Dayco

As factors will be increasingly familiar, there is a trend among the vehicle manufacturers (VMs) to integrate more of their vehicle’s engine systems

as they pursue the engine emission and fuel consumption reductions that have been imposed by legislation around the world.

This requirement has meant that original equipment (OE) specialists such as Dayco have been required to develop solutions that operate very closely with engine systems that traditionally have been quite separate. An excellent example of this change can be seen on the BMW-PSA engine used in the BMW Mini.

The water pump in this engine is only activated when the temperature of the engine needs to be controlled. Therefore, at start up, or when the engine is below its normal operating temperature, there is no drive to the water pump, which by allowing the engine to warm up more quickly reduces the
engine’s overall emissions and improves fuel consumption.

When the engine reaches its normal temperature however, the water pump is automatically engaged by means of the friction wheel, which receives its drive from the crankshaft pulley. The friction wheel is controlled by the vehicle’s ECU and uses an electric motor and reduction gear to position
the friction wheel pulley. This solution allows the cooling system to respond quickly to the temperature of the engine and then maintain it at the correct level.

Dayco has designed, developed and patented both the single-arm torsion bar tensioner, which replaces the traditional spiral spring tensioner and the motorised friction pulley, which drives the water pump on this engine.

Although not requiring the same level of technology, several VMs now incorporate the drive for the water pump in a number of their engines into the timing drive system, rather than through the auxiliary drive system.

As a result, in addition to the more complex design solutions like that mentioned in the BMW Mini example, Dayco offer a comprehensive range of 240 water pump kits that include an OE water pump alongside its usual belt, tensioner and idler combination. This allows factors to supply workshops
with all the components necessary to undertake a full water pump and timing drive system replacement.

Factors supplying timing belt kits for those engines that feature timing belt driven water pumps are in danger of losing out if they fail to suggest that their customers also replace the water pump when replacing the timing belt and its related components. Workshops trying to save their customers a few pounds by carrying out a partial repair and replacing only the water pump or only the timing belt, take the risk of having to present them with a much larger bill for a full repair at a later date.

Therefore, for peace-of-mind and as a cost-effective longterm precaution, Dayco recommend that for applications that feature a timing belt driven water pump, factors automatically suggest that their workshop customers opt for a full timing drive system replacement rather than change a failing water pump or timing belt in isolation.

Three-Year Warranty
Dayco can further extend this peace-of-mind for all parties when fitting one of its High Tenacity (HT) timing belt/water pump kits. These kits include a Dayco HT or ‘white’ belt and workshops that fit these kits can extend the existing two-year warranty on the kit by a further year and therefore provide their customers with a three-year warranty.

The Long Life + 1 year warranty is a perfect example of how Dayco technology can provide factors and their workshop customers with a ‘real world’ competitive advantage over those fitting other brands. It also gives the motorist a level of protection that cannot often be matched, even by the franchised dealer.

The combination of guaranteed OE quality products, relevant technical expertise and product support such as the Long Life +1 year warranty, makes Dayco the first choice for discerning professionals.

Emerging Opportunities
FEAD
Thankfully, over the last decade, the number of garages that would have considered taking the risk of replacing the timing belt in isolation has become few and far between, which is why timing belt kit sales have gone up and timing belt sales down. One of the very real opportunities for factors and their garage customers over the next decade is to develop sales from the front-end auxiliary drive (FEAD) system.

The FEAD system is subject to similar mileage to the timing drive system, which means it is logical to apply similar service principles to the auxiliary belt and its associated components. This is particularly relevant as some vehicle manufacturers are beginning to introduce a service interval
for the auxiliary belt into their service schedules and this opens the door for the independent sector.

Unlike timing belt kits, there are too many variable components to offer FEAD kits, but Dayco has made a huge investment in its manufacturing plants across the globe to cater for the demand for its tensioners and idlers for both OE and aftermarket alongside its longstanding auxiliary belt range.

As a result, Dayco now offers more than 700 tensioners and idlers to supplement its 800 plus range of auxiliary belts, which provides the maintenance and repair solution for virtually every vehicle the workshop is likely to come across.

Belt in Oil Replacement Cartridge
At this year’s Automechanika, Dayco launched a belt in oil replacement cartridge for the Ford ‘Lynx’ 1.8-litre diesel unit, which will be available to the aftermarket following the show.

As Ford’s power transmission supply partner, Dayco designed the world’s first belt in oil drive system, when in 2008, it developed the engineering solution to supersede the previous chain driven high pressure injection pump for this engine, which has been widely used to power various Fiesta,
Focus, C-Max, S-Max, Mondeo, Galaxy, Tourneo Connect and Transit Connect models between 1998 and 2011.

As the timing drive system on this engine is driven from the injection pump, the performance of the injection pump drive system is crucial and as this can often not be substantiated, Dayco has developed the belt in oil replacement cartridge, which completely substitutes the chain driven system for
the latest belt in oil system.

Therefore, in addition to the belt itself, the cartridge also includes the corresponding belt pulleys to enable the technician to update the engine and remove and replace the original chain driven sprockets and all other evidence of the chain-driven system.

Although there are a growing number of belt in oil solutions for several new generation engines, the aftermarket opportunities for belt in oil replacement components will always come behind sales of the traditional belt kits. However, like many emerging technologies, they are available to the
independent sector, so there is no reason why these profit making opportunities should be lost to the franchised dealer.

Contact Universal Automotive for more details
 
Phone: 01562 512512 Fax: 01562 820933
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.universalautomotive.com