Thema cambelts

[m tulloch]

Can anyone tell me if there was ever a recall on S2 16v normally aspirated Themas due to the puny cambelt which was a weak point. Did they replace with Vis style pulleys?

The reason is, I've just had both the 16v & Vis belts changed and they were both the same belt.
I ordered both kits from the same supplier and the belts were different in each kit.
Luckily I had another new belt in the garage.

Very confusing!

PS The mechanic only took £40 to do both! Top bloke.

[fay66]

Can anyone tell me if there was ever a recall on S2 16v normally aspirated Themas due to the puny cambelt which was a weak point. Did they replace with Vis style pulleys?

The reason is, I've just had both the 16v & Vis belts changed and they were both the same belt.
I ordered both kits from the same supplier and the belts were different in each kit.
Luckily I had another new belt in the garage.

Very confusing!

PS The mechanic only took £40 to do both! Top bloke.

It was a mod for all 16v engines VIS or not due to the belt breaking, at the time there was a bulletin issued restricting to belt changes to about 24K.
I had a new belt break at 18k after being fitted by a ex Lancia Service Manager even though I had the new pully wheels fitted from new on my Series 3., luckily LC Motors in Newport Gwent managed to get me £1000 towards the repair, I had 8 bent valves, but the valves and the gaskets were an horrendous price.
So don't go thinking you can up the interval between belt changes, I just don't think it's worth taking a chance.
Personally I think the belt is too narrow for the 16v and the loads imposed on it, as far as I'm aware 8 valve engines never had the problem.
Brian
8227

[Chris Hopkins]

I heard from a guy at Castle Combe earlier this year that a contributing factor maybe that some belts have been on the shelf too long (I know how they feel), and if they have been stored in a constricted way, they can become deformed which could shorten their lives.  He also said that the manufacturer's date is unknown.  Can anyone verify this?  Are they date stamped or not?  If you have a spare, should it be stored laid flat out of its packaging?

[fay66]

I heard from a guy at Castle Combe earlier this year that a contributing factor maybe that some belts have been on the shelf too long (I know how they feel), and if they have been stored in a constricted way, they can become deformed which could shorten their lives.  He also said that the manufacturer's date is unknown.  Can anyone verify this?  Are they date stamped or not?  If you have a spare, should it be stored laid flat out of its packaging?

My belt broke in about 1996 so unlikely storage was the cause.
No idea about date stamp, I would have thought it would be better to let the belt find it's natural shape and laid out flat, but I've never heard of a belt suffering through storage, and my experience of using belts stems from the first time we ever used them at Vauxhall Motors, on the slant overhead cam engines back in the 1960's.

Brian
8227

[St Volumex]

Although I've only had my Thema for a couple of years I'm cautious in the extreme about its belts as they broke twice during the car's earlier life.  So I change the belts AND tensioner pulley bearing every 20,000 km, and check their tension every 10,000 kms.

I don't believe shelf life is a factor, but I've heard that the Bosch fuel injection could be to blame as it may shut off too quickly when changing gears and accelerating hard causing the belt to snap.  

Anyway, the belt looks too flimsy for a 16V to me, but the cam sprockets on the Thema 16V Turbo engine are 25 mm wide and can easily accommodate the 22 mm belt which is a lot stronger than the 18 mm belt currently used. This is the same belt being used on the 1.9 diesel engines. The tooth profiles are fine.

The Fiat / Lancia / Alfa part no's are: 60808683, 71719006, 7596722 & 60815140
Aftermarket makes: DAYCO: KTB220 or 94138 (173 SHP 220). GATES: 5180XS. CONTI: CT 617 (173STDN 8x22) & GoodYear G1335 (173 H8 P220)

Happy motoring!

[fay66]

Although I've only had my Thema for a couple of years I'm cautious in the extreme about its belts as they broke twice during the car's earlier life.  So I change the belts AND tensioner pulley bearing every 20,000 km, and check their tension every 10,000 kms.

I don't believe shelf life is a factor, but I've heard that the Bosch fuel injection could be to blame as it may shut off too quickly when changing gears and accelerating hard causing the belt to snap.  

Anyway, the belt looks too flimsy for a 16V to me, but the cam sprockets on the Thema 16V Turbo engine are 25 mm wide and can easily accommodate the 22 mm belt which is a lot stronger than the 18 mm belt currently used. This is the same belt being used on the 1.9 diesel engines. The tooth profiles are fine.

The Fiat / Lancia / Alfa part no's are: 60808683, 71719006, 7596722 & 60815140
Aftermarket makes: DAYCO: KTB220 or 94138 (173 SHP 220). GATES: 5180XS. CONTI: CT 617 (173STDN 8x22) & GoodYear G1335 (173 H8 P220)

Happy motoring!

Guy,
Thank you for that information, well worth knowing, like you I've always thought that the 16v belt wasn't man enough for the job, also very good advice about changing the tensioner bearings, many owners don't realise just how important it is to change them.
The only belt I had go on a Dedra was caused by a tensioner bearing seizing, and taking the cambelt off, I was on the way to my garage to get it changed, as I'd only recently purchased the Dedra, my 2nd auto, I was taking it very gently when there was a smell of burning rubber and the engine died, fearing the worst I opened the bonnet to see that indeed the belt had come off but wasn't broken, in the process of coming off the belt had got tangled up with the TDC sensor by the crankshaft pulley, and broken it off.
I had the garage collect the car, but when they took the head off there was no serious damage, it seems the belt snapped the TDC sensor off and stopped the engine dead before it had a chance to do any damage, there were slight dents in the top of the pistons, but no bent valves, only time I've heard of anyone getting off so lightly.
Brian
8227