[V8] I-5 timing belt

[urq]

I would not recommend driving an I-5T equipped car around without having the
timing belt covered.  

Many years ago I changed the timing belt on my 5kCSQA ... shortly thereafter
I was driving the car around town and all of a sudden the engine dies and
all the dash lights up.  I heard an odd noise when I cranked the starter and
suspected that I had lost the timing belt.  

To minimize the chances that the timing belt will jump a tooth on the crank
pulley the oil pump housing casting deliberately minimizes the belt
clearance.  What happened in my case was that a small sharp paving stone
must have fallen into that gap when I had it open.  After I closed it up
that stone wore a groove in the belt, and once it wore through the belt
ripped apart.  

I know that my experience was a rare one, but if you leave the cover off it
makes it more likely to happen.  

Steve Buchholz