A customer of mine bought a C3 Picasso 1.2 and the dealer said that they had chcked the timing belt thickness and that it was 'in spec' so didn't require replacement. Apparently the belts react with the oil.

I spoke to our regular dealer parts man who was very vague but did admit that they had replaced some engines under warranty as bits of the belt had worn off and they couldn't be sure where they they might end up.

Has anyone come across this issue? My wife has a C3 with the non-turbo Puretech and it's been a great car.

Loads of info on the web about these bio engines (belt in oil) .The belt delaminates and clogs up the oil pump and oil supply system . But it's not just these engines. The Ford Ecoboost can suffer the same fate ,as do the later transit engines. It seems that many manufacturers are now using this technology.

Hi Richard

Just bought a Vauxhall Corsa 2020 1.2 Turbo with the same wet belt technology for the wife. Great car, surprising how quick they are for a 1.2

I also had concerns about the wet belt, but that seems to be the way they are going, I see plenty like them as our main work is servicing

We have always used additives for many years during servicing, Engine Flush and Fuel Additives. But we have now stopped using Engine Flush completely as this may have an effect on the wet belt, this may be a factor if one disintegrates and a warranty claim put in

I spoke to a well know additive rep who said that the Engine Flushes coming through are now engine oil based, so probably not as aggressive as the solvent based ones (probably don't clean as well though)

So steer clear of Engine Flushes

Peter

There are couple of obvious giveaways for the PSA engine, early indicators are timing/cam or vvt issues. The debris (fluff) from the belts clogs the VVT solenoid filters.

The Transit, early warning indicator is loss of brake servo assistance. The debris clogs the brake servo pump.

Thanks all,

I guess what I'm looking for is some kind of guidance on replacement. I messaged Autodata to see if they had any 'known fixes' and the guy said that the problems were on the replacement belts and not the original fit..??

I only have a couple of customers with the Puretech engine and in the last few months, we've just started to see some Ecoboost Fords for servicing.

I know some of the Ford diesels had a random choice` of belt or chain (and the dealer couldn't tell what was fitted) but I've never known an issue with either.

So, are you folks just changing them earlier, or do you wait for things to start clogging up - which is surely too late? Anything to look for in the oil or filter when they're being serviced?

FWIW, we've never used any oil additives. I remember when Wynns were paying for Gold Seal boxes on Austin 1100s & 1300s when our local dealer added it by default.

TIA
Dick

PSA have a little tool to see if the belt is in spec.

part number 16 431 900 80

Here in France the dealers replace some under warranty depending on the VIN number.

This the tool PSA use to check if the belt is in spec:


ligne gif

I bought mine on amazon . From Sealey. .https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-VSE5094-Petrol-Checking-1-2-Belt/dp/B08BX429XD

Please excuse my ignorance but is that tool to measure the width of the belt? Pictures I've seen online show the problem to be the smooth side of the belt cracking up and falling off leaving just the kevlar (?) cords and the teeth.

I'm also starting to see some cars coming in with belt issues. My advice to customers is change belts early although I'm not sure if I want to get involved with the 1.0 ecoboost as they sound like they are a pain to replace.

Regarding engine oil flushes i'm sure most manufacturers are detergent based so don't cause harm to belts.
I know forte have a new gen engine flush for the new engines but if they are degrading under service replacement intervals then we don't know if a flush could help at the moment.
I don't use engine flush on cars under warranty as we all know they look at anyway they can reject a claim.