Head Trauma

**BRN32** · 11-17-2010, 02:03 AM

Not sure if this has been covered before, but how much damage is done to an RB when the timing belt dies? Just F'd valves or are the pistons taken out too? My only experience with blown belts was with my 86 shuvette and the valves and pistons never clashed

I May buy a GTR that suffered a belt failure and want to make sure I can just swap over my head, timing belt ,and tensioners and be good to go.

**evilgtr** · 11-17-2010, 02:11 AM

Is it the engine Ricky Bobby has for sale ?

**BRN32** · 11-17-2010, 02:51 AM

Yup, do you have some insight or just curious on what I'm looking at?

**evilgtr** · 11-17-2010, 03:33 AM

It could be severe you won't know what your getting until you tear it apart. The way I look at it is there are so many rb26 for sla eso cheap right now you have to question if it is worth it. In the end by the time you factor in parts labour and your time - you may be worse off. If you have nothing but time and money and your looking for something to puts around with over winter then have at it

**BRN32** · 11-17-2010, 05:24 AM

It's not just the motor I'm looking at, but the whole car with said motor. I have a GTR right now with some nasty rust on left quarter and some cosmetic issues. By the time I replace the quarter and do body and paint I'll be ahead of the game if his chassis is solid. If the lower end of his motor is safe, then things could be even easier for me.

**Nismo_line** · 11-17-2010, 06:37 AM

if worse case is that his motor is screwed you could swap your whole engine in and start building a monster with the spare motor

**evilgtr** · 11-17-2010, 07:26 AM

That changes everything haha yes if you can get the car for like 4000 then absolutely pick it up youl be able to take what you need and part the rest out to get your money back. I thought it was just the engine

**Ricky Ricer** · 11-17-2010, 09:29 AM

Most of the time when a timing belt breaks, the pistons just kiss the valves. The valves/head take all the brunt of it. I would not be too worried about the bottom end. Of course, you won't know until you are in there.

**richard** · 11-25-2010, 07:28 PM

rb series engins are interference engins really depends how the belt broke if the engine was under high boost or just cruising at a low rpm, if it snapped under high boost or high revs chances are pretty good that the pistons sustained a high amount of damage. may be salvagable but for the time your gonna invest pulling the engine apart + initial cost to buy, you would be much better off to buy a good used engine and rebuild it with solid parts. there really are way to many factors to take into consideration buying that engine, if it was me id be looking at that engine strictly as a block and accessories deal and head into it assuming that the internals are no good.