Preventive maintenance should be used when caring for your car so that costly repairs can be avoided. This entails changing out worn components before they break. When it comes to the timing belt, this is especially accurate. You’ll probably need to replace the engine or your car if you don’t change the timing belt before it fails. Customers frequently have questions about timing belts and how to replace them, and this blog post will provide the answers.
What Is a Timing Belt?
A timing belt serves as the vehicle equivalent of a bike chain by synchronising all the internal working parts of an engine. The water pump, oil pump, and injection pump are occasionally powered by it as well.
The rubber timing belt that engages the crankshaft and camshaft cogwheels has sharp teeth. It consolidates the action of the crankshaft and camshaft. This ensures that the engine’s intake and exhaust valves open and close in time with the pistons. If the crankshaft and camshaft are not working in concert, the car won’t run properly.
The engine combustion chamber may receive an excessive amount of fuel-air mixture if the intake valves open too soon, which could result in inefficient combustion and power loss. Additionally, the combustion chamber will lose pressure and lose power if the exhaust valves open too soon. The engine parts may collide and damage one another if they are seriously out of sync, necessitating expensive repairs.
There are numerous advantages to replacing your timing belt for both you and your car, including:
- Enhanced acceleration and horsepower
- Enhanced fuel efficiency
- Avert unplanned or more expensive auto repairs
8 Signs That the Timing Belt Needs to be Replaced
Often, a timing belt will break without any prior notice. However, the following are some potential signs that it could be time to replace your belt:
- Lower engine power
- Overheating
- Trembling or vibrating
- Vehicle starting issues
- Belts making rubbing or squealing noises
- Engine is making a ticking noise.
- Oil leaking
- Engine Check Light
We advise replacing the water pump at the same time as servicing your car. When the timing belt is removed, it is simple to reach the water pump, which typically has a comparable lifespan. You can reduce your labour expenses in this way.
How Come The Timing Belt Needs To Be Replaced As Advised?
The timing belt is in charge of synchronising the pistons’ motion with the opening and closing of the valves. If it malfunctions, the valves will open when they shouldn’t and wind up striking the larger pistons, severely damaging the engine. You definitely don’t want to be driving on the highway when something like this happens. It’s also a serious safety concern. A timing belt has the drawback of rarely giving you advance notice that it is likely to fail. It should be replaced before it cracks or worn out because it usually lasts between 60,000 and 100,000 miles.
Why Is It So Expensive To Replace?
The timing belt is typically difficult to reach in cars. The old timing belt must therefore be removed and replaced by a lot of labour. As a result, you might also wish to replace the tensioner, idler arm, and water pump at the same time the timing belt is changed. It takes a lot of work to replace a timing belt because they are typically difficult to access in car engines. Timing belt replacement is one of the more expensive auto repairs, but it is still far less expensive than dealing with the effects of a timing belt failure on the vehicle engine.
Why Can’t You Check To See Whether The Timing Belt Needs To Be Replaced?
Timing belts are frequently concealed by covers and other engine components, making it impossible to see the belt’s state.
What May Occur If The Belt Cracks?
The sort of engine in your car will determine the entire answer to this query. The timing belt keeps valves and pistons from colliding in an interference engine. An interference engine’s belt failure could result in the valves bending, damage to the cylinder head, or even camshaft damage. Damage to the piston and cylinder wall is another possibility. The pistons and valves in a non-interference engine won’t collide because they don’t share the same space. Although there won’t be any significant engine damage, you’ll still need to tow your car to an auto repair shop or can call Mobile Mechanics In Perth so that they can fix the timing belt.
My Car Has A Timing Chain. Is This The Same Thing As Timing Belt?
Instead of a timing belt, some cars have a timing chain. Timing Chains need to be replaced rarely as compared to timing belt.
Conclusion
I hope this makes things clearer and assists you in making any decisions or answering any queries you may have had about timing belts. If you have questions on anything I haven’t covered, don’t be afraid to get in touch.
Also Read:- Tips To Maintain Your Car In An Effective Way