Can I Change My Own Cambelt?

Today I'm changing a cambelt for the first time ever on my Disrespected Astra VXR. Not all smooth sailing, but I think anyone could do this if they're thorough and have the right tools for the job.

[@Donn3rMC]

I work at OPEL in Germany and I loosen those tensioners with one blow with a hammer on the small metal plate where you put the allen key in. Works everytime and very quick and safe!

[@JamesBalazs]

That's a great tip thank you! I'll come back to this when I next have to do a cambelt 😅

[@AlaGamesMobile]

How you do you have enough room to hammer it thou? 😅

[@Donn3rMC]

@@AlaGamesMobile Use a long screwdriver or a chisel, you only need to give it one blow and it will get loose

[@Sjwatts]

Absolute gem of a channel!

[@Yodaracing1]

Nicely done mate very detailed top vid

[@Thejoker-zg1gk]

Awesome video man very knowledgeable 👍🏻👌🏻

[@guyhorner8165]

The torx head bolt on my tensioner was mullered at the factory when they originally torqued it up. I got it off by using a pry bar resting on the tensioner arm & bashing it anti clockwise from underneath. I think they used them instead of a normal hex bolt in case it rubbed on the cambelt cover as they are slightly shallower than a hex.

[@stelfc5384]

Good job

[@williamyoulad7064]

Good work did the same on mine 🙌

[@nubie1100]

Thanks. Defo going to do it myself next time 👍🏻

[@tye595]

might wanna change your oilpump seal as it looks nice and wet

[@colinguerrieria8374]

Looking good now mate need 345mm brembo at front and vectra vxr rear one 292mm disc these are vented

[@JamesBalazs]

Should be switching to K Sport 356mm 8 pots in the next year, just a matter of time and funds. The vented rears off the Vectra are a good shout thanks 😁

[@DeUnoReverseKaart]

This is a easy engine, but more modern engines have poulie's that you need to adjust and crank/camshafts that you need to lock in place while you tension the belt and sometime even micrometers to find TDC.

[@omarismith3655]

Bs lol. The engines with the pulley snd cam belt assembly on the left or to the right hand side of the engines are one of the hardest engines to work on! Because there is no visibility, no working room to get your hands down there. Requires removing a wheel, jacking up, removing engine mounts. Opposed to a lot of Mercedes, BMWs, rear wheel drive cars, which have the pulley and cam assembly at the front of the engine. Heaps easier. The vxr engine is actually devious it looks very easy to work on, but is extremely tough in some areas, with very very tight working room.

[@robertnagy2456]

easy engine good engine

[@omarismith3655]

So after 6 hours of beating it and hammering it. I finally managed to get the tensioner bolt off using nothing but a chisel and a hammer and some swearing. I must be the only person in history to do this job in torrential rain, in the dark lol. That tensioner bolt is for sure quite a massive challenge due to the cramped area it’s in.

[@markymark3295]

Have u had the car mapped yet mate ? Iv ordered the 90mm hybrid intake from sprogley. cars going in for tweek n map it in with the 6 paddle clutch n pro alloy radiator it should be happy at 400bhp this time

[@JamesBalazs]

I haven't yet no, still on the stock map. I'll be doing a front mount and top hat at the end of this year I think then getting it mapped 😁 400hp sounds like a handful!

[@markymark3295]

@@JamesBalazs sweet mate this one's my second the first one had and exhaust n filter no map there great when mapped it did 174mph on the dyno 🤣👌

[@markymark3295]

Gates do a blue raceing cambelt kit from nevlock iam after that next time round

[@magellan3xxx]

I'm always fear with this. Timing belt... pfuj.

[@mihaipadeanu3034]

All should be easy until the lower cam cover's bolts spin with the whole thread and can't be removed... I've been struggling for a whole day to remove those and i thought there's some kind of catch that I'm missing, but it turns out people love tightening bolts in uga duggas instead of NM

[@omarismith3655]

Heya mate; can I ask where you got the conti timing belt kit from?

[@JamesBalazs]

Iirc it was RnD Motorsport mate. The "Z20 Cambelt kit with 2 uprated idlers" on their site :)

[@omarismith3655]

Thanks for the reply. I’m midway through this and having to grind off that horrid t40 bolt. It’s been in there since 2007 in my vxr lol. Is the replacement bolt you put on m8 x 50mm am I right in saying ?

[@JamesBalazs]

@@omarismith3655 Yes I think that's right, although mine came with the timing kit. Good luck!

[@omarismith3655]

No luck so far, no idea why Vauxhall would put a tiny torx for such a important part. But for rest of the pulleys they have nice external torxs’🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️ I’ve made a little slot on top of the bolt with a chisel and tried to whack from the top but no joy. Might have to get my hands on a dremel to cut a deeper one. if the chisel and hammer method fail, do you think it’s possible to grind the entire head off with a Dremel?

[@JamesBalazs]

@@omarismith3655 yes I bet you could remove the whole head pretty quickly with a grinding stone in the dremel. Also take a look at the comment from the Opel technician on here, he apparently loosens the tensioners off by sharply hitting the part the allen key goes into. Sounds like that does the trick every time.

[@grantcollingwood414]

Thanks for the series of video and the help to help look after my own VXR. Do you have instagram?

[@JamesBalazs]

Thanks for the support! My insta is @balazsjames but I don't use it too much for car stuff, mostly post gym stories there 😅