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[SolReaver]

Well done sir! I concur with my esteemed colleague that refreshment is warranted.

Sparks: think about giving the car a good once over before going too far.

va rooom!

[sparky4017]

I'm still aways from driving it kinda of a project weekend warrior type i have no service records on
it with 96000 miles i want to change all the fluids timing belt it just needs a good cleaning. Is there a
way to check the timing belt with 96000 it should have been replaced 3 times but i don't know

[John_AZ]

Originally Posted by sparky4017

I'm still aways from driving it kinda of a project weekend warrior type i have no service records on
it with 96000 miles i want to change all the fluids timing belt it just needs a good cleaning. Is there a
way to check the timing belt with 96000 it should have been replaced 3 times but i don't know

With no service records, you have to change the belt(s).

I use the Pelican Contitech (~$12) cam belt. I change it every 2 or 3 years--mileage does not matter. It has to be retensioned at about 1000 miles.

Pelican now sells a Gates BB (balance belt) as well.

The pullys should also be changed. The OEM pullys from '83 had plastic and cracked.

The oil pump pully stud should be checked. It is suggested to change the stud but now it is difficult to get the correct stud length.

While your change the belt grab the WP (waterpump) pully and tug, pull, lift and inspect for leaks. There should be NO movement at all on the WP pully and shaft.

If you see a puddle of oil under the crank shaft pullys, replace the crank seal (Pelican ~$6) before you change the belts. The oil will spray on the belts from the pullys. You need to get a flywheel lock to make the job easy. The crank bolt is tensioned at 150 ft lbs.

GL
John

[SolReaver]

I agree with Johns appraisal for the most part.

As you can be reasonably sure the belts are over 4 years of age.....change them out. IMHO 3 years 30K is a good rule of thumb, but I never get that far. The WP could be good for a while....who knows. Just understand that you will have to go in there again (and change the belts again) should it go bad. Again IMHO, WPs that have sat for a while tend towards springing a leak. ( or perhaps it is just my imagination, I don't have a statistically significant sampling under controlled conditions) So, there is a certain amount of wisdom in doing a TB WP job right off the bat. Unknown mileage /age WPs range from half a min to several years. YMMV.

Pullys and idlers: they do go bad. they are nothing more than funny shapes on bearings and as such they wear. Some advocate replacing all of em. My approach has been to replace the ones that are bad. Although economically appealing, this requires a feel for bearings and runs a risk that you may or may not want to take. Again, it comes down to how willing you are to go back in there should your engine start humming "jingle bells" or worse. If the plastic is cracked or the bearings sing...dump em.

The stud in question: Not a bad idea to replace it, especially if it has been compromised. just balance that with the damage you can cause in the process. you may have to machine a replacement. I am running on the one that came with my car.

The TB job itself requires some special tools. I advocate the pin wrench, a nice thin 27, FW lock...etc. but consider the tensioning tool to be "optional" check my previous comments on this subject for details.