WHAT DOES THE TIMING BELT DO AND HOW DO I NOTICE WHEN IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED? AND WHAT IF THE TIMING BELT BREAKS?
The crankshaft of the engine drives the overlying camshaft by means of the timing belt. Sometimes the diesel injection pump is also driven at the same time.It is a toothed belt that in principle can not slip on the gears of the crankshaft and camshaft. This is very important because the camshaft must open the valves just in time for the engine to function properly.
How do I notice that my timing belt needs to be replaced ?
If everything goes well, you do not notice it. It is a part that is preventively replaced at a certain mileage, for example at 120,000 or 150,000 km.
When it has to be done exactly, it is in the owner’s manual or maintenance schedule. Some garages advise to replace the belt earlier to reduce the risk of breakage.
How so? The car manufacturer does build a safe margin when determining the replacement period? Yes, but if you drive few kilometers, the belt can dry out before it needs to be replaced according to the odometer.
Also in cars that drive a lot of city kilometers, the belt wears harder than the mileage suggests. Some brands take this into account in the maintenance schedules.
What if he breaks?
Two things can go wrong with the timing belt: it can break or slip. If it breaks, the engine stops running.
In the worst case, engine damage can occur because one of the pistons hits an open valve. Then repair can become an expensive joke.
If the belt is slid, you notice that because the engine is bad or no longer runs. Over the years, the quality of the materials has greatly improved.
A timing belt nowadays rarely breaks itself, mostly because suddenly there is a lot of power on it.
For example if there is another part that crashes. However, the teeth wear out slightly afterwards, so that slipping can occur.
Even if the belt is not sufficiently tensioned, it can start to slip.
This is normally done in the maintenance booklet and often a sticker with the mileage is also placed somewhere in the engine compartment. It is also useful to keep the invoice of the garage.
What does it cost ?
A timing belt is a precision part. It often has to go 100,000 km or more. Then you do not take a risk and have a cheap part of an unknown brand assembled.
The price of the belt starts at € 50, assembly costs easily 2-3 hours, depending on the type of car. This will be significantly higher if the belt breaks or slips.
Could I have prevented it ?
No, that is unavoidable, because the replacement is part of the normal periodic maintenance of the car.
