[mbardeen]

My first batch of parts finally arrived today, which included the flywheel lock, so I started tearing things apart..



However, when I removed the timing belt tensioner I had a bit of surprise...







Hydraulic Timing belt tensioner by mbardeen, on Flickr





So what to do.. buy a new one? Get it welded? Leave it as is? My feel is that the bit that's missing shouldn't receive a lot of pressure, so a weld should work, but.heating the hydraulic unit might be bad.







Other discoveries from this process:



Camshaft timing by mbardeen, on Flickr

Cam Timing seems to be off a tooth.





Upper balance shaft by mbardeen, on Flickr

Upper balance shaft timing is way off, lower balance shaft is similar.

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[Cloud9...68]

Hmmm... I assume you're using the flywheel mark to determine that you're at <acronym title='top dead center'>TDC</acronym>. You might want to consider getting your hands on a dial indicator ($15 at Harbor Freight) and make an independent, unambiguous determination of <acronym title='top dead center'>TDC</acronym> (there are several of us who can walk you through how to do that if you're not sure) to make sure your cam timing is really that far off. The balance shaft belts' definitely looks to be in sorry shape, though. Did you have a lot of vibration before you started this job? It should definitely run a lot smoother when you're done.

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[mbardeen]

Yes, I'm using the flywheel marks. Harbor Freight doesn't ship here, so that's out. I'll have a troll around the tool shops here to see if I can find a dial indicator. I'll have plenty of time to search, since I'll probably end up ordering the automatic tensioner from DC Auto (these aren't something that should go bad, right?).



My impression is that whoever last changed the timing belt wasn't very careful, just judging on how far off the balance shafts were. Definitely not a Porsche trained mechanic! It wouldn't surprise me at all if the timing belt was off by a tooth.



I didn't really get enough seat time in the car to be able to judge if there were a lot of vibrations or not.. I'll set them as the manual shows and go from there.

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[MB968]

I think you'll find that the tensioner is cast iron, not an easy weld fix. And, if you put any heat into the tensioner, you'll likely due damage to the seals, or some part of it. You should just purchase a new unit.

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[Cloud9...68]

Yes, you should replace it. I replaced mine when I did my first belt change, and it wasn't terribly expensive (at least here in the U.S.).

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[mbardeen]

It's not terribly expensive, but there have been whole bunch of not terribly expensive things that, combined, have put me a bit over budget. Though, as a fairly critical part of the critical timing belt system, I'll suppose I'll replace it with a new one rather than chance it on a used piece.



I wonder what fun gifts I'll find when I get the water pump off tomorrow?

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[tamathumper]

Here in the US, we say "There are no cheap Porsches", meaning if the up-front cost doesn't get you, the maintenance will. There are many examples of people buying the cars, especially 944s, and being very excited, and then you can watch their posts get progressively depressing until they feel overwhelmed and sell the car.



The trick, at least for me, is to not keep track of the cost.

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[mbardeen]

I'm trying to keep a sense of humor about this whole process. In the end, I'll have the only 968 Cab in Chile.. that has to be worth something. So, I'll keep buying parts until it's running again and hope I have enough left over for the cosmetic issues.



I just wish that every broken part I find along the way didn't mean a month delay in getting it back on the road. I want drive the damn thing!

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[Cloud9...68]

How many miles (or kilometers) are on your car? Another thing you might want to do it a thorough inspection of your variocam pads. These have been known to fail on some cars, leading to disastrous consequences. Having said that, though, one possible explanation for why your cam timing appears to be so far off is that somebody may have replaced your variocam pads in the past, which requires removal of the cams, and they may have botched the cam timing procedure. Timing the cams is a fairly detailed and intricate process, but several of us have done it, and once you get into it, it's really not that bad.

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[mbardeen]

The car has 66000 miles. The variocam pads, chain, and cam teeth all look to be in good condition.



[sharedmedia=gallery:images:2055]



I checked the position of the cam lobes in the car with the cam shaft pulley set like it was... noticeably different than what it should be according to the workshop manual. Advancing the pulley one tooth put them where they should be. So it looks like it was just carelessness on the part of the previous mechanics. It's a wonder this car hasn't self-destructed!

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[Scott Collins]

I just replaced mine (tensioner) and have a good used one that you can have gratis. Worked fine when I pulled it off.



-Scott

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