V6 24 Valve Cam Belt Procedure

["Tim Hancock" <timhancock@domain.elided>]

I have now had a chance to examine the damaged/ semi-dismantled engine on the
car I have bought, and it is obvious that regardless of what the service
invoices say, the cambelt has not been changed in a long long time as it is
full of cracks and some of the teeth have detached themselves from the belt
pretty well altogether.

I am due to pick up a spare engine, and I have a notion to change the cam
belt/tensioner/ bearings whilst it is out of the car as they will all be
wonderfully accessible. Do I hear a chorus of "Don't even think about it?" or
has anybody got a pretty cast iron procedure for changing and tensioning the
new belt correctly on a 24 Valve. If anyone has experience they are willing to
pass on then I would be most grateful. I can, in theory, dish up a newly
belted engine for my local mechanic to slot in.

What special tools do I need to come up with, and just how tight does the cam
belt have to be, and how do I measure the tension to know i've got it right?

I did warn you the questions would start

Tim Hancock  Boston UK

164TS Lusso
164 Super 24 Valve
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided