MM951

Hey guy, I'm about to do the t-belt and balance belt on my 85 944. I picked up the krickit (never used one before) and was wondering how YOU guys do it with your t-belt and balance belt? I printed out the clarks garage manual and whatever else I could find, but he does not use the krickit.

Thanks!
Mike


EDIT: Found this : http://arnnworx.com/kr1.htm

does that look right? I'd still like the 'List's opinion



EDIT: I cannot get repeatable results no matter what. I about to give up

7thStranger

Travis has a good write up on it.

http://www.rennbay.com/belttutorial.html

fezz

http://arnnworx.com/kr1.htm

bleucamaro

you take the idler off, and put it on the belt so the needle won't hit anything. then you push the button till the detent clicks and slide it off the belt w/o moving the needle. look at where the needle intersects the graduated scale.

I tend to take about 5 readings throw out the highest and lowest, then average the rest.

MM951

Very cool.

Now if I could find my freakin 15/16th wrench so I can bring my motor to TDC...

Its like something is preventing me from doing the belts!! Its also raining on and off all day

BeerBurner

I've read that you can't use the kriket on the '87 and later timing belts because it interferes with the tensioner. Is that true?

BB.

adrial

I dont see how you guys use the kricket, its got such a rough scale...

MM951

Here is what Bruce (Annworx) says

"Using the Krikit on 87 and later cars - my education continues

Before we get to the info, one little side note..... If you have watched my ad's over the last year or so, you might have noticed that I try to be up front about limitations of the Krikit. Specifically, I have had trouble using the Krikit on cars equipped with the auto-tensioner (87 and later). I try to steer people away from buying the Krikit at least until they are aware of the controversy. You see, some have politely told me "there is no-way this works" and some have told me "...there's a trick." Now I'm an old dog, but I like new tricks and if the Krikit can be used, I'm for it. And so below are a couple of suggestions sent to me by some of the graybeards of the Porsche 944 community.

Honestly, do you remember the game "Operation". You can get the kricket on the t-belt if you remove the roller above the auto tensioner - AND, also remove the kricket from the belt area far enough to actually read it. This is where a steady hand comes into play - if you touch anything, you can easily through off the kricket arm. The 9201 is a little easier to get on and read in this case. That doesn't account for the $485 difference in my opinion though.

Bruce, On 87 and later models I pull the Water pump mounted roller and Guide. This allows for more clearance with the tensioner. Piece of cake.

Now, I 'm going to try these suggestions an will get some photos to illustrate the process. More later...B

Tensioning Belts

Owning a 944 pretty much means knowing something about the timing and balance belts. This page is intended to provide some insights on tools & methods for setting the belt tension.

Its funny how these belts exist in countless other cars but on the 944 they take on a whole new level of dread. Some feel the belt failures are the 944's Achilles heal while others see them as no big deal. No matter where you stand in this mix, there is no question that the 944's belts require a bit more maintenance than other cars.

First, getting access to the belts is a challenge in itself. This improved significantly by removing the distributor cap and cam tower's forward cover.



Above is a drawing of the belt layout used in the 83 through 86 944. Porsche recommends these belts be replaced every 30,000 miles and be re-tensioned at about 1500 miles following replacement. Porsche offers a couple of tools to set the belt tension and you should be able to pick these (below) up at your local dealer for $600 to $700. If this seems reasonable, get the maintenance manuals while you're there (for another $400) and forget about trying to do this little job on the cheap.





Here, you can see I'm using a pin wrench to hold the gear. You might also make a preliminary test of the balance belt tension. Most people are surprised at how loose the balance belt is set. The Krikit can just barely read the low tension. Here is a link to specifics on using the Krikit.





These photos make the access appear easier than it actually is. Working in this tight area is a pain, but you'll get the hang of that too with a little patience. . A very thin wrench is needed because a standard wrench will not fit, at least not from many approach angles. What's worse, as you tighten the anchor nut, the off-center, adjusting nut tends to turn along too and alter your carefully chosen setting. You'll probably not use this thin wrench for anything else, but for carefully setting the belts, it sure saves some aggravation.
Other Notes:

This is the belt layout for many others of the 944 series. In the center is a device known as an auto-tensioner.

Here is the video clip of a a too-tight balance belt.

Above, I mentioned the Porsche recommendation for belt change intervals. There is some controversy concerning how often the belts should be changed, Gates (a company who make belts) recommends a longer interval. This clipping (below) is taken from Gates' manual on recommended belt change intervals. "

BeerBurner

Thanks!

I think it was from Bruce's site that I read that on, but I must have missed the update.

BB.

JDeitz951

Interpolation, my boy! Got to do your interpolation.

I trust the crikit because the principle is sound and it is very repeatable. I found the 9201 tool to be much less so, since it is so awkward to work with. Five reading with the cricket, 4 of 5 are the same. Five with the 9201, 2 of 5 are the same.

I also removed my front and rear belt covers last year, so access is quick and roomy. I hardly notice the increased belt noise anymore. But I admit it's not for everyone.

jmporsche944

The krickit never worked out for me, i dont know what it was about it but I could not get it to work on the timing belt. I would tension it so it would not hit the waterpump when i pressed down with the krickit and it would be too tight. Then I would let off the tension and the tool would hit the waterpump throwing off the reading. Its all about the hand tensioning for me now.

apierce918

i just bought my tools for a belt change, and after i get some food in my bellyi plan on tearing down all the stuff to get access to the belts.... wish me luck
(i'll be using the kricket btw)

Mike S

Kricket Instructions:

1) Take Kricket and place on floor
2) Repeatedly stomp with left foot. If left foot is unable to perform duty resort to right foot
3) Pick up Kricket and place on work bench
4) Pick up hammer and hit Kricket as many times as possible in an effort to turn the little bugger into a 2"x2" square
5) Liberally flood surface with gasoline
6) Light match and apply flame to metal fragments
7) Have a beer and enjoy the warm glow
8) Go out and buy the Porsche tensioning tool or borrow from a friend.



Just here to help!

jmporsche944

I suppose your experience with the krickit was "less then perfect" too?

MM951

Alright, before I am taking off my t-belt..I am practicing using the kirckit. Is the point I read the first point where the yellow thing meets the scale (could be anywhere on the yellow thing?) I am getting ~30ftlbs of tension on the belt..normal?

Mike