How often should you "actually" change the belts

Tubbs - What you hinted at in your first post about this subject 'must've come up' et cetera, was beyond accurate.

It is among THE most-heated, oft-repeated, and occasionally hostile debates of all. You might not've known that, but a search would've confirmed.

Page after page, advice on top of advice, mileages, theories, costs all laid bare on this site where a couple friendships have gotten bruised, a member or two has been a casualty.

YES, the information here is as good as it gets - anywhere on any forum - but just like certain family-dispersing topics like politics or religion, this one has a fuse.

A search would've confirmed. Several times over. So, 'not knowing that' is not your fault, but worthy of considering before jumping into the next forum.

I'll discount your comments about us not being real car guys as said in the heat of the moment. It happens. We are, you may be too. I hope we find out, but if you're leaving, have fun with your car and hopefully you learned something on here. I do every time.

 

Tubbs,

Welcome. We hope you will reconsider your current stance and .....


You started out less than stellar. Many Newbies do here in the TECH Sections (Got flamed myself).


This is a very poorly turned phrase:


"So come on guys....in the real world, not ferrari specialist or dealer world, whats the time intervals on the belts?"

Here is how so:

1) EVERYBODY coming here thinks there is some magic inside info on cam belts. They try to sneak this treasured info out of us in some "AH-Shucks" or "SHHHHHHH, you can tell me *wink*"] manner. Truth is ...... THERE IS NO TREASURED Cambelt Info. Absolutely NONE (NOT for the P-Cars either I suspect).

Read the owner's manual and a few posts here and make your own decision. THAT IS "the answer" you are looking for.


2) "... not ferrari specialist ..." OOPS!! One of our VERY BEST with 30+ years F, L, M, P and other exotic car experience) posted just a few after you. Don't know the P-Car crowd but when one of our "... specialists ..." speaks, that usually ends the thread right there except for some chest-thumper that just won't admit he is wrong. The number of people who THINK they know and post and actually don't know anything is quite high as it is on all boards, but do I believe the percentage of those is much lower here than other places and Marques (coming from a guy who doesn't know Jack **** about these cars). I suspect the P-Car crowd is just as bad. You just may not realise it.

These guys are not on here to solicit business. They are here to HELP. I have been given 10s of THOUSANDS of dollars in just accurate info from them for freaking FREE. If X-Car specialists on other forums offer half baked advice to get you to drive in and use their service ...... you probably DON'T WANT to be a member there. THAT does NOT happpen here. EVER.


3) We do have a precious FEW guys here that have NO connection to anything other than they have become VERY knowledgeable thru sheer years of experience and many thousands of dollars (mis)spent. Generally, they will tell you the EXACT same things as the "... specialists ..."


4) Also, your phrase begs the reply question, "Just exactly WHAT are you doing with a Ferrari?" Your phrase above gets read as following by most here, "So, You are will to spend a princely sum on a car and in the same breath looking for a way to wiggle out of one of the least expensive and MOST important service items on the car?" Note to self- ANOTHER Parts-Car will soon be in the pipeline.



Well that is it for now. Sorry I may have seemed a bit harsh, but ......

I Hope I added to your knowledge base and gave you some insight into this event.


Again, hope you reconsider and stay.

Respectfully,

mwr



P.S. I haven't been smacked around in awhile .... I think I go start a thread on ...... OIL. Yes, OIL !!!!!!

 

Search by keyword in title TR subforum.

Major:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/search.php?searchid=4619576

Timing:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/search.php?searchid=4619546

Belt:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/search.php?searchid=4619539

Service:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/search.php?searchid=4619553


Enjoy...

 

Gibbs, I have to agree with you one most points, been on the bashed side often, can't give advise by past experience, I am going to do the belts on my car next month.
Like any car it is a sense of having the car running it's best, I am at 30k myself so for me it is time no questions asked. Same as a regular oil change, I don't think of the time or driving conditions, it is just good insurance and the unexpected issues are kept at bay. I build spreadsheets and link doc's all the time at work, saves time and effort, so I pass it up the the forum to help. That is my wisest contribution. Data mining can be tough unless you think about the keywords, I spend the time and get the data and make it available.
Good luck in your endeavors
PS
You can put. Some posters on ignore, keeps the reading in forums a little lighter
Cheers M57

 

I am sorry as well !! Please reconsider and stay..

