![]() ![]() Oil changes are critical for these engines with timing chains and variable valve timing (VVT), but we will cover timing chains in another article. A timing chain will last longer than timing belts on most cars, as long as you do your preventative maintenance. No, many cars have a timing chain instead of a timing belt. The best way to prevent this is to replace your timing belt at the time or mileage recommended by the vehicles manufacturer. ![]() When belts get older or have high mileage they can stretch and even break. The upper half of an engine (Cylinder Head, Valves Camshaft, and other components) must work exactly in time with the lower half of the engine (Engine block, Crankshaft, Pistons etc) to produce the power needed to propel a vehicle. What is a timing belt? What does a timing belt do?Ī timing belt is a reinforced belt that connects the upper and lower half of an engine.There are rare exceptions where the horror within has been minimal, but honestly, if it happens, prepare for the worst.That is a question we hear a lot! The team at Auto Stop has put together some information below to help answer some Frequently Asked Questions about Timing Belts: If a timing belt snaps, the chances are it’s going to do a lot of damage. Basically, if a timing belt snaps, it’s bad, bad news. If you’re really unlucky, small fragments of metal could be pulled through to the exhaust, and if you’ve got a turbo, it could chew up said metal and grade the blower, too. This in turn can result in metal being broken off, which will damage the cylinder walls and also the combustion chamber within the cylinder head. The valves will crash into the pistons, which will be moving, so they’ll crush and bend the valves if the valves don’t punch through the piston cap. Sadly though, most modern powerplants are engineered so finely, and to such small tolerances that without a belt, things go very wrong, very fast. It’s possible to ‘get away’ with it if your car has what’s known as a non-interference engine, by which we mean the innards don’t clatter into each other without a belt. Given its long list of responsibilities, there are no prizes for guess that timing belt failure is pretty catastrophic. Save money fixing your car yourself with our wide range of manuals, in both digital and print The timing belt makes sure valves open when the cam or cams are at the right point in relation the position of the crank and consequently the pistons, which when timed to perfection can happily house spark, ignition and combustion, which translates to us a forward motion. But as chains seldom break, they have no place here. Within the walls of your engine you’ll find a delicate and perfectly choreographed ballet of metal and oil.Ĭon rods rise and fall, cranks spin, valves open and shut, pumps keep everything oiled and all of this, every bit of it, is overseen by the motion of a £30 bit of rubber. The job of a timing belt is to, frankly, the keep the engine timed. So why then, does it cost a small fortune when one breaks? What does a timing belt do? ![]() After all, all it has to do is go around and around. Your car’s timing belt is a seemingly innocuous part thanks to its low value and apparently simple job within the engine.
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