One of the most important consumables on almost any modern engine is the timing belt. It can regularly fulfill its role for several tens of thousands of kilometers. But, one not very pleasant day timing belt will break and cause serious internal damage to the motor. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to timely replace the worn out part with a new one. But when is the best time to do it?
Major causes of wear
Knowing why a belt can wear out prematurely or naturally, it will not be difficult for a driver to predict its replacement. If the machine is operated under normal conditions, you can safely count on almost the entire warranty period, which is given by the manufacturer of consumables. And the main reasons for increased wear are the following:
- Any contaminating liquids such as oil, gasoline or dirty water have spilled onto the belt.
- Short-term, but very heavy loads, at the time of an intensive start or in the process of slipping the driving wheels.
- Runout of gears or idler due to bearing wear.
- Significant temperature differences in the engine compartment in winter.
You can safely add serious breakdowns of the gas distribution mechanism to this list, but, as a rule, its repair is automatically accompanied by the replacement of the timing belt. This is a very important detail, you should not allow the operation of a vehicle with a drive belt of questionable quality. Only an original spare part with quality certificates confirmed by strength tests.
Signs by which the replacement time is determined
There are both direct and indirect reasons why you can navigate. Direct include the following:
- the presence of physical damage, including cracks;
- chips on individual rubber teeth;
- severe, visible contamination by lubricants;
- when the motor is running, the belt runout visible to the eye.
In all these cases, you must contact the technical inspection station as soon as possible or replace the belt yourself. For indirect reasons, experienced mechanics include problems with idle speeds, cylinder misfires and detonation in all operating modes of the power unit. But, the most objective picture will be shown only by computer diagnostics and inspection of the car by a professional mechanic.
