What happens when balancer belts rips and snaps?

I am hoping to prevent a premature balancer belt snapping
on one particular car to was called to inspect. After opening
the top cover I can see an old but functional balancer belt,
probably 40K mi. overdue.

What's the best way to know when a balancer timing belt is
about to snap or is in the process of snapping? And, what is
the chance of having a severe valve damage on an interference
engine like the '92 Honda Accord if the balancer belt snaps?
Any guess?

Thanks.

 

Balancer belt???? Do you mean timing belt? On a Honda if the belt
snaps chances are very good you will do damage to the valves.

 

There is a balancer belt. It should be changed when you change the timing
belt. Chances are if the balancer belt dies, it will get caught in the
teeth of the timing belt and do the same damage as if the timing belt
snapped.

 

If it snaps, engine vibration picks up. The balancer belt is often
separate from the timing belt, and breaking the one will not necessarily
destroy the other. I have seen this happen, and the car ran for ages
without any problem, BUT as Bruce mentioned, there is the chance that
the remains of the ruined belt could foul something else up.

 

The balancer belt does not have anything to do with the valves. It just
spins a shaft that offsets the vibrations of the engine. Replace it at the
same time you change the timing belt. I think it's 60k miles on a '92.

If the timing belt breaks, the valves stop moving and the pistons smash into
the ones that were open when they stopped.

 

+++++++++++++++++++++

Bruce Chang is correct.

The balancer belt is half way up the front of the engine... if it snaps
and falls, it will hitch a ride thru the space normally traveled by the
timing belt. Honda has not made provision for any extra stuff to travel
in that carefully designed space, so the timing belt will break
IMMEDIATELY, which will allow the pistons to forcibly expell the valves
that get in their way. Under the right circumstances, parts of the
engine will be scattered on the highway.

Carry an empty 'peach basket' in the back seat of the vehicle and some
rags. Do a search for the terms 'peach basket honda' . . . Good
explanation.

'Curly'

 

++++++++++++ Here's the 'peach basket' link:

http://honda.lathi.net/faq.html#interference

 

I am hoping to prevent a premature balancer belt snapping
the balance shaft belt has almost no load on it, if it's coming
apart look for interference with something else, like front balance
shaft gear on backwards, it can be done.
if it breaks and doesn't get into the timing belt, the engine will
just vibrate more.
Chip

 

I do know however that at least on Porsche motors a snapped balance belt
has been known to take the timing belt with it. This is Not Good. Not
sure if teh same applies to Hondas or not.

nate

 

Just based on the reponses here, if I had posted the original question, I would
plan on changing the balancer belt as soon as I could. If that were several
weeks or several hundred miles away, I would make a judgment call on the
conditon of the old belt. If I thought "it could go at any time" I'd remove it
(if not easily removed, cut it and pull it out) as it sounds like there is a
higher risk of engine damage letting it break than there is to run without it
for awhile... just my opinion though.....and I don't earn a living working on
cars...

 

The one on my daughters car failed and, of course, she didn't notice it
for a long time. When we tore it down, she was lucky in that it just
left what looked like dental floss. Didn't take the other belt, but
easily could have.

The point I am trying to make is that she drove it without the balance
shaft working for a long time without any harm. (Heck, she drove it
for a year without checking the oil, of which there was nearly NONE
when I spotted it.)

 

does a 98 civic have a balancer belt? never seen it....

 

nope. accord- bigger motor.