Belts overdue -- drive to service centre?

7 years is a long time. Personally, I would feel uneasy about driving it across town. It costs an awful lot of money to rebuild the upper end of that v12 if a belt comes unglued on you. They are strong belts, but Why risk it? Seems like a trailer would be cheap insurance to me.......

 

For me, a gentle drive of 200 km would be ok.

 

Drive it.

 

+1

 

I agree with Taz. A gentle drive might help you identify any other items you would like to have addressed while it is being serviced. I would recommend checking the tires for any signs of cracking or weathering if they are 7+ years old before you start the drive.

 

Drive it at low-mid RPM... It shouldn't be a problem... Those belts are tough... They need high RPM stress to be tested to the limit...

 

+1

 

It mite be a good idea to pull the cam belt covers before driving to check for age cracking in the belts, if they are in good shape (don't show any signs of aging or humps in the belts from setting in one position too long) I would drive it but not exceed 4000 rpm.

Chuck

 

drive it....belts can go 2 to 3 times more than what Ferrari says

 

It's not the belts at this time. You need to be concerned
About the cooling hose that runs under the intake plenum.
They usually go first.

 

Visual inspections of Ferrari cam belts will show nothing, unless they are coated with oil.

 

I can't comment on the belts,but when i bought my 550,it had not been driven much....after 1000-2000kms(spirited) it was a power steering hose that went. If it were me i would drive it.

 

Good point - worth doing during the service & changing to the new part

Also note we are talking about the belts but it is their bearings that are more vulnerable after lack of use - at this service install Hill items

 

Agree

 

Visual inspection can show separation of the "teeth" from the backing of the belt - but you need to twist (by hand) the belt a bit to be able to see this.

I know this from other cars with longer belts - in the 456/550/575 engines the belts are quite short and strong, so may not show much.

In any case, and more importantly, a visual inspection can show you the condition of the bearings, which are known to fail (throwing out the grease).

 

That is why I said Ferrari belts. Most amateurs do not want to fiddle with removing the cambelt covers.

Incidentally, Hill Engineering does not make tensioner bearings/pulleys for the 456-612. They buy theirs (Ricambi gets theirs from HE) directly from SKF and then inspect each bearing. Ferrari seems to have gotten their latest batches from the Chinese and they often throw grease like a hose.

 

Do you happen to know the SKF part number? And what is the scope of the inspection?

 

Johnny- Nope, know neither. May be in the parts exchange sticky.

 

Personally I would let it depend on things like do you have the time to drive over there and is it worth your expense compared to having it transported?
Hypothetically it is best not to start it at all anymore. However when transported, the car will also be started along the way for loading and unloading, etc.
I am a believer of DIY - it can save you this king of hassle and expense. And you could just take it apart in the comfort of your own garage without wondering what is best for the belts. The technology in itself is not difficult on the V12's. That said, you have to be the DIY type, failure is very expensive so you really have to know what you are doing, it's not for the inexperienced or faint of heart.

From a comfort perspective, I would have it transported there but pick it up yourself, and take your partner. That way you get a nice trip out of it.

 

GRUWEZ, I have sent you a PM.

 

Not me. As long as the oil has been changed regularly, my only concern, there is virtually no chance those belts will give trouble on a 2 hour trip. She already has the Kevlar belts and the bearings are not going to be bothered by non-use.