i feel sick :( cambelt snapped..

[Gally]

Go to BTM and beg Fred to help you out.

I've said it before and i'll say it again. He's the only person who would touch any RenaultSport of mine.

 

[Gouldy]

wow, thats made a mess.

you are from liveerpool are you not stephen?

id recommend birchdown, IIRC they are the closest to you?

 

[dajones]

Go visit anyone that has been reccomended in this thread. I've rung them all for advice with my car and they've been great

 

[fletch8]

I'm on the Wirral and went to birchdown, about 45-50 mins away

 

[yeecup]

everybody should know by now, the clio f4r is the most complex engine known to man, and only 3 specialist garages who post on here can change a cambelt, otherwise ur timing will be out, or ur engine will implode. jeeeez.............still, letting a "mate" do it for u. oh dear.

 

[Dan519]

So has anyone confirmed why this has happened?

Obviously the belt has slipped, but whats caused it?

IMO this failure is actually down to the first incorrect timing up. Most likely the valves had been kissing the piston at some point, enough to weaken the friction weld on the stem, causing the second biggest cause of F4R failure.....the valve head dropping off

 

[fletch8]

everybody should know by now, the clio f4r is the most complex engine known to man, and only 3 specialist garages who post on here can change a cambelt, otherwise ur timing will be out, or ur engine will implode. jeeeez.............still, letting a "mate" do it for u. oh dear.

Sarcasm?

 

[koi]

and everybody knows.... Never Go Full r****d

Amazing film!

 

[tom_allen]

Sarcasm?

I would think so. Dont know why people are so scared of changing a timing belt. Its really not rocket science, as long as you are methodical, use the proper tools and read up on the job first you'd have to be pretty bad to screw it up.

 

[Fred@BTM]

^even some "so called specialists" screw it up, its not that hardest job in the world but thats coming from me who does 5 a week LOL

its probably the most drawn out methodical cambelt i know of, even 360's are a piece of piss compared to the 172/182

 

[MicKPM]

I did the in-laws Zetec Focus timing belt and water pump recently and that, though a similar design, was far easier than the F4R.

I'm all for people having a go themselves but if you make your bed you've got to be prepared to lay in it to.

mick

 

[Caekii]

My 182 has just hit the 73k miles mark... with belts and dephaser in mind I reckon it will be heading to Diamond / Mick ^^ for doing as I think he's closest to me (I'll ring n get a price etc later!). I really dont want this to happen to mine.

If it were anything else than the belts etc I'd be happy for my usual mate / mechanic to have a look but even he said I'd be better off going to a specialist as he didnt know enough about these engines to simply Wing it. I simply dont get how a "mate" could **** something up this badly and charge you for doing it, a mate would say "Sorry, I've cocked it up royally and rather than make things worse I'll pay for it to be taken to a specialist" or give you the cash back at the very least!

 

[Goodj]

sorry to drop in here, but it's every 5 years for belts, irrespective of mileage isn't it?

Trying to work out when I'm next due a bloody expensive service

 

[Rob]

Yep, 5 years or 72k

 

[Goodj]

Cheers fella.

 

[Caekii]

I think, from the little research I've done, that the first belt change is at 5 years or 72k miles whichever the car hits first, I've only recently bought mine and I know they should be done sooner rather than later. Prev owner of my motor (from these forums) told me they havent had them done, so I plan to asap. Unfortunately I wasnt planning on having to spend £2500+ on a knee replacement for the pooch. =/

 

[Goodj]

both kneed doing.

 

[Caekii]

both kneed doing.

I see what you did there...

Now go stand in the corner and think about what you've just done... go on, away with you... *points*

 

[Goodj]

sorry, cheap shot.

I'll go quietly *head down*

 

[Chris205]

I feel your pain mate, I replaced the engine on my trophy, let a specialist work on it and for one reason or another It went bang again, I'm now trophy'less and lost over £7k.

I wont let anyone else apart from Fred work on the car in the future, birchdown also have a good reputation.

 

[Nick172Cup]

Lol at the state of that!

 

[Ickle]

The problem for f4r's seems to be a family friends mechanic who allways changes the locals plugs filters and oil agrees to change a cambelt kit on a engine he's not heared of before let alone seen, thinks its a cambelt its not that hard, and has a go, unfamiliar with the timing tools needed or the fact its a fully floating engine then prob regrets it wen its striped down, gets it rebuilt and wont do another. Not having a pop at anyones mechanic because i dont now them or there knowledge about engines but this is the general problem with most of thease threads about wrong timing and blown engines.

Fair enough havin a go urself but do the homework 1st
I would get a engine that dont need belts doing get him to fit it for free to make it up to me and save hard for the belts to be done by a trader on here that has plenty experience and reliable,

Hope u sort this without spending to much more money and get to enjoy the car

 

[R-Sport.]

If they are timed up wrong after the change- can you rectify that problem easily without doing another belt change?

Steve

 

[Daniel]

If they are timed up wrong after the change- can you rectify that problem easily without doing another belt change?

Steve

Depends how badly the timing is out.

Like the OP for example, everythings been having a dance inside his engine now its fubar'd! I drove (and tracked!) a 172 with the timing only slightly out and when it was re-timed it made another 15hp!

(burpspeeds car)

 

[Dan519]

If they are timed up wrong after the change- can you rectify that problem easily without doing another belt change?

Steve

I've done a fair few. If it's very recent I'll just re time it, if it's a few thousand miles I'd always recommend a new belt, but the tensioners etc will be ok

there are historic issues with re tightening belts, but it's not so much of an issue as with a sprung tensioner you can't over tighten the belt. Best practice is a new one though

 

[b33fy172]

I've done a fair few. If it's very recent I'll just re time it, if it's a few thousand miles I'd always recommend a new belt, but the tensioners etc will be ok

there are historic issues with re tightening belts, but it's not so much of an issue as with a sprung tensioner you can't over tighten the belt. Best practice is a new one though

Could I ask what you'd reconmend with a knackered dephaser pulley? the cam/aux belt and tensioners were only done around 3-4k ago?