Timing Belt

[Joel]

I am trying to access the timing belt behind the seats and I am having a tough time removing the carpeted cover. Is there a trick to this?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joel

[JFP in PA]

First of all, what is in there is not a "timing belt", it is a poly rib belt that runs all the accessory drives. Make sure you have all the bolts out, and then give it a firm tug (there is a seal on the back that tends to cause it to stick to the bulkhead)............

[Joel]

Thanks for the clarification! I was able to get the carpeted cover off finally and the metal cover came off too with little work. The rib belt was in mint condition, glad to see that!

Thanks for the reply.

Joel

[JFP in PA]

A thought to keep in mind about the poly rib belt: It is one of the cheapest parts on the car (~$25 for the OEM unit), and it can be changed in about 20 min. by a total novice with simple hand tools. It also can both strand you and do a lot of damage to your engine if it fails. Change it regularly, and keep the old one in the car as a spare, just in case (they are not the easiest thing to find in a hurry)……….

[Joel]

The replacement looked pretty straight forward. My car is currently in storage but will pick one up real soon and change it out before the driving season begins. Thanks again for tip!

Joel

[mcmike27]

JFP, quick question we have a 98 986 that had it's poly belt serviced at 60k miles it just turned 90k and I have noticed on cold start (PA here as well) that the belt or one of the pulleys has a little 'slip' 'squeak' noise until it warms up then the noise vanishes. I'll be interested to see as the air temp increase if this condition goes away as the temp rises. Or would it be prudent to just swap it now and check all of the pulleys and housings for wear...also the water pump and thermostat are original. Upon inspection with the belt loose if there is any play in the WP pulley I might as well do that service to avoid bigger isssues down the road. Your thoughts?

Regards,

m2

A thought to keep in mind about the poly rib belt: It is one of the cheapest parts on the car (~$25 for the OEM unit), and it can be changed in about 20 min. by a total novice with simple hand tools. It also can both strand you and do a lot of damage to your engine if it fails. Change it regularly, and keep the old one in the car as a spare, just in case (they are not the easiest thing to find in a hurry)……….

[JFP in PA]

My thoughts on the subject are very simple: The belt is cheap, but often not easy to find (a lot of auto parts stores don't seem to carry it in stock). If it breaks, you are stuck; it the M96 overheats, you could be screwed. Why take chances with it? Considering the potential downsides to a belt failure, we change them more frequently than the factory suggests.

Pull the belt, check over the pulleys for noise and "wobble". It is simple and quick to do. If you find that the water pump or idlers are loose or noisy, take action and fix it. The idlers can be rebuilt (check the archives for info); a noisy water pump, idler, or alternator are not going to heal on their own.......................

Edited March 15, 2010 by JFP in PA