I'll go along with this ... getting in too deep with tinkering isn't a fat lot of fun and can be depressing. However, I am quite a fan of the half-a-go mentality. 944's aren't hard cars to work on and you need to learn by starting somewhere. The more that simple jobs are wrapped up in a bit of black art and mystique the more people are scared off trying them. There used to be a lot of hoo-doo surrounding belts on a 944 - it was widely viewed as A Big And Difficult Job. Believing this, the first time the belts on my S2 needed doing I took it to an indie and paid him to do them - despite me having changed many cam belts on other engines (including a 928 S2) and quite a lot more. It was only talking the job through with the indie once he had done it that I realised it is pretty simple stuff and there is no black magic at all. Oli.
cam belt tensioner
- Thread starter muzz
- Start date
chrisg
Member
At the risk of being a huge sycophant, Mr Slippers makes a very fine and dandy point regarding 'black arts...' For many years now I've been aware of the various mythical 'black arts' associated with IT, Law, Medicine, Car Mechanics, Plumbing, DIY..... and even bicycle mechanics ! What one realises after a while is that whilst there is a degree of 'art' to all these specialised areas they are still fundamentally done by a 'bloke' (or lady...) with training and expertise, none of which can't be learnt or mastered by someone with time and/or interest. Half the problem with all of these areas or skills is the level of TLA's, jargon and general bollocks that is spoken which can confuse and confound Joe Public. I've been lucky enough over the years to work with and alongside a number of skilled professionals who've kindly taken the time (particularly IT & car & bike mechanics) to translate technical terms into laymans speak.... When I first started tinkering with cars many decades ago, in particular race cars, there was a stage when I couldn't even load the car onto the trailer without ensuing panic or stress..... So, to add to Mr Slippers point regarding the 944 engine and belts. Yes, it is a unique engine and has its own quirks and anomalies in particular the tension of both belts (esp. balance belt = lot looser than one would expect). However, fundamentally its still a standard (i.e. no VVT nor variocam/ vanos) a 4 stroke, 4 pot petrol engine. IMHO, as a 'weekend warrior' provided you follow the Clarkes manual and the Porsche workshop manual ( these are invariably written in a very stepwise fashion and intended for use by the lowest common denominator ie Workshop apprentice....) you shouldn’t go wrong. IMH experience, the biggest issue with working as WW is the lack of objectivity and also isolation. For example, being holed up in the garage in the depths of winter, well into a job and panicking/ stressing when something goes wrong. I had this when I did the belts last winter....... Eventually worked out why I couldn’t turn the engine over by hand (totally convinced i’d set the timing up wrong and the valves were up against a piston). Only to realise after a cup of tea and a breather, that the car was in gear with the handbrake on..... and thats why it wouldn’t turn over by hand !Anyhow, as Oli points out: If you are attempting to do the belts, try it and then turn it over by hand using the front crank pulley nut. If all ok, pull the fuel pump fuse and disconnect the dizzy HT feed – then crank the engine over on the starter. Assuming all ok, run up the engine to check the timing/ belt tension. If you’re still not sure about the tension or timing gently drive the car to you’re local indie and pay them ~ £80 ( 2x hrs labour) to check it over ! Yours the humble Weekend Warrior
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