FIAT - Punto Panda 500 Doblo GP 1.3 Multijet belt check?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Sun 29 Jun 2008 07:50
Punto Panda 500 Doblo GP 1.3 Multijet belt check? - oilrag
This could be worth a check on all Fiat 1.3 multijet engines as deployed in the different models.
I found the auxiliary poly V belt was quite badly cracked on the drive surface at 2.5 yrs and 20,000 miles. (2005 Mk2b Punto Van)
Allegedly this belt is supposed to last the life of the engine so I was quite surprised, but its easy to replace.

At first glance the belt may look fine but
I found the best way to check the belts inner surface for cracks was to run my fingers over the surface of the belt as it folds back over the tensioner pully.
Then I drew a belt run diagram and put a socket wrench on the tensioner nut. Pulling back towards me on the wrench took the tension out and the belt just slips off. Same with the replacement. (non aircon, my model)

At only around £12 (OE) and taking less than two minutes to do, I thought it not worth arguing the point over whether the old belt was fit for further service.

Anyone else with a 1.3 Multijet and low mileage belt cracking?

oilrag




Edited by oilrag on 29/06/2008 at 07:53

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 29 Jun 2008 08:55
Punto Panda 500 Doblo GP 1.3 Multijet belt check? - oilrag
video on poly v belts for info in general. Just to note though, the torque on the auto adjuster seems much lower than on these big American engines!

Belt wear video

tinyurl.com/62qmbp

More about Poly V Belts in general

tinyurl.com/6lpsln

To broaden the topic, what are your experiences with Poly V belts? On our other cars I never saw cracking at mileages up to 70,000 miles, when typically changed along with the cambelt.

The other Punto, the 1.9D has a like new looking belt at 6 years and 50,000 miles




Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 29 Jun 2008 10:56
Punto Panda 500 Doblo GP 1.3 Multijet belt check? - gordonbennet
Quite low mileage OR for the belt to be cracking up.

I've not seen that until say 60+K miles normally.
I didn't like the poly V belts when i first saw them, but TBF they do last far longer than normal fan belts, which considering the run of some of them including bending over backwards on every revolution says a lot for their integrity.

I find them quite good for keeping an eye on, as that back flip they perform shows any cracking on the V's clearly.

When they made cambelt covers that were easier to get off it was a similarly easy job to have a look for deterioration in the teeth.

I've personally never had a poly V belt snap.

The short life of your present belt could be attributed to dry running often present in a dearth of wax-hoyle..:)
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 29 Jun 2008 12:14
Punto Panda 500 Doblo GP 1.3 Multijet belt check? - oilrag
"dearth of wax-hoyle..:) "

I knew you would say that!!

It was my first experience of an automatic tensioner too, much easier than in the `good old days` when I seem to remember levering alternators back with all sorts of things to get the tension. ;)
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide

Choosing a child seat can be a quite baffling experience – there are so many sizes, types, brands and price points available that you might not know where to start.

How to choose the right child seat