Timing Belt Replacement And Repair: What You Need To Know

There are so many belts in a car engine, it is hard to keep up with them all. One of the most important belts in the engine is the timing belt. This news video on timing belts from 2006 shows how critical replacing a timing belt is to your car's engine operation. Without this belt operating properly, it can throw off the entire operation of the engine. The timing belt's purpose is to turn the camshafts exactly half as fast as the crankshaft.

Earlier cars and trucks had chains instead of a belt. The chain is preferred by many owners because it seldom needs to be replaced. The only problem with the chain is the noise it creates. For this reason, many manufacturers design the belt, and ask you to replace it periodically.

Since your timing belt is hidden within the engine, the labor costs just to “check” it are unreasonable. That is why it is just better to change them regularly, before they break. How often timing belts need to be replaced will depend on the type of engine. Some belts will only turn one camshaft, while others may turn as many as four. The more camshafts the belt has to move, the quicker it will wear out. The standard school of thought is: for vehicles before 1998, replace your timing belts around 90,000 miles (45 seconds into the video, the engine has 93,000 miles, and look at the timing belt damage). For vehicles after 1998, replace the belt is recommended around 105,000 miles.

Many people like to put this off beyond this time period because of the expense involved. This is a mistake, because not replacing the timing belt can lead to several other mechanical nightmares, which will cost far more to repair. Broken timing belts, because they operate the camshaft, can create further damage to engine valves.

Signs of a bad timing belt include a change in the engine's performance. This includes such things as stalls, backfires or running roughly with a lot of vibration. Squealing noises and smoke are two other obvious signs you may be having a problemwith a timing belt in your engine. Let us inspect your car to determine the causes.

Some enginetiming belts operate the water pump as well. Our offer to replace your water pump does not mean we are trying to take you for a lot of money. It is generally a precautionary measure. With the belt off, replacing the pump is very simple, there are no added labor costs. You actually save on the labor, since the water pump has to be removed anyway.. Just ask us what the history is on the water pump in your model car. If the water pump generally does not fail, it is a procedure you can do without.

Replacing the timing belt is one of those precautionary measures to take. Pay a little now, to save a lot later. We will gladly inform you of the specific timing belt replacement for your vehicle.

At Hillside Tire and Service, we are your experts for all makes and models of auto repair in Salt Lake City. Come in to any of our 5 Salt Lake Valley tire stores: Salt Lake City (Cottonwood Heights), West Valley City, West Jordan, Sandy or Draper, and get to know us, like Bill Gephardt does,  through our auto repair service specials (see coupons). We also check your Braking System-at no charge! See us also for tires (we have tire discounts from manufacturer factory rebate specials going on right now), alignments, oil changes, inspections, emissions, and complete auto repair services.