I have done timing belt on my z32 two times. 1st time I used Gates timing belt and the timing marks were not ideal. After a while I gave up and just left it being not ideal. 2nd time I used OEM Nissan timing belt (Z1 120k timing kit) and the OEM belt definitely fits better and timing marks aligned perfectly. I don’t think there was any difference in how the car ran.
Paid $500 to a trusted mechanic. Ordered an AISIN timing belt kit and a Bando drive belt for around $250 (including tax and shipping).
Get the Aisin (OEM supplier) Timing belt and water pump w/ hydraulic tensioner kit (TKT021) from RockAuto (good price, authentic Aisin).
I used to be a Toyota parts guy, we used aisin kits for all our timing belt jobs on all the UZ V8s, all of them are the same layout.
AISIN TKT-021 kit has everything you need for timing belt/water pump. The water pump is driven by the timing belt, so always replace it when doing the belt.
This is a solid car at a fair price. I had 3 of these over the years and put over 1 million miles between them. Timing belt every 90k with oem or gates belt only is the only real thing to worry about.
Re the timing belt, if that has not been done I would get to that immediately. At 350K km it is a ticking time bomb. Use, specify, or supply the Aisin TKH-002 timing belt kit. It is OEM quality
Do you have a gates timing belt kit on this? Usually gates makes a whine when revving and coming down in revs and at idle makes a funky sound
I installed a Gates timing kit on my 2011 2.5 N/A 5 speed manual 50k miles ago (150k total). The belt snapped while I was doing 80mph on the turnpike. My valves were bent with deeper internal damage more likely than not.
Personally I use the gates blue racing T-belt, I've had a belt snap prematurely and it was within a few months of owning my e30. Belt was only 4 or 5 years old too.
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If choosing timing belt across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare timing belt across these categories:
In March 2026 on PartReview, timing belt AISIN were overall better than Gates.
In March 2026 on PartReview, timing belt Gates were overall more popular than AISIN.
By vote balance, timing belt Gates surpassed AISIN:
By number of reviews, timing belt Gates surpassed AISIN:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, these manufacturers led the same number of car-specific ratings:
AISIN are chosen by owners of cars such as: Subaru Legacy, and others.
Gates are chosen by owners of cars such as: Honda Civic, and others.
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of timing belt AISIN with: OEM Volkswagen, OEM Honda, OEM Toyota, Continental, OEM FORD, Mitsuboshi, Contitech, OEM Subaru, DAYCO, OEM Volvo.
Also available: comparisons of timing belt Gates with: OEM Volkswagen, OEM Honda, OEM Toyota, Continental, OEM FORD, Mitsuboshi, Contitech, OEM Subaru, DAYCO, OEM Volvo.
You can also see who is better among other timing belt manufacturers: Gates or OEM Volkswagen, Gates or OEM Honda, OEM Toyota or Gates, Continental or Gates, OEM FORD or Gates.
