Do we have timing belts, if so when to change?

J

Jim Henderson

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I have been looking thru the owner's manual and so far I haven't seen any mention of routine timing belt changes. I am nervous about this since I once had an 86 Ford TurboCoupe that had an OHC engine and there was no mention in the manual about changing the belt. At about 80,000 miles I discoverd the belt. Lucky for me I had extended warranty on that car.

Does our LS have timing belts and when do they need replacing? Since it is one of them fancy OHC engines, I assume there has to be either a belt or chain driving them. If it is a belt I bet it needs to be replaced every 60-80K, but no mention in the manual.

If the belt goes, things can get serious expensive really fast, so I'd Like to know. Fortunately I have lots of miles before 60K even comes around, but some of the other guys might be running on borrowed time.

Thanks,

Jim Henderson
 
Cool, I was hoping a premium car would use something more durable than rubber bands.

I can relax now. Just have to change chains once in a great great while unless you are finicky or the timing goes haywire. Least I hope these chains are as durable as most timing chains.

Thanks,

Jim Henderson
 
We do still have the serpentine belt to worry about. Not sure what the all knowing book says about that one.
 
Jim Henderson said:
I have been looking thru the owner's manual and so far I haven't seen any mention of routine timing belt changes.

Does our LS have timing belts and when do they need replacing? Since it is one of them fancy OHC engines, I assume there has to be either a belt or chain driving them. If it is a belt I bet it needs to be replaced every 60-80K, but no mention in the manual.

If the belt goes, things can get serious expensive really fast, so I'd Like to know. Fortunately I have lots of miles before 60K even comes around, but some of the other guys might be running on borrowed time.
Click to expand...
Ford went to a standard "tune up" interval of 100,000 miles back in '94-ish, which includes replacing the timing belt on cars that have them. I don't know if the LS V8 has a main timing drive belt or chain; the SHO V6 (one of the first "100K tune-up engines) actually has both. The timing belt connects the crankshaft to the one of the cams on each bank, but a chain couples the intake and exhaust camshafts together. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the LS used a similar system, but if there's no service interval, it's probably all chain driven.

Of course, the SHO V6 is a low-compression engine (9:1 or lower, IIRC--let's hear it for 89 octane gas!), and is a freewheeling (aka "non-interference") design--the pistons don't go far enough into the combustion chamber to destroy the valvletrain, even if the timing belt goes and leaves valves in the fully open position. That's probably not the case on the high-compression LS V8, which would make a chain a more viable option. (A friend with an Eagle Talon found this out when his timing belt went and the pistons beat the valves into the heads. Very expensive.) :(

BTW, I've never had a timing belt break, but I have had a chain jump time. My dad's '70 F100 had a nylon coating on the crankshaft timing gear, so when it wore down, it allowed the chain to slip. Conveniently, it happened while I was driving. ;) (FWIW, the belt-drive Fords with the 100K service interval have a tensioner that automagically adjusts for belt stretch over time--that's the difference between the 60K SHO V6s and the 100K SHO V6s.)
 
I read somewhere that someone was replacing the chain on an LS. I think it was flatratetech.com. I guess it is a real pain. The SHO timing belt was not too hard to change out, but something tells me that none of us ever want to have to touch the chain in our LSs.

I have had the experience of the nylon coated gears allowing a jump time condition twice in 70's cars. Once in a 351C and the other was a 302. They switched sometime in the 80's to a double roller system in the 302. I don't think they will ever do that nylon thing again.
 
I just purchased this used car and had the same questions you guys did. I checked the Auto Zone to see if they had any timing belt or tiiming chain listed in their inventory. They have a really good service that lets you register the type of vehicle you drive so that when you pull up parts in question, it will automaticly display the particular parts for your own personal car. For the LS V6 is showed 2 timing chains required and each cost about 75 bucks. It also gives instructions on the replacement. But, unfortunately, I'm forced to leave that to the highly paid professionals. Girls rule....
 
You people need to do some reading on here. They have chains, they have plastic tensioner that like to break. Not fun with an interference motor like this one. Early production vehicles had the worse plastic tensioners, later metal and plastic.
 
TooManyToys said:
You people need to do some reading on here. They have chains, they have plastic tensioner that like to break. Not fun with an interference motor like this one. Early production vehicles had the worse plastic tensioners, later metal and plastic.
Click to expand...

7 year old thread. Perhaps there wasn't as much to read back then.
 
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