Timing Belt Job - Water Pump hose dilemna

[Paul93Lotus]

I have been procrastinating this job on my S4s ever since I pulled all my intake/manifold/chargecooler and valve covers out to be powder coated.  I powder coated all the parts in a wrinkle red Ferrari type powder and they look great...along with coating a few other parts with a chrome powder coat that is nearly a mirror finish....and that is where the car has been sitting.  House projects combined with this timing belt job procrastination has resulted in a year of my car being down.

 

So....I took this whole week off with the intent of catching up on various projects with the Esprit resurrection being part of it.  Bought a gates blue belt and tensioner bearing along with new belts and various o-rings gaskets so I could put everything back together...with my engine ready to look like new.

 

Slowly but surely I worked through Travis' timing belt pdf (Thanks for that Travis) until I got to the part with the water pump return hose.  This is the part where I know my engine has been untouched as far as a timing belt...the hose clamp on the water pump is on the block side and pointed diagonally downward oriented towards the block...and it is impossible to get at with even a small ratchet that holds a screwdriver bit/socket...not to mention you're working blind because of its orientation.  I even had my wife coaching me from above telling me where to orient the ratchet hoping I could land it on the clamp and then loosen it enough to then push it under the hose with a screw driver. The only thing I can think of is some Philistine at the Lotus factory oriented this clamp to make it virtually impossible to reach...I can't see how it could have been placed like this except with the engine out on a stand.  If he oriented it facing the firewall with the clamp below the hose I would probably have it all wrapped up right now.

 

 

 

Anyone have any ideas on how to tackle this obstacle?  Can I just disconnect the hose from the other end where it enters the frame and then wind the timing belt around the hose that way?  Because the frame is boxed off at the sides I cannot see if that is even an option.  Remove the power steering pump that is held to the block with all these bloody allen socket bolts in hope of getting more access? I really don't want to disconnect a power steering hose and that associated mess.

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...minus any "engine out" recommendations.

 

Also...what is the general consensus on the Hz acoustic reading for the blue belt? 110 for new...or less.  I saw some youtube videos of the belt at 95 and it cavitated when revved above 2500...to the point it looked like it could possibly jump a tooth.

 

Tensioner bearing....can this be accomplished with heating the part in a oven and pressing it in with a vice or is a press a must?

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

Edited May 30, 2014 by Paul93Lotus

[Chillidoggy]

Can you get a Dremel mini grinder in there to cut the Jubilee clip? Or a junior hacksaw to cut it most of the way through, then lever it up with a screwdriver?

[Paul93Lotus]

I think there is enough room for a dremel there I think...just fearful of cutting through to the hose....which is a Lotus only part short of the hose kits on Ebay.

[Sparky]

Seen plenty of these.  I have tiny 6/7mm spanners for such occasions.  Only ever failed to get one off, and worried that with a pair of cutters until it fell apart.

[mdw]

I think there is enough room for a dremel there I think...just fearful of cutting through to the hose....which is a Lotus only part short of the hose kits on Ebay.

The ebay kits fit fine if you get round to needing one.  I am just coming up to 1k miles on a set so cant comment on longevity but they are the right shape.

[top-plumber]

From below with a small 1/4 drive socket with extensions and universal joint. Other than that a hacksaw blade in a blade handle and reach down behind bulk head with face pressed against rear window and cut the clip if its not st/steel. That's if you don't want to chance a dremmel.  I can vouch for the samco hose kits, they are spot on if you decide to use one.

Wayne