[348] Show us your belts and bearings!

And likewise, I should have some photos to share of my original 37k mi post-update (Stanyl) tensioner pad within the week.

 

Schweet. Images of pad wear at that mileage will be a great data point.

 

Will do, I'll be doing a "major" thread with pic's to help give back to the forum.
Just finishing up a 64 C10 and going on Hot Rod Power Tour with it over the next 2 weeks. After that the 348 is my next project. Parts from Ricambi arrived yesterday.

now back on topic!
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Guys, is it possible to inspect the belt anyhow with the engine still in the car? Possibly with a borescope camera?

 

you can pull the top covers, or if you have a lift you can peek at it. but looking at it wont tell you much on the condition, unless it has major damage.

 

Thanks, I'm currently looking at cars for sale, two of which have no evidence of the last cambelt change! But do have fresh cam cover gaskets and other signs of recent work.

 

The pics I posted earlier in this thread are of the belt in my car with the right bank top cover removed.

Since belts can break or lose teeth without warning, examining the belt should be considered a possible "no-go" test, but not necessarily a "good-to-go" test. My belt looks fine but there's no assurance that it won't fail next time the engine is started. On the other hand, the appearance of Wade's belt would have been a strong warning sign that it needed to be replaced right away.

In a situation where the belt is claimed to have been replaced very recently, it would probably be possible to get a decent sense of whether or not that's true by removing a belt top cover.

In general though, it is best to assume that the belt needs replacement unless there is credible evidence that it has been changed recently.

 

Brilliant! I would appreciate it!

Sorry for the quasi-hijack Wade. These issues seem to flock together. I'll contribute data when my belt job gets to the top of the docket.

 

Do not know if mentioned but if you open the timing case and go at the chain call ricambi america for the SRI pads that wear longer then ferrari pads. Also he is the only one with the Hill 170787 timing cover bearing. Do not use the ferrari chinese bearing because it fails quickly. If you want to see a failed ferrari timing bearing see peter's 550 sorting thread at the end of the thread. Petes bearing failed with only a few 1000 miles on them.

 

When the time comes, I am all over the SRI pads, as well as the Hill bearings (all of 'em). The more SRI parts on the car, the better! Just trying to determine if I can kick the can down the road for another five years.

 

Agreed, I want to negotiate the cost of the full service off the car, then inspect the belt and decide if it's immediately necessary. There's an oil leak needs fixing too so she's a bit of a fixer upper.

Are there any date markings on the belt?

 

Yes there is a date code on the back of the belt but given the condition in your picture the printing looks to be long gone.

 

Here are the pics... 1992 car 37k mi, factory update stanyl pads. 348 s/n 92607, assembly # 09604. Very much in need of replacement.
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That clutch release bearing has to be around 10 years old as it was 2007 when we started to batch identify the bearings on the front of the casing!

 

Valeo OEM part with failed housing for reference !
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I've seen a few pics with that kind of failure. Fortunately, working on a 348 clutch doesn't require pulling the transmission, like so many other cars/trucks.

And thanks for creating a durable alternative (to OEM).

 

You're welcome - unfortunately with the OEM 355 clutch bearing its a case of when it will fail not if !

 

not sure how to cross post. Pictures of my tensioners are in "My Major" thread.

 

Just got these back today. The last timing belt service was performed by Ferrari of New England back in April 2007, 11,000 miles ago. The timing belt is dated from mid 2005.
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Thanks for the update, David. How do the bearings feel?

And could you post a pic of the top of the timing belt for the archives?

 

They feel smooth, actually. No noticeable grit or hitches. One of them is completely silent when I spin it, but the other makes a slight hissing noise.

Here is a pic of the top of the belt.

Honestly, I thought the belt and bearings looked pretty good considering their age and the fact that they'd gone 11,000 miles. But I wasn't going to chance it. Not on an 11 year old belt and bearings. Prefer the peace of mind of knowing there are brand new parts rolling around in there, y'know?
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The service was due. Belt looks good, but it needed to be done. Besides, it's more than just the belts that could fail.

 

Thanks for the followup, David. The belt in my car was last replaced in '09 and currently has ~3k miles on it, so it’s interesting to compare the two.

Agree 100% that it was time, but it's nice to know that the original bearings still feel good. Thanks for contributing to the knowledge base. I will do the same when I replace mine.

Glad you're enjoying the car again.

 

So, I'm out for a nice drive and the A/C quits blowing cold just before I get home. Exiting the car, in the garage, there was quite a bit of white/grey smoke coming from the engine lid vents. So I open all of the garage doors and grab the fire extinguisher, then turned on the big fan to blow out the smoke...

Fortunately, no fire, from what I can tell.

I have no idea how this happened, but here's what it looked like afterwards:
.
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Simple, a/c compressor or pulley bearing has seized.

Lucky it's an easy fix.