Anyone done there own cambelt on LCR?

Scotty_b

Leon Cupra 300R
Jun 3, 2004
6,026
66
Hertfordshire
My cambelt needs doing and im just wondering if anyone else has done there own and how easy did they find it? Ive had quotes of around £400 and I know the parts aren’t even £100. Ive done a few before but only on land rovers and older style cars. Is it that difficult to get in and around etc?
 

CupraMVR

Awesome GTi Technician
Oct 19, 2006
1,371
0
Crewe Cheshire
It is fairly easy (i think) hardest part is taking the side engine mount off. I leave it in there and work around it, on a ramp or on the floor its still pretty easy. just need 2 take a few things off up top, under shield the side covers .

hope this helps you buddy
 

Scotty_b

Leon Cupra 300R
Jun 3, 2004
6,026
66
Hertfordshire
Cheers for the reply fella, is it pretty self explanatory (with what bits need to come off and TDC etc) or is there anything to watch out for? I take it changing the impeller on the water pump to brass will be simple to get at too?
 

Willie

LCR Track car
Aug 6, 2004
8,939
1
Sunny Scotland
If the hardest part is taking the engine mount off then it will be very easy. The engine mount has stretch bolts so remember to order these.

I'm planning on doing my own aswell so would be good to hear how you got on.
Do you have ELSAWIN??
Its detailed on this
 

CupraMVR

Awesome GTi Technician
Oct 19, 2006
1,371
0
Crewe Cheshire
Yea once its all off and out the way its easy to change the water pump 3 bolts hold it in. just make sure its a metal 1 not plastic. try and take the lower pulley off and timing covers off too time the engine up nice and easy that bit.

Only thing i can think of can cause a problem: there is a metal pipe round the back of the engine then can rub on the front brake pipe off the master cylinder. make sure when the engine mount is back on it can not rub on the pipes, when the engine is running

Good luck
 

CupraMVR

Awesome GTi Technician
Oct 19, 2006
1,371
0
Crewe Cheshire
Im sure when you get down to take the 2 part engine mount off you will see what i mean its the hardest part and thats why i leave it in there.
 

Willie

LCR Track car
Aug 6, 2004
8,939
1
Sunny Scotland

CupraMVR

Awesome GTi Technician
Oct 19, 2006
1,371
0
Crewe Cheshire
yea thats the kit you need pal.

Its a bit more of a bigger job changing the thermo aswell alternator has to come off. to get access to the location of the thermostat
 

jwfcms

Active Member
Sep 14, 2008
384
1
UK Yorkshire
that kit is a total rip off..

it consists off a cheap timing belt kit. contitech.. not poor quality but not as good or trusted as some other names like GATES which are OE on most all cars today.

the water pump with metal impeller can be picked up for less than £25.
that timing belt kit can be picked up for around £65-70 maybe less. (gates around £90)

no need to change the thermostat? never known anybody to include this in a cambelt change. and as for the cam and crankshaft seals you dont even touch them if your doing this and if they arnt leaking. you dont even need to remove he pulleys so why make the job even harder. i havnt heard of many crank/cam oil seals going on these engines but then if you are going to change the pulleys etc and feel you want to change the seals which i know they dont do on a normal cam belt change ever. you could order them from the dealers.

the parts for decent quality will come to around £100-120 depending on if you get discount and where you buy from.

cambelt is easy to do. the mark for the crank pulley is on the metal cover held on by 10mm. so you have to remove the belt. put the new belt on and put the bottom metal cover on to line up the crank. there is only 1 camshaft pulley as the other pulley is chain driven. leave the engine mount on (remove the bolts) just work around it by jacking the engine up safely that mount is a nightmare to remove and sometimes just wont come out.
just use the timing marks you cant go wrong. spin the engine over by hand and make sure the marks line back up. watch the tensioner as you just pull the pin and it applys tension, the belt is normally tight to put on anyway so you can turn it over and make sure you have correct timing marks before applying the tension as you will have to then remove the tensioner and try and push the pin back down again in a vice which i wouldnt like to do myself.
get a good guide from a program like autodata, ati vivid workshop or of course elsawin the seat manual.
 
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AdyCupraR

Guest
I wont be of much help but just to say be careful when re-tightening your engine mounting bolts. I had my cam belt on the Leon Cupra R (2004) done at a dealer and they couldnt get the air assisted torque wrench on them when putting them back. So they used a manual wrench and overtightened them, a few days later I had my engine almost touching the road on one side and three sheared bolts.

The dealer fixed the problem and admitted that was what they had done. I'm sure you would have been ok but I thought it might be something to watch out for.

Ady
 

ibizacupra

Jack-RIP my little Friend
Jul 25, 2001
31,333
19
glos.uk
easy is'nt how i would. describe it.. its a shite job

easy is 8v and 16v motors on mk2/3 golfs, ibiza's etc

leon type sidemounts are horrible jobs. access being the nightmare

enjoy getting the cam belt cover off. :rolleyes:
 

Nev_LCR

Gone... but not forgoten
May 16, 2007
1,271
0
Ipswich, Suffolk
i was thinking about doing it on my missus mk4 golf before selling it, think ill end up paying someone to do it, my nuckles are cut enough,
 

Scotty_b

Leon Cupra 300R
Jun 3, 2004
6,026
66
Hertfordshire
Im going to have a look at this new software im getting to see how hard it looks then take it from there as Bills not the first to say its a foooooker