I am changing my cambelt next week, and reading up on how to do it Dayco recommend that you fully rotate the crankshaft pinion anti clockwise before fitting new belt.
Has any one come across this?

Do you have a Haynes manual? It has a very good description of the cambelt change. Do you have the timing & locking tools as well? (Now Sold). 2008 Freelander 2 (Nazca Sand) SE TD4 Auto. Statutory write off & on WOVR for hail damage but still road legal.
171037Km as of 09/05/22
Superchips Bluefin Flash
Nanocom Evo II (also sold)

I do have the locking pins, just couldn't understand why Dayco tell you to rotate the crank?

Personally, I would have thought rotating anything with the cambelt off is a bad idea.

From the LR workshop manual...

Click image to enlarge

That's exactly what I thought.

Ive made the pic more readable.

Have you got the downloadble LR workshop manual ? Jules

Thanks Jules, that makes things a lot clearer.

Id have thought that turning the crankshaft pulley anticlockwise even before taking the cambelt off would induce some slack in the belt on the wrong side - because normally the crankshaft rotates clockwise and pulls the camshaft from the right with all the slack being taken up on the left with the tensioner.

Someone please correct me if Im wrong. Jules

Jko wrote:

Thanks Jules, that makes things a lot clearer.

Thanks Jules, that will come in very handy cheers.

Hopefully you are doing the water pump too? My son had a Renault some years ago and the water pump failed and threw the belt with catastrophic consequences. A mechanic once told me that he had rarely seen a broken belt but had seen quite a few where the tensioner or water pump had thrown a wobbly. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

Yes I am changing water pump and auxiliary belt.

Just an update on the cambelt, all done and running fine, thanks for everyone's input.

Did you ignore the instruction to turn the crank ? Jules

I certainly did mate