Timing belt: did you change it, did it break on you?

In article >, Kiran <Nobody> wrote:
>This is inspired by the other thread. For Camry owners especially (but
>feel free to answer if you have another model, just name it):
>
>1. Did your timing belt break on you? At how many miles? Did you get
>warning (strange noises) or was it a sudden surprise?
>
>2. Did you change it on your own, before it broke? Again, at how many
>miles?

Toyota Tercel (1982). 120,000 miles (approx). No warning, never
changed it before it broke.

1993 Eagle Vision TSi (Chrysler 3.5L v6) Changed the timing belt 3
times- once at 100,000 miles, again at 115,000 miles when the water pump
I put in at 100,000 miles failed and shredded the belt (I knew I should
have bought a NAPA pump, stupid mistake to buy at Autozone!) and again a
little past 200k miles. 229,000 miles on the engine now. At 100k and
200k, the old belts looked practically new- i'm sure you could push it
to around 150k on that engine with no problem. But its REALLY easy to
change the belt on that engine- about a 1-1/2 hour job including a
shower afterward. Not at all like working on most FWD cars.


When the waterpump seized, the belt continued sliding on the WP pulley
and the cams never jumped time. The engine did overheat (wifey was
driving and limped it home) and the belt smelled really nasty as it
burned on the seized WP pulley, but no damage was done. The engine is a
non-interference type, even if the belt had broken it would have been
fine. I hear that the 2nd generation (aluminum) 3.5 is an interference
engine, but given how easy this engine design is on timing belts
(provided you use quality water pumps!) I wouldn't be too worried.




Kiran wrote:

> This is inspired by the other thread. For Camry owners especially (but
> feel free to answer if you have another model, just name it):
>
> 1. Did your timing belt break on you? At how many miles? Did you get
> warning (strange noises) or was it a sudden surprise?
>
> 2. Did you change it on your own, before it broke? Again, at how many
> miles?
>
> Kiran

In article >, l says...
>
>
>This is inspired by the other thread. For Camry owners especially (but
>feel free to answer if you have another model, just name it):
>
>1. Did your timing belt break on you? At how many miles? Did you get
>warning (strange noises) or was it a sudden surprise?

1987 Nissan Sentra. Snapped at about 110k miles. No warning or strange
noises.

>2. Did you change it on your own, before it broke? Again, at how many
>miles?

Yes, I changed it. Sold the car before it had 120k miles on it.
--------------
Alex

In article >, says...
>Which manual do you recommend, Hays or Chilton? (98 Camry)

Neither. Get the Toyota factory service manual. It will pay for itself in
no time.
--------------
Alex

In article <1_615219_2be8151885919266c68ab68e354cf37c@autofor umz.com>,
says...

>My 4cyl 91 Camary’s orginal timing belt lasted 185,000 miles and I
>changed it. It was not broken or giving me any problems but I was
>getting a bit nervous about it. When I took it off it was steched a
>like bit but not starting to break or fray. The new belt caused me
>more trouble than the old one in that I tensiond it as directed and
>even checked it for breakin stretch but it still loosened up enough at
>300 miles that it jumped time one tooth and I had to reset and
>retension it. After that I had no more problems until car was
>totalled at 220k though engine still ran after that. I even used a
>Dayco belt on it and it still stretched a good bit during breakin.

I've changed a handful of timing belts, and none has evern jumped a tooth
after I changed it. I wonder if you didn't get a bad belt.
-----------------
Alex

On Mon, 27 Jun 2005 17:57:19 +0000, Erik wrote:

> In article >,
> wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 26 Jun 2005 18:16:03 GMT, Ajanta > wrote:
>>
>> >JazzMan > wrote:
>> >
>> >: My personal opinion is that critical internal
>> >: motor parts should be designed to last the life of the motor,
>> >: not be routine maintenance items that upon failure will
>> >: damage the motor beyond economical repair.
>> >
>> >I agree, but must say I haven't chosen my cars with this
>> >in mind, only by overall reputation (after nameless student
>> >cars, first Corollas, then Camry's).
>> >
>> >They say that at one time Rolls Royce used to come with
>> >sealed engine, with no maintenance ever needed by owner.
>>
>> It wouldn't stay sealed if I owned it............
>
> Take it from a guy with some RR experience. Nothing is, nor ever has
> been reliable about them. They're much more snob than quality, and
> generally a giant PUTA to just keep running.

They're made in England! What do you expect from a country that gave us
Lucas Disease?!

Kiran wrote:
>
> This is inspired by the other thread. For Camry owners especially (but
> feel free to answer if you have another model, just name it):
>
> 1. Did your timing belt break on you? At how many miles? Did you get
> warning (strange noises) or was it a sudden surprise?

