WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR TIMING BELT - Industrial Information - Guangzhou LiBo Transmission Equipment Co.,Ltd.

WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR TIMING BELT

2018-06-11

Every vehicle will differ, so be sure to check the recommended schedule for your car year and model. A good guideline to follow would be to replace your timing belt every 75,00 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first. Your timing belt is constructed of rubber and breaks down from heat and stress from running in the engine. There are teeth on the bottom of the belt that keep the engine synchronized and running well. If these teeth wear down and slip, or the belt stretches, you will have a serious problem.

You should immediately replace the timing belt if it starts having any common symptoms. A timing belt will generally start to produce a high pitched, squeaking, noise before it fails. If the timing belt does break, it will cause a very large sound in the engine as components will be breaking forcefully. The engine will also shut off and not be able to restart.

WHAT HAPPENS IF A TIMING BELT BREAKS?

The last thing that you want to deal with in your internal combustion engine is a broken timing belt. If this happens that valves and pistons will not be in sync and collide into each other with great force. This will result in the pistons and valves becoming damaged along with the internal walls of the cylinders. In the worst case scenario the camshaft will also be damaged which is a very expensive repair. A non-interference type engine design will not result in any damage if the belt breaks, but will still disable the vehicle completely.

HOW TO REPLACE A TIMING BELT

Replacing a timing belt requires an advanced knowledge of mechanical systems as you will need to remove many parts and put them back correctly. If you are familiar with your engine and comfortable with the idea of doing it yourself, you can follow the steps. Otherwise you should contact an ASE certified professional to handle the work.
Remove all of the parts that might be blocking your access to the engine timing belt cover.
Remove the cover and inspect the materials and condition of the belt.
Replace the belt with the recommended part number.
Don’t forget to also replace the water pump, tensioners and pulleys while changing the belt itself.
Replace the covers and components as they were originally installed.

EXTRA THOUGHTS AND CONSIDERATIONS

With the amount of labor required to access the timing belt, it is always a good idea to replace other components simultaneously as they will already be removed or easy to replace during this repair. Here is a list of engine components to replace when servicing your timing belt.
Water pump: The water pump is generally driven by the timing belt and needs to be removed for the switch. The part is inexpensive and might as well be upgraded while it is already in the shop. The cost of labor far outweighs the price of the water pump itself.
Pulleys and Tensioner: These parts should be replaced with the timing belt because if they fails, the same damage as a timing belt failure can occur. They provide the force required to keep the belt tight and operating without any slack, also preventing it from falling off of the track.
Front Engine Seals: The part cost for replacing seals is nominal in comparison the labor required to access them. These seals can prolong the life and performance of the engine.