It's cambelt time again

[AlfaJack]

As yours gets on the road mine is coming off!
I have bought a 156 SW to tide me over for a bit whilst I weld and repair various niggles.
It would fail an MOT on a few places at the moment so love and care for it is well overdue.

[Steve Webb]

Well the belt change is going ok so far, the only issue I've got at the moment is how to shift the exhaust side balancer shaft pulley to get to the bearing behind it? The manual seems to indicate its on pretty tight. Also is it a standard thread or reversed like the crank bolt?

[Steve Webb]

Right, just spent a while trying to get that bloody pulley off. Apart from the special Alfa tool, does anyone have any hints of tips on how to get it off.
Really need to know if its a standard thread for a start.
The new waterpump is in now without too many problems.

[wrinx]

Unfortunately my appalling memory can't retrieve anything about the balancer belt???

wrinx

[AlfaJack]

Standard thread on the exhaust side balance belt pulley.

I struggled too. I gripped it with some rubber strips around it and a pipe wrench - I did damage the teeth a little the first time so I filed the burs down. Second time I was not bothered as I don't have the belt anymore. It is very very awkward though.

I think getting it in a position and having it sort of locked and then hit the spanner for the bolt and the shock will hopefully be enough.

Wrinx did you not use a C spanner?

[Steve Webb]

Cheers for that Jack, I'll knock something up to try and grip the pulley tonight, probably using the old belt to protect the pulley. I can just get the impact wrench on the bolt so should be able to shift it. Its a pain in the ass though isn't it.

[wrinx]

Wrinx did you not use a C spanner?

Now that sounds familiar...worked very well iirc.

wrinx

[wrinx]

Found the post:



wrinx

[wrinx]

Also found this post by Evodelta: "To remove the balancer shaft mounted bearings put a long stout bolt (about 6") in the teeth of the pulley and prop it against something equally as strong to stop it from turning, don't get hold of it with bodge-it grips and mash it up."
http://forum.berlinasportivo.com/sho...highlight=belt

wrinx

[Steve Webb]

Well its finally off, with no damage to anything either. Went back to a redneck type solution.

The piece of wood slips over the pulley and is then bolted up tight to stop the pulley turning. Being wood it doesn't damage the pulley either. Then attack the bolt with impact wrench until bolt comes undone. Which in my case was quite a while.

Can start putting it all back together now.

[Steve Webb]

Pondering whether or not to actually put the balance shaft belt back on. Life looks much simpler without it in there. But I was thinking about locking the balance shaft pulley.

The front balancer shaft will turn because the cambelt idler bearing is connected to it, if running without BSB it needs locking to the nearest unused pulley with a large hose clip.

Now this seems quite a simple way of locking the pulley, but it doesn't 'feel' a very permanent solution. Is it really a good way of going about it?

[Evodelta]

Pondering whether or not to actually put the balance shaft belt back on. Life looks much simpler without it in there. But I was thinking about locking the balance shaft pulley.



Now this seems quite a simple way of locking the pulley, but it doesn't 'feel' a very permanent solution. Is it really a good way of going about it?

It depends how much you want to arse around, both methods (the other earlier in the thread) do the same job.
I'd like to see the GC method on a new customer engine build, but if I was arsing around on an old engine of my own then I'd just bung a clip on.

There is a time and a place for nicely engineered solutions and also for quick permanent fixes.

[Steve Webb]

@AlfaJack , does the thickness of the plate you use to lock the balance shaft affect the alignment at all? i.e. make the belt run off the bearing?

[AlfaJack]

I don't think so - it seems fine to me. Very fiddly to make and then awkward to do it up which keeping it still so it doesn't get mashed up behind the bearing.

[Steve Webb]

I might give it a go, seems a better solution than the jubilee clip to be honest. Given the hassle that aligning the balance shafts is going to be, I think I'll be happier with one less belt in there.

[AlfaJack]

I might give it a go, seems a better solution than the jubilee clip to be honest. Given the hassle that aligning the balance shafts is going to be, I think I'll be happier with one less belt in there.

It will feel rough when you first drive it but you soon forget