morning all
Now I'm an avid reader of the Honest John column in the Torygraph (my mother saves them for me - that way she can easily tell when i last went to visit; the record is 6 weeks) and recently as is his wont, he marked down the Freelander from his recommendation on the basis that it had a belt cam engine rather than the chain as he prefers.

The question is, when do we change our belts? and has anyone heard of one snapping? and are there other things we should change at the same time? I know when I had my TT a belt change at 80k was stipulated but wise heads also specced changing the water pump at the same time - cost me about a grand with a service!! Those were the days when i had money....

pete

The old freelander with the 1.8 K series engine had a cambelt that needed changing, the fl2 doesn't.
M.

A Cam Belt or Chain failure can be a very expensive episode (especially on a motorcycle when the cost can also be counted in damaged or lost human body parts) and so it has always been wise practice to change earlier than recommended by the vehicle manufacture.

From personal experience and those of my friends there does not appear to be any difference in the durability of a chain over a properly specified and maintained cam belt. Indeed belts have proven themselves extremely durable over many years also in the final drive position on motorcycles with BMW and Harley Davidson.

Unless I'm mistaken, it is recommended to change the FL2's Cam Belt around 150,000 miles.

I do belive it should be replaced at 115,000 mileas should tell you in the service book

Believe me it says 150,000 miles in the book by which time you will have either sold it on or died.

150,000 is the mileage given by LR....seems a long time though when used to sub 100,000 on other vehicles.

I stand corrected, just checked my last service sheet and it says 150,000

main difference between belt and chain is that the belt will also deteriorate over a time period regardless of mileage. ( as do tyres )

I changed my cambelt on my Golf GTi after 10 years even though it hadn't done the specified mileage.


I would always prefer a chain to a belt...........................

Iain

My experience, and that of a few friends, is that belts are most likely to fail after changing them or if the water pump siezes. After changing a belt its the tensioners that can cause problems if they are not correctly fitted and tensioned. So I would renew belt, tensioners and water pump and get a trusted garage to do the work with a good guarantee.

Swingwing wrote:

My experience, and that of a few friends, is that belts are most likely to fail after changing them or if the water pump siezes. After changing a belt its the tensioners that can cause problems if they are not correctly fitted and tensioned. So I would renew belt, tensioners and water pump and get a trusted garage to do the work with a good guarantee.

sensible  At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

I usually smile when I hear people talking about the reliability of cam chains Vs cam belts. Anyone who rode a Japanese motorcycle in the 1980's would appreciate that the average lifespan of a Japanese 4 cylinder motorcycle engine was dictated by the life expectancy of the cam chain; usually around 20,000 - 30,000 miles (or around 5,000 miles in the case of a Honda CBX550 )

The cam chain and tensioner on the engine of post 2007 Cooper S's have caused many hours of amusement, to owners and technicians alike, in a futile attempt to get it to work properly.

http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t210/sp...dstart.mp4

And, yes, it's a petrol engine!

I've changed cam belts myself, on the driveway, but I'd never attempt a cam chain change myself. I'd much rather have a belt and simply stick to the recommended change intervals.

Last edited by Tigger on 1st Jun 2011 7:57 pm. Edited 1 time in total

My old XTrail's chain and tensioner was louder than the diesel engine, expecting it to shatter any day. Give me the quietness and longevity of a decent belt any day

I've had engines with 3 methods of driving a cam shaft and they all have their advantages and disadvantages. Personally I never had problems with the chains on Japanese motorcycle engines but I do do my own maintenance and make sure that the tensioners were working and adjusted correctly. Very important with either one, two or four cylinders. (SR500, CB125T, CB400F)
The shaft camdrive on an Italian V twin probably drained a little power but there was no adjustment possible or needed, effectively just keep the oil topped up.
I had a cambelt give up in a Vauxhall Astra well within the service interval, cost £1000 to put right.
I guess I'll be looking to have the FL2's belt changed nice and early.

BossBob wrote:

Personally I never had problems with the chains on Japanese motorcycle engines but I do do my own maintenance and make sure that the tensioners were working and adjusted correctly.