550 Cambelt Change..Bradan..what are the essentials

Lot of resource here. Carl’s your man. (Fat billy bob)

 

I’ve changed belts in a 308 and 456. Essentially the same set up with tensioners and belt cam gears. Google Birdman Ferrari 308. He has a great tutorial on the 308 belt change.

The 550 is actually much easier due to front engine access.

The 550 cams can be locked with vice grips. Chances are someone has marked all the timing spots on your cams. Just check and refresh them. you might also feel the scratches from the vice grips. That is more confirmation you are lined up right. Make sure you make your marks well. If it slips you can line it back up easily. Otherwise you are in cam degree mode.

You will need to get the balancer bolt out. Air gun if you can get it to fit. Otherwise fashion a very long breaker bar. I couldn’t get my air gun to fit so I used my floor jack handle. Pick up a socket for the balancer bolt. 34mm IIRC.

Follow the birdman tensioning instructions but use your iPhone to measure the frequency (pluck the belt like a guitar string). I used the gates belt tensioning app. It will save the wave for you where the other apps don’t. I also bought a $10 microphone with clip and clipped it to one of the cover bolts to get a really good sound read.

Search the threads. Someone (Taz?) posted the frequency specs. You add both numbers together.

I had trouble getting the tension just right. I used a large screw driver to lever the pulley tight then bolted it. Measured the frequency then loosended the tensioner until it would slip only when I tapped it with a small ball peen hammer. That way I would go down in measured increments. You’ll get the hang of it.

Replace bearings and the other belts while you are in there. Take your radiator out for service as well as it gives you a lot more room to work.

Good luck.

 

The shop manual calls for Vice grips. Dealers do it this way. The 308 cannot use Vice grips because the cam gears are plastic (wtf?!?!?).

You don’t really need to cam lock if you do a good job of marking the cams and the belts. You can also make a cam lock by cutting a hockey puck in half, inverting it and bolting it together.

It’s just a car and a motor, not the space shuttle.

 

Whatever dude

 

# Scowman: Really appreciate your down to earth and common sense methods.

 

Hockey pucks are also used by pros between jacks and chassis to prevent damage when lifting.

 

36mm on the crank bolt.


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

I can never remember that. Glad you caught it.

 

Why use a hockey puck when a $3000 black vulcanized rubber disk with a prancing horse stamped on both sides would do?

 

Used this on the 308. I found it was a bit invasive so I ended up doing it without the pulley lock. It's easier that way. Just make sure you mark the pulleys in case they move. Mine did, but the marks made it easy to move them back to the correct place.

Using vice grips on the V12 makes it much easier.


Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Lots of uses for hockey pucks. Understand they even play a game with them.

 

No garage should be without them .. great for lifting as well

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk