Major every 3 or 5?

FNA says 3 years. It is up to you, what you are comfortable with. I am going with 5 myself. Obviously FNA changed the recommendation to reduce the incidence of failure, so ultimately it is you who decides what is acceptable risk. There are literally dozens of threads on the subject, as a new one starts weekly, somewhere on this forum. Might be best to conduct a thread search and do some further research so you can determine what fits for you.

 

I'm going to stick to a 5 year change interval for my 328. That will be quite a bit shorter than any of the previous owner's schedules.

 

Rich- This is for the 12 cylinders, but maybe it will give you an official hint.

Taz
Terry Phillips
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I am probably going to split the difference and change at 4 years.

 

6 years.

 

I do mine every 3 years.

 

Every 5 years is more than adequate. My Mondial hadn't had the belts changed for 7 years when I bought, was only driven 4k during that time period. 5 years is probably too frequent, but it's a good way to minimize any potential damage.

Art

 

Thats what I plan to do. For me 4 years will be about 25,000 miles.

 

That TSB is interesting : can anyone explain to me why it appears to be saying that the service interval only increases for later 575's with the new belt but not if you put part on earlier cars - there does not seem to be any reference in the 575 section

 

More than milage belts are effected by time and temperature. You can safely go 5 - 7 years on a NEW belt IF:

The belt is in fact new and has not been sitting on the shelf for 5 years before you bought it.
The belt has been used by driving the car at least every 3 - 4 weeks. Sitting in one position for a year is very bad.
The belt experiences no particularly cold or excessively hot temperatures. Driving my cars in Florida is best. It does not get too cold as in a northern winter. And I do not drive on the track getting the engine temperature to very high levels.

With these in mind you can go safely for 5 - 7 years. Just the same I would change some time during the 5th year at my convenience. Do not use the "spare" belt in the tool kit. Replace that along with the others so it is always fresh if needed.

aehaas

 

A couple of months ago I had the belts changed in my '89 328 GTS. It was three years since I'd previously changed them.

Mechanic - who incidentally also has a 328 and is very familiar with the model - said the old belts were at the end of their life.

I drive the car nearly every weekend and over the three years had done ~25,000 miles.

Belts will be changed again after 3 years.

regards, Pete

 

Ali- Did some tool kits come with cam belts? Mine only has alternator and air conditioning belts.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

It's worth noting (328)...Ferrari doesn't call for new belt tensioners, just "a check" of them when performing a major and belt changes. Something that's been on my mind since I bought mine...original tensioners even though Ferrari replaced the belts 2 1/2 years ago.

 

Same here. My shop did a THOROUGH engine out major but decided the original tensioners still looked great. At first, it made me very nervous, but some ace Ferrari mechanics have since told me that it is perfectly appropriate.

 

Thanks, that helps some (I'd understood, possibly in error, those to be as much of a failure item as anything else.)

If it weren't for the original tensioners, I'd go at least 5 years unworried (as it is...maybe 3 this time for more "peace of mind")

Thanks

 

They definitely can fail, and fail after 3 years, which is why it is appropriate that they be thoroughly INSPECTED by a competent ferrari certified mechanic every time you do the belts. Bearings can also suffer from corrosion and a host of other things that come from being lubricated metal. Tensioners will generally let you know when they are getting ready to give up the ghost by getting noisy, unlike belts which just snap. For piece of mind, replace the tensioner bearings when you do the belts. Personally, I plan on doing the belts every three years and the tensioners as well (unless recommended otherwise). Rifledriver and David Helms (as I recall) have both offered compelling arguments for the prudence of 3 year service intervals. I am thoroughly convinced. My mechanic thinks they can go much longer (5-7 years), but since he is not about to put it in writing I'm sticking with my 3 year plan. However, I am going to contact Ricambi for the tensioners (if needed) because, as Rifledriver explained in another thread, there are some inferior tensioners being peddled right now, which can fail at any given time.

 

308/328 tensioner bearings are 30 pounds each from Hill Engineering and $70 each from Ricambi for the same bearings. Why would someone not change bearings on a belt change or major which is, to say the least, a bit more expensive? Sign me up with Dave and Brian on this one.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

I would too. But, if you are in a situation where you have a car with fresh belts but older bearings, you don't have to necessarily run out and do another major ASAP, as long as the bearings were at least thoroughly inspected by a competent mechanic during the belt change.

If I was doing it, I would probably change the bearings...just because I am neurotic. However, it appears that historically this has not been the practice by many top flight mechanics. Unlike belts, if a bearing is running flawlessly and show no signs of damage or wear, it is apparently unnecessary to replace it.

Just my .02

 

Joe- Understand completely. No criticism intended. I am just paranoid and afraid of the big one happening here in the hinterlands. When my belts were changed this year before I owned the car, the bearings were not changed. Still causes a pucker factor for me.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

For me timing and accessory belts as well as the tensioners need to be replaced. If you got the car new, as with my 575M, I would go the 5 years as there would have been no excessive cold or hot temperatures encountered. If you are not sure of the age, mileage or the conditions of operation then 3 years is safer. I replace parts before they go, the car is like a helicopter. You do not want to do repairs after something breaks.

aehaas

 

^^This is my situation.

The question is, how much trust can one have that a "competent mechanic" works at your local Ferrari dealership?

 

Ali- With 2000+ hours in fighters, I agree completely with your sentiments.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

It's been my experience that some dealerships know less about their cars than I do. And I know next to nothing.

 

David- I hope you are talking about the sales staff and not the service staff. If true of the service staff, that would be truly scary.

Taz
Terry Phillips