Finished headwork but i have NO timing belt tensioner

jkrustchinsky · 11-17-2007, 10:13 PM

Ok i snapped a belt a few months ago, bent some valves... etc....

Its all back together now, ive put the belts on and tightened them to where i can push on the belts and there is about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch if i press hard.

However there is some slack on the top part of the belt on cam belt between the crankshaft pull and the cam gear, its the belt that slides in between the smooth non adjustable pull on the water belt and the chrome smooth metal thing( forgive my technical terms ) but im not sure if that is suppose to be there because everywhere else on the belt has no slack.

I would really really like to not start the car and bend the valves and have to start over, do i really really need the tensioning guage, thanks josh

clarkeph · 11-17-2007, 10:30 PM

Your 87 should have a spring loaded tensioner for the cam timing belt.
my 87 has it, makes the job much easier. between the cam and balance belts I can do em in 1-2 hrs. I don't use a tool. The auto tensioner self adjusts the cam belt. I just adjust the balance belt till it barely whines.
on a turbo it is less critical if the belt breaks.

clarke's garage has all the procedures check it out.

www.clarkes-garage.com/

clarkeph (no it is not my site)

87 951 all rebuilt, DPW, MBC, chipped etc

jkrustchinsky · 11-17-2007, 10:33 PM

my motor is an 86, sorry i forgot to mention that, so i dont have the tensioner, i wish i did. josh

jkrustchinsky · 11-17-2007, 10:34 PM

and its a non turbo, sorry, i wish it was

clarkeph · 11-17-2007, 10:51 PM

The tensioner is the same turbo or non-turbo all years. For your 86 go
see the clarke's garage site 1986 and older use an eccentric tensioner. Like the balance belt does.
Easy to see or get one here at Pelican. Check their parts listings and diagrams. It is not complicated once you see the diagrams. Clarke's is an excellent source they helped me a LOT! I am an excellent 25 year plus experienced mechanic, the 944 stuff is very different from other cars.
Check their site and look at the timing belt proceedures it will help you a ton.
I bought a complete belt and roller kit from Lindsey Racing for around $150.00 included all new rollers both belts and tensioners.
I would buy or borrow a guage, or just take it to a mechanic that has the proper tensioner gauge to be safe. Spend the labor money to be safe. The non-turbo tension is very critical. (so you found out the hard way)

clarkeph

87 951 all rebuilt, DPW, MBC, chipped etc

jkrustchinsky · 11-17-2007, 10:55 PM

that what i was afraid you guys would say, ill bend valves before i take it to a mechanic, so my options are guage or risk. josh

clarkeph · 11-17-2007, 11:22 PM

Well,
sounds like you had a bad experience with mechanics, I have too. Luckily as a dealer I have a lot of sources/shops I use for work I cannot do my self. (alignment, computer diag, trans, A/C, exhaust work only)
I would probably just adjust it my self, and drive it to Black Forrest Porsche here in SD about 20 miles away and pay them to tension it $75-$150 is worth it. I would just pay for the hour+- of their time to re-tension or check it.
Pretty easy work for a good Porsche shop. (good & honest)
On the non-turbo it is easy to take off the timing cover to check, turbos have to remove the MAFS and air cleaner and put it all back.
I am sure your valves and related head work wasn't cheap.
I know mech's are expensive, but do you want to do it over again??

clarkeph

87 951 all rebuilt, DPW, MBC, chipped etc

speedracing944 · speedracing944's Garage

send many944s a PM asking to borrow his P9201. He loans it out to Pelicans.

Speedy

Techno Duck · Techno Duck's Garage

The spring tensioner is not an automatic tensioner. Only the 968 had the hydraulic auto tensioner. The spring tensioner gets you in the area, but not 'near' the required tension. Ive done the belts on these cars a couple of times on a few different cars...the spring tensioner will consistently not put enough tension on a belt. You still have to check the tension with a proper tool, be it the 9201 or Bruce Arnn's alternative.

Also saying the timing belt is less critical on a Turbo is sort of ridiculous, you still have a chance of crunching the valves. True, the deeper dish in the pistons are a little more 'forgiving' to a broken belt, but i cant see the theory behind it being 'okay' if mechanical failure happens...regardless if its less severe or not.

jkrustchinsky · 11-18-2007, 08:53 AM

well ive slept on it, and decided to buy the tool if you guys give the okay on the tool, i want one that actually works. Which one is the best for the money, or around 150 bucks

ive seen a few on ebay and there is one on 944online, what is the best for the money, i think ill just cough up the 150 bucks for the tool.

thanks so much for helping, josh

nynor · 11-18-2007, 11:16 AM

arnnworx.com has a nice tool set that will do the job to perfection.

BeerBurner · 11-18-2007, 11:24 AM

I bought the Arnworx 920x (or whatever it's called) timing belt tool kit (~$250) and absolutely love it. It'll be my best automotive investment yet, methinks.

BB.

nynor · 11-18-2007, 11:30 AM

that said, i've done this job enough times that i just trust my sense of 'feel' and the auto tensioner. i've also checked the tension with the 9201 tool after using the autotensioner and it was fine. for the first dozen times, i would use a proper tool, either the 9201 or the arnnworx tool.

jkrustchinsky · 11-18-2007, 12:52 PM

the more i look at my belts and the more i feel them, im sure that they are tensioned well, as long as they are not to tight and not to loose what could go wrong. Im going to say nay to the tool for now,

I just dont think that a tensioning tool is nessacary, they are tensioned by hand and we will see what happens. Ill let you guys know what happens when she starts, i doubt i screwd it up, thanks josh

nynor · 11-18-2007, 01:01 PM

i love it when someone throws caution to the wind.

jkrustchinsky · 11-18-2007, 01:35 PM

i live on the edge

nynor · 11-18-2007, 01:39 PM

the edge of $1500 worth of cylinder head work...

Techno Duck · Techno Duck's Garage

Worse comes to worse the belt goes and you crunch the valves. You can find used cylinder heads for under $200..and your out $100 to have the head redone and 8 hours to replace the cylinder head. Not the end of the world and not to bad on the wallet.

Still, in my opinion kind of a foolish way to maintain a vehicle.

Anyway, the Arnnworx and 9201 are the only two ways to go with tensioning the belt properly. The Kricket tool in my opinion is a waste of $15.

jkrustchinsky · 11-18-2007, 02:05 PM

It sounds stupid, but i have a strict budget, im still thinking about a guage, i have to decide in the next hour or so whether or not to order it and make myself broke. the guage on 944 online is 50

can somebody give feedback on this guage, ill spend 50 if i get some feedback, i just need to know it works, thanks josh

jkrustchinsky · 11-18-2007, 02:06 PM

http://944online.com/cgi-bin/ASI_Store.cgi?Product+skukey_1001359+9442+tools-9442 is the link. its only 50 bucks!! let me know,, please