change i could see was a hand written note in the service book from 18 years ago.so i could not under any circumstance take a chance using the car until this job was done.
so one down and the same task will be done possibly next week to my 1993 car although this should have the tensoiner set up. here;s hoping there are no dramas with this one,

Bob.
So after taking the trouble of renewing the timing belt and pump and only traveled 296 miles the car broke down 1/2 a mile from home.no warning of impending doom was given. i was about to turn left from a main road and as i did i felt the engine cut out.so i tried to restart the engine but it would not start. please note this engine has the older water-pump with no tensioner fitted. the car was towed to my house and after checking the obvious spark,fuel etc i peeled back the top timing cover to see that the belt was in shreds. after inspection by the garage that changed the pump and belt kit it was clear the belt was finished. the Vauxhall dealer who supplied the parts insist they where supplied correctly and will open a warranty investigation asap.they again confirmed the parts supplied are correct for the cars engine. the mechanic who fitted the parts has stated that the pump has 25 grooves but has advice from various sources that advised him the correct pump for the engine should be 21 grooves. at this point i have no idea if there is any engine damage and to that effect i have ordered another water-pump and belt with the pump having 21 grooves to be installed to see if we can check for damage to the engine. my question to you all is this. can anyone confirm the correct pump to be fitted to this engine ?. the number on the logbook and from the block is, 20NE25317670 and does anyone know if the pump should have 21 or 25 grooves for the belt to run in.hope you can help with this ....my blood pressure aint very happy at all. :?

thanks again.

Bob

Re: Timing belt changed.

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 11:02 pm
by Mk3alan
I changed my pump and belt (20NE) a couple of years ago and I didn't realise and used a square section toothed pump, this caused the belt to rapidly start to shred itself, and I guess would have broke.
Managed to get the correct pump and new belt and all is well.
I kept the original pump pulley to remind me for next time!
It has 21 slots/groove's and they are of a rounded section. The pulley has stamped on it GM 90106599 and also 187.
Sounds like you might have encountered similar?

Alan

Re: Timing belt changed.

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 10:01 am
by bobthevoice
Mk3alan........... thanks for your reply i hope to have the 21 slot pump and round section belt installed today here's hoping the engine is ok.

Bob

Re: Timing belt changed.

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 2:24 pm
by Cavalier342
The 8valvers shouldn't get damaged if the belt goes, as the clearance between pistons and valves means there is no contact. Sling the new belt on, fire her up and if she's idling smooth and quiet then all is good.

Re: Timing belt changed.

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 6:04 pm
by Mk3alan
Really 342, I though it was an 'interference' engine?

Alan

Re: Timing belt changed.

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 6:40 pm
by Cavalier342
Not the 8 valvers, but other engines are.

Re: Timing belt changed.

Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 1:40 am
by James McGrath
Yep, the (C)20NE/20SEH are non-interference while the (C)20XE/C20LET/X20XEV/C25XE are all interference designs.

Re: Timing belt changed.

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 3:39 pm
by bobthevoice
bobthevoice wrote:Mk3alan........... thanks for your reply i hope to have the 21 slot pump and round section belt installed today here's hoping the engine is ok.

Bob
So with the correct new pump and belt fitted the engine was started and there is no damage to report.....it seems like then that the parts supplied by the dealer i.e.the round edge belt and flat edge pump are incompatible . now all i need to do is get the Vauxhall supplying dealer to refund me for the cost of the incorrectly supplied parts and the cost to the repairer for fitting the proper parts.

Bob

Re: Timing belt changed.

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 10:42 pm
by Mk3alan
Glad it all works properly now, could have had a wrecked engine!
I am always put off by ' Dealers' for just this reason ever since we bought an Escort with a full dealer service history and the timing belt one tooth out!
Let us know how you get on, you want all your costs back plus compensation I reckon!

Alan

Re: Timing belt changed.

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 7:31 am
by cavalier1990
Glad you got it fixed bob. Something i've never heard of on a cavy or experienced myself, wrong pump. Of course i generally double check old part v new before fitting. New belt can be quite tight to fit even with tensioner right back, surprised guy never noticed tbh. I wonder what engine the 25 tooth belt is for.

Re: Timing belt changed.

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 8:26 pm
by bobthevoice
Andy the 25 tooth is a reference to the water-pump. i have fitted a 21 tooth pump with round segments and the round edge belt fits properly around the pump. as opposed to the Vauxhall pump having flat segments. i will be checking the install regularly to make sure there are no signs of premature wear taking place.

Bob.

Re: Timing belt changed.

Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 3:06 am
by Robsey
I have a full kit to fit on my car...
I will have to check the pump pulley, as it came separate from the belt and tensioner.

They all came from GPS on the same order last year, so fingers crossed. ;)