Problems with a new timing belt
Discussion
Just had the timing belt on my Vauxhall Omega 3.0 V6 changed. As soon as I started it up on collecting it, it sounded clattery and rough, and was a lot louder than it was before. Performance was also down a bit.
It quitened down a bit when it had warmed up but still isn't a smooth and quiet as it was. They said, if it's still doing it in a couple of days bring it back.
My diagnosis is that they mis-aligned the various wheels etc when putting the new belt on, and the solution is simple: get the dopey b@ggers to take it off again and put it back properly. Does that sound about right?
And in the meantime, will it damage the engine to drive the car for the 150 miles I'm going to have to do tomorrow, let alone the 25 back home today?
It quitened down a bit when it had warmed up but still isn't a smooth and quiet as it was. They said, if it's still doing it in a couple of days bring it back.
My diagnosis is that they mis-aligned the various wheels etc when putting the new belt on, and the solution is simple: get the dopey b@ggers to take it off again and put it back properly. Does that sound about right?
And in the meantime, will it damage the engine to drive the car for the 150 miles I'm going to have to do tomorrow, let alone the 25 back home today?
Bloodyhellfire, I'd thought it would just be a matter of swapping the belt back to the right place. But you reckon the valves may have already taken a battering from what I assume is only a slight misalignment? Is there any way to tell what conditon the valves are in without removing the cylinder heads (a MAJOR operation on this car)? If they reposition the belt and it sounds like a car again instead of a taxi would that suggest the valves are OK?
It's a fairly small outfit, not a main dealer, but they've done a lot of good work for me in the past.
Well I won't be driving it to Glasgow tomorrow! I'll just put the wheels back on the MR2 and take it off the axle stands ... I don't think it'll matter not having a bumper cover, I've FINALLY got the bl00dy thing off (so that I can deal with a load of rust), the state of the rusted-to-fcuk bolts holding it on ... I used a hacksaw among other tools ...
PS don't worry it's taxed, MOT'd and insured!
>> Edited by JohnL on Thursday 6th February 00:18
It's a fairly small outfit, not a main dealer, but they've done a lot of good work for me in the past.
Well I won't be driving it to Glasgow tomorrow! I'll just put the wheels back on the MR2 and take it off the axle stands ... I don't think it'll matter not having a bumper cover, I've FINALLY got the bl00dy thing off (so that I can deal with a load of rust), the state of the rusted-to-fcuk bolts holding it on ... I used a hacksaw among other tools ...
PS don't worry it's taxed, MOT'd and insured!
>> Edited by JohnL on Thursday 6th February 00:18
I just had a chat with a friendly Vauxhall dealer - he reckoned that it is very unlikely to have damaged the valves, and if it had it wouldn't start. But he says to get it sorted right away and drive it as little as possible until then because it may be a tensioner etc, and the belt could come off, with "funny money" consequences.
It runs noisy when cold, quieter but still not "quiet" when warm. Two cold starts like this, same both times. So I reckon its unlikely to be valve damage (phew!). However - coul dmost garages do a compression check/leakdown test? What's a leakdown test?
Meantime I seem to have blown the head gasket on my MR2!
It runs noisy when cold, quieter but still not "quiet" when warm. Two cold starts like this, same both times. So I reckon its unlikely to be valve damage (phew!). However - coul dmost garages do a compression check/leakdown test? What's a leakdown test?
Meantime I seem to have blown the head gasket on my MR2!
Presumably then if I got the belt put ion right then a compression test with the engine in place would show if there was a problem with the valves?
Not wildly concerned about the MR2, got home with lots of top-ups of water. A new head gasket is one of the risks you take when you buy a car with 165k on the clock for £220
But yeah a bit of a run of bad luck just now.
Might not be selling the Impreza for a while though after all!
>> Edited by JohnL on Thursday 6th February 18:37
Not wildly concerned about the MR2, got home with lots of top-ups of water. A new head gasket is one of the risks you take when you buy a car with 165k on the clock for £220
But yeah a bit of a run of bad luck just now. Might not be selling the Impreza for a while though after all!
>> Edited by JohnL on Thursday 6th February 18:37
Well it's now back at the garage being sorted. I hope. The bloke was sure he'd got the timing right, and thought it may be the backing plate not tightened/positioned right - but was going to check it all.
Assuming that's some kind of cover, it could fit in - the heat once the engine's warm could make it distort out of the way. I just hope he's right!
Assuming that's some kind of cover, it could fit in - the heat once the engine's warm could make it distort out of the way. I just hope he's right!
OK that's you and two different vauxhall dealers have all said the same thing. So I've just phoned the garage, they reckon that the extra work to put the rollers and tensioner in, given what they're going to have to do anyway, will be small - so they're going to do that. It means I won't get the car back until Monday (time to order the parts), but I still have one car that works (that was going to be the one to sell, I may change that plan yet)!
Well just to update this one, they said that when they opened it all up again, one of the rollers was making a whole lot of noise that it hadn't been before they changed the belt!!!! Sound familar Harry?
They charged me for the labour again too, although restricted it to 2 hours compared to 3 before. Ouch, but at least that's sorted.
Incidentally for a set of rollers and tensioner, Vauxhall were going to charge them £240!!! But from an independent supplier it was "only" £74.
They charged me for the labour again too, although restricted it to 2 hours compared to 3 before. Ouch, but at least that's sorted.
Incidentally for a set of rollers and tensioner, Vauxhall were going to charge them £240!!! But from an independent supplier it was "only" £74.
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