355 Share a photo of a snap/broken timing belt

I can not find a single photo documented of a snap/broken timing belt or sized tensioner bearing on line
why?

 

It doesn't happen nearly as often or as dramatically as the fear-mongers would have you believe?

There's a couple, but in comparison to the number of cars out there...it's probably a fraction of a percent? I'll let the more expert minds chime in, but in years of reading and searching...there's not many. There's reports of a terrible noise coming first (the tensioner bearing failing), and that being enough to warrant the service.

sjd

 

You brought up a great point of the terrible noise before failure, and that because of the tensioner failure.
Here my situation:
Belts/ tensioner replaced in 2009, drove 5000 miles of moderate driving and not in traffic.
No leaks from the cam seal or gasket.
I think I can wait a little longer for the service.
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Would you mind elaborating on this comment please? I’ve seen it mentioned before but am not sure how it affects the belt’s durability.

 

In my opinion if you dont red line the car constantly, or driving at rush hours, and use the free flow cat, all this will help reduce engine heat and less stress on the belts and tensioners.
The most that I push the rpm was at 6500 on 3rd gear only.
I think when Ferrari recomand of the belt replacement every 3/5 years they take to consideration that you drive the car like you are on a race track.
But again, this is my opinion.

 

If the belt get contaminated with oil it can start to deteriorate and weaken. Then on starting teeth can get sheared around the drive pulley. I've seen it happen, but not on a Ferrari. It was on a Honda and aside from being oil soaked the belt had over 100k miles on it.

 

My Fiesta ST has a timing belt interval of 10 years or 150k miles.

sjd

 

I have heard of belt failures, I have heard of mechanics talk about it, but never seen a picture and out here there are pictured of everything, its odd now that you mention it. I am sure it happens somewhere but I suspect is is a more uncommon item and probably has mitigating factors like something rubbing on the belt or what not. Other issues like tensioner failure or pulley skirts thrown off or idle pulley arm cracking etc I think is more prevalent in any event. I have heard of people out here going 10 years on single belt.

 

This picture was from this forum a few years back, I searched but couldn't find the thread. The guy did have a bunch of cars including a diablo in his barn/shop as well. Anyway, I remember him saying the miles were less than 20k, but considering mine motor looks brand new with double the miles, there was something else going on.
Maybe it was a NE salt roads car or flood car and the tensioner bearings froze up? either way, it looks totally trashed even if the belt was intact.

The date tag of when i downloaded this picture from ferrarichat was nov 2017, maybe someone else can find the thread






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That looks like a terribly neglected engine; would love to see the rest of the car!
For the 348 there is this thread that should be kept alive:
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/348-show-us-your-belts-and-bearings.523610/

 

certainly something else going on there. Other than the corrosion, I’d guess the car has been sat for a looong period of time and the belts have in effect “set” in their shape.

(not sure about belts but early Kevlar lines on yachts had to be eased continually so as not to set on winches and bocks else left for time under load and then eased off they would explode/fail when released.)

 

The last photo posted, if the belt does belong to the car how could it split in half lenght wise?


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Looks more like belt rot than belt break. Mouse dung in the driver pulley?

 

Timing belts are the least of that engine's troubles IMO

Jedi

 

Here is a thread ..... 360 belt broke and was a major expense. 360 uses exact same part number timing belt as F355

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/35k-to-repair-a-360-engine.482374/

 

Belts break but usually for a mitigating circumstance. The post did not mention many things like miles, how long the belt was in, did the belt fail due to other failure etc. At least not that I saw browsing the pages.

 

That is definitely not the post I got the picture from. I went back to my history and try to find it. I've been unable so far. I believe it was a silver, picture of it on a lift. The guy had a bunch of old cars in a barn including a Diablo


I did however, find two other posts with belt snapped on a 355

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/the-unthinkable-just-happend.527946/

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/1995-355-timing-belt-snapped.564863/

 

Found it!

Here https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/snapped-timing-belt-355.506904/

 

Hi again everyone.
I am still waiting to see if anyone has a photo of 355 in the shop shows snap timing belt.
Again 355!!!
When I did my service in 08 , I have taken many photos of the major service, (belts were not snapped, tensioner rotate perfectly and no grease out of them)
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Um, are you not reading your own thread? Post 9, 17 and 18 are all about 355 and snapped belts.
I think the point you're trying to make is that they do not snap related to mileage or even age. And I think that is a well-accepted fact here. Most caring owners do not change the belts simply because they are worn out and need to be changed, they changed them because they are keeping up with the maintenance records of the car. Its also cheap insurance, if you want to call it that. $150 worth of belts versus a $35000 motor. I worked on planes for a long time, most Lycoming and continental's I've taken off at TBO did not come off because they were worn out. They came off because the manufacturer of the motor determine an acceptable level of risk & Beyond that it was obviously deemed unacceptable.

Of those three belt failures I posted, as well the others I have read about. They are all related to poor installation, debris, or an external factors such as rust on the tensioner bearing.

 

Note: 360 belt exact same as F355 belt. E x a c t

Plus, Fiorano10 belt looks like it's from 2006 (date code).... so his belt is already 14 years old.

Ouch! LOL. I wouldn't want to own that car.

 

But it's okay, he mentioned in his posst he has a free-flowing cat, so that will make it last another 10 years

 

LOL. Probably has CEL's everywhere. A mess.

 

2006 Timing Belt. 14 years old. Scary
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