DON'T try and tension the belt more. Disconnect the battery and don't try to start it again. The timing belt job isn't too bad. Removing the engine to replace valves and everything else is. DON'T GO THERE.... Trust us on this ok? Examine posts that include the PORKENSIONER...

 

Get it towed somehow and count yourself lucky.

Or you may drive it 2 miles it blows and you'll need a tow and a motor.

You will need a tensioner tool so that you know how much to tighten it.

You need to take the cover off the left front of the engine face to use the tool and access the tensioner.

You are taking a chance of destroying your engine if you drive it.

And it does sound like it may have already slipped a bit if it started to run poorly.

 

Tony,

Get the car towed home...DO NOT START or even turn over the engine. If the belt slips at all serious damage will occur.

Changing the Belt and fitting the Pkensioner is within anyones ability....It is a long job but just a series of well documented steps.

Of course you can have someone do it for you but their time will cost a lot of money. You will have great pride and a better knowledge of the car doing it yourself.

Maybe a FL member will come help you......

Search the forum using quote marks for "Timing Belt" or even google 928 timing belt and all the tutorials will appear.

Best wishes,

 

Tony,

Your choices at the moment:
- Drive the car home and hope. Chances are probably 8 out of 10 that will work.
- Have the car flatbedded home and start trying to lean how to do the checks and repairs yourself. Slightly expensive, slightly inconvenient, but very little risk.
- Have the car flatbedded to a shop and have it repaired there. Chances are 8 out of 10 that you will end up paying someone to learn how to do the repairs, and hoping that they will do it correctly. Very expensive, very inconvenient, pretty risky.

You really have only three choices if you want to drive a 928.
- Learn how to do most or all of the maintenance and repairs yourself, and learn how to enjoy it.
- Earn a LOT of money to pay someone to learn how to do the work.
- Earn a lot of money and get really, really lucky so that you find someone who knows how to work on a 928 and is reasonably honest.

To check the timing belt, you must buy a belt tension gauge. We (and the other vendors) sell the Kempf Tension Gauge for about $60. (You can also buy the Porsche gauge for about ten times the cost.)

You then must take the upper cover off of the right (passenger) side of the engine to inspect the belt, check the timing, and set the tension.

To be reasonably safe, you need to check everything, change the belt, and rebuild the tensioner. There are detailed write-ups, with photos, on the web.

http://members.rennlist.com/v1uhoh/ Go to Tony's site and scroll down to the "routine maintenance" and find how to check the belt tension and how to replace the belt.

http://members.rennlist.com/pirtle/
Go to John's site and check the "service procedures".

Another belt site...
http://www.928s4.com/project/belt.htm

I hope that this helps. You can check our web site for parts and prices. Call Jeannie at 828.766.9280 to order anything.

 

The timing belt doesn't stretch much at all after the initial breakin period. If the BELT. TEN. o<O light comes on after a few years or many thousands of miles, there is a mechanical problem with the tensioner arm assembly, and/or water pump.

Save your money on a tension tool, and go directly to a PKsn'r.

 

Troy the car never ran bad after this happened it ran just as it always has !
I did not cahnge in power or how it ran at all just the light came on and I felt like a miss in the engine once and then it ran as always.

 

Tony, please take everyone's advice and don't start the car again if you can help it.

Check out this thread that's going on right now. If the car has had that belt for more than a few thousand miles, it won't stretch. That means it's arleady at the correct length. That means something else (possibly a shoulder bolt, possibly the WP pulley) has started to give way.

It is a very slim possibility that you have lost all of your tensioner oil and the tensioner took too long to warm up, but it's more likely that something is starting to go and if you tighten the belt or even start it, you run the risk of damaging it further.

Using the resources on this forum you can change it out or possibly lure some people to your house to show you how to do it with some beer. It's a big job but it's not that complicated if you've ever changed out a water pump in a car before.

Please heed our advice and don't start it though.

 

I don't want to tell you it's okay to drive and then your car dies.

But WallyP knows these cars better than most and he's giving you an 8 out of 10 chance of getting home and I'd agree with those odds

Are you a gambling man?

Good luck.

 

Any members in the big bend area of Florida need to drink beer and help change a timming belt and water pump? I live in Perry Florida.

 

The clue for me was that the engine seemed to jump in power for a second....
Please disconnect the battery so the car cant be started ........... this is the tid bit thats not sounding good about the belt .............. Yes it may run, and yes you might get home, and to work, and to dinner, but the engine is telling you something, and if your not going to listen to it, then you will eventually pay the price.
Disconnect the battery.......... and if its getting towed disconnect the 14 pin connector above the hot post so the tow truck driver doesnt try to start the car, this will disconnect the starter circuit.

 

Is that your car in the picture? Is it a Euro?

 

No beer drinkers well how about making some money to help me do it near the Perry Florida area.?

 

No it is not my car in the picture but my car looks a lot like it mine has mirrors and is not euro? I used the picture because it is the same year and color of my car. Thanks for asking want to help me change the timming belt and water pump?

 

Tony................I'm very far away to physicaly help but please heed the advice given to not start the car until its looked at by someone who's done the t.belt project before. There's a very real risk that something is very wrong and engine failure may happen very soon.

To give you an idea whats involed here's John Pirtles excellent write up:

http://members.rennlist.com/pirtle/svc.html

 

When I got my 85 going it similarly would light the Belt Ten light when reved. It had a documented low milage belt and I checked the tension which was within spec. the issue with mine was thatthe seals in the tensioner had failed and all the damping oil had leaked out. this allowed for more tensioner movement than designed and would causl the low tension light to trigger. I have subsequently converted to a PKsn'r and have had no further issues.

As previosly stated you absolute safest scenerio would be to flatbed the car and replace the belt. I would also suggest looking into the PKsn'r as your factory tensioner appears suspect like mine since your light is rpm sensitive.