Next winter is time for engine out service........and I guess your remark is more than relevant. However, since the last engine out service it has less than 4500 miles so there will be a pretty good chance everything is still ok. Nevertheless it is not worth putting back the old cam belt.......you are perfectly right there. Another thing.....is there any method to find out how old the cam belt is when you buy it???? I mean they can have been on a shelf for ten years ore more. How do we check the rubber is fresh?? Is there a manufacturing date or something, like on tyres???? //B//
I notice in the thread that you never did get an answer, why? Is it a personal thing going on? Sorry for bringing this thread back up, but i have just found it during reading archives. I have just read the Michael Sheehan cambelt article for the first time and found it very interesting. I tend to agree with his conclusions.
You can agree with it all you want but anyone who has his engine out service and does not go the extra couple of dollars to replace the cam belts really has a screw or two loose.
Mr. Sheehan has a habit of rendering an opinion on various Ferrari topics whether or not he has the deep experience to opine on them. He's a dealer, investor and broker in collector Ferraris. I personally take his opinions with a grain of salt. That is I support him when he is right and challenge him when he is wrong. In this case he is wrong. But to each his own on the subject of belts. I will always do a 5-yr. cycle and it has served me well in nearly 10 years of 348 ownership. That's 2 cars and 3 majors. I sleep better not having to worry about a streched belt - which is more of an issue than a snapped one, since they do not break too easily. Also, the 348 Brotherhood has had issues in the past with Mr. Sheehan's criticism of our Ferrari preferences and in this regard we find him ignorant and biased.
Yep i understand what you are saying. though from what i have been reading every one has a difference of opinion on the subject. For instance you admit to doing the 5 year cycle. While Europe does the 3 year cycle and would loose sleep with anything over. I don't think anyone will ever have the definitive answer. But i do agree with what he says regarding.. 1 Every nine years, as Gates recommends. 2 Every 52,500 miles, as Ferrari used to recommend for the 355 and earlier cars. 3 Every five years, as is the common recommendation today. 4 Every three years, as Ferrari has now decided needs to be done for a car to be “certified.” 5 Every three months, if you want to keep your mechanic busy. What did he say about the 348 by the way? Is there a link to it? That maybe explains the hostility from some posters in this thread that i have read. I bet hes as popular as Luca Di Montezemolo is in this section
You are correct. From what I read and understood, the point of the article is that "HE" does not believe it is necessary for a major every 3 years. To each his own, your car, your risk, your problems. It seems to me that several members here use the "5-year" cycle as opposed to the 3-year with little issues.
If Ferrari was paying for it there would be no discussion. They are not, so ... discussion If Ferrari dealerships didn't have service departments I think you'd see a 5-7 year interval in the book but hey I know I'm an idiot but I can smell BS mixed with money
I am going to change mine next year ..... 5 years and about 5000 miles since last major service. I hope I make it.
It would be interesting to hear a reply from Hill Engineering to see the life expectancy of their belt tensioner bearings. Suposedly of a much higher quality than O.E.M Ferrari.... and less expensive..... btw.. just did my first 30K after 7 years and 7000 miles after I bought the355 in 2002 ( had new belts when I purchased it). Used Daniels 30K parts kit with Hill bearings. Belts that came off were in excellent shape. THe old bearings had just a tad of weathering corrosion, but were still in good function... The actual mileage on the car was 24K, It's a '97 and I bought it with 17K on the odometer. JD
I have heard nothing but excellence about Hill Engineering bearings, and from reputable consultants right here on FChat.
Old thread, but saw this on Norwood's site in Dalllas on the subject: "We recommend the Ferrari factory interval of three years or 30,000 miles for the cam belt replacement on all belt-driven V8 and V12 models. In the past, we have recommended a five to seven year interval and none of our clients have ever had a belt related failure. In addition, we have never had a car come in the shop with a belt related failure when the belts were not at least ten years old unless induced by a different problem. "
Not sure if I understand what they are saying. First they state that they recommend the Ferrari interval of 3 years. Then they say that they used to recommend a longer interval and say that there was never a problem with the longer interval. So why are they changing their recommendation?
I'm havnig my 355 belts done now- Exactly 5 years old to the day. For what it's worth- I pulled a set of 17 year old belts off my GT4- and they looked brand new.
If you all got some simple hand tools you could do this yourself and it wouldn't be a big deal to do it every 3 years. So do it yourself and save money and get your hands dirty.
Because they officially want to stick by Ferrari's recommendation. They're letting you read between the lines, though. Honesty of that sort is refreshing.
