[mhack]

hi everyone.

Just replaced head gasket as the mls gaasket I replaced 3 months ago and about 300 miles was not the right type for the engine with the height of the liners being flush which was causing over pressuring of coolant. Replaced with polymer gasket last weekend, anyway issue I now seem to have is the cambelt tensioner which was new with the water pump and cambelt 3 months ago once I set the tension correctly and torque the centre bolt to 25nm I start the engine and it runs perfectly. As soon as you turn the engine off you hear the spring click on the tensioner and then timing is out, I then remove cambelt and reset the cams against crankshaft all over again, torque the tensioner and start engine and same thing happens.

Are the tensioners only to be use once? shall I just get new tensioner?

Along with the previous hgf paranoia I now have developed cambelt failure paranoia, this car will be death of me

 

[gnu]

If in doubt, get another and fit it. The consequences are severe if it isn’t working.

You can refit a used one, I have if there was a known recent one on the engine. Strictly speaking you are supposed to use a new bolt every time!

Have you tensioned properly with the Allen key hole below the centre bolt? Also, when the engine stops the belt can get tight/ loose spots. Turn smoothly by hand and check the needle reading a few times - it may be ok.

 

[mhack]

thanks, will try another tensioner, watched 3 youtube videos and 2 says tension the tensioner clockwise and one said anti-clockwise. did all this 3 months ago and didnt have a problem with the tensioner then so i am puzzled to what i have done wrong this time. i know the damage that can be done hence the paranoia now.

 

[Julian Foulger]

Per your original posting - Why would the tensioner make the timing out, unless the cambelt jumps a tooth or two as a result of no tension in the belt? Just curious....

 

[mhack]

totally agree, expect belt will slip because of no tension i am assuming, it only jumps out of timing when the ignition is turned off and you hear the spring twang, doesnt slip while it the engines running.

like i said, i have set it up the same as 3 months when i replaced the original mls gasket with a new one and installed all new belts,pumps tensioner etc. only thing different this time is i put a polymer payen gasket on it.

 

[Austin2297]

Just as a matter of interest, I wonder what make cambelt kit you used last time.

 

[mhack]

this was it, from ebay

 

[Austin2297]

Listing for a head gasket kit? So make anyway?

 

[trevtherevs]

thanks, will try another tensioner, watched 3 youtube videos and 2 says tension the tensioner clockwise and one said anti-clockwise. did all this 3 months ago and didnt have a problem with the tensioner then so i am puzzled to what i have done wrong this time. i know the damage that can be done hence the paranoia now.

I have had to set the tensioner twice to date and from the manual, i believe it says to set the allen key slot at 9 o clock and apply tension anti-clockwise until pointer meets cut out and clamp bolt to 25Nm. Then crank engine 2 revs c/wise and check the tensioner and cam gear positions.

 

[98luke]

suggest you replace with a quality item, together with the bolt. Check the thread for the tensioner bolt also, you may have stripped it.

 

[Austin2297]

I’m with 98luke here. If the EBay tensioner is already proving troublesome, what are the chances for the (spurious make?) water pump which was also part of the kit? If it were mine, I would be changing this too and fitting a good quality one for the critical assembly.

 

[mhack]

yes point taken, i will look for genuine mg rover pump belt and tensioner/bolt.

thanks

 

[Julian Foulger]

Fully agree with the above comments, especially when fitting a hard to fit (ie takes hours to fit) or a part that if fails causes many £ of damage - go for 'genuine' every time. Also, buy from a seller who has a lot more to lose if their reputation is trashed because they did not sell you a part(s) as advertised.

Also, change the alternator belt for a genuine item.

 

[mhack]

fyi - this was the brand as i still had one of the boxes but will look for mg rover.

 

[Julian Foulger]

Never heard of them, to be honest. I would be interested to know about other peoples' experiences of this brand.

 

[Austin2297]

BGA (British Gasket -Assoc.?). My limited experience of them is that they maybe as far from Britain as you can get, and tend to market parts for older vehicles ( latest ones as well?).
I’m always wary of the ‘OE quality’ bit - who says, who checks?
OEM is a bolder and possibly more meaningful claim, since it claims the manufacturer did supply the parts to the car producer at the time of manufacture.
My philosophy is buy once and wisely, and treat the purchase of quality parts as being well worth every penny spent, since the DIY labour is free!

 

[Man in the Car]

........ As soon as you turn the engine off you hear the spring click on the tensioner and then timing is out, I then remove cambelt and reset the cams against crankshaft all over again, torque the tensioner and start engine and same thing happens.

Are the tensioners only to be use once?

I don't see how the timing can have changed as the cam belt would have to jump over a tooth on one of the sprockets for that to happen.

It is quite common for the tensioner to settle out of alignment when the engine is switched off. This does not necessarily mean the tension is no longer correct - to check whether the tension is still correct you need to turn the engine over by hand (socket on the crank pulley bolt), or watch the tensioner indicator with the engine running and the upper cam cover removed. I think you will find it has not actually changed. The tensioners are fine to re-use, and the original factory fit items should outlast at least two cam belts (which is 180k miles), although in practise, most cam belt changes will be at the 6 year interval, and not get anywhere near the 90k mile change point. Lots of people replace the tensioner at every cam belt change anyway, but I would suggest doing it at every other belt change would be fine.

I am genuinely surprised by the lack of awareness of the BGA brand, and also the disparaging remarks as to the quality of their parts. BG Automotive is a subsidiary company of 4BG (formerly known as British Gaskets Group) specialising in aftermarket components; BGA is pretty common tbh, and the quality of the parts they manufacture or supply is perfectly fine, and a good many parts factors supply BGA parts. Indeed, a number of the aftermarket alternatives to genuine MGR which are supplied by firms such as Rimmer Bros are BGA branded items, and 4BG supply original factory fit parts to Jaguar Land Rover amongst others.

The parts to be wary of are the unbranded ones

 

[trevtherevs]

Yes have to agree with "man in the car" these are an established aftermarket parts manufacturer. Have used items from them for a number of years with no problems. well worth looking out for.

 

[mhack]

going to have another look tonight after work, i will turn the tensioner anti clockwise with allen key (have been turning it clockwise) , i will also try and capture on video via phone what happens when i turn the engine off. read articles saying 25nm is minimum torque for tensioner bolt do i stick with 25nm or go to 35nm as some owners have said?

 

[mowog73]

I'm pretty sure that the tension marks will only align when the tension is correct (wire pointer lines up with the indicator notch) by means of moving the Allen key, clockwise or anti, but you start out turning the tensioner anticlockwise.