Whilst working on my cosworth the other day I noticed that the cambelt was on the front edge of the pulleys On further investigation I noticed that it's rubbing against the side of the crank pulley and starting to fray the outside edge so I haven't started the engine since I noticed it The other week we had the cambelt off to change the lifters so is it simply a case that the belt hasn't been put back on square or is there a problem somewhere?

Here's what it looks like now











I am planning on getting a new belt, tensioner fitted and getting the cambelt cover re-fitted because it was off when I bought the car.

Thanks.

 

cam belt rarely run exactly in the middle.

 

i would put a new belt and tentioners as if its wearing like that at the edge.

 

i wonderif who ever done th ecambelt fitted the washer on the correct wat round?

that needs sorting asap mate as its starting to fray

get it sorted as something isnt rite

 

Which washer is that? The cambelt had recently been changed before I bought the car but Ollie at NMS found that the cam timing was out so I wouldn't be surprised. He set it back up for me before Karl mapped it.

When we did the lifters the other week the belt was marked up and slackened off then refitted. We were already planning on fitting a new tensioner and belt before I noticed this. Thank god we hadn't re-fitted the cover because we wouldn't have known.

 

on the bottom crank pulley theres a washer, that goes on 1 way as its curved

but if nms done it then it will be fine mate

you need to find out where its rubbing

 

It's rubbing on the outside edge of the crank pulley at the moment, the crank pulley has sides on it to stop the belt coming off and it's rubbing on that. I tried to get a photo of that but it's not easy to do.

As far as I know when Ollie set it back up he just slackened the tensioner reset the belt and re-tensioned it.

 

normally play in the tensioner mate,try twisting it side to side,should be no play at all.

 

I was told you should never re-tension the cambelt if it has been run on the car?

Apparently they are designed to stretch to a certain point and once the car is run, they have done that so when you slacken and re-tension they no longe have the designed in amount of stretch?

Before everyone starts saying you dont know what youre on about, Im just repeating what I was told by an engineer who works for Gates!

 

Oh - forgot to say the webbing in the belt often frays a little its just where the belts are cut up in the factory (they are made like a meter wide or summit and just then cut to desired width).
Would say yours looks worse than on most of the belts I have seen though.

And despite new tensioner/belt etc my belt runs to the front of the cam pulleys too...

 

It's a load of bollocks about the belt not being retensioned, pure crap just to sell more belts, they "stretch a bit"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The belt is normally reinforced with KEVLAR, and this tuff stops bullets, I have used a few of these tied together to move(tow) cars before now, they are incredibly strong, so a few valves + cams to turn will not worry or stretch them.
They have a set PITCH and it they stretch the PITCH will alter, you would not then need a new belt then, but a new ENGINE INSTEAD.
It is perfectly fine to retension the belts, just keep the direction of travel the same.
There is a washer which is a GUIDE WASHER to keep belt in correct position at the crank pulley, it is CURVED, if some complete pratt has fitted this the wromg way it will chop your belt like this, the ONLY other bit to go anywhere near the sides of the belt is the tensioner wheel edges which are flanged so they act as a guide, but are parralell to the belt, unless the edge has been distorted and bent in.
Take off bottom pulley and see what's up, new belt as well needed, but perfectly safe to retension belt as they are not clarevoyant and do not know if they have been tensioned before or not.
tabetha
ps forgot to mention they do run right at the front, and mark in centre of belt is caused by centre of tensioner abolutely normal.

 

well said.

Steve.

