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Timing cover or Not!

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LKWTSI

15+ Year Contributor
601
9
Feb 7, 2008
Lake Wylie, South_Carolina
Just out of curiousity:confused:

I'm in the middle of a rebuild and my old lower timing cover got trashed by the A/C pulley and I was going to buy a new one. But, I got thinking about it and this car is not going to be anything but a track/ AutoX car. So is there any negative things that really stand out about running the motor without one, other than the obvious( timing adjustment or just plain and simple belt care). I'd buy one if it's "absolutely" necessary, but if not what is the experience's out there on this.

Thanks.
 
I'd reccomend that you go ahead and get one. Consider it insurance: pick up one rock or piece of trash off the track, and it's possible it can get into your timing gears. That's something that you don't want to deal with.
 
Get a new cover. It's there to protect the belt from foreign objects making it's way to the belt. You could kick up a stone into you engine bay and if it gets to the belt it can go through the gears, destroy the belt, jump timing and then ruin your head and and possibly pistons as well.
 
+1 To both.

Simply put... no you don't NEED it... but the first rock that happens to flip up into the exposed teeth of your belt, shred it, and then wreak havoc on your valves.. you'll be thinking " Yeah.. should have just put that cover on." A smart individual would go outside and get this cover on yesterday. ^^
 
:thumb:
Thanks for the input. I'll do the right thing and have peace of mind.
 
:thumb:
Thanks for the input. I'll do the right thing and have peace of mind.

Your car will love you for it.

While you're down there, check the condition of both your Timing belt and your BS belt (if you haven't done a BSE yet). Can never be too safe with those things.
 
Good thing you decided to get one!!!

That question is like asking: Timing Belt or Not?
 
With as fast as the timing belt moves, theres a good chance that any rock that attempted to hop up there would just get knocked away. HOWEVER, there is a chance that it could get caught or clip the belt, and its a chance you wouldn't have at all if you run one.

If you decide you want a new one, but want something a little different than stock, I'll have a carbon fiber upper and lower timing cover developed and for sale here in the next 3 weeks or so. Just let me know!
 
yea deff get that timing cover dont want anything to make it way up it to u belts keep those things covered
 
With as fast as the timing belt moves, theres a good chance that any rock that attempted to hop up there would just get knocked away. HOWEVER, there is a chance that it could get caught or clip the belt, and its a chance you wouldn't have at all if you run one.

If you decide you want a new one, but want something a little different than stock, I'll have a carbon fiber upper and lower timing cover developed and for sale here in the next 3 weeks or so. Just let me know!

Kind of thought this question would spark a few replies and I figured I'd get the replies I did. That being said, I appreciate everyone's opinion and the amount of time and cash I'm putting into this, I'm going to get one, to be safe.

So with that in mind HOW much are these new carbon fiber covers going to run??

If the price is right, I may be interested. PM or post me. I'm looking at getting this thing done in the next week or so, but if the price is right I'll wait.:thumb:

Your car will love you for it.

While you're down there, check the condition of both your Timing belt and your BS belt (if you haven't done a BSE yet). Can never be too safe with those things.

Thanks for the concern, but this is a complete rebuild and have BSEK and all new timing components and water pump, etc..:hellyeah:
 
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man listen... i ran my boosted 420a for over a year with out a timing cover nothing bad happened..... but then one day a rock must of gotten into the crank pulley somehow and knocked it outta time man... so yah just get one...
 
I dont run a cam gear cover, Never have. ive gotta bottom cover though. As long as you have a bottom cover i wouldnt worry about it too much

man listen... i ran my boosted 420a for over a year with out a timing cover nothing bad happened..... but then one day a rock must of gotten into the crank pulley somehow and knocked it outta time man... so yah just get one...

Thanks for the input. I pretty much have signed on to the idea of getting one. I don't want to risk my luck. If I toast this engine again, my wife definitely won't let me rebuild it again.:cry:
 
until a nut or screw falls in there while your working on your baby. clear cam cover let u show ## pretty cam gears LOL :)

Anyone who knows how to work on anything in an organized fashion or isn't deaf would not have this happen, or hear it happen. And this is what they make magnets for :)
 
it may be dangerouse to run without, and i wanted to show off my camgears so i cut circles out of the front of mine for the visual goodness... also my lower timing cover has been cut up into a smaller piece (got rid of the area from the water pump and up and to the left. my belt is only exposed in the area where it faces the lat and power steering pump.

Ya just have to be carefull and organized so nothing falls in there when you're wrenching, and just hope that nothin makes a fluke jump up into there. but either way nothing is 100% safe, the only thing i worried about with the upper cover removed and why i cut circles out of the front is i was afraid the plug wires might get caught in by the gears or rubbed through by them

just my 2 cent
 
anyone ever try the clear timing covers from import evolution. I may be mistaken but aren't there differences in the 1g and 2g timing covers how could it fit both when there are no options to select your car?

Import Evolution
 
I'll throw this out there. I had my complete cover on, upper and lower, checked my timing belt to find a big groove down the middle of it after 1k miles. Come to find out a decent size bolt had fallen down and gotten wedged between the timing cover and belt and if I hadn't found it would have broke the belt. No idea where or how the bolt got there but it did. I didn't put any cover back on. I'd rather have something fall out then get wedged in there because of the cover. If you keep your splash shields on it would take some crazy luck to get something in your timing belt to cause damage. I wouldn't do this to daily drivers per-say but I'm not scared something is going to mess up my timing belt either. Just food for thought.
 
I'll throw this out there. I had my complete cover on, upper and lower, checked my timing belt to find a big groove down the middle of it after 1k miles. Come to find out a decent size bolt had fallen down and gotten wedged between the timing cover and belt and if I hadn't found it would have broke the belt. No idea where or how the bolt got there but it did. I didn't put any cover back on. I'd rather have something fall out then get wedged in there because of the cover. If you keep your splash shields on it would take some crazy luck to get something in your timing belt to cause damage. I wouldn't do this to daily drivers per-say but I'm not scared something is going to mess up my timing belt either. Just food for thought.

I take it you don't drive in the rain, dodge puddles, and have never accidentally hit some mud?

All it takes is something as small as a pebble to destroy your shit. WHY take the chance? That's like plying football with no cup. Sure, you may NEVER get in the nuts, but WHY risk it? Seriously? >.< Better be safe than sorry.

Just be careful when working on your car and you wont' drop crap in vital places. I ALWAYS keep my timing cover closed because I have a tendency to lean on crap.

But trust me. You hit a mud puddle by mistake and you might just find out that keeping crap out of your engine bay isn't easy.
 
I ran mine for about 3 years with no problems. Included snow driving. Then one day after a simple teardown the center crank bolt backed out, made the UDP come loose, which made the alternator belt fall off, and ran through the timing belt and crank sprocket, skipping timing, hitting 4 intake valves.

Learned my lesson, had one on ever since. The 4g63 guys have an over abundance of these things around. Us 420a guys have a hell of a time trying to find spares.
 
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