Jump to content
SAU Community

Timing Belt Advice - 100,000Km Service

ozcanGTT

By ozcanGTT,
in Australian Capital Territory

 Share

Recommended Posts

ozcanGTT Enthusiast

ozcanGTT

Posted
Posted

So, I recently had a 100,000km service done on my R34 GTT which included installation of a new timing belt. Since this new belt was installed I now have a noise once the engine has warmed to operating temperature. The noise would best be described as an oscillating noise (only present at idle), and the mechanic told me it was due to the type of timing belt that was supplied with the kit.

Apparently the belt supplied with the kit for the 100K service for an R34GTT has changed and is now a "racing" spec belt, blue in color and made from a stronger type of material. The belt has been tightened to the required spec and has subsequently been re-checked by the same mechanic, but the noise remains. I have been advised (by the mechanic) that the same noise exists in a recently serviced R33 which had the same type of belt installed. He said it was nothing to worry about and a common result now that this type of belt comes with the kit.

So I am seeking some advice here on the forum to see if anybody else has had the same issue/result.

Q. Is my mechanic pulling my leg here? I have sought a 2nd opinion from another mechanic who told me that the tension on the belt is too tight if set at the required specification and the noise can only go away by reducing the tension (slightly) on the belt. He advised me that I risk breaking a belt if left like it is, with possible additional damage to the engine.

Q. Is this correct advice?

Any feedback or advice from you guys would be appreciated. The noise wasn't there prior to the 100K service, so I am of the opinion that it shouldn't be there now.

Cheers,

mick :excl:

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/398127-timing-belt-advice-100000km-service/
Share on other sites
Shell Grand Master

Shell

Posted
Posted

Hmmm I had a Gates Racing one put in my R33 (I'm assuming this is what your blue one is) and I don't remember any different noise. But then again my R33 was pretty old and clunky haha

I have done my R34 recently but not with a blue one.

ozcanGTT Enthusiast

ozcanGTT

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for the hasty advice and reassurance guys. I did some additional research on the forum and yep it seems to be a common issue with the Gates timing belt. Apparently it may go away after a period of time when the belt settles in. Glad that this is not a big issue anymore.

Woo hoo :thanks::banana:

ozcanGTT Enthusiast

ozcanGTT

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Just received a PM with some advice regarding my noisy timing belt issue and I thought I should post it here for all to read as I think it warrants consideration. In the end I guess you should make your own decision to look further into this type of noise, but after reading this advice from someone with first hand experience in this I think I will be visiting my mechanic to get the belt retensioned or better still replaced.

Here is the advice:

-----------------------------

And there you go, 2-replies to your post and both wrong.

The noise is not normal, it's simply your choice of belt, If you'd fitted a factory belt there would be no noise.

I explained all this to a guy with a 33 GTR only a few days back, he posted in the Skylines and other vehicles section.

Exactly the same problem and fixed by setting the Gates belt slightly looser than the factory spec.

A Gates belt is quiet on initial start, but as the engine warms up dimensions grow.

A factory belt has slight stretch and will accommodate the change in dimension, not a Gates belt, they're way too strong.

So now you're driving with an overtensioned cambelt, what can go wrong.

The noise is the idler bearings. If they collapse or the same for the tensioner or perhaps snap off the idler centre bolt, you'll have valves hitting pistons.

The other problem is an overtight belt damages the front camshaft bearings.

When something breaks and your engine is ruined, I can guarantee the mechanic will walk away as he's fitted a non standard part yet tensioned it correctly. You can't win in cases like this, especially if you supplied the parts.

Easy fix is to do the job again but this time set the tension slightly less than factory.

BUT remember all this and never use Gates crap again, there's simply no need to use such belts. Even RIPS making 1000hp uses a factory belt.

I went on to explain to the other member how Gates makes it attractive by supplying all the items in a reasonably priced kit. They also do kits for other cars and one I have a lot of trouble with is the RD28 in the Nissan Patrol. It does exactly the same thing but as they're diesel you can't hear the horrible noise and they will snap the camshaft wheel right off the cam, then put the valves through the pistons. You buy a new engine for these things, that's how bad the damage is.

