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.

Reply to
George Orwell
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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

Reply to
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...

Reply to
frederick

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

Reply to
Stewart DIBBS

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?
Reply to
MAT

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

Reply to
Stewart DIBBS

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.
Reply to
Moe

troll.

Reply to
jim beam

#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.

Reply to
jim beam

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

Reply to
Hachiroku

Why?

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...)

Reply to
Hachiroku

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

Reply to
Michael Pardee

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.

Reply to
jim beam

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

JT

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

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

Reply to
codifus

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?

Reply to
Coyoteboy

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...

Reply to
Hachiroku

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

Reply to
Michael Pardee

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.

Reply to
Gordon McGrew

Mitsu's are notorious for throwing belts!

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

Reply to
Hachiroku

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