Lizard928

I agree with Ken,

The car would overheat before that belt snapped.

GregBBRD

Which is why so many of these engines have had the valves hit the pistons when the water pump fails?

The timing belt normally breaks long before the engine overheats.

Anyone that I've talked to (and there have been more than a few) who have had this failure chose to ignore the timing belt light.

Lizard928

I have seen a couple of waterpumps fail. And they all have made a fair amount of noise with burnt rubber smell, as well as a quick rise in temp.

They were all turned off in time.

Cosmo Kramer

How did you get the driver side timing belt cover off without taking off the PS pump bracket? I fought with that for hours!

As far as the block is concerned, keeping my fingers crossed. I guess if you see shavings in the coolant when you drain it you will know for sure.

Imo000

I don' remember hearing any noises from the WP but my car is anything but quiet. What I can say for sure is that the belt light came on way before the temp gauge went into the red and tripped the warning system again. There was at least a couple minutes between the two events. To me this is an eternity when the timing belt is slipping on a siezed pulley. The weather conditions were the worst too as the heavy rain took all my attention to drive and I wasn't looking at the gauges like I normaly would. Only when the ! started flashing is when I looked down.

Imo000

I used the force! Actually I've unbolted the pump and used a little.....maybe a bit more than a little, force and some manouvering of the cover, to get it off. I did this last year too when the new head gasket went in. It will go back in the same way too but I'm taking the bottom timing belt cover off so the PSbracket and the SC bracket will have to come off.

Landseer

I got a drivers side cover slightly skewed on an install and ended up with the rotor cutting a slot in some of the electrodes in the cap.

AO

Nice save. Buy a lotto ticket the 928 goods are smitten with you.

Imo000

Started the teardown today. The old belt is off and the waterpump bearing has complelty failed. There is a lot of play in the pulley. Haven't got far enough to drain the coolant and remove the pump but that will come in the next day or so. There is melted rubber everywhere. Anything that the belt was in contact with has bits of melted chunks compressed to it by the spinning belt.
I had the remove the SC and the bracket, the balalncer needed a few more mm to clear. This is something I was hoping it wouldn't do during the build but, at least now (after 5 years) I get to re paint the bracket and polish up the SC. The SC haven't been off the car since I first went on and that has to be at least 5 years. All considered there will be a bit more more to clean up the pullies but I consider myself very lucky.

Imo000

What's the easiest and still safe way to get vulkanized rubber of the pulleies? A torch and a plastic scraper?

blown 87

Are you serious?
Get new ones.

Mrmerlin

DOH... get new parts

Cosmo Kramer

The smooth pulleys I would replace good idea anyway. The toothed ones (if the anodizing is still really good) you could try putting them in the oven, heat them up and then see how easy it comes off. If it doesn't work just replace everything. A torch can damage anodizing very easily.

Imo000

The dilema is that the smooth pullies are fairly new. My problem is the toothed oneas. They are not worn at all, just have melted rubber bits on them. Just remembered, I do have a complete good spare set on the spare engine. I think I'll use those.

SQLGuy

You might try methyline chloride (a paint stripper you should be able to find in hardware stores).