Timing Belts
Is Your Timing Belt a Ticking Time Bomb?

Timing belt defined: Your timing belt is a hidden belt with teeth inside your vehicle’s engine. It is responsible for making your engine’s intake and exhaust valves open and close at the precise time with your piston’s compression stroke to keep the inner parts of your engine in perfect timing—hence its name.

Most vehicle manufacturers recommend that you replace your timing belt somewhere between 60,000 and 105,000 miles. You’ll notice that’s a big gap—wait too long and you can rack up a seriously expensive repair bill. If your timing belt breaks, immediate damage to your vehicle can result. Check your owner’s manual or call us to find out when to change your timing belt.

And here’s an automotive tip: water pumps and timing belts usually should be changed at the same time. If your water pump is driven by the timing belt, it should be replaced since the water pump is a common part to wear down and start leaking coolant. It is also important to have the timing belt idler and tensioner pulleys inspected at the same time you are replacing your timing belt as the bearings in these timing belt pulleys wear down and start to sound like an old roller skate wheel. If your vehicle is equipped with a hydraulic timing belt tensioner, be sure to have your timing belt tensioner inspected for leaks. If a fluid leak is detected around the seal of a hydraulic timing belt tensioner, it needs to be replaced as this is the key component to keeping your timing belt with the proper tension so that it doesn’t slip.

What a timing belt change costs

Here at G&J’s, depending on the make and model of your vehicle, changing your timing belt will usually run between $200 and $700. But when you compare replacing your aging timing belt to the cost of repairing a damaged engine (frequently upward of $3,000), the decision is a no-brainer: replace your timing belt before it breaks and sabotages your engine. Remember, if your water pump is driven by your timing belt, it’s important to replace while changing your timing belt.

If you think you have a timing belt issue or simply realize it’s high time to have your timing belt inspected by a pro, don’t delay—call G&J’s Auto Repair today.(541) 752-3445