Timing belt dust on 4.2L F225

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Halfhitch

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I was looking the engine over this morning and found a build-up of belt dust on the port camshaft timing belt sprocket. The engine has around 60 hrs on it. I know there has to be a certain amount of wear-in on components such as this but was just wondering if anyone else has noticed this on their motor. I would be interested to hear others opinion on the seriousness of this or if it's something to ignore. One thing, it being new and squeaky clean, makes things like this noticeable.4.2L F225.jpg4.2L x2.jpg4.2L F225.jpg4.2L x2.jpg
 
I assume the engine runs perfect so timing is still correct .
That doesn't look good, not normal I wouldn't think, mine has 300 hours now and it is clean. I would take it back to the dealer at least for inspection but I would expect them to find out the reason. At this rate the belt will not last long and if it breaks you will bend valves at the very least. I wonder why the dust only on the port side sprocket. Can you notice the wear on the belt? Can you tell if it hits somewhere? Is it well pensioned? It could be a bit loose and rubs somewhere. Have a good look for evidence of wear on the outer part of the belt and check the teeth. When you are looking at the teeth they should look like new even on a belt that is due for replacement.
 
Zoom in on top pic. The edge of the belt before it gets to the sprocket has a rough edge, like something is chewing it up. Maybe a burr on one of the sprockets. Belt should be smooth on the edges. Looks like a buildup of the dust that you're seeing.


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My first thought was that something is out of alignment. In the first picture it looks like the bottom end of the sprocket teeth are dusty as you say but the rest of the surface is is clean, The topside edge does have dist though and that might mean that the belt is riding high on the sprocket. In any case, it needs to be looked at.
 
Ky Grady said:
Zoom in on top pic. The edge of the belt before it gets to the sprocket has a rough edge, like something is chewing it up. Maybe a burr on one of the sprockets. Belt should be smooth on the edges. Looks like a buildup of the dust that you're seeing.


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Good eye there KY. Having a closer look on the second picture I think I can see where the belt could be rubbing on some plastic cover, have a closer look there.
 
I'm going to pull the covers back off today and have a closer look. I did notice that the belt is right at the top of the sprocket. First I want to see if it is the same on all the sprockets.
 
get a mechanic to look at it. I agree, alignment or a defective gear?
 
I sent pictures to the service department where I bought the motor and they said this is normal. I think I will check with another dealer when I get a chance. Kinda strange to me that all us guys that own and use them think it's haywire and the dealer says it's all roses.
 
Not normal, have over 200 hours on my twins no belt dust. Both motors look brand new after three years
running salt, they are under warranty they should take a look.
 
Yep, need to check on another dealer if the one you're using now won't look into a simple issue, I'd hate to go to them with something more serious.
 
Agree,, get another professional opinion, get it documented. Dealers dont like warranty work.
 
Make sure to check the positioning of the plastic covers. Maybe on of them is not aligned on the clip properly and is lower, thereby rubbing on the belt. You should be able to look around for zero clearances when it is running.
 
I contacted another dealer and upon reviewing the the same pictures I posted here the shop manager said there is something amiss and recommended I don't run the motor till they look into it. He thought the most likely reason for the belt deterioration is the belt itself. He said it could be a mismanufactured belt and it is being eroded away to conform to the sprockets. His thoughts were that the QC program missed it somehow and failed to remove it from shipment. Just one thought he had. The belts are 3rd party products. They want me to bring them the boat and they will examine things and install a new belt. Sure a different response than what I got from the dealer I purchased it from. They said...."that's just normal wear". Yeah right.
 
Interesting they think a defective belt. I would have though a gear or misalignment before that. I'm sure it is one of the potential issues though.
 
Sounds like you might have found your new dealer. Correct response on their end.
 
wrxhoon said:
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He said they were going to remove the belt and examine all the drive sprockets and given no obvious defects there he would install a new belt and let me use it, while watching closely for belt residue build-up.

The one thing that gripes me is my choice of dealer when I purchased my new engine. This dealer that seems to be much sharper and more business like is about the same distance from my house as the one I bought from. They are both about 25 miles away, one North and one South. I chose the one that had a lot less traffic should I need to tow there. Wish I would have checked things out better. Fighting a little traffic is a small thing to get better service.....but who knew?
 
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