Cam Belt Change
 

I bought all the parts necessary for a cam belt change from the UK.
My car has 78,000 km's (48500 miles) and is 2001 model, would it be advisable to get the belts changed ASAP due to the age of my car or is it safe to wait January 2010 (my holidays) to get it done.
Is there any signs to watch out for that it needs changing or is it a case of when you see the signs its too late?

Hi there

In my experance you be best to get them done sooner than later, I have a 02, v6 2.5 automatic and it had 88,000, the cam belts should of been done the year before

Really wanted this car as it was a very rare top of the range high spec, so it was worth me sorting it out

The gargage showed me the old cam belt, it was quite worn and I was very lucky that it did not snap;)

It not the mileage, am sure it is the age of the belts as they can get very weak and brittle with age, far better to be safer than sorry

Snap belts is the last thing you want ;)

You never know when a belt will go.

I had mine changed at 42k but 9 years old. Over 3 years past it's due date.

It's not ONLY the belts that can be worn it's the tensioner, idler pulley and water pump that can also cause catastrophic damage to the engine if they fail.

IIRC Stocktake had a tensioner failure which rendered his engine scrap, I'm sure that the belt was still intact.

IMO I would not delay changing the belts and ancillary items if they are overdue. At 90k or 6 years that is a very long interval and it has been suggested for complete piece of mind this interval should be halved. (suggested in Haynes I think)

I assume it's a V6. The OEM belts for these engines are very robust and were designed for a 10 year life. The 'official' replacement schedule is 90K miles or 6 years, which ever comes first. Here is my opinion. If waiting till January is the preferred option, don't panic and do it then. At a mere 6000 miles per annum, the engine isn't exactly stressed.

TC

you need the correct cam locking tools for the job.

A member on the forum rents out the correct kit for a minimal cost.

I would support this . THe mileage is very low and there are probably some "Rover" belts on the shelf older than yours ! When I replaced mine at 82k miles and 8 years , the belts were absolutely fine but the pulleys were showing signs of wear. Don't forget the water pump while you are in there.

Just remember to do a full cambelt change (with waterpump) on a KV6 you require the following

Belts
1x LHN100410
2x LHN100420

Idler
1x LHV100110

Tensioner
1x LHB101630

Water Pump
1x PEB102240

Can Covers
2x LUC100150

Bolts
6x LYP101080

Plus
4 litres of antifreeze


Due to having to remove but not disconnect the oil cooler you'll probably find it easier to do an oil change at the same time as you will have to loose some oil (1-2L loss is normal for Lates)
So you may as well add
6 litres of suitable engine oil
Oil filter, Sump washer


So it's not just the kits you see xPart and rimmers selling.

Not to put a damper on things but i'm sure there has been a report on here of cam belt failure at 50k miles on a KV6.

For pure piece of mind would get them done asap just my opinion.

As regards cam tool hire Oz is a little bit high on postage costs lol