cambelt changes ferrari, testarossa faults?
Discussion
I have just started looking to buy either a testarossa, 355 or 360.
Everyone talks about cambelt changes, but do they really break or is everyone just paranoid of the consequences. has anyone actually had one break on them.never seen one for sale with a broken belt!
There is a testarossa for sale local to me with very low mileage. what should i look for.?
Everyone talks about cambelt changes, but do they really break or is everyone just paranoid of the consequences. has anyone actually had one break on them.never seen one for sale with a broken belt!
There is a testarossa for sale local to me with very low mileage. what should i look for.?
Tensioners rust/seize leading to belt failure, as for what to look for on low mileage cars........ oil leaks, dodgy electrics and rotten hoses. I know its a cliche, but a couple of hundred for an inspection could save many thousands in the long run
Edited by AndrewW-G on Sunday 25th October 20:41
paul0843 said:
i read a post on ferrari chat,which mentioned that belts on v12s will last 4-5 years
because of new technology making them better,but as all service manuals printed for 3 year
intervals it was implied that dealers enjoy the extra revenue...
any thoughts on this...
Ferrari North America issued a service bulletin on this a few years ago, advising that 5 years was OK, wont matter a jot at resale time as almost every buyer will want to see the belts done every 3 years because of new technology making them better,but as all service manuals printed for 3 year
intervals it was implied that dealers enjoy the extra revenue...
any thoughts on this...
paul0843 said:
i read a post on ferrari chat,which mentioned that belts on v12s will last 4-5 years
because of new technology making them better,but as all service manuals printed for 3 year
intervals it was implied that dealers enjoy the extra revenue...
any thoughts on this...
You probably wernt reffering to the Testerosa in the above statement, but don't forget they are a flat 12 engine, not a v12.because of new technology making them better,but as all service manuals printed for 3 year
intervals it was implied that dealers enjoy the extra revenue...
any thoughts on this...
thunderstarter said:
paul0843 said:
i read a post on ferrari chat,which mentioned that belts on v12s will last 4-5 years
because of new technology making them better,but as all service manuals printed for 3 year
intervals it was implied that dealers enjoy the extra revenue...
any thoughts on this...
You probably wernt reffering to the Testerosa in the above statement, but don't forget they are a flat 12 engine, not a v12.because of new technology making them better,but as all service manuals printed for 3 year
intervals it was implied that dealers enjoy the extra revenue...
any thoughts on this...
Ferraris are low volume production cars so they do all tend to have their "issues".
With the Testas it tends to electrics and gearboxes. The fuse boards are a weak point - look at them carefully. With 355s its buttress cracks, exhaust manifolds & valve guides. With 360s its front suspension ball joints ec etc etc.
With cambelts, it is as much the tensioners as it is the belts that are the issue. Yes they do fail and when they do its usually very expensive (bent valves etc)
There was a disparity between the US & Europe whereby US manuals said 5 years & UK said 2 for many cambelts (certainly 308/328/mondis). The US service bulletin shortened theirs to three years. The official line in the UK is still 2 years for 308s/328s & I think 3 for 348s, 355s & 360s. Not sure about the Testas.
Cambelts on a Testa is an engine out job so cost relates.
Some will say you can push it further and 99.99% of the time you probably can. However, I had a lucky escape with my 328 - had the belts changed and bearings checked as OK. Went back 2 years & approx 2750 miles later & one of the tensioners was on its last legs. So my experience is that they can fail quite suddenly.
With the Testas it tends to electrics and gearboxes. The fuse boards are a weak point - look at them carefully. With 355s its buttress cracks, exhaust manifolds & valve guides. With 360s its front suspension ball joints ec etc etc.
With cambelts, it is as much the tensioners as it is the belts that are the issue. Yes they do fail and when they do its usually very expensive (bent valves etc)
There was a disparity between the US & Europe whereby US manuals said 5 years & UK said 2 for many cambelts (certainly 308/328/mondis). The US service bulletin shortened theirs to three years. The official line in the UK is still 2 years for 308s/328s & I think 3 for 348s, 355s & 360s. Not sure about the Testas.
Cambelts on a Testa is an engine out job so cost relates.
Some will say you can push it further and 99.99% of the time you probably can. However, I had a lucky escape with my 328 - had the belts changed and bearings checked as OK. Went back 2 years & approx 2750 miles later & one of the tensioners was on its last legs. So my experience is that they can fail quite suddenly.
I've never seen any with a cambelt failure on a TR but it's still not something I would risk. The cost of a service is nothing compared to the cost of a rebuild.
If you're looking at a very low mileage car make sure you get it checked as thoroughly as a high mileage one. Lack of use can cause issues as mentioned above. A look at the stamps in the service history (or lack of them) and a look at the overall condition will give you a decent feel for how the car has been looked after. When I was looking I saw one or two low mileage cars that had obviously been parked up and just left and deteriorated noticably.
It's also well worth chatting to the people who have been servicing the car - that can be a golden source of info.
TR's a pretty simple relative to the more modern cars, less to go wrong........in theory.
If you're looking at a very low mileage car make sure you get it checked as thoroughly as a high mileage one. Lack of use can cause issues as mentioned above. A look at the stamps in the service history (or lack of them) and a look at the overall condition will give you a decent feel for how the car has been looked after. When I was looking I saw one or two low mileage cars that had obviously been parked up and just left and deteriorated noticably.
It's also well worth chatting to the people who have been servicing the car - that can be a golden source of info.
TR's a pretty simple relative to the more modern cars, less to go wrong........in theory.
Its not really a case of 'do they break', its a question of 'can they break' - and the simple answer is yes, of course they can, with very expensive consequences. They are a hard working, perishable service item and they deteriorate with time as well as use. An unregistered 20 year old car with 10 miles on the clock would still need a belt change! I've seen a few near misses with cam belts - and I've repaired the consequenses of a breakage on numerous occasions. Never had a Ferrari breakage but the belts are no different to any other car.
Edited by Talkwrench on Monday 26th October 14:39
crashrepairman said:
BUT, does anyone have first hand experiance of a belt breaking? it all seems a bit "hearsay" doesnt it?- no matter what the answer i would still change them!
Read www.ferrarichat.com There are numerous discussions about belts or tensioners failing. In the grand scheme of things it doesn;t happen often - but it does happen.There are also numerous heated debates about how long you should leave it between belt changes & some who swear blind it fine to go 8-10 years.
At the end of the day you have to make your own choices about these things. Sufice to say though that when you do a belt change it is an opportunity to do and check many other things as well - especially when you are removing the motor.
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