T_MaX

What do you guys think?

My 89S4 is due for a T-Belt (Time wise), the tricky part of this decision is the fact that the motor does not have more that ~5k miles on it since it was completely rebuilt ~6 years ago.

Should I ;

Just do the T-Belt and Assy. belts?
Do the T-Belt, Assy. belts and water pump?
Or the T-Belt, Assy. belts, Belt Tensioner and water pump?

After being unemployed for the better part of this year and currently underemployed, I'm not in the position to do a lot of WYT kind of stuff.

ROG100

What water pump did you use 6 years ago - if it was a rebuild replace it.

Glad to see you back

T_MaX

@ Roger, is there a way to tell without removing the Wasser pump?

Lizard928

I used to be of the frame of mind to check it and if its still good to keep using it.

I have since changed that, if you drive the car all the time, and its still good reuse it.
But if you drive few miles a year, then replace it as the grease dries out/hardens and they fail rather quickly.

I have had three that had the belts done around 2-3 years ago, and I had to go back into each of them for other upgrades/repairs. One for cams, one the tensioner bearing making noise (was good when job done), and one for a failed cam housing gasket (16V), all three saw very few miles throughout the years, and all three the pumps grease had dried out and the pump was very close to failing.

pdejong

Do nothing. I used to go 10 years with my 944, and maybe 20,000 miles during that time. I think you're wasting your time and money doing anything. Take the covers off and inspect the belt.

Peter
'83 S RIP
'90 GT

heinrich

Peter gives poor advice above, sorry Peter. 944 and 928 engines are very different. There's also a huge difference between a car driven 20,000 miles and one not driven.

When the engine was rebuilt, your tensioner 99% certainly was not replaced. In that case, either replace it, or fit a Porkensioner. The water pump wears little over 5,000 miles if everything else is good. But is it? Sitting, which is likely what it has done, rusts the water pump bearings and other parts. So replace it. A pump is cheap. Worth it.

Rollers / gears... were they replaced at rebuild? I bet not. Inspect them. Replace if worn.

Did you replace coolant at least every 2 years? I bet not. In that case the old coolant has been rusting your parts, including your head gaskets, might I add.

the flyin' scotsman

Your 90% in there to replace the belt so Id also replace the pump and tensioner w/Porkensioner then plan on driving it, you live in Tx

pdejong

Heinrich,
No argument about the difference between 944 and 928 engines, but there sure isn't much difference between them when they sit still. Certainly not from the belt's perspective.
This was supposed to be cheap advice (coming from a Dutchman), not poor!

Peter

GlenL

Just the belt. Inspect the rest and only replace it if it looks or feels funny.

People complain these are expensive to maintain and then throw away money on parts they don't need!

SeanR

This is the kind of advice that costs the owners thousands more when the damn thing fails.

Do NOT follow this advice.

heinrich

Ek hoor jou, my vriend jammer, ek het nie sleg bedoel nie ... Ja, ek het vir jare 944's gehad, en hulle is UITERS eenvoudig om aan te werk. Nie so maklik met die V8, 32V nie!!! As 'n 944 breek, gaan koop mens vir 'n paar honderd dollar 'n vervangingsenjin, maar die 928 .... Dis amper nie die moeite werd om na 'n klep-buiging, aan die ding te werk nie, dis so kompleks. Beste groete, H

heinrich

Glen I agree with this advice ... but in an "exact opposite" sort of way ... Personally I would replace everything but the belt. If I really really had no choice and needed to save money.

heinrich

Guys I can't emphasise this enough .... I wish you could see the GT engine I'm dressing down now. Well cared-for, powdercoated parts, upgrades, no oil leaks except the stupid oil filler .... nice stuff.

But

Obiously the belt and the rebuilt pump are NEW or nearly new .... so there was a recent belt job. But the rollers ... every single one of them ... all trash, caused by belt flutter. The idler roller and belt both show the results of flutter. The nice newish-looking tensioner has no oil in it. And the rebuilt pump and belt must have been replaced in the past few thousand miles, maybe even less.

Given time, this belt was going to break. Had this engine been left as Peter suggests above, it would not have made it. I guarantee it.

GlenL

Really?!

I would probably replace the nylon bushing on the tensioner shoulder bolt in any case. Otherwise everything is on an as-needed basis. I'd look in advance for the boot on the tensioner and do that and the internal o-ring if the boot was crusty.

A belt is cheap. Sure, you gotta pull the damper to get it on but it needs to be removed otherwise to check the bearings, arm and pump.

I don't think Peter is far off. If the belt is fresh looking and is tracking well then drive it.

Who is keeping track of failure modes? I read about cam tensioner failures, arm failures, pump failures, cams breaking and the like. Rarely do I see someone who says "my over-aged belt just snapped." More like never.

heinrich

You mean "never" I have never seen that either. That is the point. Rather keep the belt and replace all the other parts. THOSE parts do age poorly, and especially the water pump and tensioner age very poorly. Oil leaks from the tensioner, and the pump rusts.