Timing belt...is it easy?

[81autospider]

I am wanting to know how difficult it is to change a timing belt on a 82 spider...I have good knowledge of mechanics and have changed timing belts before on other cars but never without a repair manual...I have checked every parts store in Sac. and cannot locate a shop manual...so, is it fairly straight forward to do or are there some little tricks I should know about...the do's and don'ts of the job...I hope Mark or anyone with knowledge will reply soon....thanks for the pulley Mark, it's here!!...I do not feel safe driving this car home without changing the timing belt

[mbouse]

check at http://www.international-auto.com or http://www.vickauto.com for your shop manual.

or ebay

i prefer the Brooklands and as a cross reference the IAP Workshop Manual.

[kristoj]

I ordered the Brooklands manual through Amazon.com and it is very good. You can also download a copy of the original Fiat service manual (one section at a time) here http://www.danielreinhardt.com/fiat/ServiceManual/.

As far as changing the timing belt, it is not too difficult. Shouldn't be that much different than other cars you have done. You do have to remove the crank pulley to get the timing cover off. You definitely want to get the manual first to familiarize yourself with location of the timing marks, etc. I also proactively changed my water pump and tensioner bearing at the same time when I did my belt. Total cost of all parts was still under $100.

[81autospider]

kristoj....thank you so much for the manual link....with such a short notice I was able to find and print the timing belt replacement info from your link...thank you all so much for your help

As soon as I get back home with my new toy...I will be very proud to post pictures

[rlux4]

Changing the timing belt is very easy if you do it like I did it. Drive over to Ventura Ace's house, raise your hood, and stand back looking helpless.
Seriously, it wasn't as difficult as I'd imagined. Also, because of Ace's experience we did it without removing any pulleys. The cover slipped out with a little maneuvering.
One of the great things about this forum is that if you're in the middle of something an hit a snag, you can usually get help in a very short time.
Good luck.
Ron

[pope]

Ace does your timing belt and feeds you. Ron...you live a charmed life!

[ventura ace]

Well, Ron left out the part that he came back over to our house (2 hours drive each way, Chris came along also) another weekend to spend more than half a day helping me do home repairs. And, he brought all the fixings for us to drive our Fiats out in the country and have a chicken barbecue, including his famous potato salid! We found a park with a testy lawn that made a challenging layout for Bocci ball. The guys whipped the ladies in bocci ball (I think it's a girl thing to always let the guys win!). You see what changing a timing belt can lead to?!

Anyway, be sure to take a good look at the timing belt bearing, and swap it out for a new one if it has any rough feel at all. Ron's felt just ever so slightly rough, and we decided to replace it. Good thing we did, because it sorta just fell apart as we wrestled with removing it from the rusty pivot arm, and it was totally dried out inside.

In addition to lining up the cranshaft and camshaft marks, be sure to align the auxilliary shaft pulley so that its mark is pointed to about the 1:30 o'clock position. Then turn the engine over by hand a few times as you are doing the tightening procedure for 2 reasons:
1) Helps the belt to settle in to its centered position
2) Allows you to feel if there is any interference (valves or auxilliary shaft fuel pump lobe), and gives you a chance to correct for it

The procedure in the manuals should give more details. Just follow the instructions, unless it says to take off the crankshaft pulley (you don't need to). Good luck with it!

Alvon

[ga.spyder]

I just wanted to add that on the 82 you should not have to remove the crank pulley.Unbolt the timing belt cover ,and maneuver it out.Not a bad job ,really.I would rather do 2 timing belts than 1 set of swaybar bushings!!!
Craig

[kristoj]

Guys,

I don't dispute that you don't have to take the crank pulley off. But it wasn't obvious to me how to get the metal timing cover (over the water pump) off without removing the crank pulley. In any event, I had much of the engine bay taken apart when I did mine as I was doing a general underhood restoration at the time. The radiator was already out of the car, so removing the crank pulley was very easy and only took a minute. It also gave me the chance to media blast the pulley and refinish it. As I mentioned, I changed the water pump as well. These are the instructions I used for the timing belt replacement:

http://www.danielreinhardt.com/fiat/Ser ... Helper.pdf

[Makita]

Thanks for the link! I must replace the timing belt soon.

[rlux4]

John, we didn't mean to dispute you either, all the manuals and the quick page of timing belt replacement say to take off the pulley. Doing it while doing an engine bay restore makes sense, and the results are awesome. Speaking for Craig and myself (OK Craig?) we just wanted to let people know there is an easier way that is a time saver.
Ron

[kristoj]

John, we didn't mean to dispute you either, all the manuals and the quick page of timing belt replacement say to take off the pulley. Doing it while doing an engine bay restore makes sense, and the results are awesome. Speaking for Craig and myself (OK Craig?) we just wanted to let people know there is an easier way that is a time saver.
Ron

Absolutely. Great tip!

[81autospider]

Thanks for all the tips...though I had to figure out for myself that the belt can be replaced without removing the pulley...which brings up another dumb Q?...how to you hold onto the pulley while you are trying to remove a 1 1/2" bolt??? ...I scratched my head for over an hour just trying to hold that pulley while removing the bolt...I had removed everything in front of the engine to access this bolt...and even that there is nothing in the way, there was only about 5" on room between the pulley and the front cross frame...not enough for a impact gun...I had a 3/4" ratchet and had no means to keep the engine from turning...remember I have an automatic, so sticking it in high gear to hold the motor was not an option for me, even though I tried it in park and every other gear...so after an hour I had noticed that there might be enough room to slip the belt out...wait a minute, the stupid timing pointer won't come off...sooo, with the help of my screw driver...I bent the pointer away from the pulley to allow the belt to slip by ...wa-lah!!...it slipped right out, so I thought if it came out, it would go back in ...to make a long story short, the belt would only go back in starting on the drivers side first ...put it back together and fired it up...runs pretty good, and now I have a sense of security to drive it home...the next time, the radiator and all the other crap can stay put

This is how I got to know my Spider

[pauljdav]

You can wrap a chain wrench over the crank pulley and lever in to the ground. Now you can wrench on your crank bolt with no engine movement.

I got my chain wrench at harbor freight for less than 20 bucks. Best money I ever spent after inventing new words trying to get the crank bolt off.

Paul

[mdrburchette]

This is how I got to know my Spider

Lol, this how most of us get to know our Spider.