Questions You Should Know about Automotive Timing Belts

One of the most critical components of your vehicle is the timing belt. The timing belt is responsible for keeping the camshaft in &#;time&#; with the crankshaft. This ensures that the valves are opening and closing when they should. In many, but not all engines, the timing belt will also turn the water pump.

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The timing belt is not the same as the serpentine belt, aka drive belt. The serpentine belt in your vehicle helps turn many accessories like the air conditioning compressor and alternator. The water pump is often replaced at the same time as the timing belt, because there is little extra labor needed to do both. If you want to replace your water pump, you should look through our selection here. Below, we will cover a few common questions about your timing belt.

Can My Timing Belt &#;Slip?&#;

A timing belt slipping is one of the most common ways a timing belt can fail. The timing belt in your vehicle uses specially designed rubber. Over time, this rubber will break down and eventually lose its &#;teeth&#;. When the teeth break off, the belt can slip. This can be terrible for your engine. It can cause the engine to hesitate or even stop running altogether. A slipped timing belt isn&#;t necessarily catastrophic, but it can still snowball into a much more expensive issue.

Why Does My Timing Belt Squeal/Make Noise?

If your timing belt is worn and old, it can start to squeal or squeak. This squealing often indicates a symptom of a failing timing belt. Look through this article if you think your timing belt may have experienced a failure. If you&#;ve recently replaced the timing belt, but not the belt tensioner (and possibly the idler pulley), the worn tensioner may be causing the problem. If the tensioner is worn, you should attend to this issue immediately to avoid further damage.

Why Is My Timing Belt Repeatedly Breaking?

Repeatedly breaking a timing belt is a very rare situation. It can be a symptom of a belt that is too tight. If you have snapped a relatively new timing belt, you should do more research on your specific vehicle and ensure you&#;re using the correct length timing belt. If you&#;re still facing timing belt issues, you should check out this article highlighting how you can increase the life of your timing belt.

Do I Have A Timing Belt Or Timing Chain?

For many years timing belts were used more often than timing chains in engines. More recently, the pendulum has begun to swing towards the timing chain. To know which type of timing your vehicle uses, you should research your specific model year and engine type.

Why Is My NEW Timing Belt Squeaking?

If you&#;ve recently had your timing belt replaced and it&#;s suddenly squeaking, this can be just as problematic as an old squealing belt. The typical cause is that the tensioner or idler were not replaced at the same time as the belt. If you&#;re concerned about a recent timing belt repair, read this article.

When Is My Timing Belt &#;Due&#; For A Change?

In recent years, manufacturers have continually developed their timing belt designs to ensure they last as long as possible. Most older cars needed a timing belt replacement every 50,000 miles, but more recently, timing belts can last up to 100,000 thousand miles or more. While many tend to lean on mileage to determine when to change a timing belt, you should note the belt is made of rubber. Even cars that are driven infrequently are subject to rubber breakdown. It is a good idea to replace your timing belt before it is five or six years old.

Your car or truck&#;s timing belt is responsible for making sure that the valves open and close in time with the movement of the pistons. Timing belt replacement is usually on the list of higher-priced auto maintenance items, and consequently, many vehicle owners put off replacing their timing belt. Here&#;s why this isn&#;t such a good idea &#; If the timing belt slips or breaks, your car&#;s engine could be seriously damaged. In this month&#;s blog post, you&#;ll find the answers to 5 of the frequently asked questions about timing belt repair.
1. When should the timing belt be replaced?

Just like every other component in your vehicle, timing belts wear out. When they do, they can slip or break causing serious damage to your car&#;s engine. For this reason it&#;s important to replace the timing belt before it fails. The recommended schedule for timing belt replacement varies and depends upon your vehicle&#;s make. Replacement intervals range from 60,000 to 100,000 miles.

For more information, please visit Automotive Timing Belts.

2. Why is it expensive to replace a timing belt?

A timing belt isn&#;t easy to access which makes it a labor intensive job. When it&#;s time to replace the timing belt, you may also want to consider replacing additional parts, like the tensioner, idler arm, and water pump. That&#;s because, like the timing belt, these parts are difficult to access. Either way, it&#;s important to remember that the cost to replace a timing belt is a lot less expensive than replacing an engine that is damaged because the timing belt broke.

3. Why can&#;t you inspect the timing belt to see if it needs to be replaced?

Most timing belts are hidden behind covers and engine parts. Because of this, we can&#;t easily perform a visual inspection of the timing belt to ascertain its condition.

4. What will happen if the timing belt breaks?

If your car or truck has an interference engine, the damage will be extensive. That&#;s because the timing belt keeps the valves and pistons from slamming into each other. When the timing belt breaks, the valves and pistons crash together bending the pistons and damaging the cylinder head or camshaft. Damage can also occur to the piston and cylinder wall.

In a non-interference engine, the pistons and valves aren&#;t in the same space so they won&#;t smash together if the timing belt breaks. Though there won&#;t be extensive engine damage, you will need to have your vehicle towed in for timing belt repair.

5. My car has a timing chain. Is that the same as a timing belt?

Some cars have a timing chain instead of a timing belt. A timing chain will rarely ever need to be replaced. If you don&#;t know whether your vehicle has a timing belt or chain, you can find the info within your owner&#;s manual or you can ask one of our technicians.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Audi Timing Belt Replacement.