83 Nissan Sentra. Unsure about the miles because it was a used car. No
warning, just a refusal to run. Fortunately it happened only 1/4 mile from
home, so we could push it back.

> 2. Did you change it on your own, before it broke? Again, at how many
> miles?

We replaced it ourselves. Actually, husband did the nasty work and I
fetch+carried.

--
Cheers, Bev
=========================================
"Welcome to Hell, here's your accordion."

hachiroku wrote:
>
> On Sun, 26 Jun 2005 18:05:52 +0000, Ajanta wrote:
>
> > Daniel > wrote:
> >
> > : Gen. III, timing belt replacement interval: 60,000 miles. If you change
> > : them at the recommended interval, they don't break.
> > : Did my own work.
> > : Found several errors and damagae inflicted by prior mechanics.
> > : Copy of my own records follows: (by the way, I learned to do this by
> > : reading online groups and the service manuals. When I first purchased
> > : the car, didn't even know how to change the air filter element)
> >
> > I am inspired to try, at least for small things: I am an apartment
> > dweller, there is no convenient place to store tools or do work.
> >
> > I'll start with air filters and spark plugs. They are due. That will
> > take care of tune up. :-)
> >
> > Which manual do you recommend, Hays or Chilton? (98 Camry)
>
> Both. They both have strong and weak points. My experience is that a weak
> point in one is covered better in the other.

Ditto. One or the other is better for each model, but you don't know which
until you buy both of them, so you might as well buy them both at once.

I haven't seen Clymer manuals for a long time. Anybody know if they're still
around?

--
Cheers, Bev
=========================================
"Welcome to Hell, here's your accordion."

> I haven't seen Clymer manuals for a long time. Anybody know
> if they're still around?

I hadn't thought about Clymer in a while. It looks as though they're
still around (http://www.clymer.com/) but seem to have bailed out of
the automobile market in favor of concentrating on other sorts of
vehicles and engines, as well as various trade publications, mostly
concerning electrical gear. Pity; they used to be one of the class
acts in aftermarket car-repair manuals.

My experience has been that buying one or both aftermarket manuals (I
guess the USAmerican choices are now down to Chilton and Haynes) is
necessary if you rely solely on them for anything more advanced than
oil changes and so forth... and helpful even if you are serious enough
about it to shell out for the "real" shop manual for your car.

They all cover different things in different ways -- and sometimes the
aftermarket ones catch a running change that eluded your particular
edition of the dead-tree shop manual, or show/explain things for the
beginner that would be taken for granted in a book written for a pro.
It's just nice to have the different perspectives, especially when
dealing with a kind of repair you've never done before, or with some
weirdness specific to a year or a body style.

If I could only have one, of course, it would be the shop manual(s),
which are more authoritative, more comprehensive, and less confused
by attempts to cover a range of models and years as the aftermarket
manuals usually do.

--Joe

On Mon, 27 Jun 2005 22:04:14 -0700, The Real Bev wrote:

> hachiroku wrote:
>>
>> On Sun, 26 Jun 2005 18:05:52 +0000, Ajanta wrote:
>>
>> > Daniel > wrote:
>> >
>> > : Gen. III, timing belt replacement interval: 60,000 miles. If you change
>> > : them at the recommended interval, they don't break.
>> > : Did my own work.
>> > : Found several errors and damagae inflicted by prior mechanics.
>> > : Copy of my own records follows: (by the way, I learned to do this by
>> > : reading online groups and the service manuals. When I first purchased
>> > : the car, didn't even know how to change the air filter element)
>> >
>> > I am inspired to try, at least for small things: I am an apartment
>> > dweller, there is no convenient place to store tools or do work.
>> >
>> > I'll start with air filters and spark plugs. They are due. That will
>> > take care of tune up. :-)
>> >
>> > Which manual do you recommend, Hays or Chilton? (98 Camry)
>>
>> Both. They both have strong and weak points. My experience is that a weak
>> point in one is covered better in the other.
>
> Ditto. One or the other is better for each model, but you don't know which
> until you buy both of them, so you might as well buy them both at once.
>
> I haven't seen Clymer manuals for a long time. Anybody know if they're still
> around?

I haven't either!! I used to use them to rebuild motorcycles. I'd have a
Clymer's and the Yamaha manual, and, like I mentioned before, one covered
better what the other didn't. And I started COLD; I had very little
mechanical training (I was an electronics technician)and NO Motorcycle
experience at all. The Clymer's were really pretty good, I had one for an
'80 Corolla and it was good.