I'll get it right - eventually!

[Burnerman]

Timing belt replacement on the Mazda Bongo.....mid engine, half in the cab, half underneath. 2 hours of dismantling just to get to the timing belt.
I thought I was doing ever so well.....changed the camshaft oil seal, belt and tensioner all by using mirrors. Can't get the mirror square on to the timing marks though, but I think alls well. It took 3 attempts for the belt - was one tooth out every time.
Finally hooking the tensioner spring back on and dropped it.....it promptly shot behind the water pump pulley
Alternator and belts off, plus the pump pulley to retrieve the spring......had enough for one day!
Have a good evening, all.
John

 

[Dave54]

I wondered how you'd got on with the Bongo. Nothing like working a mid engine to, er, try the patience a little!
You need the "accessory" four foot long, rose jointed arms, with high tensile fingers.
On a more serious note, I bought one of those Lidl inspection cameras, basically a bendy arm with a tiny camera and lights in a piece of 10mm tube on the end, attached to a handle with a screen. Comes with a hook, and a magnetic pickup tool. Bought for a particular job, a few months ago, and must have been used a dozen times since.
Hope the rest of it goes smoothly. It often seems to after a break from it.

 

[Burnerman]

I do like to keep my hand in, Dave - not to mention the thousands of quids worth of tools and gear I have!
This one has tried me a bit though, I have to say.
This camera of yours.....how big is the screen, and the bendy arm?
Battery powered, obviously?
John

 

[Dave54]

Screen's 60mm diagonal, arm's about 880mm. Four AA powered. Screen is better than you'd think. Colour as well. The head (and arm I assume) is waterproof too. The lights built in around the camera don't give that much range, but it's OK. Not "cheap" at around £70, but it's saved me a load of grief so far.
I hear you on the thousands of pounds worth of gear!
I think it's just about all paid for itself though one way or another.
Or so I tell my missus!
ETA FWIW, the head is actually 9mm same dia. as the arm.

 

[Burnerman]

£70 is absolutely nowt if I've got the timing marks wrong
That would have made life much easier today.
Time to keep an eye open for one!
Cheers!
John

 

[Dave54]

There are other makes around, but £70 is about as cheap as they get. I reckon it'd have made the timing marks easy once you had it resting somewhere. The first time I looked at it, it was boinging about, and I wondered what I'd spent 70 quid on!

Don't want to tell my granny how to suck eggs, but I assume you tried the mirror from both sides if possible to try to see if the parallax error was the same on the marks?

 

[Burnerman]

Access is so tight due to bits and bobs being in the way but I'll double check in daylight tomorrow.....I did check the parallax and it did seem fine.
It would have helped if the injection pump pulley was marked on its inner rim though!
At first I thought I was seeing things.....the crank turns clockwise but the cam anti clock - the timing belt is driven by the injection pump so that's obviously geared to the crank, and not by chain as I was led to believe.
By the way.....is your Peugeot behaving itself?
John

 

[Dave54]

It's OK thanks. No repetition. One of those things. I suspect that the brakes, might have been the ABS kicking in but who knows.
Booked it in for it's MOT today with a sensible local bloke I know who has a good look round to make sure nothing is amiss, but isn't looking to replace the shocks unless they need it.
I'm going to service it myself this time as well rather than take it to the dealer.
Funny I'd literally just booked it in, and the dealer was on the phone with a "courtesy call"
That Bongo sounds a tad awkward. (I've got my polite head on) Mind you this Peugeot looks interesting to do anything at the back of the engine.

 

[KingboyD]

Sounds like a nightmare!

 

[Peter.N.]

I've been doing the same job today John on my 406Hdi, not to difficult to work on though compared with yours.

When I went to undo the crankshaft bolt - it was loose! that obviously accounts for the rattle I have had for about a year and also the aux belt coming off. Fortunately the pulley wasn't to badly damaged, very sloppy with the bolt loose and the woodruff key has gone but when pushed right on it still locates OK, so I refitted it with loads of Loctite on the bolt and did it up really tight - then found that I hadn't fitted the lower cambelt cover so had to take it off again and the loctite had started setting. Otherwise it didn't go to badly.

Hope you get yours sorted OK.

Peter

 

[Burnerman]

I've been doing the same job today John on my 406Hdi, not to difficult to work on though compared with yours.

When I went to undo the crankshaft bolt - it was loose! that obviously accounts for the rattle I have had for about a year and also the aux belt coming off. Fortunately the pulley wasn't to badly damaged, very sloppy with the bolt loose and the woodruff key has gone but when pushed right on it still locates OK, so I refitted it with loads of Loctite on the bolt and did it up really tight - then found that I hadn't fitted the lower cambelt cover so had to take it off again and the loctite had started setting. Otherwise it didn't go to badly.

Hope you get yours sorted OK.

Peter

Most crankshaft bolts I come across seem to have been tightened by Popeye
Where's the woodruff gone, Peter? Is there just enough to keep the crank sprocket in place, but the rest has worn away?
John

 

[Peter.N.]

Its broken off John but the bit in the cambelt pulley is OK. I am surprised it hasn't done more damage to the pulley and crankshaft in the length of time it must have been loose. I think the key actually only let go a few miles ago and that was what caused the aux belt to come off. Its still a pretty good fit when its pushed up tight. I shall finish putting it back together today and will likely be going out in it this afternoon - watch this space.

Peter

 

[Dave54]

Lucky it didn't chew things up Peter. Good luck with it.
I'd never heard of a cranskshaft pulley coming loose before the end of last Summer. A friend of mine was going upcountry to a club meet in his Sunbeam Talbot 90 drophead. He actually saw the crankshaft pulley bounce across the road! Left him stranded of course, but luckily someone he knew had a spare.
Normally, as you say John, it's more a matter of the opposite problem, you have a hell of a job undoing them if you need to.

 

[Peter.N.]

Well I've got it back together and it seems to run fine, I'm going out in it later but I don't anticipate any problems.

I have heard of a few pulleys coming loose on the PSA diesels but never experienced it myself, I have heard horror stories of it chewing the end of the crank up but mine doesn't look to bad.

I had one separate on an XM on the A30 some years ago, on those of course you loose steering, suspension and brakes eventually but I managed to get it into Trago Mills where the AA picked me up - that was at about 250,000 miles though, this ones done 234k.

Talbot 90 now that's my era, no such thing as dual mass pulleys - or flywheels

Peter

 

[Dave54]

Sounds as if you may well have that problem fixed.
I suppose at 250K most of the old type cars would have been well into engine number 3, or even 4.
I still hate the complexity of modern cars. I'm a banger man at heart. I had a Passat estate for 14 years, that got to 21 years old. That was pretty simple by modern standards, and anyway it never needed anything much apart from service parts, pads, tyres etc. Then a little Saxo bought in a hurry. I liked that. Then this Peugeot, which I haven't personally touched really.