 

Tabbs is right i had the same problem on my saff a few months ago,thought i'd fitted the washer on the bottom pulley the wrong way round when changing my belt but it turned out it was a bent washer,bought a new one from fords and its been right ever since

 

We have spoken face to face several times and you come across as someone who knows a fair bit about cars, however its your abrasive tone that lets you down

 

Well KEV,
It's like this, I don't set out to make friends, but get thank you comments each day.
My abrasive tone as you call it, is how you percieve it and it is a free country, so percieve at will, THIS IS THE REAL WORLD, where mistakes COST MONEY, REAL MONEY.
This is not school but the real world, frankly if someone does not have the MECHANICAL APTITUDE, to realise that the belt "cannot stretch a bit", other wise it would alter the pitch, they should not answer the question, this comment is aimed at you.
I will still sleep at night whether you like me or not, and if you posted a question I would answer it to the best of my ability, without any animosity whatsoever.
If you think I am bothered what people think of me you clearly don't know me well.
The comments about belt stretch were not aimed directly at you, and as far as I can see it does not look that way, I appologise if it does, it was not the intention, it is just annoying that people, yourself included are so quick to beleive and not stop and think about things, as people would be so much more capable if they did.
tabetha
ps sorry for my abrasive tone

 

I'll get one from Ford then. As I say it needs a new belt and tensioner anyways

Thanks.

 

All I was doing was passing on some information I had been told I thought was relevant to the topic. At no time was I insisting the bloke listened to me, just mentioned it that's all.

Not going to argue with you on here as I don't want to turn this chaps thread to sh17, but your reply has just confirmed what I already suspected having read some of your other replies on here and elsewhere.

And, no, I am not for one moment expecting you to be even remotely bothered about that.

 

CORRECT and word perfect

 

As above,mine did exactly the same,I bent the washer

 

your passing on correct information as recomend to you by a belt manufacturer... oh and by Ford!!

Alex

 

I WOULDN'T have re-used the same belt under tension for the 3rd time of asking maybe once

 

They don't stretch but become more flexible in use, as very stiff to start with.
"what you suspected", "having read my replies on here and elsewhere", if you have something to say, say it.
Sorry my mistake for not adjusting my answers so you feel more comfortable reading them, you are rather odd to keep reading answers from people you don't like, being a self appointed authourity on the subject of english language, there are mods to subm,it any complaints to if you so wish.
Just like you did not insist the author of the question read your response, I don't insist you read mine either, so if offended after "reading all my answers" why do you still do it, you have the option of the OFF button.
If you have nothing better to do than go around looking at my answers you must be another member of my fan club, so you can get a membership like everyone else!!
tabetha

 

I just called Ford because my brother works in parts at my local dealers and he says nobody in the country has one! I don't know what to do now

 

Try some where like Burton power there will be loads about im sure.

 

Was a washer fitted behind the tensioner ? As it's the tensioner & bottom pulley that dictate (spelling) the positioning of the belt on the pulleys !

jb

 

My brother was looking at the wrong thing the other day so I've managed to get this picture off of him. Is the washer on this slide?



Thanks

 

Please continue Alex........

 

What a load of self-aggrandising waffle! Pipe down!

 

Anyone?

 

In the pic its the washer Number 5 (i think thats the number cant see it that well )
If i have read it right its the washer that sets between the CAM BELT bottom pully and the Pully the Alternater belts run to

I best check i put mine on the right way around now

 

Thanks I don't think it can be that causing the problem then The belt is rubbing on the outside edge of the crank pulley suggesting that it is on there correctly If it was rubbing on the inside edge that would suggest a problem with the washer wouldn't it?

If you look very closely at my 4th picture you can see where it is rubbing.

 

It's starting to make sense now. I've had a look at an online manual and found this.



The belt is rubbing up against the side of part number 2 on this picture.

 

new word learnt there

We have some great words in the English language, its such a shame we forgot these and embraced slang so much.

 

Here's how it looks at the moment. Please excuse the shit drawing but I found it easier to show you than describe it



That is the wrong way around isn't it?

 

Is the thrust washer outer rim closer to the front of the car than the inside rim?

 

washer needs to go the other way (Chamfer facing the belt)

 

It looks like the above. I have no idea which is the inner and outer edges which is what was making it hard to describe.

 

That's what I thought. I'd love to get my hands on the guy that fitted that belt

Thanks

 

The washer is meant to flare away from the belt to act as a guide to prevent the belt from working its way off the pulleys.

 

It's not at the moment I'm just so glad I hadn't re-fitted the cambelt cover yet because I wouldn't have known about it until it was too late.