So... much talk about changing cambelt before 10 years, now reduced to 7 years...

How many cambelts have actually broken before 12-15 years / 200 000 miles?
I imagine it's actually quite a rare occurrence?

Last edited by rambling rollie on 30th Aug 2020 5:15 pm. Edited 1 time in total

Id imagine its quite an expensive occurrence  Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

2014 Orkney grey Freelander SD4 GS.
2004 Zambezi silver Discovery 2 Td5 (Gone)
1963 Surf blue Morris Mini Minor Super de Luxe (my little toy)

rambling rollie wrote:

So... much talk about changing cambelt before 10 years, now reduced to 7 years...

How many cambelts have actually broken before 12-15 years / 200 000 miles?
I imagine it's actually quite a rare occurrence?

Been there, done that, (in an Astra), don’t want to do it in an FL2! Scheduled preventive maintenance is expensive, but so much cheaper than unscheduled repairs with all the associated inconvenience. Imagine some of our Australian members suffering a cambelt breaking out in the bush. Could be life threatening!

I'm certainly not disputing the need to have it done or underestimating the consequences or wondering about whether other models have them break..

I'm simply wondering how many Freelander 2's have actually broken cambelts...

I doubt if that information is held anywhere - certainly not for older cars being service/repaired by non-franchised garages once out of warranty Jules

It is not usually the cam belt that lets go, it is normally the water pump seizing or the tensioners failing both will cause the cam belt to either jump a few teeth or come off. MY13 HSE Lux Santorini Black
MY11 HSE Santorini Black Gone
MY08 SE Blue, Gone
Alfa Romeo GT Gone
Alfa Romeo 156 Space wagon Gone
Volvo V40 Gone
Volvo 480ES Gone
VW Sirocco GTX Gone

Hi, I have just enrolled onto this freel2.com, having read your issue regarding Cambelt, I replaced mine at 6 years 110,000 miles, to find a leaky water pump but most shocking the teeth on the cambelt were starting to feather away which would have resulted in failure well below the so called ten year or 150k replacement
My dealer was not really interested but although having the car from new I have always said I have experienced coolant loss constantly
Stark warning never to trust what the manufacturers say regarding cam belts and all that.

I had mine changed at 151,000 miles. I had an Alfa 156 belt go at 60,000 miles (garage revving engine during MOT)

I never read about anyone on this forum who has had a cambelt failure.
A few including myself have had a cam shaft break with similar consequences.
I changed mine at about 95k and it looked fine but water pump had some evidence of leakage.

Joe Fix it until it's broke !

I was chatting to a RAC guy some time ago & he was telling me most cars he encounters with a broken cam belt the owner has tried to bump start the car. If you have a manual car DO not attempt to bump start it.

Do you mean they bump started it before the cambelt broke or after?
I can understand why attempting to bump start a car after the cambelt was broken would add insult to injury. Jules

No the initial bump start, what he told me not even as a last resort DO NOT TRY & bump start a car if it won’t start.

Tow starting will definitely destroy cambelts.
On the starter you are rotating the engine from a standstill to maybe a hundred rpm.
Being towed at say 20mph and dropping the clutch in first gets your engine from a standstill to over a thousand rpm in the same time. lots and lots of inertia, in stuff like water pumps (water is very stiff if force is suddenly applied), camshafts (with high pressure fuel pumps attached), alternators, and don't forget the shock loading to the gearbox and clutch itself.

Older petrol cars without overhead camshafts OK, new stuff, just don't. Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

Had a cambelt go on a Fiat motorhome iTurned out the tensioner bolts sheared was lucky the garage that did the cambelt accepted it was their fault and repaired engine