Funny enough, I enjoy reading all of the major service posts, and thank you Brian et al for responding to them time and again - it makes for good reading with the all-important expert opinions. I like Steve's thinking here though. If I could make it 12 years without changing a belt in my 355 and have the engine blow and ruin all the valves, the rebuild would probably cost about the same as the 4 major services I would have otherwise had done = 4 x $6000. This comes out to about the same as the complete rebuild cost me with new connecting rods, new bearings, new guides, new belts, new tensioners and machining all around... Its something to think about anyway, but I'll probably still end up doing the major every 5 years.
LOL! I may have the most nerve, as my second car had 1,000 miles on 10 year old belts when I bought it.... Then I drove it 2,600 miles home...Mario did 'bless' it before I went thru Death Valley.. Then I drove it over to New Orleans for the FFQC, and back home.... Then when Katrina hit, I drove it out to the ranch and hid it in the barn next to a John Deere..... Thankfully a mouse has eaten the fuel lines causing a leak, so it's disabled now, but not from the belts.....I started the other day to take for service though......and quickly shut it down.....I'll replace fuel lines and may tow it back in.. Depends on the coin toss....wish me luck! So I say 3 years, unless you have Mr. Andretti handy.......ROTFLMAO!
At $85 per hour labour for 4.6 hours in an independant shop & $50 for 2 belts why wouldn't you change them more than every 5 years? I waited 5 years to do mine, did it myself in 5 hours including the bearings. Total cost, with Ferrari's bearings (not aftermarket) was CD$580. Given the hourly rate many of us charge or earn, I would guess that this thread has consumed about that much time for some individuals I'll happily move to 3 years for belts, at least I won't fear high revs on driving school days or Italian tuneups. Bearings, maybe 8 years unless I start to hear whirring noises. Gerrit
Yes it is...to get a normally aspirated engine to breathe you need bigger valve lifts to get more air in. And with a high compression motor combined with big valve lifts, there just has to be interference if timing is off.
Or you can use the latest thinking that companies like Lotus are playing with like variable compression ratio 'hinged' engine heads and replacement high lift cams with solenoid actuation valves to get rid of the cams altogether, software should be able to detect out of tolerance situations and hydraulically pull them valves safely back in before they bend, LoL... What I am trying to say is that yes anything is possible with a little lateral thought! Things that Ferrari is well capable of doing actually, as proven by their success in F1 engines! Obviously there are many design decisions to make in building a high power efficient engine that LAST more than 1 race, not just the 'classic' design decisions, even Ferrari went this path with their innovative 5 valves per cylinder being just one of them. The thing I always admired about Toyota's engine design groups where that they built things to last and designed them to be absolutely bullet proof as well as efficient, same for BMW & Mercedes testing their engines so they would last 300,000 miles. Guess thats the reason why Toyota recently beat Ford for the No.2 best selling manufacturer in US. Different types of engine yes, but design philosophy, no.
Just remember that Toyota has also had thier share of engine problems. The v-6 engines of the late 90's and early 2000's are notorious for head gasket failures. I have 2 friends who sold thier trucks after the 3RD time they blew head gaskets. And now the class action against them for sludge build up in thier motors. ( V-6 oilpans) . How does that ever get past testing. Sure they have some good products, but perfect they are not. Darrell.
See Tex, I told ya. 20 posts over and over and over and over..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
LOL! I changed the oil in my Toyota last night, had the get a new one after the old truck racked 200,000 miles and paid for TWO Ferraris! It did have some kind of warning about oil gelling, what the he11 is that? I don't think so...using Royal Purple at 3K change intervals....... I was gonna post though, the Service Intervals are every 5K miles, not much different than our Ferrari 3K schedule, when you consider differences in application! So Brian, I want some 9.5 comp 308 pistons with cut outs deep enough to avoid interference! Kind of a blend between an upside down paint bucket and a shotgun barrell.......... I went out and petted the hood of my old truck in the dark.......it was Dad's and it went many an adventure.....sold it to an old guy that works with me that's going to re-engine it and keep rolling! $800 cash...........at $100/week! High finance baby!
IIRC, Mark Donohue found some oil gelling in the top end of the Penske 512M, at Traco.....they found that by reducing the excessive oil pump pressure to a lower level, horsepower was increased dramatically.......
On the original topic....Pretty bad when there are more post's on broken timing belts than any other subject. Seems to dominate Ferrari ownership. The rest of the automotive community would have a good laugh if they knew most owners are driving around scared to death!
+1 Marketing ads and TV spots would convince the masses that Toyota and Honda are bulletproof. Facts show otherwise. Marketing goes a long way in convincing...
IMO, it shows the type of owner that sometimes buys these cars.. Doesn't read the manual.. Reads it but does not care.... Bad record keeping requiring service to be performed at every sales transaction. Can afford the purchase price but failed to research beforehand ownership resposibilities.... I don't drive them "scared"...I drive them "aware".....
maybe so but those Toyota belts are still hanging in there like champs Wouldn't chains on a 3X8 (however possible) solve this problem once and for all or would that just create a new set of problems?
They'd need oiling Dr. T.......our exposed belts are fine except for gravel road vulnerability....I take it slow, in and out of the Ranch.......the Group 4 cars took special covers to avoid this, fit much tighter to the block. Some other problems sometimes occured though... Image Unavailable, Please Login
They aren't. Just a few around here that can't read and that doesn't even begin to represent Ferrari owners as a whole.
and over and over and over...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................,..
As we beat this topic to death - again, I ask: I wonder how many people have ever experienced a 'broken' belt, versus those captivated by the fear generated by the broken-belt urban legend. I am a victom of my own stupidity. I knew the belts on my '83 Mondial QV needed changing, but I drove the car anyway. Bent up a whole bunch of expensive valves,,,
"we started singing it, not knowing what it was... ....and now we'll keep on singing it forever just because..."
Seriously, that is one of the 20 posts I joke about. It has been asked several times in every thread on the subject and is answered but not well or fully for a whole bunch of reasons. There have been questions, answers, polls, ad infinitum. The only question that has been asked and will ever be fully answered is when are you supposed to do it. If that is not enough you will need the assistance of a clergyman.
