hi
when i mentioned the idler i was referring to moving it further into the oil pump by machining the custom sleeve that had been made not decreasing its diameter. this action would bring the face of the idler inline with the waterpump and all other pulleys as i thought if the belt caught the edge of the idler it could encourage its deflection off course further. i have since tried this and it has not corrected my issue although i think its an improvement on the setup.
yes there are only a few components on the cambelt assembly which have all been changed at least once. i was considering buying a new belt on the off chance it was a dud however i have tried it in both directions so my thoughts of there being a tight braided strand are unlikely. But what's 20 quid for a new belt going to do after going this far...
my only other thought before doing the headgasket at the moment would be if the tensioner stud was bent or worn. you may not know due to you having the older variant but the tensioner assembly is loose (in my case) on the stud/shaft but has a flat face which sits on the head. so even if the shaft was worn the nut securing the tensioner should pull it flat face to face which is what is occurring. i cant remember if someone else on the forum mentioned this but someone said the tensioner wasn't sqaure and leads off from factory. how true this is i don't know. another unlikely cause.
now the headgasket topic. this would be a good time to bulletproof the engine with the mls gasket and hts head studs, not that im looking to push serious power but i like the idea of having the option there. how can i tell what notch headgasket i have or do i have to measure the thickness of the gasket when the head is removed( i doubt it as it would be compressed). I'm sure there is an indication of the thickness prior to removal that i am not aware of. i understand i can order the same thickness//notch as what is fitted or less if i measure the clearance between the pistons. the process seems simple in theory considering i have timed the engine a silly amount of times trying to fix the walking belt. is the head on dowels? if so surely you couldn't move the head.. or is it literally floating on the head studs? i have a general idea of what angle i want to push it in considering the general dynamic of where the belt is tracking and the rotation of the engine. i just hope it gets bolted down in a better position.(seems very hit and miss).
the annoying thing is since messing about with the setup as per my previous message the cambelt will run forever in a day on track until you increase the revs to say 2500-3500. i have shown this in a video which i have uploaded to YouTube. the first clip is the cambelt on course and the second section shows the belt after it has tracked. it does not move further but it does not return to its original position.
that's my thoughts at the moment. looking like the head is going to be coming off at some point, just need to source some ht head studs/bolts and a new gasket. i sure hope that will fix my problem or im going to break down
youtube link for my video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grUQbxMhMmY
just noticed this guy examining his on YouTube and seems to be in the position i dont want mine!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzVw4H10zm0
regards