How to change your QP IV 3.2 cambelt, with pictures!

B16 ONX

Junior Member
Messages
95
After loads of googling & searching a few forums I couldn't find any guides so I decided to do my own, as follows.

You don't need any special tools, nor do you need a ramp as there is nothing to do from under neath the car. The whole job took about 4 hours from start to finish which included taking pictures, making notes & making a couple of errors.

With this guide you could it comfortably in 3 with out the errors I made.

So firstly grab yourself a Maserati & lift it to a comfortable working height if possible & open the bonnet, obviously!

I had to prop mine with a broom as the struts are weak, hence the broom in the pictures.
 

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B16 ONX

Junior Member
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First job was remove the charge hose's. I undone them at the intercooler & plenum chamber to give as much room as possible.
 

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B16 ONX

Junior Member
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Next is disconnect the water hose's. Again for maximium space I undone them at the radiater x2, expansion pipe tee off and head x2 leaving the thermostat connected.

This is purely a personal choice, so feel free to make your own decision.

So far all you have needed is a flat blade screw driver......

Get ready to catch the coolant from under neath.
 

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B16 ONX

Junior Member
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Next was remove the oil seperator using a flat blade & a 6mm allen key.
 

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B16 ONX

Junior Member
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95
Next is remove the fan belt using a normal 3/8 short extension in the tensioner arm. Couldn't get a picture of this as it was too low to get a decent picture!
 

B16 ONX

Junior Member
Messages
95
Next was remove bottom pulley with a 5mm key & a 19mm socket.

Mistake no 1: trying to get the cambelt cover off before taking the bottom pulley off.
Mistake no 2: trying to get the bottom pulley off without removing the centre 19mm bolt. I thought the 4x 5mm allens kept the pulley on. I lost a good 20 mins trying to get it off before deciding to remove the centre bolt. Why they used both methods of securing the pulley is beyond me.

In total I lost 30 mins by struggling to remove the cambelt cover BEFORE removing the bottom pulley, then not removing the centre bolt.
 

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B16 ONX

Junior Member
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Next undo the 5mm bolts holding the cambelt cover in place & remove. So now your engine should look like this....cambelt clearly accessable.
 

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B16 ONX

Junior Member
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Next was remove the spark plugs in order to turn the engine over easily.
The spark plugs are held in place with 5mm bolts x5, then a ratchet, extension & spark plug socket.

So first remove the coil pack wiring x4
 

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B16 ONX

Junior Member
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Then remove the 5mm bolts holding the coil pack support bar/panel. Once this is removed just pull the coil packs out. Once they are out remove the plugs.
 

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B16 ONX

Junior Member
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95
Refit the bottom pulley & centre nut then turn the engine over (by hand!) untill the timing marks line up on the 2 cams.

You should see a small dot on the head & a notch on the cam pulley which need to line up.

I found no marks on the bottom pulley other than some Tippex marks put on by someone before, that seemed to line up with a notch in the block & one of the spurs on the bottom pulley with the crank sensor.
 

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B16 ONX

Junior Member
Messages
95
Cams lined up & crank marked, you are ready to remove the belt. In order to do so you have to remove the tension off the cambelt.

I couldn't work out how to remove the tension so I took it off all together via the 2x 5mm bolts. Note they are 2 different sizes.

Once removed it should look like this
 

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B16 ONX

Junior Member
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Once you remove the belt the cams jump out of alignement. I can't tell you how much my heart sank when I saw them move & heard the bang it makes!

But it is ok....no damage done.

Looking back I would have secured the cam with a 22mm spanner as I removed the belt then let it move slowly....
 

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B16 ONX

Junior Member
Messages
95
So now the belt should be off, the cams out of alignement & the tensioner on the bench fully extended.

This is the halfway point so almost there!

The tensioner is too strong to push back by hand. You will need a vice to compress the end back in.

The end of the body has a small hole in it, as does the tensioner shaft. You will need something small enought to fit the hole. I had this pin from an Audi cambelt kit I fitted years ago & it was a perfect fit!

Try a small drill bit if nothing else is suitable.....

Compress the tensioner in the vice & keep tightening untill the tool you have selected fits through the body, shaft & body
 

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stradaman

New Member
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376
You can be 180 degrees out. Reason why, to check no 1 cylinder is at top of block, with screwdriver down plug hole!

Andy.
 

B16 ONX

Junior Member
Messages
95
With the tensioner pinned back, leave it to one side to allow easier fitment of the belt.
Put the belt on the crank then around the tension pulley to the left, from there onto the left (as you look at it) cam. Use a 22mm spanner to move the sprocket round to the correct timing position.

From there it goes under the water pump then onto the right cam sprocket. Again use a 22mm spanner to move the cam into position.

The right cam sprocket will be very tight & this is where leaving the tensioner off will help you. You can move the bottom pulley anti-clock wise to give more slack to the right hand sprocket. Once the belt is on move the bottom pulley back to postion. This will tighten the belt on the right leaving the slack on the left.

Refit the tensioner(don't forget the aluminium washer!) back in place. With the tensioner fitted BUT STILL PINNED turn the engine 4 or more revolutions. This will allow you to check the cam & bottom pulley timing marks are spot on.

My bottom pulley was either out by half a tooth but the cams spot on or the crank spot on & the cams out slightly. Altereing the timing at this stage would mean it being out by at least a tooth either side so I decided that the previous Tippex mark must have been incorrect as the cams were spot on & the crank pick up for the crank sensor was perfectly aligned with each other.
 

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B16 ONX

Junior Member
Messages
95
So now your engine should look like this, new belt fitted & all marks aligned, if so pull the pin used to secure the tensioner shaft.
 

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beau

Member
Messages
1,391
Refit the tensioner(don't forget the aluminium washer!) back in place

what washer is this? didnt see it in your pics, otherwise, guide looks good :)

(i removed tensioner on my 3200 today and didnt see any washers so bit concerned now lol)

and i spent about half hour trying to remove the crank pulley after removing the 4 allen key bolts, and now i know why it wont come off! thanks alot
 

B16 ONX

Junior Member
Messages
95
With the belt fitted & tensioner tensioned, all that's left is refit the covers, pipes & hoses in reverse order of removal.

Once that is all refitted, top up the coolant & refit the spark plugs.

That's it, job done.

Heres all the tools you will need to do the job, along with all the bolts you will remove.

In hind sight, an easy fix. Would I do it again, yes only this time much quicker!
 

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