Timing belt strech?

art leong · 08-03-2013, 06:07 PM

Can a timing belt stretch enough to retard the cam timing 8 degrees?.
I was putting my motor together. And it seemed that I couldn't get enough tesion on the timing belt. I put another (used) belt on, and it was much tighter. I checked the cam centerline and with the different belt. The cams were 7 degrees advanced (before adjusting).
Can timing belts stretch that much? Or did I make a mistake when I put them in last time?

Adger Smith · 08-04-2013, 01:23 AM

If that is the belt that got soaked in oil when the filter let go, yes. Oil or any solvent style cleaner will soften most timing belts. An oil soaked belt is not your friend, even (esp) if you clean it with solvent or brake clean.

SSDiv6 · 08-04-2013, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by art leong

Can a timing belt stretch enough to retard the cam timing 8 degrees?.
I was putting my motor together. And it seemed that I couldn't get enough tesion on the timing belt. I put another (used) belt on, and it was much tighter. I checked the cam centerline and with the different belt. The cams were 7 degrees advanced (before adjusting).
Can timing belts stretch that much? Or did I make a mistake when I put them in last time?

Hi Art,
My experience with timing belts is that the correct belt will not stretch that much.
I always try to use Gates brand timing belts whenever I can.
As a matter of fact, Gates has a line of racing timing belts and they do make one for your race car under part number T245RB.

Dwight Southerland · 08-04-2013, 05:44 PM

[QUOTE=art leong;393318]Can a timing belt stretch enough to retard the cam timing 8 degrees?.
QUOTE]

Yes. The race belts referred to in the thread do not stretch as easily, but they all stretch. As do cam drive belts.

art leong · 08-04-2013, 09:51 PM

I was (and still am) using the Gates Blue racing belt. The one I suspect was brand new a year ago. I replaced the one that was on there as a "just in case". I put the one I took off a year ago, back on. And had to retard the camshafts 7 degrees to get them straight up (where I started last year).
Tomorrow I'm going to measure the belt that I took off against a used stock belt. A see how much difference there is. I would normally put the original belt back on just to recheck it. But the arthritis is really bothering me (if the pain gets better in the next couple of days I probably will).
Here's a pic of the front of the motor.

08-03-2013, 06:07 PM	#1
art leong VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Richmond Hill, Georgia Posts: 2,003 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Timing belt strech? Can a timing belt stretch enough to retard the cam timing 8 degrees?. I was putting my motor together. And it seemed that I couldn't get enough tesion on the timing belt. I put another (used) belt on, and it was much tighter. I checked the cam centerline and with the different belt. The cams were 7 degrees advanced (before adjusting). Can timing belts stretch that much? Or did I make a mistake when I put them in last time? __________________ Art Leong 2095 SS

08-04-2013, 01:23 AM	#2
Adger Smith VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Texarkana Ark/TX Posts: 2,446 Likes: 575 Liked 880 Times in 311 Posts	Re: Timing belt strech? If that is the belt that got soaked in oil when the filter let go, yes. Oil or any solvent style cleaner will soften most timing belts. An oil soaked belt is not your friend, even (esp) if you clean it with solvent or brake clean. __________________ Adger Smith (Former SS)

08-04-2013, 05:44 PM	#4
Dwight Southerland VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Arkansas - In the middle of everything. Posts: 1,999 Likes: 63 Liked 772 Times in 192 Posts	Re: Timing belt strech? [QUOTE=art leong;393318]Can a timing belt stretch enough to retard the cam timing 8 degrees?. QUOTE] Yes. The race belts referred to in the thread do not stretch as easily, but they all stretch. As do cam drive belts.

08-04-2013, 09:51 PM	#5
art leong VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Richmond Hill, Georgia Posts: 2,003 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Timing belt strech? I was (and still am) using the Gates Blue racing belt. The one I suspect was brand new a year ago. I replaced the one that was on there as a "just in case". I put the one I took off a year ago, back on. And had to retard the camshafts 7 degrees to get them straight up (where I started last year). Tomorrow I'm going to measure the belt that I took off against a used stock belt. A see how much difference there is. I would normally put the original belt back on just to recheck it. But the arthritis is really bothering me (if the pain gets better in the next couple of days I probably will). Here's a pic of the front of the motor. __________________ Art Leong 2095 SS Last edited by art leong; 08-04-2013 at 09:54 PM.