Porsche 944 - Timing Belt Inspection Tutorial

This video demonstrates and explains the work involved in inspecting the timing and balance shaft belts on a Porsche 944, including an overview of the available belt options on the market today.
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[@TheCinematicMethod]

The attention to detail and time you take to do all of this is priceless. Honestly I don’t know of another resource that is better than you out there for this car. Thank you and keep them coming!

[@NC944er]

Thanks man, I appreciate the feedback! 👍🏼

[@phillippasena1429]

I was just thinking about this today, while I was underneath my car. I had to replace the boots and the tie rod/power steering rack connection. It is a pain in the butt to get that rubber boot over the ridges and into position. But I did it. Thank you for the good video.

[@NC944er]

I’ve found that a small curved tool on the inside edge of the boots can help work them into place. I actually have a set of plastic levers designed to install bicycle tires that I’ve used on quite a few rubber seals and things on the 944. 😂

[@drakebogart6318]

You make awesome videos man! I just got a porsche 944 and live in NC too! having a ton of trouble out of this car, it would make a great pro bono as content for you!!!!

[@NC944er]

Thanks man! Congrats on the 944 purchase and welcome to the club. Problems are certainly abundant, I’ve been chasing them for 4 years now. 😂 I’ll let you know if mine ever gives me enough of a break to take on more work. In the meantime, I’m happy to answer any questions you have. Cheers! 👍🏼

[@NC944er]

How’s your maintenance coming along? You need help with anything?

[@ufnavy06]

I've got a 968 so very similar design. I'm going to check mine to see if its time. Been about 25k miles and 4+ years.

[@NC944er]

@@ufnavy06 Very cool, I love the 968! Let me know what you find out. My guess is the belt will look “ok,” but it definitely sounds like it’s time to replace.

[@ufnavy06]

@NC944er absolutely. I bought it from a gentleman just outside Charlotte just over 4 years ago.

[@ThingsBreak]

When I got my 944 this year, the only records I could find showed the timing belt was changed about 15 years and only a few thousand miles ago. Based on time alone I replaced it, but it looked perfect. I don't think I'll wait that long for the next one but a 4-5 year interval seems fine.

[@NC944er]

Yeah, 15 years is definitely up there. I’ve seen some for sale lately where people have let them go 20+ years, pretty wild. 😂

[@TakeFlightGarage]

I’m at a bit of a cross roads with this currently. I had everything replaced when I purchased my ‘86 car back in 2021. I’m now right at 3 years and 18k miles on my belts. I called up my local dealer and they told me I still had some time (4 years or 45k miles). What I didn’t know is that the belts are supposed to be tension checked every 10-15,000 miles so aside from having them tensioned after their initial 1500 mile break in I’ve left them alone. I’m torn that if I listen to them and leave them for next year I risk my engine, or am I just being paranoid because of all the horror stories.

[@NC944er]

You’re in a unique situation because you’ve actually driven your car. 😂 Most people hit the 4 years before the 15k-mile checkpoint these days. Personally, I find the tension checks a little ridiculous given the amount of work it takes to get in there and take a reading, it’s not far off from replacing the belts altogether. So it’s like, well I’m already here, so why not drop $20 and just replace the belt. Obviously a little different if you’re taking it to a shop as it would add labor costs, but it all feels over-zealous to me. When Porsche started seeing some early belt failures, they changed the maintenance interval to cut down on warranty claims. I’ve even read there was a time when they wouldn’t honor any warranty work on the engine unless the belt was checked within the last 2 years, crazy stuff. At the same time, if ignoring Porsche’s guidance causes heartburn, you won’t enjoy driving the car as much, so it would probably be better to take action. Assuming you don’t have the belt tensioner and specialty tools, you could still remove the accessory belts, the upper and lower belt covers, set TDC, ensure the marks are still in time, then roll the camshaft back 10° and do a 90° thumb twist on the belt. That may give enough peace of mind to say, I’m good for another year. If not, you’ve already made it to 3 years, which is pretty close, so maybe bite the bullet and have the belts changed a little early. The flip side of a snapped/slipped belt results in a $2,000 top end rebuild, expensive but still something you could come back from. So I think it’s about which path will provide the most long term enjoyment, where money eliminates the unknown.

[@TakeFlightGarage]

@@NC944er I think you’re absolutely right. I was having reservations because I was planning to be lazy and just let my dealer do it for me until they quoted me $6,000. I was always in the camp of (oh well I guess if a belt snaps, there’s always a stage 2 Lindsey head and a new cam and all new shiny go fast parts I want to do anyways, plus 40 year old head gasket; it starts turning into an endless well of “while you’re in there”) Given the heat of where I live and all these circumstances I’m just gonna replace the belts, but I’ll allow myself the mental relief of slightly more procrastination available than I previously thought hahahaha. Thanks!

