Bravo & Brava • 1995 To 2000

2D«4 1.8 litre engine in-car repair procedures
4.7a Removing one of the timing belt
cover bolts
4 Timing belt and covers -
removal and refitting
Note: If the timing belt is being removed, it is
a wise precaution to check the condition of
the coolant pump at the same time (check for
signs of coolant leakage). This may avoid the
need to remove the timing belt again at a later
stage, should the coolant pump fail.
General information
1 The function of the timing belt is to drive the
camshafts and coolant pump. Should the belt
slip or break in service, the valve timing will be
disturbed and piston-to-valve contact will
occur, resulting in serious engine damage.
2 For this reason, it is important that a new
timing belt is fitted at or before the specified
mileage (see Chapter 1). If the car has been
r Jli WW.
4.11 Mark the camshaft sprockets for TDC
position
4.12a Locating peg in crankshaft sprocket
(arrowed)...
4.7b Removing the timing belt cover
purchased second-hand, and its history is
unknown, renewing the timing belt should be
treated as a priority.
3 FIAT garages use a number of special tools
to keep the camshaft sprockets and
crankshaft sprocket (flywheel) at the TDC
position, since it is possible that the sprockets
may turn as the old belt is removed and the
new one fitted. If they turn independently, the
valve timing will be lost, and the engine will
not run properly when restarted - worse,
piston-to-valve contact may occur.
4 In the absence of the special tools, great
care must be taken when removing and
refitting the belt that the sprockets do not
move. Marks may be found on the sprockets,
which align with markings on the cylinder
head or oil pump housing. If none are present,
take care to make your own, using typists
correction fluid or similar, before removing
the belt.
5 If the special tools are not used, the
procedure given below will suffice to change
the belt successfully, but if care is not taken
and the camshaft timing is slightly out, the
engine may not run very well on completion. It
is advisable to have a FIAT dealer confirm the
camshaft timing after a new belt is fitted, if the
special tools are not used.
Removal
6 Remove the auxiliary drivebelt, then remove
the spark plugs (refer to.Chapter 1).
7 Unbolt and remove the timing belt cover,
which is secured by a total of eight bolts (see
illustrations). Two of the bolts are longer than
4.12b ... should be aligned vertically with
indent in sump (perpendicular to sump
flange)
4.9 Remove the four small bolts and take
off the crankshaft pulley
the rest - note their locations as they are
removed. Recover the rubber gasket fitted
between the outer and inner covers, if it is
loose.
8 Set the engine to TDC as described in
Section 2, then engage top gear; if the
handbrake is firmly applied, this should
prevent the crankshaft from moving.
9 Remove the four small Ribe bolts and take
off the crankshaft pulley (see illustration).
Note that the pulley fits over a locating peg on
the crankshaft sprocket.
10 If the special holding tools are not
available, make your own sprocket alignment
marks as necessary before removing the belt
(see paragraph 4).
11 In particular, mark the relative positions of
the camshaft sprockets. When the engine is at
TDC, it should be found that the teeth on each
sprocket line up with each other at the point
where the sprockets are closest - if one tooth
on each sprocket is marked for horizontal
alignment, this can be used to confirm the
TDC position. Alternatively, refit the camshaft
cover, and mark each sprocket at the top, in
relation to the edge of the cover (see
illustration).
12 The crankshaft sprocket should also be
marked for position, if no timing marks are
evident. The sprocket is keyed to the
crankshaft, so can only be fitted in one
position, but a timing mark would be useful as
confirmation. When the engine is at TDC, the
locating peg for the crankshaft pulley should
be perpendicular to the sump mating flange
(see illustrations).
4.12c We made alignment marks between
the sprocket and oil pump flange