Timing Belt – The 3 most commonly asked Questions

Tuesday 16 June 2020

The timing of your timing belt

A timing belt, also known a camshaft drive belt, connects the upper engine of your vehicle to the lower engine.  The timing belt or chain, synchronises the crankshafts rotation with the engine vales, allowing them to open and close at the right time during the air intake and exhaust stroke. This ensures the correct compression and combustion cycles that will make your engine run.

Timing Belt or Timing Chain ? 

Not all cars have a timing belt, some cars have timing chains which do the same job as a belt. The timing chain does not require regular scheduled replacement, whereas timing belts need replacement every so often depending on your vehicles manufacture specifications and vehicle application. Not sure if your vehicle has a timing Belt or a timing chain? Our qualified mechanics will check this out for you during your service.

When do I need to replace my belt ?

Replacement of your timing belt at the right scheduled services can differ for various makes and models of vehicles. Our mechanics will refer to your vehicles manufacture logbook to ensure the timing of your timing belt change will not void your vehicles warranty. Replacement of your timing belt can vary from 60,0000km to 100,000km, even up to 150,000km depending on the make and model of your vehicle.

Symptoms of a timing belt needing inspection or immediate replacement.

• Loss of power when driving
• Rough idling of your engine
• Misfire of your engine

Your vehicle may not have any obvious symptoms unless the vehicle has ‘jumped a tooth’ on the timing belt (which can happen with age via the belt stretching). This will cause the engine to run terribly rough and lose power. At Goodyear our mechanics abide by the manufacturer’s recommendation on both kilometres and time as to when the belt is due to be changed.

Although your vehicles logbook will advise when replacement of your timing belt is required, depending on your vehicle’s application, your timing belt can prematurely wear out. Avoiding the replacement of your belt or not recognising the symptoms of your belt in distress can result in an engine replacement, which most refer to as a disaster!

• Cost of towing your vehicle to the mechanic $$$
• The labour of an engine reset $$$
• Additional new parts $$

Belt failure, if not caught in time will cause your engines timing synchronisation to deplete. The crankshaft rotations with the engine valve will not open and close at the correct times, resulting in the “disaster” mentioned above.

How long will it take to replace my timing belt?

A logbook service can take anywhere between 2 – 6 hours depending on your make and model of vehicle. When the scheduled logbook service comes up for replacement of your timing belt according to your vehicle manufactures specifications, our mechanics allow up to 5 hours to complete the replacement of your timing belt but also complete the rest of your log book service.

During a replacement service our qualified and trained mechanics will;

• Strip the front of your engine
• Replace all seals, pulleys and the water pump & replace if necessary
• Set the camshaft and valve timings
• Change the time belt or chain
• Recheck and test
• Complete logbook service as to manufactures specifications

Replacement involves gaining access to the front of the engine in a RWD or 4WD vehicle (side of the engine in a FWD). This can be quite involved as it may require removing the radiator & hoses, rocker cover, timing cover and other ancillaries. When replacing the timing belt we would also replace the belt tensioners and depending on the vehicle, the water pump (as we’d need to do basically the same job again if the water pump were to fail at a later date). This will ensure all components and part are working together and not failing at different intervals, saving you on labour cost in the long term.

Did your mechanical quote give you a shock?

My logbook service didn’t cost this much last time ?

Generally, your maintenance logbook service will indicate when your timing belt needs to be replaced. The replacement of a timing belt can be one of the more expensive and intensive services your vehicle will go through during logbook services to ensure the longevity of your vehicle’s performance. Thankfully, this only needs to be done once every so often.

When our mechanics quote you on a service which will require a timing belt replacement, we need to take into account the extra time and labour spent with the vehicle to complete the replacement but also the extra cost of the parts required.

Are you the type of person that would prefer to leave it to the processionals or are you a bit of a car enthusiast that wants the job done right to improve your vehicle performance and longevity?

Our team at All Coast Goodyear Autocare are your kind of guys.

Give Steve or Trent our head mechanic a call if you have recognised any of the timing belt symptoms above. Our team are here to keep you and your vehicle on the road and to prevent any mechanical disasters.

For more information on the services we offer – Mechanical Services & Logbook Servicing