Belt change questions
12-20-2017, 02:05 PM
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Belt change questions
I’ve got my 86 944 NA at TDC and the flywheel locked the covers off so I can see the belt now just waiting for my belt kit to come in. Have a couple of questions I can’t seem to find answers for while searching. BTW I am not changing the water pump.
First, do I need to remove the two balance shaft pulleys to change the timing belt? I keep finding posts saying you do but it looks they are far enough apart from the timing belt that it’s not needed.
Second, when you remove the balance shaft belt do the pulleys just spin free? Does it matter if these pulley spin free while installing the new belt just as long as they are lined back up to their timing marks when putting back together?
any help would be greatly appreciated.
First, do I need to remove the two balance shaft pulleys to change the timing belt? I keep finding posts saying you do but it looks they are far enough apart from the timing belt that it’s not needed.
Second, when you remove the balance shaft belt do the pulleys just spin free? Does it matter if these pulley spin free while installing the new belt just as long as they are lined back up to their timing marks when putting back together?
any help would be greatly appreciated.
12-20-2017, 02:36 PM
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The sprockets are bolted to the balance shafts, so when the belt is off, the balance shaft just spins freely in its bearings. You can even give it a spin to feel the counterweights. Like you said, just line them back up, and use whatever tensioning method you've chosen to tighten the belt. Usually you'd replace both belts at the same time though, as they have the same replacement interval. same would go for the waterpump and front seals if it's been 60k miles since the last one.
12-20-2017, 02:48 PM
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There's no reason not to remove the balance shaft belt honestly, because:
Yes. No. Correct.
The sprockets are bolted to the balance shafts, so when the belt is off, the balance shaft just spins freely in its bearings. You can even give it a spin to feel the counterweights. Like you said, just line them back up, and use whatever tensioning method you've chosen to tighten the belt. Usually you'd replace both belts at the same time though, as they have the same replacement interval. same would go for the waterpump and front seals if it's been 60k miles since the last one.
Yes. No. Correct.
The sprockets are bolted to the balance shafts, so when the belt is off, the balance shaft just spins freely in its bearings. You can even give it a spin to feel the counterweights. Like you said, just line them back up, and use whatever tensioning method you've chosen to tighten the belt. Usually you'd replace both belts at the same time though, as they have the same replacement interval. same would go for the waterpump and front seals if it's been 60k miles since the last one.