Porsche 944 Timing Belt, Water Pump, Balance Shalft Belt

We replace the timing belt, water pump, and balance shaft belts and seals on my 1983 Porsche 944. A timing belt job can seem daunting on any car. On the Porsche 944 they throw an extra wrench at you with the balance shaft belt. Fortunately you can get the timing completely wrong in the balance shaft and all you'll really experience is a bad vibration. These cars can run without the balance shaft belt installed (Though this isn't really recommended because the motor is mounted at a 45 degree angle, this creates a lot of NVH).
The timing belt is a fairly simple process as long as you follow the correct steps to ensure proper timing is maintained. I used a flywheel lock on my car to ensure top dead center was held while I was replacing the water pump and timing belt.
Menards 3/8" Digital Torque Wrench: bit.ly/3JnVdGa
FCP Euro Timing Belt and Water Pump Kit: bit.ly/3kUjSba
FCP Euro Balance Shaft Seal Kit: bit.ly/3H8F8kA
944online Timing Belt Tools: bit.ly/3XMzjAs
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[@WDonnelly-k1r]

Very helpful - thanks for taking the time to post this - I am currently in the process of the water pump replacement

[@HardwayLearning]

Thank you for commenting, makes it all worth it knowing someone else values the video!

[@tomgrimaldi9636]

Super helpful. I'm in the middle of mine and really appreciated your detail and follow up on the balance shaft pulleys. All stuff I needed to make my job 10x easier.. Thanks a million

[@HardwayLearning]

Awesome! Glad it is helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions

[@adrianjesus4040]

Hey man I’m looking into buying a 944 how’s the maintenance? And how reliable is it ? How easy is it to work on for a novice as myself.

[@jarrettmills8807]

Thanks this gave the confidence to do this exact job on my 944

[@HardwayLearning]

That's awesome, glad to hear! Hopefully the balance shaft pulley explanation was made clear enough so you didn't have to pull everything apart 3 times like I did 😭

[@RedRoofGarage]

Great video man! Learned a lot, ill be doing a timing belt on my 83 this summer.

[@HardwayLearning]

Glad it was helpful, good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions! Thanks for watching!

[@tempest411]

I'd download the factory service manual. It has all the little details laid out nicely. The FSM doesn't mention using Loctite 574 either. I didn't when I put mine together three years ago, there was no evidence of anything having been used on the threads when I took it apart. It's been fine; no leaks.

[@HardwayLearning]

Where did you download your factory service manual?

[@tempest411]

@@HardwayLearning I can't remember off the top of my head. I do recall just doing a search and chasing down a few links. The first four or five I tried didn't pan out, but I eventually found one that did. They also had manuals for many, many other Porsches as well, and it was free.

[@HardwayLearning]

@@tempest411 right on, I've just been surviving off of random strangers on forums, but going straight to the source is probably better 😂

[@Seagrams]

good video man, really clear camera angles. Don't forget to retention your belts after whatever thousand miles (I forget).

[@HardwayLearning]

Thanks I appreciate it and I don't know if I was aware about the re-tensioning procedure.

[@Seagrams]

@@HardwayLearning the belt will loosen quite a bit during the break in period (1500miles?) so it'll be wise to check the tension again just as you set them in the video

[@WeFourKingsOfSoCal]

I paused it when you said you turned the motor over with a 24mm to align the cam, unsure if you specify later in the video. Did you turn the engine over counterclockwise or clockwise?

[@HardwayLearning]

Clockwise, sorry for not specifying

[@bvward]

Good thing it's not a 928...

[@HardwayLearning]

I'm assuming that is even more challenging?

[@bvward]

@@HardwayLearning Another bank of cylinders (944=1/2 928 engine)...