No, we're not talking about the explosive kind. This is the hydraulic tensioner for a timing belt. It functions to keep the Timing Belt tight, and removes any slack which could cause the timing belt to skip and ultimately fail, possibly leading to severe engine damage. It is nicknamed a "hand grenade" for obvious reasons; you have to pull the pin for it to work.
Hand grenade Hydraulic Tensioner
The Tensioner comes from the factory ready to go. once the pin is pulled, it presses on a lever attached to a pulley which tightens the timing belt itself. The Timing belt usually links the Crank Shaft to both the Camshaft (which controls the intake and exhaust valves) and the water pump.
Our Timing Belt Display, showing the Hydraulic Tensioner in the lower left The timing belt
The timing belt as it sits on the vehicle
If you would like to know more about the Timing Belt, Click Here and navigate to the "Timing Belt" link on the lower left for an animation and video.
If you have any questions about the timing belt on your vehicle and whether it needs to be replaced, don't hesitate to give us a call at (530) 222-3313
Good photo. Looking for the description of the Fiat timing belt replacement. Is this a difficult task for a layman, whether it is better to give the car to a mechanic?
ReplyDeleteI would like to help you make an educated decision about this, but off the top of my head I am not sure about the difficulty of changing a Fiat timing belt. If you give me the year, model and engine size I can try and get back to you with more information.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Dan Bryant