I always hear about the disadvantages of a timing belt and how it is a $300 job every few years or so, depending on miles driven. Other disadvantages include you being stranded with a non-running engine until the belt is replaced or the worst case of an essentially trashed engine from the valves crashing into the pistons or vice versa.
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Are there any real advantages to these compared to timing gears or chains? Are they better for fuel economy due to a lighter mass or is there any other practical reason for them besides getting you into the shop for a replacement or worst case a new car if you neglect them?
Conor
Not In My Opinion, Not To The Car’s Owner, Although Some Will Be Offered Here, I’m Sure.
I quit buying cars with timing belts several years ago, right after I wrestled my last one into my 3.5L Intrepid V-6, out in the driveway over a couple of days, purchased and home-made special tools and all.
They’re silly, really.
CSA
This topic has been beaten to death, and the consensus is that if there is an advantage, it really isn’t worth it.
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I think I am the only person to make a case for the advantages of a belt, and even I realize calling these items “advantages” is a stretch. In the end, the only real advantage is that replacing your water pump at the same time as the timing belt means your water pump will never get a chance to fail, and if you’re lucky, your mechanic might find and repair other items that might otherwise fail or cost you more money as a separate job, like a leaky gasket or seal inside the timing belt housing.
BTW, if you can really find someone who will do a full timing belt job for $300 (with the whole kit, not just replacing the belt), take advantage of that opportunity and thank your lucky stars. On many vehicles, timing belt jobs range from $450 (on my Civic) to $900 (on some minivans). You really should get the whole kit, which includes the tensioner pulley and sometimes other important items, depending on the model.
I see. I have heard timing belts slapping covers before as well as chains on the early ’s Dodge 3.9L V6 engine commonly used in the Dakota. Those Dodge engines all clack loudly at idle and I was driving a friends to get some parts at AutoZone. The AutoZone manager told me that I had a knock like a wrist pin or rod. I told them that they all sound like this and I don’t recall many of these engines catastrophically failing. That can’t be said for other Dodge engines such as the 2.7L used in Intrepids and similar. I am not a huge MOPAR person overall.
I got home and looked it up. There is some defect where the chains on the 3.9L slap against the inside of the timing cover and clack at idle/no load. They solved in the later '90’s and you can refit the older trucks with a timing set from the newer models if you like but most people just drive them.
Anyway, I am all for the chains myself as they seem to last the life of the vehicle. I was curious if the lower rotating mass of a belt might have increased response or mileage.
Conor
I’ve heard people say they’re quieter, but never the manufacturers. Usually it’s someone offering an explanation for why they’re used.
Bottom line; they’re cheaper. Fortunately, I think customer dissatisfaction has led to manufacturers not using them as frequently. It seems that everything new has chains.
Cwatkin, your comment about the greater mass is insightful. It’s true that lower mass needs less fuel to get moving, and since engines accelerate often in normal driving that would make sense.
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Its purely cost. When they were first used, new car buyers kept their cars about 3-4 years and the belt would last 4 years, so belt replacement was not a concern to the new car buyer. The manufacturer doesn’t make any money off the second owner so they are not concerned.
A first owners started keeping their cars longer, the manufacturers began increasing the life span of the belts through better materials. As long as the initial purchaser traded the car before the belt change was due, it was not a concern for the manufacturer.
It finally became a concern for the manufacturers when their customers began to hold onto the car for 10 years. Belts can be made to last that long by using more composite materials and silicone rubber, but it appears that it is cheaper to use a chain rather than upgrade the belt materials.
I have heard the “quieter” argument in relation to timing gears. My parents had a Pontiac LeMans V-8 that had nylon timing gears. The timing gears failed and steel replacemetn gears were installed. I couldn’t hear any difference in the engine sound. The Chevrolet my dad owned had some kind of fiber composition for the timing gears. Again, the argument was that these fiber composition timing gears were quieter. Chevrolets of this vintage with the “Stovebolt” 6 engines were known to have timing gear failure. Fortunately, these engines were not interference engines. The tappets in these old Chevrolet engines were often so noisy that any noise of the timing gears was drowned out anyway. r
Both the Toyota 4Runner V-6 we own and the Toyata Sienna V-6 we own have timing chains and I haven’t been bothered by noise from this set up.
I recently got a Geo Metro 1.0L 3cyl for gas mileage and it has a timing belt. The job on this takes like 1-2 hours to do by myself. That is a $35 kit with Gates belt, new timing seals, a tensioner/idler, etc. I went ahead and replaced the water pump which was also $35 at the same time.
Now these little cars are essentially the modern day VW bug if you can consider something 20-30 years old “modern” and are super easy to work on. Everyone says, “I bet that is a pain to work on with lots of small/tight spaces.” It is actually like working on an old pickup under the hood as it is easy to do just about anything. I can change an entire engine by myself in like 4 hours without a hoist. All I need is a car jack and a metric socket set!