R

 

Tubbs- Good riddance. Hope you have fun with your "real car guys". I get the feeling I would not like you in person either.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

Harsh ...

 

Rob- Intentional, obviously. Whining really sets me off.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGLR25EJtfE[/ame]

This song made me think of this thread.

R

 

1 more

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_XXtuOvKcg&feature=related[/ame]

R

 

My belts was changed last in 2002. I am changing them now (just got the car).

 

Ha ha ha ! NOT CAR GUYS!
I'm on my 38th car presently and have spent years on this site LEARNING, SEARCHING and SHARING.
BTW, your last name isn't Sheen is it?

...
Thanks for the laugh pal.

 

I know of an 86 that went 18 years on the original belts. The engine had to come out because the oil pump drive chain came apart. (Master Link upgrade never done.)

 

I was surprised watching TV one of those. I don't remember which one. Motorweek, two guys garage, whatever etc. And the repair expert recommended belt change on any motor with interference valves, 5 years regardless of mileage. He was talking every day cars not exotics.



Ago

 

One of my 308s is at about 14 - 15 years, (low miles) I cringe to even start it.

Resting quietly in an Austin alley, for the economic recovery....green shoots, baby!

The clutch is shot too. It's not going anywhere.

Mario Andretti DID put a blessing on it and spilled some wine in Napa, so I think that must be why. If you don't have that.......don't risk it!!

 

Just curious Tex - how many 308s do you have and how many actually run?



Jedi

 

Three....they all do.

"Going" and then "stopping", not so much.

I took the money from the last wreck damage and got a nice Ducati........didn't even notice until I was home, it didn't have license plates....from anywhere!

Life is like that....got a screamin' deal though.

Amanda (youngest child of a failed marriage) just turned 18, divorced readers will know what that means...

NEW BELTS for the house!

Paint 'em, and put those Goodyears on!

I have to go pick out Miss Saint Patrick's Day....we'll talk belts again tomorrow.
It'll still be three years then too!

Yeeeeeehaaaa!

 

We should merge ALL the belt threads into a Tower of Babel, put the two Tech Bulletins at the end, then LOCK IT!

And as Brian suggests, program the software to terminate the LogIn if it appears in the Title line!!

 

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, logic rears it's ugly head.

 

Not sure this hasn't been mentioned before; plus I post very little so take that for what it's worth...

However, a friend I have from college who is a member of SAE and has worked since '86 for Mercedes told me that many rubber-based car components including timing belts, rubber motor-mounts and exterior drive belts (particularly those equipped on CA conforming vehicles) are required by their subcontracted manufacturers to last a minimum of 10 years under use. It also runs parallel with Consumer Products Safety Commission and BAR (CA-only). This 10 year period is due partly because of the effect of ozone and other pollution related elements that degrade and damage natural rubber-based and petroleum-based products.

I had this conversation with him 18 years ago when I first got the TR...I wondered myself about the 3-5 year Ferrari rule and why my son's Miata doesn't need the timing belt until the 10-year mark; I mean the timing belts are made of the same materials...different design and stresses of course, but still basically the same belt.

Anyway, I've now been through a handful of Fcars and still have some which I use 4-5 times a month at best. I stick with the 10 year interval and have never had an issue. I did just this last Dec have a full service on the orig TR by the Auto Gallery and they mentioned my belts (and tensioner bearings for that matter) looked nearly new, BUT it was my fuel lines that looked like they needed replacement. I would be much more inclined to replace all the fuel lines at the 4-5 year mark than the belts.

 

Fuel lines are a completely different issue. Rubber is not rubber.


Search "DaveHelms" and "fuel."

You will have enough reading for several weekends from "Dawn till Dusk."

 

...and they are failing due to reformulating gasoline, not "time or wear".......

 

The financial exposure is a little different, between Fcars and Miatas, but you offer good information to the "risk takers" out there.

And we take a risk getting out of bed in the morning.

 

You actually only need to change the belts the day before they break.