36k Cam Belts ?

[david@mediacopy]

Hi,

Just asked about belts on my 36k service (S2 Elise 1.8) and they are saying that they have been moved from the 54k C service as noted in the service book.

Has anyone had problems with cam belts pre 54k ?

I'll get them done, but my wallet needs a rest !

Cheers


David

[shangani]

I think Hans Baumhardt just had his done at 18K!

4 years is the new interval.

[Mr_C]

I'd do them anyway, just for peace of mind. Then it's 4yrs before you need touch it again!

Paul

[piooly]

I did mine at about 23,000 miles. Its a 2001 car and looked like it was ready to be changed.

[hbaumhardt]

I had a C service and belts done at 4 years and 12K miles because I love my
car. I recon its actually more effective to run AAAC than AABAAC. Well actually since I change the engine oil every 4 months its a cycle of AAA AAA AAA AAC

Economics work out since A = engine oil, B = A plus air filter and plugs, C = B plus transmission oil and fuel filter but then there are the calander items of Brake/Clutch Fluid = Annual, Coolant = 2 Years, Cambelt 4 years, SO

A including Brake/Clutch Fluid is around £150
Dont knwo how much a B is with Coolant
C including all of the above and Coolant and Cambelt is around £500

Phew !

>> Edited by hbaumhardt on Monday 24th April 12:55

[Esprit]

I had mine done for age... was 6 years on a late '98 S1... only did 24,000 or so... still looked ifne when it came off... just wanted to have it done for peace of mind

>> Edited by Esprit on Monday 24th April 13:00

[Arno]

Esprit said:

still looked ifne when it came off... just wanted to have it done for peace of mind

That's the nasty bit about belt aging. It's usually not visible and they can look fine, but snap on you a moment later.

It's not very common for these belts to really look 'worn' at all. The low-use ones are actually more at risk than the people who do a lot of miles as in this case the rubber layers in the belt can harden from lackof use, making it more brittle and prone to snapping.

Oh.. And when they snap it's usually when the engine is idling or at other low RPM usage. This is when the belt is at maximum stress as there is not enough energy stored in the camshafts to provide some flywheel-action to help keep them rotating like at high RPM's.

Bye, Arno.

[S Works]

Per Arno's note, don't assume that cos it looks fine it is.

Best to take pro-active rather than reactive measures in this case. I think changing the tensioner at the same time isn't a bad idea, for another £30 or so (IIRC) it's a sensible thing to do when needed.

[hbaumhardt]

oooh, yes and the alternator belt whilst its all off. Most specialists will do tensioner and alternator along with the cambelt as a matter of course.

[jondude]

Yep, I wouldn't go against the manufacturer's recs on this one - which is 4 years, I believe?

The mileage is less relevant, to a point - belts get just as stressed and worn out ( as we all do! ) by changes in weather, lack of use then sudden heavy use etc etc.

It is probably true that Lotus play very, very safe with the 4 year period, but.....why not?

Shouldn't be too expensive at the usual dealers listed here. If money is a worry, just do the next 'A' service yourself...books pretty much balanced, car in top condition.