[@DiecastHD]

Very nice video. I have Gates installed too. They whine a little at first. I understand Gates was the original OEM. Take care!

[@NC944er]

Thanks man, very cool! Yeah, they’ve been good so far and sounds like they may be quieting down a bit. I’m tempted to try the racing belt for my next change, mainly because of the color, it’s almost like Porsche’s “Mexico Blue.” 😂

[@quickturn66]

If they wine, they’re to tight

[@gawsies]

I’m having a good time watching all these videos learning , these are extremely helpful. I’m planning to do the timing belt and water pump at the end of this month, any recommendations or sites to buy the full kit of everything I need?

[@NC944er]

Nice! I get most of my parts from Pelican Parts and 944Online, as they both have kits for various projects. I usually make a list of what’s needed, shop the best price, and go from there.

[@glow9999]

Great video. Comparing the different manufacturers of the timing belts. I’ve had my 1987 951 since 1991 and now has 75K mikes on it. I think it’s still have the original belts on it,except for the A/C belt. I had the A/C overhauled last year 2021. You think I should replace the other belts and water pump while I’m in there? There’s no visible leaks or indication that they should be replaced.

[@NC944er]

Thanks! Porsche’s recommended timing belt replacement interval is every 45K miles, so I’d probably plan on replacing it in the near future. Replacing the water pump would be preventative at this point and it would save time since you’d already be in there. The pumps can make it to around 100K miles if you want to wait, just listen out for whining noise from the pulley bearing. If the pulley seizes, it will cause the timing belt to fail. The water pump gaskets can fail as they dry out over time and when that happens, coolant tends to dump pretty rapidly.

[@glow9999]

Thanks for the info. That might be why I had a lot of coolant leak out. I topped it off so I could drive it, and strangely, the leaking stopped. The coolant level is still full now. That was almost a year ago.

[@idealcheese]

Another well done video, thank you! Your engine bay looks like it just rolled out of the factory. Do you have any tips on how to unplug the spark plug cables from the distributor? You popped yours right off, but mine are totally stuck and I don't want to damage anything yanking on them like crazy....

[@NC944er]

Thanks! A little twisting motion while pulling back generally gets them moving. If your plugs are in newer condition, they can create a little vacuum seal on the plug terminal, so it helps to pull back on the outer edge of the rubber plug to allow some air to enter while pulling.

[@idealcheese]

@@NC944er Thank you!

[@jensers11]

Another thorough dive. Thanks.

[@NC944er]

Thank you sir!

[@saveusall6915]

Does the 944 require any Porsche specific tools or equipment to work on? How unique/complicated are they compared to other vehicles of the 80's?

[@NC944er]

You can get quite a few basic maintenance jobs done on a 944 with just a decent set of metric tools and a torque wrench. The specialty stuff mainly comes into play with the timing and balance shaft belt systems, where a pin wrench, a flywheel lock, and a tensioning tool is needed. A gear puller can come in handy as well, but you can usually get by without one. Probably the biggest difference from other engines of the era would be its use of a balance shaft system. I wouldn’t say it’s terribly complicated, provided that one study up on it a bit. It’s easy to deal with once you know how it works, it’s just not super common.

[@jacobabbott9962]

I bought my 944 for $1100 I think the belt was just about 10 years ago and there isn’t any cracking on them or anything. I do need to do them but I need to do the pulleys and water pump too and that’s a hefty price tag for me right now. Especially since I don’t have any of the special tools.

[@NC944er]

Sounds like you got a pretty good deal! It does make sense to care for all those items at once if you can. The URO water pumps are a little cheaper and have been pretty reliable across the 944 community. Best of luck!

[@spencer2.032]

Hey its me again lol, the pain. But i had a question about the timing job on my 88 944s, i have the water pump kit coming with a new thurmostat, the timing belts and all 5 rollers it comes with sold by 944online. Is that all i need to do the job, do i need any seals for things ? And i seen that theres timing belts tools sold aswell. Anything helps @NC944er

[@NC944er]

@@spencer2.032 Hey, how’s it going!? Those are the main parts you’ll need. 944online does a nice job with the comprehensive kits. The only required seal would be the water pump gasket (should be included). Some people will also do the shaft seals while you’re in there (balance shaft seals and front crankshaft seal). If you do the front main seal, you might as well do the oil pump drive gear and o-ring as well, but you could certainly wait to get in there and see if there are any oil leaks developing. You will need the specialty tools - at least the flywheel lock and 27mm thin spanner. The pin wrench will only be needed if replacing the balance shaft seals. The timing belt tensioner tool that 944online carries is on the lower end of quality, but some people have had success with it. Outside the Porsche P9201 tool, which is about $1,500, there is a 3D printed tool available from CarPokes that uses a basic torque wrench.

