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C6 Fuel Pump Belt change.
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onthecut   
Sun Oct 16 2016, 05:49pm
Joined: Sep 20 2016
Member No: #2793
Location: West Mids
 What a frustrating job; less than five minutes to change the belt and tensioner ---- after the eternity trying to get to it. I don't know what the official method is and I certainly don't necessarily think the way I did it is particularly good, but I got there in the end, so if it's any help.

First, remove the air cleaner assembly so you have a good line of sight and some work space. The forward turbo air feed hose was a doddle to get off its pipe stub; the one to the rear offered significant resistance. Had a second pair of hands keeping a steady pull while I used a couple of flat blade drivers to start prising it along the spigot.

Remove the outer parts of the large cable guide that hangs over the edge of the belt casing, then undo the single bolt that retains the inner part of the guide. The inner part may then be fiddled out from behind the various chunks of wiring harness.

There is a bendy, smallish bore stainless pipe that passes near the top corner of the belt casing. Follow it down toward the engine block and you will find
the bolt that holds it just near where it starts to run horizontally. Remove the bolt. Now follow it down toward the gearbox and just before it enters a section of flexi hose there is another clamp, with the bolt head facing upward. Remove. The pipe is now able to move sufficiently for the job.

The real villain of the piece is the bigger bore metal water pipe that runs along the bottom edge of the belt casing and links the EGR coolers (I think). First, I undid the hose from the end of the forward cooler, although I don't think it made much odds. Next, find the bracket on the pipe at the lower forward end of the casing and undo and remove the retaining nut. Don't waste your time trying to pull the pipe much -- it gives barely any slack. Then follow the pipe toward the bulkhead. There is a well hidden retaining nut approximately in line with where the brake servo vac hose attached to the servo. Undo and remove. Still the pipe feels rock solid. I really didn't want to have to start trying to access the rear EGR cooler, so left that connected.

Next, an easy bit. The cover is in two halves (inner and outer) and you only need to remove the outer. Look along the top edge of the outer cover and you will see two tabs that are pushed through corresponding retainers. Press the tabs down a little and the outer cover swings out. You are now ready to try removing the cover and you will find you are fouled by the larger water pipe at the bottom edge, the chunky wiring harness and the input pipe stub for the forward turbo.

To try and get a bit of extra lift on the chunky harness, I undid the two bolts that hold the rear turbo stainless pipe that runs across the top of the engine, undid the hose clip at the forward end of the pipe and lifted it out of the hose. I also undid the two fuel pipes at the filter as they too are in the line of fire.After a lot of fruitless pulling and pushing I took a chance and used a pry bar against the fuel filter housing, with the bar end pushing the metal water pipe out a little. At last, this allowed the outer case to clear the cam sprocket bolt, which was the main thing preventing progress.

Even at this stage it's fiddly as the wiring harness doesn't have much give. If you unplugged everything obviously that would give more lift, but that's a lot of unplugging. Finally and with a little force to get it past the front turbo pipe stub it came out.

As mentioned, actually doing the belt is just two or three minutes. The new tensioner comes locked in the retracted position and the belt pretty much falls on. Remember to extract the locking pin from the tensioner! There is no timing involved and no need to have the engine in any particular position. To refit the cover, again hold out the lower pipe just enough to get the cover over the cam sprocket bolt. The cover has tabs on the lower edge that need to engage their slots and it may then be pivoted upwards until the two top tabs snap into place. To quote the immortal Mr. Haynes, reassembly is then the reverse of dismantling.

I suspect the official waymay be to remove the lower water pipe; not having followed that path I wouldn't like to speculate whether it would be a better method.

Mike.
e3steve   
Sun Oct 16 2016, 10:24pm
Joined: Jan 21 2013
Member No: #1163
Location: Warsash, Hants & Palma de Mallorca, Spain
 Ha! You were half way into replacing the starter motor there!! Wait 'till you have the joy of that little operation...

The unplugging and entire removal of the electronics' box's residents, along with that box, is essential!
gmerry   
Sun Oct 16 2016, 11:05pm
Joined: Dec 11 2009
Member No: #21
Location: Scotland
 Re that metal coolant pipe that runs on the outside of the injection pump cambelt, I can definitely see a redesign happening to my engine (to rid me of this horrid piece of metal). Maybe then, some jobs like the injection pump belt and starter motor would be that much easier.

regards
G
 

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