Hello,

I have had a look inside the cam belt cover on my new redtop engine and it looks to me as if the tension device is missing a spring to maintain tension. Is this so or am I daft?

Cheers
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Neither my 16vGTE nor the current redtop engine has had a spring in that location. In any case it would not maintain any tension if it was fitted, the tension is fixed once you tighten the bolt in the middle of the tensioner pulley.

None on mine either:

OK, cool. Should the belt be tight? the bit inbetween the two cams is not tight at all?

Yes, it does look a little slack in the picture. It's important to get the tension pretty much spot on, tool little and you risk jumping teeth, to much and to risk the belt snapping and/or tensioner/idler/water pump failure.

A general rule of thumb is that you should be able to twist the belt 90 degrees with your fingers on the longest run.

[Edited on 11/6/06 by MikeRJ]

i did mine as per the haynes book of lies, 'so you can nearly twist it through 90degrees' or words to that effect but mine is too tight at the moment and i need to slaken it off.

Ned.

Very early engines did have a spring fitted, but IIRC they were prone to breaking, and subsequently taking the engine with them!

Yep, I had an engine out of an '89 astra GTE that had the spring on it, so i kept the spring, and use it to help set the tension on my other engines, then take it off once the tensioner is locked up.

Incidentally on the engine in my 7, I have removed the whole arm from the tensioner (if you grind the arm near where its pressed on the press fit gives up its hold and the arm falls off) as I have dispensed with the black rear cover and the front cover as well.

I think Ned has done the same.