Oh The Horrer (Timing belt)
11-01-2007, 12:47 AM
#31
Only the Honda belt would cover the whole sprocket and it is routed from the cam to the crank with only one tensioner roller barely pushing on the back of it. If the tensioner roller were to seize, it wouldn't damage the belt. I also have a shield between the balance belt and timing belt so a broken balance belt won't get caught up in the timing belt. Machining the pistons to make the engine non-interference is a great idea, too.
11-01-2007, 10:29 AM
#32
Rennlist Member
Do you have to do anything special to tension the Honda belt? This is starting to get interesting...
11-02-2007, 12:13 AM
#33
The stock 88 tensioner is still in place but now the Honda belt goes on the right side of the roller where it pushes the belt closer to the crank for a better contact area. The Honda belt is shorter, of course. If you want to try fitting a timing chain, try a Chevy Corsica set or a Chrysler Conquest/Mitsubishi Starion. The top sprocket fits with minor modification but the crank sprocket gears have to be welded to a modified stock crank gear.
01-12-2008, 09:48 PM
#34
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On the road again
OK I'm back on the road!
So, two and a half months later.... here is what I ended up with.
Bad things that happened;
1) I snapped off one of the water neck bolts in the block.
2) I snapped off a drill bit in the bolt
3) I snapped off a fluted type easyout in the same bolt.
4) Some low life cretin ripped off my stereo head unit while the car was up on blocks - the thing was worth maybe 50$ but the jerk thief ripped the wires right out of the harness causing a short I had to trace later. He also broke my wiper switch stalk. Give me 5 minutes in a darkened ally.......
5) The thermofan switch went after the first day back on the road.
Good things that happened;
1) I discovered the Dremmel
2) I discovered that there is nothing that a dremmel carbide tipped grout bit can't shred.
3) I finally bought a torque wrench.
4) I discovered that 944 timing belts are not to be feared.
5) I spent 800$ cdn to recover from the worst possible 944 mechanical disaster.
6) I will be re-bulding a motor next. Anyone have a spare that they can donate?
Thank you Clarks Garage. Could not have done it without you. In truth, if I didn't have to wait on parts, the job could have been done in a weekend. (bolt extraction aside) No single thing was that difficult. If you end up in the same spot, buy the TDOC tool, the offset wrenches help as well. The balance shaft spanner was useful but not required. The cricket/optkrik tool is a pain in the *** to use and inaccurate. At best it gives an estimate of the tension, but that is all that is needed. It works well on the alternator belt.
So, two and a half months later.... here is what I ended up with.
Bad things that happened;
1) I snapped off one of the water neck bolts in the block.
2) I snapped off a drill bit in the bolt
3) I snapped off a fluted type easyout in the same bolt.
4) Some low life cretin ripped off my stereo head unit while the car was up on blocks - the thing was worth maybe 50$ but the jerk thief ripped the wires right out of the harness causing a short I had to trace later. He also broke my wiper switch stalk. Give me 5 minutes in a darkened ally.......
5) The thermofan switch went after the first day back on the road.
Good things that happened;
1) I discovered the Dremmel
2) I discovered that there is nothing that a dremmel carbide tipped grout bit can't shred.
3) I finally bought a torque wrench.
4) I discovered that 944 timing belts are not to be feared.
5) I spent 800$ cdn to recover from the worst possible 944 mechanical disaster.
6) I will be re-bulding a motor next. Anyone have a spare that they can donate?
Thank you Clarks Garage. Could not have done it without you. In truth, if I didn't have to wait on parts, the job could have been done in a weekend. (bolt extraction aside) No single thing was that difficult. If you end up in the same spot, buy the TDOC tool, the offset wrenches help as well. The balance shaft spanner was useful but not required. The cricket/optkrik tool is a pain in the *** to use and inaccurate. At best it gives an estimate of the tension, but that is all that is needed. It works well on the alternator belt.
01-13-2008, 11:20 AM
#35
01-13-2008, 03:13 PM
#36
Racer
Glad to hear that there's one more 944 back on the road in Vancouver.
Also glad to hear that it wasn't that hard of a job to recover from a broken t-belt catastrophy.
Also glad to hear that it wasn't that hard of a job to recover from a broken t-belt catastrophy.
01-14-2008, 01:03 AM
#37
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I have heard many times to change the belts at 30,000 miles. I changed at 30,000, 60,000 and 90,000. I then went 9 years and 23,000 miles, thinking I was still ok. This was when I was about to start DE. I then read about the 5 years in Panorama. Nothing broke, but I got new belts, rollers, H20 pump right away, before DE. I guess I was lucky.
Norm
Norm
