1992 Stealth RT TT
I’m planning on my Stealth’s 60K maintenance this spring and have learned through this forum not to go cheap with the timing belt and tensioner. What I need to know is where to buy the parts needed without breaking the bank? Is it best to go with a full kit or buy the parts separately? I am also replacing the spark plugs and would welcome recommendations - OEM or upgraded? Mine is not a daily driver and this would be it’s first 60K maintenance. Any information from forum members is welcome. Thanks, Terry.
If I recall its possible to buy the entire kit off of 3sx.com. I dont think its too expensive. Assuming you can do the entire job yourself that is. I know joe has a great video on how to do it.
Thanks for the reply. I’ll check the 3sx site and see what they have. I’ve no problem doing it myself after working on helicopters for 33 years and cars since I was a kid. I think this will be a fun project although I say that now but a few bloody knuckles later I may change my mind.
Don’t be sold on rumours. Price is not entirely about quality.
Ask yourself the following questions.
- If someone was manufacturing belts that break, how long would they be in business after paying out on legal claims and loss of earnings?
- How many belts have you personally known to break within the 60k miles?
- Why would any shop sell a known problem belt and risk being sued?
Lots of people are happy to spread rumours without any personal experience. Belts usually fail due to incorrect fitting or contamination but no one wants to admit to their mistakes.
I honestly have no idea how many belts I have fitted in the last 20 years and despite 90% them being cheap belts, I have never had one fail.
I have also deconstructed a whole range of belts and found that the key materials are identical for every belt.
I then contacted a number of manufacturers and found that there is an industry standard for cam belts and the only notable difference is rubber compounds that they claim gives better grip but little is said about longer life or strength.
I have also strength tested a number of belts and found that all performed well within normal stress use. It was only when the stress was taken well outside of any normal parameters that even a slight strength difference could be noted.
This is my personal experience and I have no worries about using cheaper belts on standard engines.
I would however suggest that you use high performance belts if you have modified your engine for increased power.
I hope to do a video soon which tests lots of different brands and clears up some of the myths and rumours which have been spread on forums and groups.
If you think I am wrong and you have personal experience that proves me wrong (not what you read or heard) please share it here. I am always interested in what others have to say as long as it is genuine first hand experience.
Any belt that you talk about must have been properly fitted to a standard engine, within 60k miles, not have any contamination or be fitted onto worn or dirty pulleys/cogs.
Remember guys, this is a debate not an argument. We all gain wisdom through shared knowledge and gain nothing from rumours.
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Thanks for the reply Joe. Some interesting insights on cost vs quality. What you pointed out is exactly what I was wondering about. I can buy a kit for replacing the timing belt from Gates for $250.00 or go as high as $650.00 from 3000GT / Mitsubishi suppliers but is there really that much of a difference? I belong to a Stealth/3000GT Facebook group and opinions are all over the place as to cost vs quality. There are horror stories about non OEM parts but as you say it could be the person and not the parts. I don’t need to buy anything right away and would rather get more opinions from people on the forum who have done the 60K maintenance, like yourself, before spending money. My 92 is straight stock, not a daily driver so I definitely don’t need anything high performance. I look forward to more information on this topic from other forum members.
I purchased a Gates one through rockauto for $194 some years ago and I have not had any problems, I even inspect my belt from time to time, and there is absolutely nothing to see on it, so I can not say anything bad about it…
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Thanks for the input. I am looking at the Gates kit from Rockauto as one of my options although now it is up to $260 I believe. Still cheaper than some out there and like I said mine is not a daily, if I put 500 to 1000 miles on a year that is a lot.