Timing Belt — Replacement (Opel Ascona C)

1. Loosen the generator adjusting bracket and the bolts securing it, move the generator toward the engine and remove the drive belt from the pulleys.

2. Loosen the bolts and remove the camshaft belt cover. On injection models, the air cleaner should also be removed to improve access (see chapter 5).

3. Place the wrench on the crankshaft pulley bolt and turn it so that piston No. 1 begins to rise to TDC on the compression stroke. (To check that this is indeed a compression cycle, you should either remove the spark plug on cylinder Nin and cover the hole with your finger to check that pressure will be created in the cylinder, or remove the distributor cap and check that the rotor is aligned with electrode N 1 (for candle N 1) on the cover). The notch on the crankshaft pulley rim should align with the pointer, which gives the ignition timing angle at the specified degrees before TDC. The mark on the camshaft sprocket should align with the mark on the rear shield (see photo).



4. On 1.3 engines, unscrew the crankshaft pulley bolt, making sure not to change the previously set position of the crankshaft. On 1.6 and 1.8 engines, unscrew and remove the 4 cylindrical head bolts securing the pulley to the crankshaft drive sprocket. To prevent the crankshaft from turning while removing the bolts, either put the car in gear and fully engage the handbrake, or remove the lower flywheel housing cover and lock the flywheel ring gear using a suitable tool. Remove the pulley from the crankshaft or drive sprocket (depending on the design) (see photo).





5. Drain the coolant.

6. Loosen the water pump mounting bolts enough to allow the pump to be turned and relieve tension on the timing belt. There are special chamfers on the pump body behind the sprocket, and if desired, it can be turned using a large thin screwdriver. Alternatively, the pump can be turned from under the car by carefully tapping it with a hammer through a long punch.

7. If you are not going to change the timing belt, you should pay attention to the direction of its movement before removing it.

8. Remove the old belt from the sprockets and install a new one, making sure that the position of the camshaft or crankshaft does not change.

9. Place the new belt on the sprockets and tighten it slightly by turning the water pump.

10. Reinstall the crankshaft pulley and check that the mark on the pulley is still aligned with the pointer and that the mark on the camshaft sprocket is aligned with the groove on the shield behind it. If this is not the case, loosen the belt tension and adjust the position of the sprockets as required.



11. If you do not have a special tool, the belt tension can be adjusted as follows. Slightly loosen the water pump clamp screws and, using your thumb and forefinger, twist the belt 90 degrees. If, with moderate force, the belt either twists too easily or cannot be twisted a full 90 degrees, tighten or loosen the belt slightly by moving the water pump. If the belt is too tight, it will hum when the engine is running. After completing the adjustment, tighten the water pump bolts (see photos).





Text copied from an online resource [www.OPELBOOK.ru]





12. Remove the crankshaft pulley and install the camshaft belt cover in place.

13. Reinstall the crankshaft pulley.

14. Install the alternator drive belt in place and adjust its tension (see chapter 2).