TECHNICAL ASSIST. CAM BELT CHANGE.
Here are a few hints when
it comes to changing the cam belt on a Panther Lima.
Slacken off the alternator
and remove fan belt (if the alternator is mounted under the engine and is
close to fouling the front subframe you may need to replace the engine
mounts).Remove fan assembly, remembering that the viscous fan fixing bolt
has a left hand thread. It may be difficult to remove the fan due to the
close proximity of the cross member just behind the radiator, don’t
worry, it will come out, you may
just have to lever or ‘jack’ the engine back a little.Using a ¾ AF
spanner, rotate engine until timing marks are lined up, check that No.1
piston is at top dead centre by removing the sparkplug and carefully
inserting a long thin screwdriver or similar.
Remove crank pulley and
timing cover, remembering where all the spacers go for re-assembly.
The cam, crank and
auxiliary pulleys should now be in the correct position.
Using a ½ AF socket,
slacken off the timing belt tensioner. Move the tensioner to the left of
the engine away from the belt. Carefully remove the belt ensuring that
none of the pulleys are moved.
Having made sure that the
pulleys are in their correct positions, carefully fit new cam belt, ensure
that there is no play in the belt between the crank pulley, cam pulley and
auxiliary pulleys. The ‘floppy’ part of the belt should be to the left
side of the engine as seen from the front.
Move the tensionor back
towards the engine, re-tighten the bolts. Now check that there is the
correct tension on the belt-twist. The belt at its longest point should be
easy to turn through 90 degrees but no more. Adjust tensioner as necessary
to achieve this.
Turn engine over a few
revolutions with a spanner to ensure that all is OK, e.g. correct tension
maintained, all teeth located.
Replace timing cover and
crank pulley in correct sequence.
Replace fan assembly and
fan belt, adjust and tighten (not too tight or you will overstress the
bearings on the water pump and distributor.
Replace spark plug in
number 1 cylinder, make sure the timing is set correctly (best using a
strobe light). If all is well the timing mark on the pulley should be at
9% BTDC at the correct idle speed (750 rpm).
The above assumes a certain degree of
competence, if not it should be left to an expert.
2.8 Engines -
Valve Clearances
Correct valve clearances must be maintained to
maintain peak engine performance and to prevent damage to themselves
and/or their seats.
Their adjustment is a fairly straight-forward task
which I have carried out once
on the 2.8 Kallista (Ford ‘Cologne’ engine) - just prior to last
year’s ‘blow-away -the-cobwebs’ session at RAF Wyton (maybe that’s
why B24 JRC was the fastest car there - or perhaps it was just the lead
boots and lack of any common sense?!).
I have also carried it out several times before on
Ford 3-litre Essex (3.1 litre ‘grenade-type’) engine in my Scimitar GT
(SE4a) days - a very similar process.
Firstly, here is the data you will need to proceed:
Inlet Valve
Clearance (cold):
0.014” (0.35mm)
Exhaust Valve
Clearance (cold): 0.016”
(0.40mm)
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Valves
Rocking
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Valves to
Adjust
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No. 5 cylinder
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No. 1 cylinder
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No. 3 cylinder
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No. 4 cylinder
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No. 6 cylinder
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No. 2 cylinder
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No. 1 cylinder
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No. 5 cylinder
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No. 4 cylinder
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No. 3 cylinder
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No. 2 cylinder
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No. 6 cylinder
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The table applies to both inlet and exhaust valves.
No.1 cylinder is at the front left of the engine when
you face the front of the car.
No.6 cylinder is at the back right as you face the
car.
The engine should be cold before making valve clearance adjustments.
To start the job the air filter box and rocker covers
must be removed, exposing the rockers.
The spark-plugs should also be removed to reduce compression,
allowing the engine to be turned over easily (and without the risk of
accidental starting!).
At this stage, I find it useful to draw a quick
sketch showing all the inlet and exhaust valve positions of each cylinder
(ticking each of these off when adjusted) .
If unsure which is the inlet and exhaust valve for each cylinder,
this can be determined by looking at the relative positions of the inlet
and exhaust manifold channels to that cylinder.
I normally put the car in a high gear with the
hand-brake off and gently pull it forwards to rotate the engine until the
appropriate valves rock, allowing the corresponding valve to be adjusted
(as per the above list). However,
this is only advisable if you have sufficient flat space to move
the car forward without getting run over.
The preferred way is to put a spanner onto the crankshaft pulley
bolt and crank the engine round (forwards) by hand (with the car
stationary and hand-brake ON!).
Using the appropriate feeler gauge and a ring
spanner, turn the adjuster nut clockwise to decrease and anti-clockwise to
increase the clearances. The
adjuster nuts are self locking, so no worries about torques, etc.
When all the inlet and exhaust valves are done, the
rocker boxes can be refitted (renewing the gaskets if necessary), followed
by the air filter box , spark plugs and HT leads.
Then check for any oil leaks.
Job done? … well, now that you’ve got your hands
greasy you might as well go on to service the rest of the car at the same
time!?
If you have a 1.6 CVH engined Kallista then you have
hydraulic tappets which don’t require valve-clearance adjustment - lucky
you! I’m not sure about
2.9s though!
Hope this helps someone, somewhere, sometime…
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