ALFAGTV6.COM

[benski105]

i have been doing a lot of research about tensioners over the last week or so for my upcoming timing belt change.
from what iv read, im advised to steer clear of the mechanical tensioners.
the question is, should i plug my hydraulic tensioner or use a rebuilt standard tensioner? what is the best. is the hydraulic unit the best option provided it doesn't leak?
or should i just pump it full of grease?
second, if i do plug the oil feed and fill the standard unit with grease, is that all i do? do i put the whole thing back on complete with all springs? what side do i pump the grease into? Both? is there anything i should be aware of before i start on the work?
sorry for the huge number of questions. i really don't want to make a mess of this as the consequenses arn't a pretty thought if it all goes wrong.
hence any pointers or assistance would be great!

thanks

ben

[Barry]

Ben,The lack of reply here might have to do with the fact that this subject has been covered a trillion times?

Do a search,major info available already.

For what its worth,go solid,mechanical and peg everything so it wont come loose..If the belt whines,its too tight..
A 90 deg twist on the long side is good-make sure your crank drive is not worn,most are..

[benski105]

thanks Barry,
i have read every post on this site regarding tensioners! although my feeling was that it mostly covered the mechanical type which sounds like more trouble than its worth!
i didn't find much comparing the plugged, grese filled option, or the standard hydraulic option!
ill give the rebuilt hydraulic one a go and if it leaks, ill try the grease filled option.
ill do my best to take photos to document the process and if its successful ill write a post with what i did! im sure it'll be useful to some!!

right! into it! will keep all informed on the progress and success/failure of the work!!


thanks

ben

[mcandiago]

Hi Ben,

sorry for the late reply on this.

I have had good success with my rebuilt hydraulic tensioner. Initially someone who had owned the car before me had plugged the tensioner hole because it leaked. I had carefully rebuilt the tensioner and it works fine with no leaks. I have been posting updates as to how many km's I have done and the resulting visual inspection just to help those considering the longeivity of a rebuild. As Barry indicated, there is a lot of info on this.

My suggestion is to do exactly as you have suggested, carefully rebuild the hydraulic unit with a correct rebuild kit, and if it leaks plug your oil feed and return holes and fill the unit with grease.

As was mentioned, generally, the only place where these units leak is on the vertical shaft seal. Even then, there have been posted approriate solutions to this.

Cheers,

Marco

[benski105]

thanks marco!

i have done just that!! only had the car running for a few moments so its too early to say how successful it was!

i will do likewise and post updates as to how its lasting.


fingers crossed for now!!

cheers

ben

[Brian16]

Hi, Currently rebuilding a 3.0L from a 75 to put into my GTV6 and am at the same Mechanical Vs. Hydraulic tensioner question. I have read the threads on this subject and without trying to flog this one to death I have a few questions: An experienced Alfa mechanic has told me that he has simply plugged the oil delivery hole in the stud out of the engine block with a MIG weld and that this is the easiest solution to the oil leak problem. He has had 100% success rate with this method. Question 1: Is the spring rate on the mechanical only tensioner kits different to the spring rate on the original hydraulic tensioner? Question 2: Why did Alfa choose the solution of relieving the belt tension at high oil pressure operating conditions? Was it because they had a concern with belt durability or was it all a bit of an overkill solution if they introduced the mechanical only tensioner after a few years?? Grateful to you all with the experience and patience for your comments. // Brian.

[mcandiago]

Hi Brian,

I'm no expert on this matter but I think you are probably right when you say it was probably a bit of overkill on Alfa's part. My 4 cylinder FIAT had a fixed mechanical tensioner and this was never a problem as long as the tension was adjusted correctly initially. This is true for the majority of cars I see with timing belts. The Alfa V6 is a beautifully designed engine, and as I have come to understand, Alfa engineers in their attention to detail wished to maintain consistent timing belt tension as the engine expanded or contracted and at various rpms. The hydraulic tensioner, or more appropriately de-tensioner takes care of all this. Does it provide a great advantage. I really can't answer that question and me thinks it probably does not. It certainly would provide less stress on the belt, due to the de-tensioning, but belts and rubber are so good today that this may indeed be a moot point. Nevertheless, this did not stop me from rebuilding mine and retaining the original functionality as was intended. I have about 7000 km on my rebuild now with no leaks.

My recommendation would be to go with the rebuild, following some of the tips and guides that have been offered on this forum. If you rebuild carefully and check the vertical shaft of the de-tensioner to see that it is in good shape, I think you will be happy with results. Also you will have a timing belt system that will function as Alfa initially expected. I'd be happy to provide some rebuild tips as well. As there are a couple of things that need to be inspected prior to a rebuild, namely that all the metal surfaces which provide an O-ring seal are smooth and not scored in any way.

Cheers,

Marco

[constantinemacris]

Hi,
I was replacing my tentioner and somehow the cam and crank got out of wack. I stuck a screw driver in #1 to see where TDC was and then set the cams to it and TDC didn't match up with the timing marks. That is normal right? So now do you line up the cam marks with TDC or with the crank timing marks.

Thanks
Dini

[mcandiago]

Dini,

If you have a misalligned or bent crankshaft pointer, it will not indicate the correct static timing.

Assuming a good crankshaft timing pointer,

You need to EXACTLY line up the crankshaft pointer with the correct timing mark on the main pulley as well as the camshaft timing marks. It sounds like you may have either not achieved a correct TDC or the camshafts are not correctly aligned.

The camshaft timing marks are visible when the camshaft covers are removed.

Having a TDC tool is extremely convenient in that it not only determines TDC, but also prevents the crankshaft from moving when installing the timing belt.

You can get away with precisely aligning the marks and being careful not to move any thing when you install the belt, however you may like me find that you have to repeat the procedure because you accidentally moved things when installing the belt.

Marco