Timing Belt Maintenance

Transcript:

Hi, I’m Nancy at Kneble’s Auto Service Center. Belt or chain? Now I’m not going to be talking about clothing accessories. Today I’m going to be talking about your timing belt or your timing chain. Now, if you have a timing chain in your vehicle, this is maintenance-free. But if you have a timing belt in your vehicle, this requires maintenance. So, check your owner’s manual or consult with your service advisor to see what is operating in your vehicle, whether it’s a belt or a chain.

So, for those of you that have a belt, listen closely because this requires maintenance. You don’t want to wait for this to break. The timing belt does exactly that. It times the opening and closing of the valves with an up and down motion of the pistons. So, if your timing belt breaks and you have what’s called an interference motor, there’s a chance this belt could collide with your pistons causing severe damage to your engine and leaving you stranded on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck.

If you have what’s called a non-interference motor, you’re going to be doing less damage, but you’re going to be stranded on the side of the road waiting for the tow truck. So, make sure you check what the manufacturer recommends for your vehicle to have the timing belt replaced. It’s done by miles. It’s usually between 60 to a hundred thousand miles.

See the timing belt is covered by a metal or plastic cover. So, you can’t readily see the condition of the belt. And as the belt stretches, the engine can have lack of power, it can have a slow pickup, and there can be a rattle noise at an idle and goes away when you rev up the engine. So, when you get your timing belt replaced according to your schedule, we suggest you replace other parts because a timing belt is a lengthy job to replace.

There are other components involved. You have the tensioner, you have the pulley, you have the water pump, and you have the oil seals at the cam and crankshaft. These items can wear over time and we recommend them to be replaced so that you don’t do damage to your engine. So, don’t gamble with your vehicle. Make sure you check this scheduled maintenance for the timing belt to be replaced. Don’t be stuck on the side of the road waiting for that tow truck.

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