help me decide how old this timing belt is (pic)

[Danny]

You're stupid, just change the fucker if you care about the car.

If not, drive it till it blows up then sell it to what18yahoo

[2.5-12]

you can't be serious? back problems?

I am serious -- clutches are dead easy -- TB changes on an E34 are a little easier than an E30 but still harder than the clutch swap job (for me anyway)

no back problems I am aware of... yet.

[nando]

its harder than a clutch change on an E30, that's enough to make me want to put it off until I have time off in July.

you can't be serious? back problems?

[2.5-12]

it looks like it has 900 million thousand miles on it, once it hits 901, they blow up, breaking rocker arms, bending valves and breaking shit.

you should change it asap, the belt alone, is under 20 bucks. budget some money for your inevitable coolant flush, and just do it to it.

cap/rotor
radiator
fan+clutch
upper/lower covers
crankshaft hub thingie
accessory belts
tensioner.

not that hard, i'm sure im missing some stuff, but you get the gist of it...

so, I have a million miles left - thanks.

but seriously, I have done a number of M20 belt changes and am aware of the tasks involved and what needs to be done.

I am also aware of what will happen to the interference engine if this belt breaks.

its harder than a clutch change on an E30, that's enough to make me want to put it off until I have time off in July.

[Atreus]

it looks like it has 900 million thousand miles on it, once it hits 901, they blow up, breaking rocker arms, bending valves and breaking shit.

you should change it asap, the belt alone, is under 20 bucks. budget some money for your inevitable coolant flush, and just do it to it.

cap/rotor
radiator
fan+clutch
upper/lower covers
crankshaft hub thingie
accessory belts
tensioner.

not that hard, i'm sure im missing some stuff, but you get the gist of it...

[2.5-12]

It looks fine from the 3% of the belt that can be seen there. Hell, it might even last for a couple of years.

But.... what you can't see will kill you, and you can't see the other 97% of the belt.

IF the motor has sat for a few years, the belt is going to form and harden around the cam and crank gears, and you can't see than from a camera.


You can take the chance, but we warned you.

that's fine, I accept the risk and hope that the car hadnt been sitting to the extent that the belt is unevenly worn - thank you for your constructive response.

[Hobbes]

It looks fine from the 3% of the belt that can be seen there. Hell, it might even last for a couple of years.

But.... what you can't see will kill you, and you can't see the other 97% of the belt.

IF the motor has sat for a few years, the belt is going to form and harden around the cam and crank gears, and you can't see than from a camera.


You can take the chance, but we warned you.

[2.5-12]

again, you are missing the point of my question entirely in both respects.

if you have changed 'like 6 belts' on your engine, you obviously took note of the condition and mileage at change. these belts dont look the same at 60k miles as they do at 0 miles just like they dont look new when they are 0 miles and 10 years.

the part, the ONLY part I care about is knowing: If someone took note of the mileage, age of a belt they changed, could they chime in and venture an educated guess. it's not that hard to do.

I forgot the R3V was all flame and no real use, It was of course my fault for posting a question that made me genuinely curious here.

[nando]

okay. it has 71,423 miles?

still a useless guess. sorry my answer isn't what you wanted to hear..

and yes age IS relevant. A 20 year old belt with 5 miles on it is just as dangerous as a 3 year old belt with 60,000 miles on it.

[2.5-12]

I've changed like 6 belts on my engine.

want me to guess? it looks like it's 10 years old. How useless is that?

you can't tell the age of it by looking at it. end of story.

I am not really asking age, I am asking number of miles. as far as I am concerned, age is irrelevant on these unless its obvious the car hasn't been touched in 10 years.

[nando]

I've changed like 6 belts on my engine.

want me to guess? it looks like it's 10 years old. How useless is that?

you can't tell the age of it by looking at it. end of story.

[2.5-12]

takes me less time to get the head off an M20 than it does to get the timing belt changed, I know thats not really a valid comparison because of the costs and outside time associated with new gaskets/studs and valve job at a minimum.

I have no issue with replacing timing belts, I have done it plenty of times on my various M20s over the years but I have never known the mileage on the belts I have changed and they have almost all shown signs of cracking, etc.

I also know that the canned response (that may very well be true) is to replace it if you dont have a documented belt on the engine but in this case, I am asking the question: those of you who have had your M20s long enough to have changed a documented belt with a new one, does this belt look better or worse than the ones you have swapped out.

I will, of course swap the belt eventually but I would like to know if I can wait till' the end of the summer when I have more time or if I should be taking time off to get this done now.

[Farbin Kaiber]

x Everything nando said.

[nando]

it takes considerably longer than that for me.

motor swap probably 4 hours, head rebuilt (not including time at the shop) probably 2 hours.



thank you, finally some feedback on the op question.

okay, now add another 12 hours to that head rebuild (2 hours? seriously?) to remove and replace it. And a full swap in 4 hours? but you can't change a timing belt in less than 2 hours?

also, I'm pretty sure E30Gus was being sarcastic.

stupid question = stupid answer

[2.5-12]

just bought the car, PO didn't know the history.

hard to say.