172 / 182 Belt Change Issues - Clio Sport Owners Club
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172 / 182 Belt Change Issues

172 / 182 Belt Change Issues

So what issues might you expect to find if the belt/dephasor change isn’t done properly?

Just the timing being slightly out is enough to lose you power and also harm economy, losing 15-20bhp is surprisingly common just from incorrect cam timing on these engines.

If the correct pulley locking tool isnt used you can end up with damaged cams that its not possible to re-time correctly and you therefore end up having to replace the cams too greatly increasing cost.

Incorrect torque on any of the pulley bolts can result in them coming undone more easily (either due to lack of tension or due to stretch from excess tension) than on other cars due to the lack of keyways, if this happens you will get valve to piston contact, potentially destroying the engine.

some non specialist garages will replace only the belts and not all tensioners and some garages will use substandard parts either of which which can lead to belt or tension failure, both of which will result in valve to piston contact.

Sadly, its not unheard of for even the genuine tensioners to fail on these engines, and if a specialist has done your belt change including supplying the genuine parts, its covered by the renault warranty which extends to damage done not just value of the parts failed like most aftermarket parts warranties, so if you are one of the unlucky few people that have that issue, you are fully covered by the manufacturer backup that reputable specialists are given.

Not replacing all fastenings can lead to failures, and not replacing all oil seals with new genuine ones can lead to leaks that require the whole job to be done again, or in the worse case get oil on the belt and cause it to fail and cause valve to piston contact, same issue with when people accidently use the wrong seal on the genuine packets as it comes with two different types and only one is for this engine.

 

What is the cambelt interval?

The interval for the cambelt is 5 years or 72,000 miles, whichever happens FIRST, so if your belt was done 6 years ago but has only done 40,000 miles then its over due, likewise if it is only 3 years old but has done 80,000 miles.
Aux kit should be changed every 3 years or 36,000 miles, but it makes no sense to change the cambelt at 5 years and not change the aux kit too as you end up having to pay labour to change the aux kit a year later when you don’t if doing it together.
Dephasor pulley doesn’t have a specified replacement life, so replacement tends to be done either because of noise appearing from it, or as a preventative measure, these cars are now ALL on their second or third (or more!) belt change and if wasn’t done last time then it would make sense to do it this time before its too late, as to change at a later date requires removal and refitting of the belt too and a used one shouldn’t be replaced as the marks on the auto tensioner are based around the tension required on a new belt not a stretched one so if set on an already stretched belt will be incorrect.

 

Why should a specialist be used?

Its quite well known in the club that the belts on these cars are best done by a specialist, but here are a few of the unique combination of properties of these engines that make it so important:

  • All the pulleys (crank and cam) are floating with no key ways
  • The hole for the pin for the crank alignment is often mistaken for a balance hole
  • The cams are fragile on the end they are timed
  • The dephasor pulley requires a large amount of torque to be applied when fitting so must be firmly locked in place or the torque goes along the cams and bends them
  • These engines are particuarly cam timing sensitive in terms of the effect on Volumetric Efficiency
  • If airflow does change due to a change in VE, the ECU cant compenstate as its Speed/Density based for fuel algorithym not mass airflow like most modern cars
  • If the correct sequence isnt followed to in terms of how to rotate the pulleys and then unlock them after fitting the belt, the tension can be incorrect as a result or the timing can shift
  • The cam bungs need to be fitted the correct distance and correctly level in to avoid oil leaks or friction damage from contact with the cams
Thomas Brentnall
tom@cliosportoc.com