Replacing cam pulleys at belt change - 355

At 150K there's probably quite a few things that need replacing.

I'd want to see pictures too.

 

Depending on what the cost of them is I'd probably do it just for peace of mind.

 

Pulleys are a legitimate service expenditure.

 

They've driven 150k since the last major service? I would replace them at the regular interval, let alone 150k.

As Tim stated, there's a lot more that will need service.

 

What about the drive pulleys? They rotate twice as fast and have twice the force on them.

 

And half the surface area.

 

maybe they did mean the drive pulleys and not the cam pulleys. At 150K miles, I would just do it. $500 is ... cheap in Ferrari parts. The labor is nothing. It is all right there.

 

I love it my car is just getting broke in then.

We all better start driving more and forget about the resale.

Smiles smiles smiles!!

 

I love it when people just say do it, it's cheap. Just add another $500 to that $10k service, it's not much. People never have a problem spending other peoples' money. Being retired I look at it a little differently. $500 is 5% of that $10k. Where can I get a secure investment that returns 5%? The last time a 30 year treasure bond was yielding 5% was 10 years ago. And even then it would take a year to earn that $500 in interest off a $10k bond. "While you are in there", no. "If it's needed", yes.

 

Clarification: I assumed belt tensioner pulleys. Pulleys on the cams themselves, not sure. As with the drive pulleys, I'd be looking for any signs of fence wear. On a related note, have the cam drive sprocket bearings been replaced? I'd certainly look into that for peace of mind.

 

I am normally not really a fan of using used parts on an engine, but in this case it might be worth looking for some used ones, as the wear on your parts comes from a really high mileage, where most parts available used, have not seen half of that.
And used parts price can be favourable:
Nockenwellenrad Zahnrad Ferrari F355 Berlinetta GTS Spider 3,5 F129B/40 F129B | eBay

 

Trust me, even non retired people have trouble doing it. They just talk a different game on the internet.

 

These kind of debates always fall in 2 camps. To me it's very simple, if the engine needs to be taken out to do something, while I'm in there (or the mechanic), if it's deemed that it most likely will fail before the next engine out...then do it.

Other people will do it because they'd rather have more things fixed all at once so they don't have to bring it back at a later date. So they'll pay up front for that convenience. Others do it for peace of mind and insurance. If I was spending 10k on the major and the mechanic told me $500 more, I'd tell him do it for all of the above.

No right or wrong but I don't get why people who proactively do things to fix their cars are put down? Skimping on maintenance on a Ferrari, especially 355, is one of the worst things you can do.

 

I have yet to see anyone support the opposing side to your position. The point John makes is not that one at all. The point John makes, and certainly not out of ignorance or misplaced economic caution is "is this part needed?". I see here every day arguments made that "A" These cars are expensive to service and at the same time "B" parts that are very serviceable for the foreseeable future are replaced because they are no longer perfect and the person(s) involved do not have the background or ability to make the judgment call to determine if they are still serviceable.

If you want to replace a part because it is no longer perfect but still perfectly capable of performing its job perfectly, go right on ahead but please quit defending the indefensible to those of us that know better. One of the reasons these cars have much of the reputation they do is because of knowledge free positions regularly presented here.

 

John, I am "not spending other people's money" at all. I am merely voicing an opinion from the armchair internet without the benefit of a single picture. The opinion is asked for by the OP, he gets to decide what to do next. My personal math is different in that my labor is free to me.

Putting aside the retirement financial reasoning, can you JohnK, definitely say that the sprocket at 150k miles did not definitely need replacement?

Now back to retirement mathematics, how does retirement mathematics figure into owning not one but two Ferraris?

 

Well, I can say that 99% unless some event caused damage. But I'm not John

 

If you look at my initial post you'll see I mentioned parts that "most likely will fail before the next engine out". I didn't say parts that aren't perfect looking but performing perfectly. That's what my post was in regards to. I wouldn't want to have to drop the engine out again in 2 years if the mechanic told me this or that part is probably going to give out soon and I choose to save money on it.

If we're talking about something that doesn't require an engine out, OK I get it, wait until it gets worse if you want. However, even then I can see some people saying just change it now so I don't have to come back in 6 months and have the car in the shop.

 

Well, and that is the issue. The only person seeing the sprocket in real life is the dealer mechanic, and they recommend changing it. Not all Ferrari dealers are money grabbing crooks (Rifledriver's words), so we have to believe that the mechanic saw something he did not like.

 

Certainly. If something is wrong with it, it should be replaced. But, I'd venture to guess that's an anomaly. Most of my CNC machines are direct drive but my oldest (19 years) runs 8500 rpm for hours at a time for many, many years and that spindle is driven with a timing belt and none of the pulleys have ever been an issue.

And as I type this, I realize one other thing :/ducking for cover:/ the timing belt has NEVER been replaced and guess what? It's never failed

 

Mitch,

Not picking on you. It was just a convenient quote to make my point. No I can not say it does or doesn't need replacement. That is precisely why I said, "If it needs it, yes".

I'm a big fan of both, "If it ain't broke, don't fit it" and "Do what it needs to make it right." They are far from being mutually exclusive. But "While you are in" there is just sucker bait.

How do 2 F cars fit into retirement math? Well, we all make mistakes. If I had invested what I paid for the 308 in 85 in JNJ stock at the time, today it would be worth over $2M. So what do I have? A 308 GTB worth maybe $100k tops? As for the 355, I'd like to thank you all for contributing to Social Security. Even I'm good at spending other people's money.

Oh, and the 355 was a bucket list item. I'm 70 years old today. Happy Birthday to me. I'm shopping for a 911. All those $500 dollar items I didn't buy added up over the years.

 

Happy Birthday John. Many more to come. Go drink a scotch.

 

Happy Birthday! 911 is a good present to yourself