Wet Timing Belts – Gorebridge, Midlothian

Wet Timing Belts. Belts in oil. Major issues

Wet belts have their name because, unlike cambelts, they are kept wet by oil. In theory, this means that they are less likely to crack and deteriorate like the dry cambelts. However, as many owners of Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroen and Honda as well as any other wet belt engine cars, know from the historic premature failure issues, this is not always the case.

Our specialist team at Williamson Bros undertake Wet belt replacements EVERY day of the week for customers ALL over Scotland.

Williamson Bros are wet belt specialists and this is the number one issue we see with the Ford 1.0 EcoBoost, Transit/Ranger 2.0 EcoBlue and the PSA group of engines 1.2 Puretech used by Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall, Toyota and the 1.0 Turbo Honda Civic.

The wet timing belt starts to delaminate very early on and all the particles drop into the sump,  the oil pump then sucks all the debris up into the oil strainer blocking it and in turn causing oil pressure faults leading to oil starvation. Also the wet belt tensioners have a habit of starting to seize causing issues. If left too long this will lead to engine damage and often there are no warning signs of impending issues of the wear in the belts. Often we have seen the first sign of failure is loss of the brake pedal while driving, the pedal goes solid upon pressing it, due to damage caused to the brake vacuum pump by belt particles, by this time its too late, damage has been caused.

We see faults and breakdowns on cars just 3 to 5 years old with only 19k to 70k on them. 

Wet belt replacements are often a time consuming and complex job that require experienced mechanical knowledge and specialist locking tools ALL of which Williamson Bros have

PSA Group 1.2 Puretech parts as follows. OEM Genuine Full wet belt timing kit with tensioner, bolt, seals, Oil filter, air filter, spark plugs and specialist PSA grade oil.

From £595 for parts and labour including VAT

Ford EcoBoost parts are as follows, OEM Genuine Full wet belt timing kit with tensioner, bolt, crank seal, crank slip ring, pcv valve and oil pump drive wet belt + Dirko HT sealant. Water Pump, Coolant change, Auxiliary belt, Oil filter, air filter, spark plugs and specialist grade Ford oil.

Prices from £1079.80 for parts and labour

The Ford EcoBlue :- OEM Genuine Ford parts, Full wet belt timing kit with tensioner & guide, oil pump drive wet belt, Oil strainer, crank bolt, new full timing case cover inc 22 new bolts, new sump, Dirko HT sealant, Oil filter with 8 to 11ltrs of specialist grade Ford oil, air filter and fuel filter.

Prices from £1049.90 for parts and labour

The Ranger wet belt replacement is extremely time consuming, as to do the job correctly, it requires the sump to be removed which involves the subframe, steering rack, gearbox differential and driveshafts to be removed to gain access. The job can be done without removing the sump and a lot of garages will quote for just a wet belt replacement but WITHOUT removing the sump, however removing the sump is a CRITICAL part of the process as all the wet belts delaminate after a short time and all the particles block up the oil pump strainer and the only way to check and clean this is removing the sump and replacing it, it is absolutely pointless doing a wet belt replacement without removing the sump.

Same parts as the EcoBlue and Ranger prices from £1590 for parts and labour

For all wet belts we would need the car/van for a day and a half to allow the specialist high temp sealants for the sump and timing case cover to cure fully before we put in the new the oil the following morning along with road test. This ensures the sealant has cured fully and avoids any oil leaks.

At Williamson Bros in Gorebridge, Midlothian, we are one of few local garages that specialise in wet belt repair and maintenance issues. We are independent wet belt experts with the relevant timing tools and equipment.

What causes a wet belt or timing belt to fail?

There are a few main reasons for wet belt or timing belt failure:

1. The belt can just snap – although this can cause serious damage sometimes an engine can be saved.
2. The belt will deteriorate over time and fragments can break off and contaminate the surrounding oil. This in turn blocks the oil strainer, which means that other vital components don’t receive the lubrication that they need. This can lead to the oil-starved components failing and often leads to component or complete engine failure.
3. Ford initially recommended replacing the wet timing belt every 10 years or 150,000 miles (whichever comes first). However Ford have reduced this to 6 years and 60k on certain wet belt engines due to all of the issues with them.
4. Based on industry experience and real-world conditions and failures, we recommend replacing any wet belt earlier than guidelines especially if the car does not have full service history with correct grades of oils used.

Once your wet belt has been replaced, regular 6 monthly oil and filter changes will help maintain your wet belt and regularly checking the oil level and topping up if needed with the correct grade is essential.

If you see an engine warning light come on in the dash, get in touch with our team at Williamson Bros straight away so that we can assess and sort the situation.

As a Servicesure Autocentre, Williamson Bros are committed to maintaining very high standards of work, customer service and business practices, providing our customers with quality work at competitive prices.

To find out more about Wet Timing Belts in Gorebridge, Midlothian, contact us online or call us directly on 0800 999 1740

Contact Us Online »