Raved on a bit but I can't believe guys who say such noise is acceptable, they're just wrong.

If you google up cambelt noise you'll find u-tubes of exactly your noise. A recent one is by SargeXR8 from this forum.

He did his tensioning at least 3-times before getting it right. I told him straight up what the problem was and he's happy now.

I've done loads of cambelts in all my Skylines, never had a fail until my GTR which got a Gates belt, so I know the noise.

Never using a Gates belt again.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • PranK
      My BMW E39 528i touring

      By PranK · Posted

      Thanks for that, I'll check it all out. I can always do the brakes last anyway if its a problem.  The 16's are super cool, if they do fit I'll cruise around with them for a bit.  
    • GTSBoy
      My BMW E39 528i touring

      By GTSBoy · Posted

      Well, that's kinda the point. The calipers might interfere with the inside of the barrels 16" rims are only about 14" inside the barrels, which is ~350mm, and 334mm rotors only leave about 8mm outboard for the caliper before you get to 350, And.... that;s not gunna be enough. If the rims have a larger ID than that, you might sneak it in. I'd be putting a measuring stick inside the wheel and eyeballing the extra required for the caliper outboard of the rotor before committing to bolting it all on.
    • Duncan
      Neil's R33 Gts-t Build

      By Duncan · Posted

      OK, so again it has been a bit of a break but it was around researching what had been done since I didn't have access to Neil's records and not everything is obvious without pulling stuff apart. Happily the guy who assembled the engine had kept reasonable records, so we now know the final spec is: Bottom end: Standard block and crank Ross 86.5mm forgies, 9:1 compression Spool forged rods Standard main bolts Oil pump Spool billet gears in standard housing Aeroflow extended and baffled sump Head Freshly rebuilt standard head with new 80lb valve springs Mild porting/port match Head oil feed restrictor VCT disabled Tighe 805C reground cams (255 duration, 8.93 lift)  Adjustable cam gears on inlet/exhaust Standard head bolts, gasket not confirmed but assumed MLS External 555cc Nismo injectors Z32 AFM Bosch 023 Intank fuel pump Garret 2871 (factory housings and manifold) Hypertune FFP plenum with standard throttle   Time to book in a trip to Unigroup
    • PranK
      My BMW E39 528i touring

      By PranK · Posted

      I forgot about my shiny new plates!
    • PranK
      My BMW E39 528i touring

      By PranK · Posted

      Well, apparently they do fit, however this wont be a problem if not because the car will be stationary while i do the suspension work. I was just going to use the 16's to roll the old girl around if I needed to. I just need to get the E90 back on the road first. Yes! I'm a believer! 🙌 So, I contacted them because the site kinda sucks and I was really confused about what I'd need. They put together a package for me and because I was spraying all the seat surfaces and not doing spot fixes I decided not to send them a headrest to colour match, I just used their colour on file (and it was spot on).  I got some heavy duty cleaner, 1L of colour, a small bottle of dye hardener and a small bottle of the dye top coat. I also got a spray gun as I needed a larger nozzle than the gun I had and it was only $40 extra. From memory the total was ~$450 ish. Its not cheap but the result is awesome. They did add repair bits and pieces to the quote originally and the cost came down significantly when I said I didn't need any repair products. I did it over a weekend. The only issues I had were my own; I forgot to mix the hardener into the dye two coats but I had enough dye for 2 more coats with the hardener. I also just used up all the dye because why not and i rushed the last coat which gave me some runs. Thankfully the runs are under the headrests. The gun pattern wasn't great, very round and would have been better if it was a line. It made it a little tricky to get consistent coverage and I think having done the extra coats probably helped conceal any coverage issues. I contacted them again a few months later so I could get our X5 done (who the f**k thought white leather was a good idea for a family car?!) and they said they had some training to do in Sydney and I could get a reduced rate on the leather fix in the X5 if I let them demo their product on our car. So I agreed. When I took Bec in the E39 to pick it up, I showed them the job I'd done in my car and they were all (students included) really impressed. Note that they said the runs I created could be fixed easily at the time with a brush or an air compressor gun. So, now with the two cars done I can absolutely recommend Colourlock.  I'll take pics of both interiors and create a new thread.
×
×
  • Create New...