Belt Maintenance

[Bradical]

How many of you guys take on belt replacement yourself? I am thinking about taking it on. I am just curious how each of you do it. Do you remove the fans/air cleaner box? Do you mark the teeth on the old belt to a mark on the cam and crank pulleys or do you just use the TDC marks? Should I pick up a flywheel lock? I'm just looking for ideas on doing it right.

[944tothefloor]

Search clarks-garage.com

And search for videos on youtube. Settle for nothing less than videos by a porsche guy named van svenson.

Its not hard -- a lot of people do it.

[TibetanT]

Purchase a flywheel lock. (Cheap at twice the price!)

It will pay for itself the first time you change your timing belt! It will be used over and over again for other maintenance routines through-out the life of the car.

[CHICKS]

Do it yourself. Remove fans. Buy arnnworx tools. Use the TDC marks. Watch Vans videos, and hit us up if you have questions. It's VERY easy to do.

[CHICKS]

EDIT: I actually don't pull the fans unless I break something else, I also don't replace everything just because of time. So if the rollers spin freely and noise free keep them. Same with the pump. Lastly, best place to buy parts is ZIMS, or here at Pelican. Avoid 944online, ECS tuning, and Auto Atlanta.

[ChrisRL]

I had help - v2 Rocket from this board.

I'd say try to do the same, have someone experienced from the board help you out the first time so you can touch and feel but also (if yours is going to be a DD like mine is) not have anticipation palpitations every time you take it out.

Making new friends ain't bad too...

[jeffrsmith]

Originally Posted by CHICKS

Avoid 944online, ECS tuning, and Auto Atlanta.

CHICKS - Not wanting to start a flaming war but have you had bad personal experiences?

- I have purchased from Auto Atlanta before, they took entirely too long to ship and shipping charges were ridiculously high. Don't know if I would order from the again based on my personal experience.

- ECS tuning - I have never ordered from them.

- 944online - some items are priced a bit high, usually ships quick, will answer part application questions on the phone. Although it seems that there is a tremendous amount of animosity from Pelican Forum members and 944online, I have never had any bad dealings with them.

I have also had good experiences ordering parts from other vendors: Pelican, Vertex, Jim Ellis Porsche, LARTS, Plyhammer, Zims, and Rennlist. Usually parts need/price (+shipping) determine who I purchase from, unless there is a solid review on one of the forums that would warn me away.

[CHICKS]

Originally Posted by jeffrsmith

CHICKS - Not wanting to start a flaming war but have you had bad personal experiences?

- I have purchased from Auto Atlanta before, they took entirely too long to ship and shipping charges were ridiculously high. Don't know if I would order from the again based on my personal experience.

- ECS tuning - I have never ordered from them.

- 944online - some items are priced a bit high, usually ships quick, will answer part application questions on the phone. Although it seems that there is a tremendous amount of animosity from Pelican Forum members and 944online, I have never had any bad dealings with them.

I have also had good experiences ordering parts from other vendors: Pelican, Vertex, Jim Ellis Porsche, LARTS, Plyhammer, Zims, and Rennlist. Usually parts need/price (+shipping) determine who I purchase from, unless there is a solid review on one of the forums that would warn me away.

Yes, all except AA, but a quick google or forum search shows why....

I've had really good luck buying used both here and Rennlist. I've only be burned once, but PayPal refunded me. Dude is still here though......

[v2rocket_aka944]

pulling the fans only takes 1 more minute to do and gives you a lot more room to work.
van's videos are very good, use them and clarks garage as guidance for the first time or two doing the belts.
eventually youll just remember all the steps.

[amehl]

I pinged the local 944 enthusiast group. They helped me with the job and yes it wasn't that bad. It's my first Porsche so it was good to learn. Check to see if there is a local facebook group or regional club.

Also I didn't remove my fans.

[Bradical]

Thanks everyone. I watched a few hours of YouTube and the anxiety is gone! Just need to order a flywheel lock.

[honerboys]

chicks - I like your advice on not replacing everything (rollers, water pump) every other belt change - my philosophy is if it isn't broken leave it alone - I personally think too much is made of these belts - certainly change them on schedule (every 30,000 miles) - but the other things let them go until they show you they need replacing - a roller will almost always make some noise before it explodes - same with the water pump - it's not that big of a job to change these if they go out between belt changes - conversely if the pump or rollers start squealing I would definitely change the belts while i'm there

[944tothefloor]

Originally Posted by honerboys

chicks - I like your advice on not replacing everything (rollers, water pump) every other belt change - my philosophy is if it isn't broken leave it alone - I personally think too much is made of these belts - certainly change them on schedule (every 30,000 miles) - but the other things let them go until they show you they need replacing - a roller will almost always make some noise before it explodes - same with the water pump - it's not that big of a job to change these if they go out between belt changes - conversely if the pump or rollers start squealing I would definitely change the belts while i'm there

I tend to agree with this. From what ive read and heard, the belt really is pretty reliable if tensioned correctly. Tensioning is pretty straightforward if you know a few tricks (all in the above mentioned youtube vids). There is definately some cult fear involved!

[944tothefloor]

Originally Posted by honerboys

chicks - I like your advice on not replacing everything (rollers, water pump) every other belt change - my philosophy is if it isn't broken leave it alone - I personally think too much is made of these belts - certainly change them on schedule (every 30,000 miles) - but the other things let them go until they show you they need replacing - a roller will almost always make some noise before it explodes - same with the water pump - it's not that big of a job to change these if they go out between belt changes - conversely if the pump or rollers start squealing I would definitely change the belts while i'm there

I tend to agree with this. From what ive read and heard, the belt really is pretty reliable if tensioned correctly. Tensioning is pretty straightforward if you know a few tricks (all in the above mentioned youtube vids). There is definately some cult fear involved! However, preventative maintenance is invaluable.

[Slam]

If you keep the car you're going to end up doing them yourself one way or another, may as well start now.

I agree there's a cult of fear when it comes to this, and it's just too much drama. There's so much info out there on how to do it right that you'll be fine, but it really helps to have someone on hand to show you what's what the first time around. That belt is cheap, when all is said and done. Just change it regularly.

[Nufy]

I just did mine and I as much of a 944 noob as there can be.

As others have noted, Clarks garage was a must read as well as endless dumb questions from me on here.

I even made my own 27 mm wrench to adjust the belt tensions with.

Biggest purchase other than the belts & rollers was a new torque wrench.

Any reason to buy new tools I always say...

[Arizona_928]

I would no harder then picking up acouple blondes on a saturday night.
Seriously not hard at all. A lot easier then other makes and models of cars, and a 928. lol



also when you line up tdc marks it will be obvious if you are a tooth off... When I do them I lock the flywheel at tdc. You can do without the lock, but checking the flywheel can be a pita. It's nice to not have to keep looking back there.