Finally I decided to tackle the belt change on my 348 using the remove-the-tank-method.
The tank came out allright, the two vent tubes beeing the hardest part to remove.
The cam belt cover came off too with some difficulty, because of the aircon pipes in the way. The belt tesioner came off in a not very elegant way. Looks like the mounting back on will require drilling the tensioner to keep the spring compressed during installation.
Now the belt is off the cams but does not come out because the crankshaft pulley with the timing wheel is in the way.
I will have to loosen that large bolt holding the pulley to the crankshaft without disturbing the position and the timing. Will have to find a way to hold the pulley steady putting some bar into one of the holes the pulley has.
The pictures posted by ferrarispider have been of great help, even if some pictures make no sense until you get to that part. The big crankshaft pulley bolt between the greasy fingers of the mechanic lets you know that you have to take it off and move the pulley out to get the belt off the engine.
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I would anyway appreciate any hint or suggestion on this job from anyone having tried it before.
cheers to all
stefan
