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[Nick W]

Yes and no, so for the four pots that pretty much the case, can be done with a three quid tool or other item. The V6 is a more advanced due to the need to get the timing between banks correct.

And yet Honda manage on the quad-cam, VTEC V6 in the NSX. All that's required are the timing mark on the crank, and 4 6mm pins to lock the cams and provide the timing. The belt is tensioned similarly.

Access is poor though!

[05omegav6]

Yes and no, so for the four pots that pretty much the case, can be done with a three quid tool or other item. The V6 is a more advanced due to the need to get the timing between banks correct.

And yet Honda manage on the quad-cam, VTEC V6 in the NSX. All that's required are the timing mark on the crank, and 4 6mm pins to lock the cams and provide the timing. The belt is tensioned similarly.

Access is poor though!

That's where Hondas fixed price servicing comes into play From a servicing point of view the NSX cost the same to service at a main dealer as an Accord

[henryd]

Yes and no, so for the four pots that pretty much the case, can be done with a three quid tool or other item. The V6 is a more advanced due to the need to get the timing between banks correct.

And yet Honda manage on the quad-cam, VTEC V6 in the NSX. All that's required are the timing mark on the crank, and 4 6mm pins to lock the cams and provide the timing. The belt is tensioned similarly.

Access is poor though!v

The old v6 honda engined rovers didn't new any special tools either,just line up all thee marks and go for it.

[Webby the Bear]

We got a timing belt in this week. I don't know what it is yet but I'm going to do it whilst the tech has a break, I mean watches my efforts lol

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Keep up the good work Mr The Bear! 

[chrisgixer]

I'd add to your list a lot of moving the engine up and down, usually by trolly Jack and wood under the sump, to access various bits of the belt run, due to the wheel arch structure being in the way. Focus and tigra come to mind, although it was while ago now.

[Marks DTM Calib]

True of pretty much all transverse engine designs Chris although its more down to the need to remove the engine mount at that end.

As for the V6 timing, its all about what design compromise you want to take, clearly, removing the ability to dial in timing is a compromise which yields minor benefits in servicing, it also pretty much removes the ability to skim a head and get the timing right after (I recall the heads were advised not to be skimmed on these come to think about it).

Good design has nothing to do with servicing (as hard as it may be to swallow that bitter little pill)

[Merlindriver]

The one thing I like about our 1.8 Vectra B is it has clearly been put together with routine mainternance in mind (probably for the fleet market). Sump drain can be accessed without having the car on ramps, the oil filter is on the front of the block and easy to get at, and the timing belt can be changed without removing the engine mount and jacking up the block. Easy(ish) access too with a removable plastic inner wing panel. Not so for the aux belt though which has a very convoluted route and needs the engine mounting off to replace - just the ticket on a wet and windy night 

[Marks DTM Calib]

Although the (normally goosed) engine stabiliser mount has to come off 

To be honest, most of the VX engines are the same, the only variation being the stabiliser is replaced by an engine mount, not hard to remove and the supporting of the engine is easy enough 

[Kevin Wood]

The old v6 honda engined rovers didn't new any special tools either,just line up all thee marks and go for it.

Old being the operative word, perhaps?

The setup on the Omega is hard(er) work because, as Mark said, it allows adjustment down to sub-tooth accuracy. If you accept that the timing will be approximate, especially after a head skim, then you can of course have a setup where you just line up the marks and slap the belt on, and this was the case with most early belted engines IME.

More modern lumps, the Ford Zetec and the GM V6 being the examples that come to mind, have a fine cam timing adjustment, albeit through different implementations. Why did the designers decide that this is required? Not sure. Maybe they perceived it as necessary for reasons of fuel consumption, refinement, emissions - who knows? I'm pretty sure they would have eliminated it if they felt they could, though.

[henryd]

The old v6 honda engined rovers didn't new any special tools either,just line up all thee marks and go for it.

Old being the operative word, perhaps?

The setup on the Omega is hard(er) work because, as Mark said, it allows adjustment down to sub-tooth accuracy. If you accept that the timing will be approximate, especially after a head skim, then you can of course have a setup where you just line up the marks and slap the belt on, and this was the case with most early belted engines IME.

More modern lumps, the Ford Zetec and the GM V6 being the examples that come to mind, have a fine cam timing adjustment, albeit through different implementations. Why did the designers decide that this is required? Not sure. Maybe they perceived it as necessary for reasons of fuel consumption, refinement, emissions - who knows? I'm pretty sure they would have eliminated it if they felt they could, though.

Maybe but a cracking engine that was also oil tight

[Webby the Bear]

So watched one of the mechanics do a timing belt replacement on a 1.6 Octavia (far-king shed!!!  ) after the HG was replaced.

Anyways, as it was his job I couldn't really say ''mind if I nick it off you'' so I decided to hang about and be annoying ask some questions...

So the timing mark for the crank was on the crank sprocket as opposed to the pulley (there could have been one on the pulley but for the part that I watched he'd got the crank mark lined up on the sprocket).

I forgot to ask where the mark was on the cam but I presume as itsa SOHC there'd be a mark on the rear cover perhaps at the 12 o clock position?

Anyway tensioner was a two pin special tool affair. he didn't have one so I think he made one. this was used to get the tensioner mark between two points, hold it there and then torque the tensioner nut (similar to the v6 tensioner)

the last thing I asked was as the belt had no markings how'd ya know if youre a tooth out...he said he'd turn the engine over a few times. if it went out of time he would know he was a tooth out. if it stayed timed bang on he knew it was good. is this correct?

The whole thing if I'm honest looked like a complete ball ache as the tensioner marks were underneath so you needed a mirror in a limited access space (being transverse) whilst holding it in the right place whilst then tighteming the nut...... you need 7 hands and only having one ill prob be f....d 

[Webby the Bear]

ps, I think this was the set up (from memory so don't beat me down if its not the correct one...

http://workshop-manuals.com/skoda/octavia-mk1/images/octavia-mk1-2113.png

which way would you feed the belt up? it makes sense to me that you'd feed it up the right hand side as the water pump is fixed in place and thus you put the belt on nice n taught... and then the ''floppy side'' gets sortedwhen you tension it?