Pulled engine: timingbelt play, i think i made the right decision
 

Today i had great progress in dismantling the engine. Found that the belt had a lot of play. So much that i am wondering if the waterpump was even moving(!). I am replacing it for a pk tensioner soon.
I was wondering if people have the same experience when replacing the timing belt. The engine never overheated btw. ('79 euro manual).

If the pump was not working you would overheat immediately. A slack belt does not stop the water pump from working but in the extreme it does mean there is a good chance of the timing belt jumping teeth- not good if you have an interference motor thus it helps if you advise what year model you have.

Your video suggests the belt is very slack but if you are going to play around with the engine and take on jobs like the water pump/timing belt then you need access to a belt tension tool and then you quantify where you stand.

As a matter of interest why did you pull the motor? Not needed for a timing belt/water pump job- presumably you had some other concern/reason?

Hi Fred,
Its a '79 euro. I think the pk-tensior will take care of the right tensioning if i am correct when i start putting it back together. I have had the car for 8 years now and never did stuff on the engine and got the opportunity to work in a shop in the winter. There was some oil leaking at the header on the right so i am also going to pull the heads. I am now already happy that i pulled it, it works so much nicer when you have the beast on a stand. Basically take care of everything i will find, including new engine mounts, gaskets and clutch.

@StratfordShark, its an oldtimer ('79), it does not have a warning light it think.

So how old is the timing belt ?? And when was the tension last checked / adjusted ?

Not sure, in the 8 years i have the car, i never checked it. So older then 8 years.

Note based on your current state,
you would be well served to read the WSM a few times regarding engine disassembly, head servicing and belt servicing.
This Before you touch any of the hard parts.

Sounds as though you are in for a bit of fun. Get yourself one of the Kempf timing belt tension tools- they are not very expensive but invaluable. You will also need to be able to do the valve timing- that is more straight forward on your model compared to the later 32 valve variants.

Hopefully you have a good heater in the garage!

You don't need and really can't use a tension tool properly with the PKnsr. It's a nice job once you get thing cleaned up a bit.
Good luck,
Dave

Yea, about that.

https://scontent-dft4-2.xx.fbcdn.net...18&oe=5AF0D6EB

https://scontent-dft4-2.xx.fbcdn.net...74&oe=5AEE85A5

Dave,

This is a perfectly correct statement however the OP was asking about his stock belt tension and a tension tool is required to determine that- academic once the PKT is fitted but that was not the question..

Ahh. I understand.
Thanks, Fred.
Dave

Amazing...

I wonder when that "auto-adjusting" tensioner does after a decade of belt neglect.

With no attention in at least 8 years, be ready for a few surprises as you get things apart. Old coolant scavenges exposed aluminum, for instance, so there may be some repairs needed for the cylinder heads.

Greg Brown in the US (GregGBRD here on Rennlist) has improved cam tower gaskets that you'll find essential to solving the oil leaks at the heads. Odds of success are significantly better than using the factory gaskets or those in the aftermarket gasket kits.

Use the Gates or factory Porsche belt on reassembly, not the Conti belt which tends to be too stretchy.

Get current guidance from the group here about water pumps. The Laso has been a favorite, but availability has become an issue in the last year or two. Geba and some of the knock-off pumps from Asia have had manufacturing and durability issues. Since this is the last piece you take out/first piece you put in during a front-end disassembly for belt service, you'll want a pump that works for a longer while if possible.