Timing Belts

Timing Belts - Manor Auto Service

At Manor Auto Service our trained technicians also provide a cam belt/ timing belt replacement service. This is a vital requirement on most vehicles at manufacturer recommended mileages. If the cam belt is not replaced at the set intervals it could break and then most often causes expensive damage to the engine. This can be a complex job that requires skill and specialist knowledge and technical information, all of which is available from Manor Auto Service.

Timing Belts Replacement

Timing Belts, also commonly known as Timing chains or a Cambelt (although the latter is technically a different type of system, as we’ll see), are devices usually found fitted to the rotary mechanisms of a power transmission system such as a drive motor or spindle.

The timing belt controls the combustion ballet (timing is how the valves – inlet and exhaust – open on your engine in precise accordance with the movement of the pistons). The belt is attached to a series of sprockets and pulleys in your engine, which determines exactly when the valves open to optimise your engine’s performance through the most efficient burning of the air/fuel mixture.

Over time, a belt will wear. It may show signs of cracking, it may stretch and cause the engine to lose power or run poorly, or it may snap altogether. In the last instance, this could be disastrous for your car; if the timing belt snaps and the timing goes off while the engine is running, then valves could hit pistons and be bent/damaged beyond all repair. In this instance, you will need a very, very expensive top-end repair job to be done to make your engine work again, so it’s best to replace the belt before or at its scheduled maintenance point.

Typically, belts last between 100,000 and 160,000 km before needing to be replaced (it varies considerably from engine to engine so don’t take this as an absolute guideline – always check what it should be for your car). They’re not the simplest jobs to do and, unless you’re mechanically savvy and know what ‘top dead centre’ means, it’s best to take your car into a garage to have the work done. It will typically cost you a few hundred Euro to have a belt replaced, but while that’s hardly inexpensive, it’s as nothing to the cost of repairs if you fail to have the belt replaced and it snaps further down the line.

What are the symptoms of a wearing timing belt?
The most obvious signs of a belt on its last legs are a loss of power when accelerating, slippage (normally identified by a high-pitched, intermittent screeching sound from the engine), slow pick-up at lower revs and even a rattling noise from the engine (although this is more commonly associated with worn, stretched timing chains). Get it seen to as soon as possible.