Timing Belt On R33- Gts-t

[nouvo33]

hello guys,

I just got my R33 GTS-T. It's comed with 95,000kms.

Got the engine tested by my mechanic and it's in good shape.

Timing belt has yet to be changed though.

Some of my friends mentioned to me that the belt can wait til the car hits 100,000km. Anyone have some opinion?

Also, if someone was to change the timing belt, how long would that take,guys??

Thanks!

James

[lwells]

100,000KM is not a hard and fast rule. Its not as if the belt is perfectly fine up until 100k, and then at 100001KM decides to give up the ghost. Your also assuming that at no stage has your car be rewound.

For what its worth, I would change it (must get around to getting mine changed too).

[nouvo33]

nah i doubt the car has been rewonded cause this one's been checked by a japanese friend of mine. He's picked this one up for me at the auctions in Japan.

plus logically,a 1996 Skyline Series 2 is a 9 year old car with 95,000kms on the clock.. It's not that it is like 50-60,000kms so yeah the mileage is genuine.

is there any way to assess the timing belt condition in a rb26-DET??

I really don't know much abt the RB26DET. I know more of the 3sGTE in the SW20 mr2s. Those engines are built in a way that if the belt snaps, the engine itself would not be damaged... Are the RB26DEt built like this??

thanks,guys!

[lwells]

I'm guessing you either mean RB26DETT or RB25DET. Belts for both engines are the same AFAIK. If the belt snaps you'll have valves kissing pistons, so no its not a non-interference design.

There are probably some tell-tale signs (fraying, excessive movement) but I wouldn't know for sure.

[nouvo33]

cool,dude.. Thank you for the info.

what does "AFAIK" mean?

[lwells]

cool,dude.. Thank you for the info.

what does "AFAIK" mean?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

AFAIK = As Far As I Know

[nouvo33]

guys,

any more comments or experience to tell?

I might just consider changing it at the 100,000km mark when

I bring the car in for the major service but i am quite worried it might screw up right now at 95,000km.

Guys,sorry for such a question - i know you guys are annoyed but please advice me. I am new to the Skylines . Thank you,guys

[krzysiu]

And to answer your other question changing the timing belt by a mechanic is around a 4 hour job.

[nouvo33]

heya Krzysiu,

thank you for that. Man,your ride looks sweet! nice rims too! Very very very nice!

by the way, does the engine have to be dropped out to change the timing belt or not?

[lwells]

by the way, does  the engine have to be dropped out to change the timing belt or not?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

God no: it would be more than a four hour job then You should also get the mechanic to check the water pump and idler pulley/bearings while they are at it.

[nouvo33]

hello lwells,

yeah i will take your advice to get the water pump changed too.... Does the engine need to be dropped outta the engine?

[soon2b33]

hello lwells,

yeah i will take your advice to get the water pump changed too.... Does the engine need to be dropped outta the engine?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Does the engine need to be dropped outta the engine? ???

[siksII]

hello lwells,

yeah i will take your advice to get the water pump changed too.... Does the engine need to be dropped outta the engine?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

water pump, bearings and belt can all be done with engine in if that is what u are asking

[foznice]

hmm if you mechanic is trusted and he suggests that the timing belt needs doing, then I would do it. If he says that it needs doing and it dosn't really and he just wants the money, then you will have to do it soonish for your 100,000k service anyway.. so you might as well. It may also be worth purchasing a timing belt kit, so that all the other things that might go wrong are replaced and you know they will be fine...

I recently imported an r32gtst, it had it's timing belt done at 104,000k's the car has done 150,000k's.. I'm going to do the whole kit anyway, even if it is unnesccary. Mainly for piece of mind. The thought of the belt snapping or a bearing seizing up makes me shudder

I suppose the main expense when looking at the timing belt is the labour, as it takes a while to do. Take a look at the r33 service manual, it will show you how to do the timing belts there, if you feel up to it, you may find that you can save yourself a fairbit of dough..

good luck

[wrxhoon]

You will find that most car makers recomend that the belt is changed at 100k or 5 years whichever is first , age kills the belt as well as use .

It may very well last twice as long but if it breaks it cuase a lot of damage so its wise to do it as soon as possible .

[krzysiu]

heya Krzysiu,

thank you for that. Man,your ride looks sweet! nice rims too! Very very very nice!

by the way, does  the engine have to be dropped out to change the timing belt or not?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks man

No you dont have to drop out the engine. You just have to take out the radiator and fan to have clear access.

I have been told only to change the water pump if its leaking. If its not leaking all is good.

[MacGuyver]

Back when I was looking at getting my belt changed I rang around a few places and got some pretty wild quotes: cheapest was $430, most expensive was $800! So I did it myself, it was a real mission! Haven't had any dramas since the change (8 months ago).

"Games don't affect people. If Pacman affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms munching on pills and listening to repetitive music."

[Trust33]

Thanks man

No you dont have to drop out the engine. You just have to take out the radiator and fan to have clear access.

I have been told only to change the water pump if its leaking. If its not leaking all is good.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When my car overheated it showed weak points in the cooling system a leaky water pump,inlet mani gasket rubber compound had worn through and the plastic join peice on the firewall wore through.

I wouldnt know a price on labour as i try to do as much of the work as i can.

I was once quoted $1200 for a clutch fit.So i changed it with the help of my dad and pocketed the labour costs.Some $700

I am no mechanic.

Edited September 20, 2005 by Trust33

[jezzerrr]

If you have a sniff of mechanical knowledge and some decent tools, the timing belt is an easy job. I'm no genious, but i just pulled the thing apart systematically, and it was all fairly straight forward. the biggest bug bear is the balancer, but that's only until you realise the cool people at Nissan have put two little screw holes to put bolts in and push it off.

If a mechanic told me it was going to take him 4 hours to do it i'd tell him to blow it of out his arse. it's a 4 hour job for a layman, about a 1-2 hour job for a slow mechanic. I reckon I could do it in an hour, 2 hours tops, now that i know what i'm doing, and i aint no mechanic

[MacGuyver]

Yeah I think if you took it in to a mechanic, they would try to remove the radiator first and waste a whole lot of time. It took me about 4 hours without removing the radiator. Just gotta remember to mark the position of the gears in relation to the belt before you remove it, and then put everything back exactly as you found it.

"Games don't affect people. If Pacman affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms munching on pills and listening to repetitive music."