Fiat 500 Cambelt Interval – When Should You Change It?

This article contains affiliate links. For more information about this, see our affiliate disclosure.

A cambelt change is one of the most labour-intensive and expensive general maintenance tasks to do on a car. The Fiat 500 is no exception - with the labour time to replace both the cambelt and water pump being at least 3 hours and can be up to 6 hours. Manufacturers, including Fiat, give specified intervals for replacing the cambelt. So, if you’ve got a Fiat 500, at what mileage should you replace the cambelt?

Short answer: Not all models have a cambelt - some have a timing chain, so check and make sure first. A chain will generally last longer but should be inspected and changed at the recommended intervals. Fiat recommends a change at 153,000 miles or 9 years - but I would HIGHLY recommend you get the belt changed much earlier at 60,000 miles or 5 years.

What is a cambelt?

A cambelt is also known as a timing belt, and it keeps the engine in time. What this means is that it synchronises the rotation of the crankshaft and the camshaft. This synchronisation means that the valves open and close at the right time in relation to the pistons - so your pistons don’t hit the valves (which would likely write off your engine.)

This is why it’s so important to change the cambelt at the recommended interval; because if the cambelt were to break or snap in any way, your engine would be out of time, and as the Fiat 500 has an interference engine, your valves would hit the pistons and would likely bend, rendering the engine unrepairable and needing replacement.

Additionally, you’ll also want to replace the water pump at the same time. Despite its’ name, the water pump doesn’t actually pump water - it pumps engine coolant. If your water pump fails, this can lead to your engine overheating and seizing up. It’s very important this gets changed at the same time as your cambelt, and the water pump is actually driven by the cambelt, so it makes sense from a cost perspective to do both at the same time also. 

Fiat 500 Cambelt/Timing Belt Change Interval

Below we’ve mapped out all the models for the Fiat 500 from 2007 onwards, whether they have a timing chain or a belt, and when the belt or chain should be replaced.

Note - we’ve not included the Abarth versions here as they have different engines to the standard Fiat 500.

As mentioned, all of the chains are lifetime parts. To keep them going for the lifetime of the car, ensure you keep the oil clean by changing it every 12,000 miles at most. If your chain isn’t making any noise, I would suggest you leave it alone. However even if your car drives fine, you should replace the belt at the recommended interval.

In my opinion a timing belt change at 153,000 miles is asking for trouble, and 9 years is a long time to go without changing the belt. Given the cost involved if the timing belt were to break, I would highly recommend that you change the belt at around 60,000 miles or 5 years just for peace of mind.

Additionally - as we've mentioned above, the service interval is 153k miles or 9 years - whichever comes first. The "whichever comes first" part is very important because it's exactly the same as servicing your car - you either service it once a year irrespective of mileage, or you service it every 12,000 miles irrespective of how long it takes you to get there (as long as it's not more than a year.) A cambelt is the same - if you hit 9 years but you haven't got to 153k miles yet, you still need to change the belt, and similarly if you hit 153k miles but it hasn't been 9 years yet, you still need to change the belt.

I'll reiterate that I think this is a crazy amount of time to leave your cambelt in your car, and I'd personally get it done at 60k or 5 years.

What are the signs of a cambelt going bad?

Unfortunately there are very rarely any clues that your timing belt is going to snap. This is why it’s so critical to get the cambelt changed on your Fiat 500 at the recommended intervals - because often you will have no warning before the cambelt snaps, and if it does, then it’s time for a new engine.

However, occasionally you may get lucky and get some kind of indication that your cambelt is about to fail. One of the most common indications you will get is some kind of noise - either a squeal, a hiss or a rumbling sound. A loose belt or one with too much slack will tend to screech - although this could also be the alternator belt. 

The only other way to identify a cambelt that is about to fail is to inspect the belt itself - which you can only really do effectively when the belt is off the car. You may be able to strip your car down enough to inspect the belt - but in all honesty given the time taken to do this, you may as well just replace it at this stage. A cambelt that is about to snap will have clear signs of wear - the belt will appear to be glazed or shiny, and will have cracks or frays.

How much does it cost to change a timing belt on the Fiat 500?

This will depend on whether you take it to the Fiat main agent or a local independent garage to have the work done. The main agent will obviously be more expensive - but generally you would pay around £150 for the parts and around 3 - 5 hours labour to get the job done. Overall you will end up paying somewhere in the region of £330 to £450 to have the cambelt replaced on your Fiat 500.

What happens if a Fiat 500 timing belt breaks while driving?

This is likely to be a very dangerous situation for a number of reasons. Firstly you will lose all power from the engine and the engine will stop spinning. You are likely to not have assisted braking (as this is dependent on the engine running) so it may be more difficult for you to stop the vehicle. You will still have steering although you will not have power steering (the Fiat 500 has electric power steering but it will not run off the battery, the engine needs to be running) so it’s likely to be harder for you to steer the vehicle.

If you can bring your vehicle to a stop your engine is likely to be severely damaged. All Fiat 500 engines with cambelts are interference engines, meaning that if the engine runs out of time, the pistons will hit the valves in the cylinders and cause damage that will likely be uneconomical to repair and will require a replacement engine. You will need to either be towed or recovered at this point.

How do you check the timing belt?

In order to do this you will need to strip down the engine to where the cambelt is. This is a labour-intensive job just to check the condition of the cambelt, and in all honesty it’s far better just to get it replaced. A garage will charge you at least 3 or 4 hours labour to check the belt, and as long as you’ve not gone over the recommended service interval you should in theory be fine.

Can I change timing belt myself?

Yes, this is something that’s perfectly possible by a competent DIY mechanic on their driveway. You will need a variety of tools - including a jack and axle stands, a block of wood to support the engine as you jack it up as well as a timing locking kit - this is crucial as it will ensure the engine remains in time as you take the old belt off and put the new one on. 
Don’t be tempted to use a drill bit or something similar to lock the engine into place - you can get timing locking kits on eBay for not very much money.

If you're changing the timing belt yourself, you will need...

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Please, please check that these parts are correct for your engine before ordering them. I have linked to parts that will be suitable for Fiat 500 petrol engines but again, PLEASE CHECK they are correct for your vehicle before ordering. It would not be practical for me to link to every possible timing belt, water pump and timing locking kit for every single Fiat 500 ever made.

I'm not responsible if you order the wrong parts and damage your car.

Will a timing belt throw a code?

Generally, no. However, if the timing belt has worn excessively, or has lost some teeth, it may cause the valve timing to get slightly out of synchronisation with the pistons, which could trigger a code or a warning light. My advice would be not to worry too much about this and just get the belt changed at the recommended interval or before.

Check out some of our other engine related articles!