The timing belt, sometimes known as the Gilmer belt, is one of your vehicle’s most important pieces of equipment. This notched rubber belt allows the crankshaft to drive the camshaft, which ultimately controls the opening and closing of the valves. The engine would be unable to function without this belt.
A mechanic will examine the belt for points of wear such as cracking, shredding, or too much slack. During inspection, the technician will also check for signs of leaking oil from neighboring seals. Oil can harm the belt and drastically affect its durability.
Should I service the timing belt if a mechanic suggests?
No doubt about it.
Why does the timing belt need to be serviced?
Signs of wear or excess slack should alert the car owner that it may be on the verge of breaking or going off track.
What could happen if you ignore these signs of age?
If you don’t inspect the timing belt every so often, it may break down at an inconvenient time. Many newer vehicles contain interference engines. If the timing belt snaps or jumps a groove in an interference engine, the valves’ timing could be thrown off, and they may be struck by the pistons. This type of error would cost hundreds of dollars of damage to fix. Find out from your service manager whether your car is equipped with an interference engine. If not, a broken timing belt will leave your car inoperable, but it won’t cause any permanent damage.
Is there a reason to perform maintenance between scheduled appointments?
If there is a knocking noise being emitted from your engine, it may be caused by a loose timing belt continually striking the plastic timing belt cover. A technician can tell you whether the belt is loose by checking its tension. There are methods of altering the tension of timing belts in all vehicles; more modern cars often can adjust the tension automatically, while others must be adjusted by hand.
Quick tip
If your car has an interference engine, don’t try to push its timing belt to the extreme. Be sure to change it at the suggested mileage mark. If the manufacturer recommends that the belt be upgraded at 30,000 miles, keep in mind that it should also be swapped out at 60,000 and 90,000 miles too.
If your car does not have an interference engine, go for the timing belt mileage world record. In the worst case scenario, the timing belt will break, the car won’t start back up, and you’ll be on the side of the road somewhere. The good news is the only damage will be done to the timing belt—not to the rest of the engine.