Lose your timing belt, lose your engine

Watch out! Many Japanese products use timing belts with non-free running
(interference) engines. When, not if, the belt skips or breaks, your
engine and $8,000 is gone. Even if you get through the warranty period,
the resale takes a big hit because the word has got around.

Auto makers, heed this warning. The public knows gear, shaft, or chain
driven single or double OHC engines are are safe design. Timing belt driven
setups are not.

Suzuki is an exception. Their cars are okay.

 

Really? Japanese cars still have high resale values compared to their
American competitors.

Really, now? Most members of the general public don't even know what a
timing belt is.

Yeah, like you know.

Jeff

 

Like it's not trolling to multiple post this in honda, toyota, nissan
forums...
Kind of like the number of post mid 90's model 4 cyl. Nissans offered
for sale on web auctions here, where the owners claim that the timing
belt has just been replaced...

 

Since when does a DOHC engine HAVE be a non-interferance design? Also since
when does a timing chain solve the "problems" with belts? Ever heard of
timing chain chatter?

SD

 

What happens with a stretched or broken timing chain? I have 110k miles on
2002 K20A3 and I had belted Honda before this. Still runs great and I guess
it was kinda cool I didn't have to do or pay for the timing belt service.
What's the downside and eventual maintenance of timing chain?

 

First the chain wears ie gets slightly longer, and the cam + drive gear
teeth get worn as well. The chain starts to chatter, and the valve timing
goes off a bit. Timing chains seldom if ever break unless the lubrication
system fails, at which point the chain gets REALLY noisy. If left long
enough, the lubrication failure may affect the cam bearings or even main or
big ends. I've never seen a chain break on the old BMC A and B series, Ford
Cortina 1500/1600 engines and an E-type Jag engine I worked on years ago.
Just about everything else let go, but not the chain ...

An severely overreved engine would sometimes stretch the chain and throw the
valve timing really off.

SD

 

6 of one, 1/2 dozen of the other. I've had a timing gear fail, I've
had chains fail, I've had timing belts fail. I kinda prefer the
timing belts all in all, quieter, better valve timing. I've never seen
a chevy V8 that didn't have a lot of slack in the timing chain after 80K
miles.

 

troll.

 

#1 problem is chain stretch - that leads to cam timing issues and noise.
belts are quiet, highly reliable within their stated mileage limit,
and don't stretch. long term, you'll get more out of a well maintained
belted engine than what is basically supposed to be an unmaintained
chain engine.

 

Almost all the Toyota DOHC engines are Non-Interference. Most Toyotas now
have DOHC engines, and I believe they are all chains now.

 

Huh? So you replace the engine. That ruins the rest of the car?
Word has gotten around about what? Most Japanese Import cars out values
their Big3 counterparts by THOUSANDS of dollars for similar model type and
year.

Lets us know when you pull your head out of your ass. A lot of single OHC
engines are interference, Japanese or American. My Chrysler LHS 3.5l was
an interference engine.

Come back when you actually know something...

(we'll never see this one again...)

 

Newer timing chains appear to be much improved. Several people in the Prius
forums I frequent are right around 200K miles and have not had timing chain
problems. There is no schedule for changing the chain, either. Disclaimer -
not enough data for a positive answer yet.

Mike

 

well, chains work, but belts are a better technical solution.
particularly for high performance engines - less momentum and angular
velocity fluctuation.

don't forget, design criteria these days are all about life limitation
and cheapness - chain wins on both counts.

 

I prefer gears. My 1964 Studebaker P/U 289 has over 300K and the timing
is fine...

JT

 

I guess it comes to how well built the motor is, belt or chain. Fact
is, Nissan VQ V6es are legendary, reliable timing chain motors. They
just don't die. Even the SR20s, KA24s and GAs seem to hold up quite
well. All timing chain motors. Honda and Toyota make great, long
lasting timing belt motors.

CD

 

IIRC most toyotas are non-interference. It has nothing to do with being
single or double cam.

Hows about maintaining your car properly, therefore never having that
problem?

 

A lot ot the SOHC Toyotas are interference.

But what Dimwit pays no attention to at all is the Maintenance Schedule in
that often overlooked little piece of information called the Owner's
Manual.

If you change your belt when it says, you'll not have any trouble. I
overlooked this in my Corolla GTS, but being a DOHC it's Non-Interference.
The manual says 60,000; I had two belts go 120,000. I was lucky...

 

I had a 1970 Volvo with timing gears. One day I was driving home from work
and heard the unmistakable sound of a bad rod knock. I towed the car home
and lifted the engine to drop the pan, then found... nothing. Huh. Pulling
the crank through I heard the "bang" as plainly as I heard it while driving.
Double huh. It seemed to be coming from under the timing cover. There I
found the cam gear's fiber outer ring had separated from the steel core, and
was lifting up and dropping every revolution... bang!

Mike

 

Probably just a little. You were taking a risk, though. The
recommended interval is intended to avoid 99+% of failures. The
failure rate after 120K might only be 20%.

OTOH, I know a guy who had one of those turbo Mitsubishi awd sports
cars that were sold under the (Chrysler) Eagle brand back in the 90's.
He went over the 45K recommended interval by about 1000 miles and the
belt broke and trashed the engine. He fixed it and swore he would
never miss another change interval. The next belt broke at 44K. Moral
of the story: stick to Honda and Toyota.

 

Mitsu's are notorious for throwing belts!

And, if I were your friend, I would think about a 40,000 mile interval!!!