How important is timing belt age? I believe 60,000 miles is what is recommended by Porsche for replacing the t-belt but most say don't take chances and use 45,000 miles, but, what about age?

I bought my 90 S4 in 1998 and it had 45,000 miles and going through the previous owners records it showed he had the water pump, t-belt, tensioner, and thermostat replaced in 1996 when it had 37,000 miles due to the water pump leaking.

Since it was due the 45,000 mile service when I bought it I also had the timing belt retensioned since I had no record that the previous owner had it done and I remembered when I had the water pump and t-belt replaced on my previous 84 S that the porsche mechanic stated that the new t-belt had to be retensioned after 1,000 miles.

So, now my 90 S4 has 62,000 miles, I know, she's a garage queen but I can explain that some other time. Should I be worried about the t-belt as it only has 25,000 miles but 16 years?

I guess what got me thinking about age is that 89 GT on ebay with 351 miles, what about it's t-belt, 23 years old? Start it up and hold your breath?

 

Pretty simple for me.

5/6 years and 50/60k is what I recommend. Anything past that I will not drive it. If a customer brings me one that is past that age or mile wise and does not want to change the belt and associated bits, the car leaves here on a flat bed because I will not be responsible for what happens when the owner drives away.

I have seen 20 year old belts that looked brand new and I have also seen belts that were "only a few years old" that you could almost see through.

 

I think I'm on year 6 for my belt with about 30,000 on it. The belt has some visible wear, but no cracking. I will be dong the TB/WP myself in Feb 2013, but am a little nervous since this would be the first time I'd be doing it to my S4 on my own.

 

Worry a lot 16 years is too long. I lost timing belt on start up at 59.xxx miles. car was not driven much and belt was original (13yr? old) I was lucky as only 1 ntake and 1 exhaust valve was bent, was unlucky as it still cost quite a bit to fix. Belt looked perfect except part around crank teeth just peeled right off.

 

The timing belt, rollers, tensioner, and water pump on my euro are 9 years old. I'm a little nervous but not too much. But in your case, being from 1996, I would go through with replacing it just to have a little piece of mind, especially if she's a hangar-queen (unlike mine).
That 351 mile GT I wouldn't worry too much yet, as it's probably been in a dark, climate controlled environment that whole time. But if you can afford to shill out $89,000, you can afford to spend another $1000 on getting a new timing belt installed.

 

16 years on an interference motor is flirting with disaster.

I had Sean change the TBWP on the GTS just before the OCIC. It had 30K on it and 7 years old, but I had him check the belt at 6 years and it looked new.

ON my 79 I had him change it back in 2008. The last receipt I had on it was from 1989 so it was almost 20 years old before Sean changed it. It probably had 20K on it, but I wasnt too concerned as it was a non interference motor.

 

It's almost ready to change again. Granted, it only has 300 miles on it but you know, age and all that.

 

Yes,
I'll have this goofy bastard install it!!

 

He looks cold?

 

Sean and Chuck are more than correct, the dollar ratio from TB/WP replacement to pulling a head is reason enough. Peace of mind. you will enjoy the car more if the TB isn't the first thing you think about when you turn the key.
I think time is more important than mileage unless the miles are big.

Where was the picture of "Smilin Sean" taken Chuck?

 

60,000 miles might have worked ok for the first belt, but the wear that was transfered to the gears virtually insured that the second belt wouldn't be very happy by 45,000 miles. And the third belt? Going to look really poor after 30,000 miles.

All of these guidelines are for "factory" or Gates belts, only. I've changed other "aftermarket" belts with less than 1,000 miles on them.....lots of them!

Now that these cars are no longer "new" and most all have considerable mileage on them, I'm not as concerned about the age of the belt as I am about the condition of the gears that the belt was installed on. I personally like the idea of looking at the belt and tensioning it ever 15,000 miles, like the factory suggested. Pretty easy to tell of a belt/associated parts are going to make it another 15,000 miles. If checked every 15,000 miles, my guideline for a belt change is 8-10 years and 45,000 miles.

All that being said, I have to admit something. I've never seen a broken timing belt in a 928, from and age or mileage failure. I have seen belts that have failed from the water pump seizing or something else failing....but no pure belt failures!

 

What about belt "age" before purchase? G

 

I just changed a belt that had 10 years on it. I've never seen a uniroyal belt before.
But he was on borrowed time as there was cracks on the smooth side of the belt behind every tooth edge. Car has just under 49k km.

 

I took a 12 year old low mileage Continental belt out of my car several weeks ago. Looks as good as the Gates belt I put in - no cracks and the printing on the smooth side was completely intact. I am still glad I changed it. Rubber changes over time and you can't pretend that it doesn't.

 

Thanks for all the feedback, looks like I'll be replacing it. I guess the water pump should go to even though it only has 25,000 miles?


Good question, perhaps Mark A. or Jim B. can tell us if they know the "age" of their OE belts.