Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

I'm planning the build up of my competition engine (2.5 8v) and am wondering what the general thoughts are on deleting the plastic shroud that covers the belts and pulleys.

It would be nice to be able to see all the gubbins in there and it would obviously make certain jobs much quicker and easier.

The engine would only be in the car for specific events, mainly on track and for hillclimbs. Ie no massive danger of stuff being flung up into the belts.

Reasonable idea or pure folly?

Hi Benjj,
I thought of doing the same for my track car but after reading posts like "Team44" who went of in the gravel trap in their race car and stones caught in the belt resulted in bent valves and engine rebuild, I changed my mind. Not worth the risk in my opinion.
Simon

Pure folly. Up there with 'delete' balance shafts and 'delete' torsion bars.

Rgr, thanks gents.

I am not one to tempt fate, but my RS Turbo runs without a belt cover. Admitedly this is in part to adjust the cam timing in addition to the belt covers requiring ingenuity to fit with half of my engine now being Zetec based.



Over the past 3 years it has been fine over 3,000 miles. That is not to say that I wince at the belt coming off mind you. Many people with ZVH engines (Zetec bottom end with a CVH bottom end) run without covers. I actually have some Zetec and CVH covers to try and make fit; I may just get away with making the CVH items fit.

However, I will be changing the belt this year, a year before it is due and well before the mileage. Why? Due to the previous breather setup the car breathed oil mist in the O/S corner of the engine bay, right where the cambelt is. I do wonder whether with the belt cover it may have survived better.

I could fit the top half of the cover on ; that bolts on easily. The bottom half is where all of the troubles are.

OTOH, many cars run without covers. Many Lotus twin cams ran without belt covers from factory and my Clio also comes into that list (sort of). On mine if the auxilary belt snaps there is a good chance that it will take out the cambelt due to the belt having nowhere else go thanks to the chassis leg sitting next to it and the cambelt cover not quite covering all of the belt:




Yes, the belt is ever so slightly exposed by the crankshaft pulley, and the intervals on that engine are 5 years or 72k...

That said, I would rather run with a cover if possible.

hi its ok to run with no cover's,, however get a stone i there and jump the belt by 3 to 4 teeth then be ready to shell out on new valves or even a new head & piston,, we have put the covers back in the race car as it cost us big time,
D

With the undertrays fitted I've thought about leaving the upper belt cover off to keep a regular check on the belts.