Conor
A timing belt has its drawbacks but also some great benefits. A V engine with overhead cams, especially dual overhead cams, is much cheaper to manufacture but it is also much cheaper and simpler to repair than the chain drive model. Ford Windsor V 8s were notorious for tossing chains at 80,000 miles with manual transmission and 120,000 with automatics and even that simple, non interference engine required longer to replace the chain than a Hyundai, Mazda, Toyota or Nissan V-6 T-belt. And a Mazda 929 was an easy 2 hour job.
And let a Toyota R-22 chain slip while the head is off. That slip will cost you dearly. And BTW, check the flat rate time to replace the timing chains on a Jaguar 4.2L or Mercedes V-8.
TAKING CARE OF YOUR VEHICLE BEGINS WITH KNOWING ABOUT YOUR VEHICLE. WHILE THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE ALL ARE PROFICIENT IN UNDERSTANDINGLIKELY OUR BATTERIES OR OUR TIRESSOME THINGS ARE A LITTLE MORE MYSTERIOUS. TIMING BELTS ARE ONE OF THOSE THINGS I OFTEN FIND CLIENTS PERPLEXED BY.
THE TIMING BELT IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF AN AUTOMOBILE'S ENGINE, AND IT IS ESSENTIAL TO THE PROPER FUNCTIONING OF THE ENGINE. THE TIMING BELT ALLOWS THE CRANKSHAFT AND CAMSHAFT TO ROTATE SIMULTANEOUSLY, ENSURING THE VALVES OPEN AND CLOSE AT PRECISE TIMES TO ALLOW THE ENGINE TO RUN SMOOTHLY.
THIS BLOG POST WILL DISCUSS THE PURPOSE AND IMPORTANCE OF A TIMING BELT, HOW IT WORKS, AND THE BENEFITS OF REPLACING IT.
A TIMING BELT IS A TOOTHED BELT MADE FROM RUBBER AND REINFORCED WITH FIBER, TYPICALLY FOUND IN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. IT IS DESIGNED TO SYNCHRONIZE THE CAMSHAFT AND CRANKSHAFT ROTATION TO KEEP THE VALVES OPENING AND CLOSING AT THE RIGHT TIME. THE TIMING BELT ALSO KEEPS THE CAMSHAFT AND CRANKSHAFT IN THE CORRECT ALIGNMENT.
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF TIMING BELTS - SINGLE-USE AND MULTIPLE-USE. THE SINGLE-USE BELTS ARE MADE FROM DURABLE RUBBER AND DESIGNED FOR ONE ENGINE OVERHAUL. IN CONTRAST, THE MULTIPLE-USE BELTS ARE MADE FROM LESS DURABLE RUBBER AND ARE DESIGNED FOR MULTIPLE OVERHAULS.
TIMING BELTS ALSO DIFFER FROM TIMING CHAINS, CHAINS MADE OF METAL USED IN SOME ENGINES INSTEAD OF BELTS. THE COMPONENTS OF A TIMING BELT SYSTEM INCLUDE THE BELT ITSELF, TENSIONERS, AND PULLEYS.
THE TIMING BELT'S ROLE IS TO SYNCHRONIZE THE CRANKSHAFT AND CAMSHAFT ROTATION. IT IS POWERED BY THE ENGINE, AND ITS ROTATION IS CONTROLLED BY THE TENSIONERS AND PULLEYS. THE CRANKSHAFT AND CAMSHAFT ARE CONNECTED BY THE TIMING BELT, AND THEY MUST ROTATE IN SYNC TO ENSURE THE VALVES OPEN AND CLOSE AT THE CORRECT TIMES. PROPER ALIGNMENT OF THE CRANKSHAFT AND CAMSHAFT IS ESSENTIAL TO PROPERLY FUNCTIONING THE ENGINE.
THERE ARE A FEW WARNING SIGNS THAT CAN INDICATE A WORN TIMING BELT. THESE INCLUDE ENGINE MISFIRING, DIFFICULTY STARTING, AND POOR ENGINE PERFORMANCE. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO INSPECT THE TIMING BELT AS SOON AS THESE SIGNS ARE NOTICED, AS A FAILING TIMING BELT CAN LEAD TO SEVERE ENGINE DAMAGE. IN GENERAL, IT IS RECOMMENDED TO REPLACE THE TIMING BELT EVERY 60,000 TO 100,000 MILES, DEPENDING ON THE MAKE AND MODEL OF THE VEHICLE.
REPLACING A WORN TIMING BELT CAN HAVE SEVERAL BENEFITS. IT CAN IMPROVE ENGINE PERFORMANCE, INCREASE LONGEVITY, AND PREVENT COSTLY REPAIRS. IT CAN ALSO HELP REDUCE EMISSIONS AND IMPROVE FUEL EFFICIENCY.
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