Hi guys,

I just had a look under my timing belt cover. The engine is the 3.0l 24V SOHC. I was shocked with what I found. The belt had virtually no tension between the two cam sprockets. I could deflect it by a few millimeters with the tip of my finger.

Now I'm a bit worried. Do you think I should still try to go to the workshop? Or is there an easy fix for the tension without removing all the cluttering in front of the timing belt (PS, Alt, CS-pulley).

Thanks alot
Zaph

The timing belt probuley has lost its tension as the hydrolic tensioner has more then likely released the tension
Should be retensioned once then engine has been started

Hi guys,

I just had a look under my timing belt cover. The engine is the 3.0l 24V SOHC. I was shocked with what I found. The belt had virtually no tension between the two cam sprockets. I could deflect it by a few millimeters with the tip of my finger.

Now I'm a bit worried. Do you think I should still try to go to the workshop? Or is there an easy fix for the tension without removing all the cluttering in front of the timing belt (PS, Alt, CS-pulley).

Thanks alot
Zaph

Nope, to reset the timing belt tension you need to remove the 3 covers. This means removing the 2 idler pulleys for the outside belt and the crankshaft pulley.
When the engine is running the slack is taken up, it doesn't disappear but ends up at the non- tension side, ie between the rear cam pulley and the crankshaft pulley. Depending on the stretch on the belt, the hydraulic tensioner will then take up all of the slack.

When the engine is stopped, any tension on the back of the belt will tend to push the tensioner in.

I replaced a 3.5L belt recently at 110,000 km and there was more than 1 cm of play in the belt between the 2 cams, I could turn the water pump pulley easily.

In short, if the belt has done less than the official 100,000 km/5 years, I wouldn't worry about it. You can't really go by what you see when you lift the cover, it depends on which runs of the belt have tension and which are slack.

I know the belt is always slack between cam pulleys when the engine is off, even of correctly tensioned belts. seems to be a normal occurance on the sohc engines.

This is perfectly normal even for a new belt, if the rear cam stops on the lobe it will over several hours pull back and take up the slack on the back of the belt, the hydrolic tensioner will then pull in and allow some slack between the cams

As soon as you hit your key if the hydrolic tensioner is doing its job the slack will dissapear

This is perfectly normal even for a new belt, if the rear cam stops on the lobe it will over several hours pull back and take up the slack on the back of the belt, the hydrolic tensioner will then pull in and allow some slack between the cams

As soon as you hit your key if the hydrolic tensioner is doing its job the slack will dissapear

Pretty much what I said.

Interesting that the second gen V6 has a spring loaded tensioner and no hydraulics. The spring tensions the belt correctly when you do the bolt of the idler up. Also there is a small cover on the plastic timing case. If the belt is slack you simply loosen the bolt, turn the engine over two turns of the crank to top dead centre so the spring can retension the belt, and torque up the bolt. Simple.