Jeff928S4

I have seen many people ask what it sounds like when a timing belt breaks....there seems to be a few ideas, but none that really capture what it really sounds like.

Well, I have it - the perfect sound that is very close to the broken timing belt sound.

Anyone ever hear of a Jake-Brake? I don't know if that is how it's spelled, but it's that thing in big trucks that slows the motor down to help take pressure off the brakes during slow-down.

If you are familiar with this thing, you know what it sounds like - if not, it is that sound you hear when big trucks are slowing down. It's a clanking/banging/metallic/spinning sound.

When a timing belt goes, it will sound like you have a Jake-Brake on for about 3-5 seconds.

Hope you never hear this sound. If you're driving and it sounds like a big truck is behind/beside you and it's slowing down - but you look around and see no trucks......then all you can do is hope that the valve damage is minimal.


944S Boyeee

triscadek

After reading your trouble and mouse cty. I decided to do the whole deal, belts, rollers, water pump and front seals. Even though I have only put 20K on mine since I bought it, was told and could see that it had a new timing belt.

$500 later I don't cringe every time I start it and the thought of you guys paying $3-$4000 to repair an S was really making me nervous.

Type_LT

I looked at a friends 83 944 a while back, he drove it 60k miles+ and had never touched the timing belt, we checked it and it looked perfect and had plenty of tension.

Ethan

Thats kind of what the PO of my car said. It took a crap on him before he sold me the car. I rememeber it well.."it was something little like change the belt. I wish somebody would have told me about that." Then I saw the $5,500 repair bills for a brand new head, valves, rollers, cam belts and a ton of other stuff. Basically my S2 has 4k on it since the rebuild, which did him in I think. Paying $90 (if I recall from the records) for valves doenst seem bad until you realize there is 16 of them!
-Ethan

IPSC

I have faithfully kept the belts changed every 30k and this last time at 97,000 I did the water pump, front engine seals, all the rollers and sprockets. I have also done the chain tensioner in the head and still live in fear of a freak failure of any of them. However I do still run the car up to near redline each and every day (nothing quite like the sound of the 16V head at 6000 rpms) and drive the car like I want to. If something does go I will deal with it then. As long as the PMs (preventive maintenance) are kept up I think the car will be fine. And Hey if it does go there is my reason to by a turbo.

IPSC

Jeff928S4

IPSC - that is a great attitude!

I know if my belt or tensioner ever goes again, I'm fixing it myself this time. Knowing it will be half the price it was before takes away a lot of fear.

944S Boyeee

mouse

Triscadek, I am very happy to see that through my anguish and suffering of the wallet, at least someone can learn and benefit from it

triscadek

Now all I need to do is learn from the gas line fire guys and do the braided fuel lines.

But, thats next.