Page 1 of 1

Cambelt Gates 142/18 Nr 5080

Posted: September 9th, 2013, 8:05 am
by torkil
Hi is this cambelt suitable for 16 V use . After 3 seasons , i find that this cambelt streches slightly , and i have to whatch it closley. The belt has been changed every season,
And i have read GC info about belts , Also has read Gates instruktions , Any tips?

Re: Cambelt Gates 142/18 Nr 5080

Posted: September 9th, 2013, 12:28 pm
by Will01
Hi torkil
I could look up for you if this is the correct cambelt for the 16V, but maybe someone with actual know how of the engine will be quicker in telling you.
Just one comment from myside is the cambelt will not stretch! They can elongate due to wear and run in, but due to the tensile member in built they will not stretch at least to a point you will notice.
The tensile member in belts is normally a glass fibre made up of many cords of which are made up of strands and filament ends. These fibres are very strong.
In timing belt we can see the belt appear to elongate, however this is due to wear of the fabric which causes the PLD of the belt to change which subsequently causes an increase in length, however over the course of the lifetime of a belt this should be no more than 0.1% length change, which i doubt you would even notice.
Tensioners are also designed in order to account for this change in length as well as heat changing the dimension of the drive layout. I am unsure what tensioning methods are present in this engine, again i would have to check.
The best piece of advice i can give for a standard engine is that you should follow the installation procedure in the most up to date Autodata book. I think Guy or someone else would be able to help more on this.

Re: Cambelt Gates 142/18 Nr 5080

Posted: September 10th, 2013, 11:42 am
by Guy Croft
Hi Ove!

Further to Will's informed obsvervations - I recommend that a belt on a competition engine (which yours is!) be changed TWICE per season!

The wear is generally due to abrasion caused by airborne particles - predominantly silica.

G

Re: Cambelt Gates 142/18 Nr 5080

Posted: December 20th, 2013, 12:33 pm
by Will01
Sorry, i know i have been a bit slow with responding to this, but just another thought.
Do you run a timing belt cover on your engine?
I only ask as Guy has pointed out the wear is normally due to abrasion due to particles getting into the drive. A timing belt cover helps keep most of this out, but i not sure how well designed these covers are on your particular engine.
I would always recommend using a timing belt cover, there are a few cases i can think of where modifications have been required but highly recommended.

Also if a belt is used in extreme cases e.g. Trackdays or Racing/Rally i would agree that the belt be changed more often. Timing Belts are often specified for particular duty cycles chosen by the Car Manufacturers. A safety factor is built in.
Since Guy has the experience in these engines i would go with his recommendations.

Hope this helps
Will