Bought the shark in Feb. This year from a friend of a friend. 53994 miles when purchased, spotty maintenance records, but runs quite strong IMHO.

Now sitting at 57500 I am undertaking the timing belt replacement etc.

A couple of things of note:

1. PO suggested that the water pump had been changed, didn't indicate when.

2. Asked PO about the T-belt, he said it hadn't been done (water pump?)

3. PO used a Porsche dealer in Greenville, SC for service.

A few questions:

After tearing into the job I find that I have a tensioner without fill or bleed ports. According to the workshop manuals this shouldn't be on a MY 83. Do any of you know different?

Do these type of tensioners have a tendency to require closer monitoring (do they maintain the tension as well)?

Should I replace any of the piston parts when rebuilding this type?

For those of you that have painted the plastic covers, what type of paint did you use (plastic can be difficult to bond to)?

I found a lot of oil on the top of the oil pan etc., what advice do you have for engine cleaning? (no apparent leaks and no discernable oil usage)

That is a plethora of stupid questions. Your thoughts are appreciated.

 

It's highly unlikely that the belt was not done if the water pump was. Both should be done BEFORE you drive the car.
According to the Pet 5 diagrams your tensioner does not have bleed and fill valves.
The belt MUST be retensioned after 1500 miles. As long as your lock nut is secure it should be fine.
There's a rebuild kit for the tensioner you can get from the big three as well as all the parts you need for the belt and water pump job.
The oil is probably from your oil filler neck or your dip stick tube.

 

Mitch,

Not too critical whether you do the belt in any hurry. If yours breaks or slips, your motor will just stop. Yes, that may be inconvenient, and that is for you to decide...

Personally, I would pull an upper cover and take a look in there & decide how *badly* it seems to need replacement. If it is in fact new looking, it might have been recently changed. Why not talk to the mechanic who did the water pump job? Again, it's doubtful that a Porsche mechanic wouldn't change it during that job.

 

Old & New, your not quite correct. NORMALY, it apperes that if an 83 jumps the belt, it just stops. Rather annoying and bad, but liveable. HOWEVER, there are YM 83 cars out there that broke the t-belt and needed a valve job. I've talked to several guys that have had to go through that. I'll see if I can drege up their names. I might have 'em writen down, but I dought it, and I can't rember now.

The extension infrount of the oil pan seems to be a favorate place for dirt, grime, and everything else to collect. I can't keep it clean, no matter what I do. It may jsut be that the dirt out here is black, and gets dusty at times, but the top side of the extension is always black on my car. I hope you have better luck.

I have the same style tensioner that you describe. I replaced the hardened boot, added oil, and tesioned it properly. It seems to have worked out OK, as I'm at 11,600 miles now, w/o problems. In a couple more months, I'm going to have to retension it. Last time I looked, the belt looked good.

 

Mitch
I have the same tensioner you have despite what the manuals show. I also ended up spending a bunch of $$ for tensioner boots and clamps that weren't warranted from one of the big three. It seems 1983 was a significant changeover and it might be worth mentioning your engine serial number to one of them if you order some stuff. It can be found stamped behind the passenger side of the thermostat housing.

 

Mitch,

I just finished my T- belt and waterpump Friday, My 83 had the Tensioner with the fill and bleed ports. also had the newer roller on the bottom.

I would suggest you go ahead and redoe it now if there are any doubts as to when it was last done.

Also a, Old Airplane mechanic told me about for keeping the front of the engine and the oil pan clean and not hurting the aluminium. spray on ScrubnBubbles let sit and the spray off with water and it keeps the area clean.

Richard

 

Ernest, thanks I'm afraid I didn't think to consult PET <img border="0" alt="[ouch]" title="" src="graemlins/c.gif" />

Old&New, actually I am already in and blood has been spilled (mine). The tensioner threw me a bit.

Viribus, just the info I was looking for thanks.

Orest, parts are on the way, is there a problem using the old clamp for the boot?...it has a clamp like a hose clamp on it (screw tightened)

Richard, scrubnbubbles you say, now I would have never thought of that. thanks.

Thanks for the replies, still hoping someone will chime in with a recommendation on paint for the belt covers. Plastic doesn't seem to hold paint very well, particularly old plastic.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by ViribusUnits:
<strong>Old & New, your not quite correct. NORMALY, it apperes that if an 83 jumps the belt, it just stops. Rather annoying and bad, but liveable. HOWEVER, there are YM 83 cars out there that broke the t-belt and needed a valve job. I've talked to several guys that have had to go through that. I'll see if I can drege up their names. I might have 'em writen down, but I dought it, and I can't rember now.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">VU,

This has been an ongoing debate, no? Check the Rennlist tech section in which Dan states, <a href="https://rennlist.com/techarticles/928/928enginefaq.htm" target="_blank">"The 16 valve engines pre -1985 are non interference engines and will not damage the engine if the belt breaks."</a>

Also, posted 06-10-2002:

"928 International has also confirmed that they have never found crashed valves on any of the broken t-belt US engines they have disassembled starting with the 4.7L and older."

YMMV???

 

Mitch,
I would clean the plastic THOROUGHLY with soap water and then use some acetone on it carefully to make sure there's no grease left. Any oil based model paint should stick to the plastic once it's clean.

 

Thanks Ernest!

 

Mitch,

I'll bet the timing belt covers you've seen painted were on the later models. Specifically the 85-86 models like the ones Bernie and Rich did on the DIY site. Those guys did a great job, but their's are made out of metal of some sort.(I'm guessing aluminum?) Our older models are of plastic as you mentioned.
Resently, I saw a commercial on TV talking about this new kind of Krylon that bonds with plastic. You may go to Home Depot or even check the Krylon website and see where you can get it. It looked pretty trick!

Good Luck! <img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

 

Mitch

Just happened to call 1-800-4krylon. They told me you can get Krylon Fusion. It's a plastic paint available at ACE and Wallmart. You might check the max temp in it though. They said something like 150F. Not sure if that will do it or not.

 

Chuck,

After much thought I decided to try the Krylon Fusion you mentioned and then put an engine enamel clear coat over it. I guess if it comes off, I am not out much.

Thanks for the information