Timing belt replacement DIY Pics?
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- Posts: 3
- Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2020 2:57 am
- Your car is a: 1980 Fiat Spider 2000
Timing belt replacement DIY Pics?
Hi, the timing belt on my 1980 FI is about 8 years old (3000 miles driven on it may be) and I'm thinking of doing a DIY. Looking at this link https://fiatspider.com/f15/viewtopic.php?t=13215 but it seems like the images are no longer in this post. Can someone please point me to a DIY link with images? Trying to decide on whether I can do it myself of get it done at a shop (crank nut removal etc.). I do most maintenance on cars but haven't attempted the timing belt
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- Patron 2021
- Posts: 702
- Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 8:01 pm
- Your car is a: 1983 FIAT Pininafarina Spider 2000
- Location: Wilmington, MA
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- Posts: 3
- Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2020 2:57 am
- Your car is a: 1980 Fiat Spider 2000
Re: Timing belt replacement DIY Pics?
Thank you. How hard is the crank nut to budge?
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- Posts: 1000
- Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2019 9:31 pm
- Your car is a: 1978 124 Spider 1800
Re: Timing belt replacement DIY Pics?
Removing it? Very. I usually remove these with a large impact driver. Getting access is tricky on these cars, though. If you don't have an impact, you will need to acquire some sort of locking tool to keep the crankshaft from rotating.
What I would try first is to wiggle the timing belt onto the pulley without removing it at all. That was perfectly possible on my 1800.
Also I find it it is much easier to jack up the rear of the car so that one wheel is off the ground, put the transmission into 5th and then rotate the wheel by hand. This will in turn rotate the engine, but very smoothly. Have a helper handy to say "stop" when you reach TDC, or simply run back and forth a bunch.
Cheers
Steiny
What I would try first is to wiggle the timing belt onto the pulley without removing it at all. That was perfectly possible on my 1800.
Also I find it it is much easier to jack up the rear of the car so that one wheel is off the ground, put the transmission into 5th and then rotate the wheel by hand. This will in turn rotate the engine, but very smoothly. Have a helper handy to say "stop" when you reach TDC, or simply run back and forth a bunch.
Cheers
Steiny
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- Your car is a: 1969 and 1971 124 spiders
- Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Re: Timing belt replacement DIY Pics?
Nah, you are all girlie men. Do as Ah-nuld says, and work out. That way, you can reach down and turn the crankshaft by hand. Maybe even while the car is still in gear, if you are totally buff.SteinOnkel wrote:Also I find it it is much easier to jack up the rear of the car so that one wheel is off the ground, put the transmission into 5th and then rotate the wheel by hand. This will in turn rotate the engine, but very smoothly. Have a helper handy to say "stop" when you reach TDC, or simply run back and forth a bunch.
-Bryan
- geospider
- Patron 2020
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- Your car is a: 1979 Spider 2000
- Location: concord, ca
Re: Timing belt replacement DIY Pics?
You should be able to slip the belt around the pointer onto the crank pulley. I did take out 1 bolt for the pointer and then swing it out of the way. not hard at all.
I've met Bryan, clearly working out, but I thought you took that nut off with your teeth.
Geo
I've met Bryan, clearly working out, but I thought you took that nut off with your teeth.
Geo
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- Your car is a: 1981 Spider 2000
- Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
Re: Timing belt replacement DIY Pics?
As others have said one of the issues associated with replacing the timing belt is dealing with the crank pulley nut (unless you can do the "work around" method and don't have to remove the nut). I have preferred to have NO movement of the flywheel when trying to remove that big bad nut, enabling the use of conventional big wrench (socket) and serious "cheater" bar (long piece of thick-walled pipe) slipped over the end for increased ft-lbs - 'cause it takes a lot to move that nut.
I made a DIY bracket out of a short piece of angle iron (steel) with holes drilled (to match flywheel cover bolt holes) to keep it in place at the under-the-car access to the flywheel (just remove flywheel cover plate); slots are made in bracket to jam (insert) steel bars (old medium-sized flathead screwdrivers do nicely) through bracket and flywheel teeth. I've used this DIY "gizmo" tool several times on two different flywheels, and there has been zero movement of flywheel and no damage done to flywheel teeth either. It takes a bit of welding and drilling to make the thing, but it's been worth it (I used a simple flux core Mig welder). Pictured here:
I made a DIY bracket out of a short piece of angle iron (steel) with holes drilled (to match flywheel cover bolt holes) to keep it in place at the under-the-car access to the flywheel (just remove flywheel cover plate); slots are made in bracket to jam (insert) steel bars (old medium-sized flathead screwdrivers do nicely) through bracket and flywheel teeth. I've used this DIY "gizmo" tool several times on two different flywheels, and there has been zero movement of flywheel and no damage done to flywheel teeth either. It takes a bit of welding and drilling to make the thing, but it's been worth it (I used a simple flux core Mig welder). Pictured here: