MGW-Fla

Thanks for your input Glenn, sounds like possibly that is my scenario too. I will pull the receipts & see exactly when & what the milage was of the last TB/WP job with the previous owner. Either way, sounds as though I have that in my near future. If I check the tension & cam marks & that is ok, and I drive it little beforehand, am I taking too much of a risk driving to SITM in a few weeks without first having the TB/WP job done? Mine is not a daily driver, usually 1 or 2 work days, then maybe some on the weekends too. I think I've put about 4k miles on it since I bought it last Aug. I know the belt was at least checked last Oct by Brumos guessing they saw no need to replace it then. So is everyone saying that I should be able to do the TB/WP job myself if I pay attention to all the info available & have half a brain?? The last WP I have replaced myself was 25 yrs ago on a 59 Ford Econoline van!! Thanks!

SharkSkin

If you have loose/broken motor mounts, it's possible that it simply shifted and popped the sensor wire loose... I suppose it's also possible that if the center timing cover is a bit loose it could have popped the connector inside loose. Don't assume this is the case though. Don't ever assume anything with the TB or TB warning system. Inspect the belt itself as described above even if you find a wiring issue.

MGW-Fla

FYI Partial update....... I called Brumos Motors, the local Porsche dealer since they know my Shark well. A brief background on my car. The PO purchased the car from a friend in 02 for basically the outstanding bill at a local foreign car repair shop. The timing belt had broken was the reason it was in the shop. The previous PO couldn't pay the bill, so instead of the shop getting the car, he signed over the title to the PO with the PO paying the repair bill. The PO then took the car to Brumos, who fixed & finished the repair job. Not sure who did what completely. It had just under 111k miles at the time. So if my car has just under 124k miles now, I would be due for a belt check, but only half way towards normal replacement. As I said earlier, Brumos checked the car last Oct., a independent Porsche mechanic checked it at the 1st of the year.

Brumos's advice after I told them what I experienced..... Check The Oil Level...... They confirmed that they changed the oil last July, just before I bought the car, it had 119k miles at the time. They said sometimes when the oil level is a bit low and you punch the accelerator, the oil is pushed so quickly to the top half of the engine that the hydraulic tensioner will not have quite enough for it to keep the tension correct, thus the light comes on. They said they had seen that in the past on 928s with similar experiences. I didnt get to quiz them about the noise although I did mention it.

Sooo, I have not checked my oil level in a few months with the minimal miles I've driven(just told myself on Sunday I needed to do that). I have noticed just in the past 2 weeks a few drops of oil on the garage floor after I have driven it & have not explored further simply cause it is no more than 1-2 drops versus 8 qts(wrong way to think of it I know)!

I am hoping that my oil is just a bit low & that might be the answer since on paper, my car should not yet need the TB/WP job for a while. I have taken the advice & already ordered the Kempf Belt Tension Tool from 928 Specialist for $59. I promise to now learn how to properly check it & to do so on a regular basis. I will definately check everything suggested here. THANKS!

Bill51sdr

Hate to say it, but from my understanding of how the tensioner works, this is total BS. The oil in the tensioner is NOT part of the engine oiling system. The oil in the tensioner is a closed system and is in there for thermal expansion purposes. I would make them find out what the problem REALLY is.

sharkmeister85

Totally agree! Mel, there are TB/WP jobs and there are TB/WP jobs! Your car was in for a broken TB and had 2 different companies fix it over a period of time. Who knows what may have fallen through the cracks before it got to you! This worries me, besides the fact they don't know how the tensioner works.
Glenn

MGW-Fla

Well, I wondered about that from what little I do know, but with my minimal knowledge, I didnt want to question the rep on the phone. Didnt sound like the engine oil would be involved, the tensioner has its own seperate type of hydraulic fluid yes?? I wish I could have spoken to the head of the service dept & not one of the fledgelings, he has worked there for over 25 yrs & is the only one I truly trust in his knowledge of any porsche Ive encountered. In spite of my pain over my Shark, I am smiling here cause that makes me want to stop by at some point to "inquire further" on that theory the guy gave me!! If I do I am making sure that the head of service is in on the conversation to see what his response is!! Somehow it makes me feel even more dumb for buying into that lame reasoning! I promise once I resolve it to let all know. THANKS!

Jim_H

Whoa! I can't believe I just read that

Mongo

Sharkmeister it just seems odd how my light came on Monday when I was having a slight electrical problem and the turn signal on the right side was acting weird. That's why I was relating mine to a slight attitude problem with my car. Under hard acceleration my light didn't come back on. But, if the light comes on the next time I drive the car it's going to sit until I have the money to do that timing belt.

kshipp

just fyi -
My animated/digital "toothed belt" warning light came on about a month ago during a PCA fun run. It was a relatively long fun run (a few hours) and it was a warm day. I switched the warning off and the warning hasn't returned to this day. I've read most of the posts here on Rennlist and I <do> plan to get the belt tensioned checked next week (it's as soon as the shop could get me in their schedule).
I don't have the tool and I'm not quite mechanically inclined, but may reconsider for the future. I have about 40k on this belt and plan to get a new TB/WP later this year.....I just don't want to push it past 45k miles....I'd rather pay in early preventive maintenance than in this repair.

sharkmeister85

Andy,
I wouldn't want anyone to think I'm some expert. But no doubt weird electrical things can happen with our cars, and your situation does seem like it could be one of those events. You have to decide based on your knowledge of the car and your confidence with the service it has received, particularly to the TB system. Again, I don't think I would panic over one warning light, but that's me and my car. It bears watching though if it happens again and should probably be checked if doing any other service in there anyhow.
Glenn

Mongo

heheheh well said Sharkmeister, at the same time I"m trying to avoid pissing up a pair of white boxers when I see that light come on again. I am budgeting a timing belt for next year since the belt is about 4 years old now. This will include a waterpump and idlers. I'm praying it doesn't exceed $1,000 since I'll be getting parts from Wally and Jim's shops.

What idlers do you guys recommend to be changed with a waterpump?

Bill51sdr

Andy, I've got a 'Kempf' tool and we can check the belt tension on your car once I'm back in town... Sounds like your problem is electical in any case, but we can check anyway.

Mongo

oh! hey just for an FYI too in case anyone has further Q&A about the light of fear I'm posting a link to reasons for a false warning light. Again I still wouldn't take this too lightly, especially if you see it on a lot

http://www.nichols.nu/tip016.htm

Big Dave

When you are examining the belt, make sure that it's not up against either edge of the cam gears. The belt should normally sit on the gears like the picture below. If it's not, something in the belt system is out of alignment. My belt didn't break or even jump teeth....it eroded against the sides of the covers throughout the belt's pathway and eventually slipped off one of the gears.

Just something to watch for.

Mongo

I wonder how hard it is to change a timing belt....I'm feeling kinda ballsy.