Beth

For a small fee, I can be your TB event planner Hey, maybe I can make a career of this . . . . . Hmmmm . . . . . I see possibilities . . . . . .

(my resume shows PLENTY of experience in this area)

Bill Ball

Beth:

You are centrally located and know whow to throw a party.

928ntslow

I just got a call this morning about doing a TB party here in SOCAL. I thought this was the post and I was reading Chico as Chino which is here in SOCAL. Anyways...it looks like this will be happening in SOCAL in the near future. I am NOT the organizer of this event, but I will certainly be there to help get it/them done.

FWIW, whenever you are doing one of these things, buy ALL parts that you could possibly need, and I mean ALL! You can return what you do not use.

Ron, we will do your MM at the party, worse case, you come up to my house and we do them.

IcemanG17

Another TB/breakfast burrito party..... I'm in (for the burritos anyway) :>)

perrys4

Sounds good to me, I am also due for a timing belt but can't afford to do it all right now. Belt is six years old with 16,000 mi. I know the TB & WP should get priority but it is likely okay. Greg has checked it since I had the car.

Beth

Rich and I are always up for having a car party at our house! So if ever anyone wants me to organize and have one, just let me know. I love throwing these (and I'll even waive the event planning fee )

dr bob

Ron--

If you have those few miles since last maintained, and all the rollers and gears were OK then, you may want to just install the belt and look at the rollers/etc. You can go back in and do the worn parts later if you find some. I drove mine to 40k and almost eight years, and it all looked fine when I replaced it. I did everything anyway, since I really have to guarantee that it will all be good in another 5/60, not just good now. You don't have the miles, so maybe this is less of an issue for you.

You are more than welcome to have the work done when we get the showtimes worked out.

Bill Ball

With low miles but long time, the belt needs a real close look for ozone damage (surface cracking). Like dr. bob's, my first belt, at 40K miles but about 8 years, looked essentially brand new with very nice teeth and an unchecked surface on both sides. Still, I changed it. Also, the tensioner boot (original and 12 years old) was brittle and cracked. At 15-20K miles and 6 years, I would pull the cover, check tension, top off the tensioner oil (checking the tensioner boot) and carefully look at the belt inch-by-inch through several manual revolutions.

So, Nicole, we probably should just give your belt a real close look.

Nicole

You are probably right - at the least I'd like to do some preventive maintenance before driving through the desert on my own... Crazy me is also considering a preventive LH rebuild, and we should check the fuel lines to make sure they are not getting brittle.

This car has been pretty reilable so far - with the exception of dead batteries preventing it from starting, it always got me where I wanted to go. I want it to stay that reliable...

dr bob

Bill--

My recommendation to Ron (and probably to Nicole too...) is to go ahead and renew the belt. It's a question of how much other stuff you replace while it's all apart. I did all the belt stuff except the cam gears (they looked fine), all the coolant hoses large and small, plus ignition stuff. To the tune of over $1k in parts. I know tha Nicole is rolling in $$moolah$$ from selling the 928 models and the jager stuff, but Ron says he's is a little behind. Ron has also stepped up for a picture shoot for the group, among other things, so we are more than happy to help him out as much as we can. Pay forward and you shall be paid back, right? Anyway, you bring up a good point I missed on the tensioner: both the boot and the gasket will need to be renewed no matter what. Mine too was crispy due to heat and age.

Thanks for the reminder!

Nicole

Well, if two belts on one day are too much, I'll be happy to host a special TB party at my house. This way, I could prepare a bit by removing some of the stuff that's easy to take off. It's not an emergency, but if we can do it before SATL, that would give me a lot of extra peace of mind.

But then again, I could do it like that van driver with the worn front tire. When I pointed out to him that the tire was bald and showing the fabric, he said "Oh, it was good for four years - it'll last another four!"

I don't know, if he survived...

Bill Ball

Nicole: Sure, if your belt is like that tire you mention, showing fabric, CHANGE IT! It should never be allowed to get that bad. I have no problem with inspecting the belt and tensioner, and if good, buttoning it back up for another year. Obviously, in an argument, my position cannot be defended against someone who says change the belt because that is the safest way to go, but I'm comfortable with examining the belt. On the other hand, I check the flexplate about every 3 months. Porsche says I shouldn't ever need to do this.

If you would drive the car more, this wouldn't be an issue!