Timing belt failure?

I've had one fail, but not on my Maximas. It was on an 84 Dodge Daytona Turbo 2.2. As I downshifted through an intersection, the engine just died. I really didn't know it was a timing belt problem, or a fuel pump problem or anything else. The engine gave no warning, just up and died. Since that was a low compression (8:1) turbo motor, I had no valve damage. The old belt aged and got brittle and about 4 or 5 of the teeth stripped off and caused the belt to slip, causing the engine to go way out of time. This is why you want to change your belt every 60,000 miles or so. I'm not sure these belts have ever actually broken, but if one slips bad enough due to broken teeth, you could bend a couple of valves if it happens just right. The 3rd gen Maximas 89-91 say to change every 60,000. The 92-94's say to change every 100,000. I have one of each and have changed belts on both. It's not very hard to do yourself.

Chris

90 & 94 GXE's

I see them come into the shop once in a while.

they break mainly due to owner neglect, they think "it's ok, it will last a few thousand more miles, no need to worry about it now".

boy were they wrong.

They could have spent a few hundred bucks on a new timing belt versus a couple grand on a major engine repair

I guess it is like that old FRAM oil filter commercial.. "you can pay me now,or you can pay me later"

I have had a timing belt failure in an 88 Sentra (same rubber toothed belt as the Maxima). Belt was replaced a 60k but it failed just before

100k. There was an oil leak (i forget where from) which dropped oil on the timing belt causing it to degrade and eventally break.The belt had rotted away to nothing a one section.

Failure happened at a stop sign at idle, my wife was driving. Engine repair required replacement of a bent valve which at that time cost abot $650. Engine was never quite so sweet after that although it's still running at 140k.

Al Moodie.

Yep, seen old belts give it up at 30K.