[club411]

As you know I picked up a 1993 968 with ultra low miles 17k in museum condition. It had all of the regular service stamped by Porsche up to 16k miles. I had two independent Porsche mechanics tell me the belt(s) looks really good and probably new. Should I be worried and just change it to be safe?



Thoughts?

THX!

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[banditsc]

How many years ago was the last TBelt change?

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[club411]

Unknown

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[banditsc]

Usually those dealer stamps will have a date on them. A dealer might be nice enough to pull up it's service history for you also. But if you can't find out the date, then I would replace the belts just for peace of mind. Also if that TBelt job was recent and it hasn't been back in to have the balance shaft belt re-tensioned, then it's due for it.

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[flash]

"unknown" usually equals "better do it"



3 years or 45k miles, whichever comes FIRST, is the change interval

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[Byte]

I'd change it.

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[SILVY968]

I agree with Flash, changing the belt for $1500-$2000 would give you peace of mind and keep you from blowing the top of the engine. Repairs for that would be $5k plus.

My PM has told me that a low mileage car that was not run should be checked very carefully; all belts, hoses and gaskets are suspect due to age.

Brian

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[club411]

Best and (cheapest) vendor to buy a Timing belt kit and water pump from?

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[flash]

yeah - low mileage can actually be a very bad thing - the variocam pads suffer heavy wear if the car is let sit for weeks on end, due to a lack of lubrication at startup - mine were shot at 50k



every hose and belt is long past its life expectancy if it is still original - hydraulic hoses fail from the inside, and you cannot test them or tell from the outside





Gates or Dayco on belts - do not get Conti - almost every failure has been a Conti

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[DaveN]

Deutsche Parts USA if you don't mind a German made pump that is not 450.00 <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Cloud9...68]

As I say every time a belt change question come up, if you have the tools and the space, can afford to potentially have the car not running for a few days, and have any degree of mechanical inclination, I would urge you to do this job yourself. It's time-consuming, and some steps of it are a bit of a struggle, but it's very low risk (basically pull the old stuff off, and put the new stuff on the same way the old stuff came off), so there isn't much risk of screwing it up. Hey, if I can do it with no issues on the first try, anybody can. And you can save A TON of money, plus get the satisfaction of doing it yourself.

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[judge]

I know how busy you are Flash, but how is the DYI belt change instruction manual coming along?  I have a 93 Cab which has only done 40k kilometres, [about 25000 miles] , but the belts were done 6,000 miles ago in 2005, GASP!!!  I know I have to do it but I'd like to try myself, rather than hike the car all the way to Melbourne [250 miles] and pay through the nose.

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[flash]

crap. i have been so nuts with the new puppy that i haven't even had a chance to go back and verify things with the video footage. i hope to dive back into that when the wife gets back from moscow



6 year old belts???? wow. i wouldn't even start that car. starting the engine is the hardest thing on belts.

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[judge]

I've ordered a belt and pulley kit, plus some cam chain guide blocks from Paragon together with their $50 belt tensioner. http://www.paragon-products.com/Belt_Ten...31-944.htm



I have also got a deal (I think/hope) with the service manager of the local Mercedes dealer, who is a bit of a 911 freak, to do the work at his shop, together with an annual service. This saves me a 200 mile drive into Melbourne for a specialist.



I'll let you know how it all turns out.

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[judge]

Another question has arisen and which I should have asked before.  The water pump was replaced by the main dealer who did the belts last in 2005 at about 30,000kilometres {about 18000 miles].  Given that the car has only done 10,000 kilometres, or about 6,000 miles since, and that there are no cooling issues, and that the car is to be used sparingly in the near future, is it a safe bet to leave the water pump alone?

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[94SilverCab]

It is safe to leave the water pump alone. They are not as prone to failure as other parts and do tend to give you warning. You should be fine at least until the next belt change, and perhaps even longer. My original went 11 years, 60k.



Jay

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[DaveN]

I wouldn't worry too much, mine went after 17 years at 78K miles.

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[jfrahm]

Concur on the waterpump. The OEM unit is of excellent quality and will last around 100k for most drivers. Changing it just adds a risk of installing a questionable part in place of a proven, sound one.

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[ds968]

Not sure this ALSO applies to the current water pumps the dealers carry for our 968s, but my mechanic has seen many newer water pumps in BMWs and MBZs fail with far greater frequency at much less mileage and years on them than the old, original pumps. That said, Porsche does change OEMs for various parts every so often, and as is the case with just about every car maker out there I would not be surprised if they seek cheaper sources for those parts, where the quality likely suffers accordingly. So IMO, no guarantee or great confidence that a new water pump will last you any more miles than the original one will, even if that one has 70k or 80k miles on it. Not saying to keep a 150k mile water pump in if you happen to do a belt change, but probability favors the OE will last around 100k.. YEMV :-)

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[Scott Collins]

I just replaced my water pump, which had 20 years and 92K miles. Not bad for an original part but it was almost gone. Impeller bearing was rough when spun by hand.



After ordering a remanufactured pump, I decided not to install it and rather went with a new pump, made by Laso. Different impeller on the reman, as you can see, and it did not have a perfect fit to the block. Here is a pic of all 3. Original on top, reman in middle, and new pump that I installed, on bottom. Only difference I can see between the original and new is that the new pump has a metal impeller as opposed to the composite impeller on the original pump.



After an initial hundred miles or so on the new pump, I can see that cooling is more efficient with the new pump. Price was $335 from Paragon Products. Definitely worth it, and even with lower miles, it's something I would do while I'm in there. Hate to not do it and have to go back soon after doing the belts, rollers, and seals.



   

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