Wet Belts? Whats the Scoop?

[Rally Pack 2000]

I am usually insulated from modern car tech given the older style cars I use even for every day transport but this past week from mechanics to newspaper articles I keep hearing scare off warning about wet belt cars which Ford apparently is a big offender.

So whats the story on them? I know what they are but I was curious about user experiences and why its so expensive to replace the belts and the damage they cause? Have any members dabbled for their every day road cars?

[ekjdm14]

Wouldn't touch one with your bargepole mate. From what I've seen the belts disintegrate in the oil (wow, who'd have thought it?) and at best start to clog up passages with shed rubber/cord and generally strip their teeth and stop driving the oil pump, which is great for an engine also. From what I've heard it's a pretty big job to do the repair, sump/pump/front main/timing set and stuff like that off & probably replacing the shells if it's gone completely too.

 

I can't honestly think of a good reason to not have the oil pump driven by chain or gears, I'm into Frenchies too (another big offender for the moderns having wet belts) and think I've seen an oil pump or chain failure one time in the old style bottom ends (XU/XUD/DW/EW series up to about '06-09). That was an engine that had sat and somehow got varnish/residue in the oil pump, which locked up when the car warmed up after being resurrected & cracked the housing/broke the chain.  

 

Anything post-2000 kinda turns me off automatically on grounds of being too new, but especially if the mfr saw fit to include rubber belts inside the crankcase. I have heard of chain upgrades being offered, but not done much research as it's about 20 years out of my wheelhouse. Can't imagine they're any worse than the belt at least!

Edited 2 hours ago by ekjdm14