Timing belt rock guard

Not super-critical (as the carb cars don't have them -- can't recall when they were introduced). What probably happened is that the Mechanic forgot to put them on before doing the timing belt replacement, and didn't want to redo things, after realizing his/her mistake, so just left them off. Do your Aluminum cam covers have the corresponding female threaded holes tapped? If so, yeah, you should probably have them. (My foggy recollection is that maybe some euro version cam covers have the corresponding bosses on the cam covers, but are not drilled/tapped -- i.e., the backside covers showed up on the US version cars first.)

 

My 85 308 euro does not have them either. Is your car a euro model?

If you look at the parts book for the euro QV (i.e. not USA) I believe it says that those guards are not used after a certain car (from engine 2188).

I note that the 328 has similar euro vs USA no guard vs guard. Instead of the guards there appears to be TDC pointers and a different set of belt guards.

Chart 008 - timing system - controls

I wonder why?

 

Yes QV should have those guard and Steve is right the previous mechanic probably didn’t put it back but the only way to remove those guard is to either remove the cam pullies or remove the cam shafts from the cylinder heads.

 

My euro qv did not come with the rock guards. Just the TDC pointers.

 

My late-84 Euro QV did not have with those rock guards either when I bought it 10 years ago (I have the TDC pointers as mentioned by Ron). When I wondered about this here, I recall the consensus was as Chuck mentioned, most Euro QVs didn't have them from the factory.

Gordon

 

Euro engines use a different style of belt 'guard' there's a sheet metal'fence' that sits by the lower drives to keep large debris away.

Honestly unless you're out WRC in the dirt and gravel I'm not sure that one's risk is high enough to warrant the switch.

Also note, the fiberglass back panels are a right PITA to install and make service intervals that more complex. The camshafts can not be removed without also taking out that back panel together..i.e. to pull the panel or the cams require removal of them together as a unit (both cams and panel). The tensioner assy also needs to be removed first. And we haven't touched on the little m4 screws that hold it together.. Little buggers are not fun.

308's don't seem to have an issue with no dust cover. Given that's it's mostly a USA thing, I wonder if it's there more due to a regulation then actual design improvement.

 

Just removing the pulleys won't work unfortunately, the cams must come out.

 

here's a pic of 85 308 QV euro and the belt guards

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Those were origionally installed at the request of the head of Servizio Asistenza Technica at Ferrari North America. A man named Ken McKay. It was USA only at the beginning. He received so many complaints for a while they quit installing them because so many complaints came from experiences of them trapping debris that caused more belt failures than not having them. It was later decided to install them and a decision was made to do it on all cars. On 355 they got smart and quit using them.

 

My 83 QV guards had holes just big enough to slide over the cam pulleys before I pulled the cams. Does that mean somebody opened up the hole in the fiberglass a tad?

 

.It means they opened them up a lot. By the time the holes are that big little need for the guards....if there ever was one.