OT: timing belts

I suspect it's difficult to make a Diesel which isn't -- the compression ratio is pretty high in such engines (I am used to changing the timing belt on the Citroen BX Diesel engine (XUD engine)). Old Citroens actually had longtitudinal engines, sometimes with the transmission _in front_ of the engine (!) (Citroen made fwd cars long before they were common), but I think those all used timing chaims, and weren't overhead cam (I've never seen a non-overhead-cam engine with a timing belt). The ones I am used to (and the previous cars with timing belts I've worked on) have transverse engines. The only problem due to that is the limited space for getting the belt between the timing-gear end of the engine and the inner wing panel. OK, the procedure for the BX diesel, as far as I remember it is : Jack up the front of the car, remove the road wheel on the timing-gear side. Take off the plastic cover on the inner wing panel (press-in studs). Take off the air filter and intake box (this is not essential, but it makes life a lot easier!). Loosen the alternator mounts, unscrrw the belt tensioner (this is the only car I've worked on with a tension screw for the alternator belt, rather than having to pull out the alternator to tension the belt and then tightenting the moutings without letting go!). Remove the alternator belkt Engage 5th gear, handbrake on (this works on the front wheels..), undo the bolt on the crakshaft pulley. This is tight, and goes in with locking compound, so it takes a bit of moving, still.... Remove the crackshaft pulley. Put the bolt hack in, so you can use it to turn the engine. Mremove the top parts of the belt cover (slot in), and the lower part (2 bolts). Enggage neutral. Turn the engine with the pulley bolt until the timing marks all line up. Put a 'timing pin' (a Torx key of the right size works) in the hole behind the starter motor, so that it goes into the flywheel. Put 1 8mm bolt in the hole in the cam pulley, 2 in the holes in the injector pump pullet to lock those at the timing point. Put a jack under the timing case end of the sump. Remove the top part of the engine mouting on that side (the belt runs _through_ the mounting block!). Loosen the tensioner fising bolts. Pull back the tensioner (there's a square hole in the plate to take a 3/8" square drive), tighten one of the bolts to hold it. Take off the timing belt, fit the new one (remember everthing iomportant is locked at the timing point, so there's no chance of it moving). Check there's no slack on the front side of the belt) Release the tensioner bolts, let the tensioner do its job, retighten. Remove the locking bolts and timing pin. Tuen the engine through 2 complete revolutions by hand. Release and retighten the tensioner. Check the bolts and pin will go in again. Put the engine mounting back on, rtemove the jack, put the other bits back. Having read many workshop manuals, it seems that engines with chain-driven ocerhead camshafts can be a pain to pull the head from. You either have to dismantle the complete timing case (which often involves dropping the sump, and which may not be possible with the engine in the car), or puse a special tool to hold the cam sprocket after removing it, and hope it doesn't slip (or you'll have to remove the timing case to get it all back. The belt, being essentially outside the engine, is a lot easier to deal with. -tony