Renewing the cam belt and tensioner

Projects, repairs, modifications and advice guide

THE service schedule for the Freelander 1’s 1.8-litre petrol engine requires the camshaft timing belt to be replaced every 72,000 miles or six years. Changing the belt is a relatively straightforward job. As with most timing belts, you do need to lock the camshaft gears in position, and on the Freelander 1 you need to remove an engine mount which means you will need to support the engine.

When changing the timing belt you should always replace the timing belt tensioner. There are two versions of the timing belt tensioner, an automatic one and a manual one, so make sure you order the correct part by quoting the chassis or engine number. In this