How Do You Know If Your Timing Belt Is Bad?
There are a lot of important components in our car. Our engines turn gas into mechanical energy, our car tires move our car forward, and our brakes ensure that our car stops when we need to. One important part of our car that we don’t hear much about is our timing belt. A timing belt, or timing chain or cambelt, are able to help the engine’s valves open and close during the intake and exhaust strokes by rotating the camshaft and crankshaft at the same time. Because its an important part of our car, it’s crucial that it’s in good condition. But like most car parts, the timing belt can become damaged over time, which will require a timing belt replacement. A lot of people ask, “What is timing belt replacement?” Its when the entire timing belt is replaced with a brand new timing belt. In order to get a timing belt replacement as soon as possible, it’s important to know when to get a replacement. These are some signs of a bad timing belt.
- Engine Won’t Ignite: When the engine won’t ignite, or turn over, the problem could be with a broken timing belt.
- Misfiring Engine: If the timing belt slips out of the gears, it can cause the engine to misfire. In this situation, a timing belt will need to be replaced.
- Smoking Engine: When the timing belt has worn out, the camshaft and crankshaft aren’t able to rotate at the same time. This can cause the engine to produce a lot of smoke.
- A decrease in Oil Pressure: Oil pressure can start to decrease if the timing belt can slip out of the gears and break, dropping into the oil pan cause the oil pressure to decline.
- Idling Engine: A timing belt that slips out of the gears can cause the engine to idle very roughly, so it’s important that the timing belt is replaced as soon as possible.
What Happens If You Don’t Replace Timing Belt?
Every single part in our car is critical, so whenever we notice something off with our cars, it’s important to have them looked, then repair or replace the part is defective. When it comes to our timing belts, we want to replace them at the first sign of any of the aforementioned issues listed. Many people ask, “Will a broken timing belt destroy my engine?” Because the timing belt opens and closes valves in the engines, putting off this type of replacement can lead to engine damage. On top of a timing belt replacement, which is costly, you don’t want to have to pay for repairs for your engine. When take your car in to get the timing belt replaced, you can expect a couple of timing belt replacement benefits such as better gas mileage, an improvement in acceleration and horsepower, and reducing the cost of repairs by getting the timing belt replaced when you are supposed to.
What Happens If Your Timing Belt Breaks While Driving?
In order for the engine to work, they need just the right amount of air and fuel to ignite the engines–this is where the camshaft and crankshaft come in. To get the right amount of fuel and air, the camshaft and crankshaft open and close the valves during the intake and exhaust strokes. The valves that are in our engine are able to let air in fuel into the internal combustion chamber, so the engine can run and our cars can drive. A lot of people ask, “Can you drive without a timing belt?” When the timing belt breaks, the engine stops running and turns off. If you are driving your car and the timing belt happens to break, the car will immediately stop. When this happens, you will pull over to the side of the road before your car stops moving altogether. Depending on whether you have an interference or non-interference engine will depend on if need repairs for other parts of your car. If you have an interference engine and the timing belt breaks, then it can damage the camshaft, cylinder head, piston, and valve; if you have a non-interference engine and the timing belt breaks, the car will just stop and no other part will be damaged.
Timing Belt Replacement Miles Or Years
Timing Belt Replacement Price
Replacing your timing belt when you are supposed to will prevent any issues happening to your engine and other areas of your car. Knowing when to replace the timing belt is crucial and people usually ask if you need to replace them by years or miles. It will depend on what type of car you drive, but the recommendation for a timing belt replacement is either 60,000 miles to 100,000 miles or six to 10 years old. If you get regular maintenance, your auto shop will be able to tell you when you need to replace your timing belt. If you think its time to get a timing belt replacement in Marietta and Atlanta, GA, please call American Engine Installations! We can take care of things like transmission repair and also look at your engine parts to see if they need to be repaired or replaced. To make an appointment, please contact our office at (404) 289-9997.