Re-use timing belt ????

[drddan]

I have a timing belt on my B3 that has maybe 18,000 miles on it.
I have a used B6, with about 100,000 miles on it for an engine swap. I was making a list of stuff I want to replace on the B6 before I install it.

I am wondering if I could use the 18,000 mile timing belt, from the B3, on the B6?

It's in such good shape, I hate to throw it away, if I could use it.
Never heard of anyone doing this, so I was curious if it would be a good idea? ....or not?

[Christ]

Generally not recommended... but I almost never change the things. I'm cheap and lazy... go figure.

Seems that the rule of thumb is that if the engine can grenade when the thing breaks, it's a good idea to just use a new one. 18,000 miles is close enough to new for /me/, but is it for /you/?

[Damkid]

Lol I'm terrible for never replacing timing belts, I'll keep good used ones with unknown mileage as spares, it's saved me money a couple times now

Worst case scenario, the belt breaks and you gotta buy a new one and seeing as though the B series are non-interference, a broken belt won't hurt your motor, and at least you know you got your money's worth out of the timing belt you bought lol

[drddan]

What the heck. I'll use the 18,000 mile belt.
It's not that bad to change a belt. I know, I had to change the timing belt while out camping, 130 miles from home, laying in the dirt!
Took about an hour.

...And, that is the 18,000 mile belt that I will use.

[Movin]

I took the plastic covers off mine so I can see when it looks
shaky. There use to be an old rule of thumb that a belt could
not be retensioned after 10k miles, but then they came out
with self tensioning belts

Subaru's are bad about timing belts, except the justy. They apparently
needed to sell even more timing belts so they located the belt right behind
the radiator to make them run hotter. That has the extra benefit that most
subby owners kill more deer with their subbies than I do hunting! These
deer knock the cooling fan through the plastic and take out the timing
belt. I don't know what it is about subby owners but when they run out
of deer they use stop signs, cattle, back ends of old pick-ups....you wouldn't
believe all the stuff they dream up to smack into and accomplish the same feat.

The point of this story is they all have insurance and insurance replaces broken
parts and returns the car to pre-wreck condition only, nothing more. This means
I have put lots of new pulleys back on these cars with the same old belt(s) some
times even reversing direction if the original direction was unknown. I also see
these cars from time to time and reusing timing belts has not caused any failures
before the recommended replacement time.

[TominMO]

The Subarus that I have had in the past had manually-adjusted tensioners. Lots of people didn't know that they should re-tension them every 20K miles. I in fact did it every 10K miles, because the stretching of the belt would affect the ignition timing, slowly andimperceptively over time.

The readjustment was easy to do; there was a little inspection cover you took off the left and right timing belt covers, loosen the 14mm bolt that held the tensioner from rotating; the spring would then apply more tension to the belt. Then tighten the bolt.

[Movin]

They are special, at least they quit with the dual timing belts that was
pretty nutty. What I said ^^ applies to all cars and the wrecks we see.
I just picked on subbies because of where they put timing belts. The worst
for timing belts is the mitsu 2.4 like in eagle summits because you are lucky
to get 60K out of them no matter what you do. And they use dual belts!!!

[Pu241]

The worst for timing belts is the mitsu 2.4 like in eagle summits because you are lucky
to get 60K out of them no matter what you do. And they use dual belts!!!

JPT, please take note!
I'll have my parents check theirs.
Thanks for headup Movin!

[litesong]

timing belt AND water pump

I have a timing belt on my B3 that has maybe 18,000 miles on it.
I have a used B6, with about 100,000 miles on it for an engine swap. I was making a list of stuff I want to replace on the B6 before I install it.

I am wondering if I could use the 18,000 mile timing belt, from the B3, on the B6?

It's in such good shape, I hate to throw it away, if I could use it.
Never heard of anyone doing this, so I was curious if it would be a good idea? ....or not?

At 75,000 miles I had my squeaking water pump replaced & my mechanic also replaced the timing belt. Festiva ran great & the new belt & changed spark plugs(about 2 months before) restored my excellent mpg. You can use the 18,000 timing belt, but your mpg might drop prematurely before you think the timing belt really needs changing.

[Christ]

Your MPG won't drop from a timing belt, friend. If you keep it properly tensioned, it will only alter ignition timing by a max of a few degrees (no absolute number in mind), and that can be adjusted for by moving the distributor.

[blkfordsedan]

Personally, I don't think an automotive timing belt will really stretch enough to amount to a fart in a whirlwind. The tensil cords are designed to resist stretch, and since they have teeth, any significant stretch would result in the tooth pitch being off. Even with a little stretch, the cam and ignition timing should not be significatly effected. I would think the belt would jump, strip teeth or break before that happens.

For the price of a new belt (<$20) I would just put a new one on it. If you have a first gen B6 and a later B3, check to make sure they have the same tooth profile. I could be wrong, but if I remember right, the B6 I'm rebuilding had a square tooth belt and my '93 B3 had the HTD style round tooth belt.

[litesong]

Your MPG won't drop from a timing belt, friend. If you keep it properly tensioned, it will only alter ignition timing by a max of a few degrees (no absolute number in mind), and that can be adjusted for by moving the distributor.

I would have agreed with you before. However, after changing my Festiva's timing belt(along with the water pump), Festiva did perform better & gave better mpg.

[Christ]

I would have agreed with you before. However, after changing my Festiva's timing belt(along with the water pump), Festiva did perform better & gave better mpg.

Then your valve timing was probably off. The belt just doesn't stretch that much, and you can call Goodyear or any other manufacturer and confirm that. I've done it.

If the tensioner was set wrong, it's possible to offset the cam gear by less than a tooth. I'm not sure what the degree figure is, though.

[JPT]

They are special, at least they quit with the dual timing belts that was
pretty nutty. What I said ^^ applies to all cars and the wrecks we see.
I just picked on subbies because of where they put timing belts. The worst
for timing belts is the mitsu 2.4 like in eagle summits because you are lucky
to get 60K out of them no matter what you do. And they use dual belts!!!

JPT, please take note!
I'll have my parents check theirs.
Thanks for headup Movin!

Noted.

If it's an interference engine, I always change the belt, no matter what it looks like.

[drddan]

Personally, I don't think an automotive timing belt will really stretch enough to amount to a fart in a whirlwind. The tensil cords are designed to resist stretch, and since they have teeth, any significant stretch would result in the tooth pitch being off. Even with a little stretch, the cam and ignition timing should not be significatly effected. I would think the belt would jump, strip teeth or break before that happens.

For the price of a new belt (<$20) I would just put a new one on it. If you have a first gen B6 and a later B3, check to make sure they have the same tooth profile. I could be wrong, but if I remember right, the B6 I'm rebuilding had a square tooth belt and my '93 B3 had the HTD style round tooth belt.

I'm a square

88 festy 1.3, and 89 323 1.6 - same belt design .... and come to think of it ....
.... after laying on the ground, out in the boonies, having to have someone drive me to town to get a belt, and then changing a timing belt, while laying in the dirt, I think I will throw the 18,000 mile belt in the back in my "Festiva Rescue Box"
in which I carry a spare disty, coil, assorted nuts and bolts, bulbs and what not, and now I will have a spare timing belt, too.