[@spencer2.032]

@@NC944er Ok! Thank you for the help again, currently there are no active oil leaks (that i know of) but it probably wouldn’t hurt to change them

[@puddledelta6285]

Around 4 mins where you say you'd have no reservations as you've done the maintenance that would impact belt health are you just talking about like, rollers and water pump and stuff found within the belt cover or is there anything else that could impact it? I'm in a similar position as you were here, my belts are 2 years old with a couple thousand miles on them in a car that's been in a non-climate controlled garage when not driving but the idlers rollers and water pump all went in with these belts

[@NC944er]

Yeah, that’s exactly what I was referring to. Another piece to mention is front-engine oil leaks that can foul up the belts inside the cover. You should be good for another couple years with the new pump and rollers installed at the same time as the belts.

[@tiderfish]

Is that tension gauge specific to porsches? or a standard unit? Can you place a link for it in the description please?

[@NC944er]

Yeah, that’s the Arnworx gauge, it’s an aftermarket tool made specifically for the 944. The company is currently changing ownership and their web store is down temporarily. Not sure when it will be back up, but here is the site - secure242.inmotionhosting.com/~arnnwo5/catalog/index.php?main_page=down_for_maintenance

[@bobd9868]

@@NC944erthat link above is dead now

[@NC944er]

@@bobd9868 Yep, the company is completely closed for business now. Looks like the ownership handoff didn’t pan out.

[@TastingCars]

Hi, thanks for sharing this nice video... Can I ask if are the codes I see on the Gates boxes in the video (t107 and t293) the correct ones for a 1991 944 S2? Thanks in advance!

[@NC944er]

Halfway correct. 😂 The balance shaft belts are the same across all the 944 models, but the S and S2 use a slightly different timing belt. Check out part number 944-105-323-02.

[@TastingCars]

@@NC944er 50% correct is not bad at all 😂👍 Seen worse 😂 Thanks a lot!

[@TastingCars]

@@NC944er reference number for the balance shaft one is? Thanks again... :)

[@NC944er]

@@TastingCars Haha! No doubt, if I’m 10% correct on a good day, I’ll take that as a win. 😂 Here’s the balance shaft belt part number: 944-102-219-04. Envious of your S2 by the way… that’s really “the” 944 model to have in my opinion. Cheers!

[@TastingCars]

Thanks a lot!!! Becoming owner mid January 2023, just locked the car now... But is a nice blue 101.000km example... I'm moving forward buying a belt replacement kit because it had new belts at 97.000km, so just 4000km ago, but also 9 years ago :/ I have to pick it up 800km away from home, so little scared for the drive back...

[@liamflynn6929]

Gotta do my belt job soon unfortunately. Do you recommend any aftermarket water pumps or is it a part that I need to buy OEM?

[@NC944er]

I’ve had a URO brand water pump on my car now for the past three years without any issues. A number of other folks have reported success with them as well… and the price point is about $500 less than Porsche OEM, so to me it was worth a try. There are a few other aftermarket brands as well that go up in price… LASO and GEBA, but may be worth a look at some reviews.

[@liamflynn6929]

@@NC944er thanks man. I've been looking into gates. I've heard a lot of not so good things about URO, but I'll definitely look into it since you've had success with it

[@NC944er]

@@liamflynn6929 URO is definitely “hit and miss” depending on the part. They get ripped up pretty good on BMW forums. 😂 Their 944 sunroof seal is an absolute disaster, but their rear hatch seal works perfectly. Ian of 944Online carries the URO water pumps and he usually vets his stuff pretty well. He’s also get better prices than Pelican right now on the LASO and GEBA units… made in Germany. If you have an extra $150, couldn’t hurt to bump up to one of those over the URO. At the URO price, you could buy 4 of them for what the Porsche one costs. 🤣

[@sargentthiccboi9333]

Tbh I don’t even have enough money for a 944😂

[@NC944er]

@@sargentthiccboi9333 Still some good deals out there to be had… decent one in my area available for $2,500 right now. Someone last year offered to give me one for free… but it was an automatic trans.