Buying a car is a big budget for most of us, however, to this one you will have to add the maintenance of your motor vehicle, and for some maintenance works the bill can be quite high. It is consequently obvious to ask yourself when is the most fortunate time to carry out these repairs and not do them “for nothing”. In this article we are going to describe to you when to change the timing belt on your Citroen Xsara? For that, to begin with, we are going to see why it is necessary to achieve this act of maintenance, then, when to do the timing belt of your Citroen Xsara , then, we are going to quickly demonstrate to you how this replace is done, and, at last, how much it costs to do the timing belt of a Citroen Xsara.
Why do we need to change the timing belt of an Citroen Xsara?
As we explained to you in introduction, changing a timing belt on a Citroen Xsara represents a significant budget, so we discover that you are hesitant to do it and to allow you to discover the benefit of this repair, so we will quickly describe why it is so important to do it on time.
Your Citroen Xsara’s timing belt function
The timing of a Citroen Xsara has an important function in the smooth running of your engine. In truth, it will have the mission to synchronize the valves and pistons, and to make the link between the camshaft, the water pump, the crankshaft and the injection pump . It will allow the engine unit to work effectively, and avoid any risk of engine breakage. The shorter the distance your car travels, the more your belt will be solicited when starting the engine unit.
What are the risks if the timing belt is not changed on time?
The problem with the timing of a Citroen Xsara is that it is internal to the engine unit. And as a result, in contrast to an accessory belt, it is unachievable to visually check its state. So you might believe that this belt is just an insignificant part, but the risks you take if you don’t change it in time are substantial. If the timing of your Citroen Xsara breaks, you will most definitely have to change the engine of this one. In truth, the pistons will hit the valves and damage them, and the camshaft will as well break. The faster the engine is running at the moment of the breakage, the more significant the outcomes are. It is therefore primordial to make your timing belt on time .
When to do the timing belt of its Citroen Xsara?
We will now answer the question that you all have to ask yourselves, when to make the timing belt of a Citroen Xsara? It is necessary to know that each engine unit is different and as we explained earlier, we must not miss on the replacement of this part. The more we advance in time the more the manufacturers improve the timing belt and normally the more recent your Citroen Xsara will be the less you will have to get worried about your belt. Nevertheless, check out your Citroen Xsara’s service book to get the exact life and maximum mileage you can accomplish before you do the timing . Typically, timing belts have a life of 5 to 10 years and a maximum mileage between 80, 000 and 200, 000km .
How to change the timing belt of an Citroen Xsara?
As the timing belt of a Citroen Xsara represents a high budget, one can rationally question if it is not possible to change it on your own. Unfortunately it is very hard to access and only the most knowledgeable amateur mechanics and the most equipped with tools will be able to reflect on this operation, we will however quickly describe the different steps to be accomplished to change this timing belt:
- Place the Citroen Xsara on stands, and based on your engine unit you may have to remove a wheel. Take out the timing gearboxes
- To do this, you must buy the timing kit so that all the engine unit elements remain in the right position, otherwise your engine unit will break. Take out the other elements that bother you (damper pulley for example).
- Take out the old distribution after loosening the tension rollers. Before positioning the new one, you must take out all the tensioning rollers and the water pump.
- Mount the new water pump.
- Install the new tension rollers, pay attention to the location of each one.
- Install the new distribution of your Citroen Xsara by respecting the markers.
- Tension the belt as outlined by the manufacturer’s specifics.
- Put the rest of it back together.
- Check that the engine unit is running effectively.
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Changing the timing belt how much does it cost?
And finally, we’ll try to give you an idea of the price if you want to change the timing belt of your Citroen Xsara . Take note that if you do it at the garage area of the brand or at a motor vehicle center like Feu Vert the price can vary a lot, but generally we estimate that the price of the distribution varies between 400 and 900 euros , based on the place where you do it and your engine unit. Take note that the kits include the belt, idlers and water pump.
To discover more tips on the Citroen Xsara, take a look at the Citroen Xsara category.
