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When the timing belt was swapped out last. We bought our first car a little while ago for 2500€ give or take and being the noobs we are we didn't react much when the seller had no idea when it was swapped out last.
Turns out we should've.
For those of you that are even more clueless about cars and engines then i am(i know like nothing) the timing belt is a sort of rubber strap inside the engine that keeps a bunch of stuff running.
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Timing_belt_RB30E.jpg)
(Not our car but this is how a timing belt looks)
If this thing breaks/gets too loose/the wheels its on breaks you are fucked. Like if you bought a car for 1500€ or so, it's cheaper to just buy a new car - that's how bad it is. The entire engine will most likely be ruined.
A repair and replacement of this thing, here in Norway, costs about 500€ - 500€ we could've haggled down on the price had we known. And while they are in there, they might aswell swap out the waterpump which is like right next to it, and considering it's not the parts that cost but the time to replace them(it's a pain in the ass to get to it) it's not that big of a deal to swap this aswell but hey it's another 50€ we could've spent on something else.
For the most part the timing belt should be swapped inbetween every 10,000 - 16,000 metric miles or every 5 years or so but it varies from car to car.
I knew i freaking jinxed it when i said one day before it started acting up that "wow i can't believe we got this car this cheap!". It's still an old car, 2000 Ford Focus and the mileage on it isn't the best but the owner gave the impression that it had been maintained very well with new breaks recently and whatnot.
But if you are to ask for a single fucking thing when buying a used car - ask for this. It's like the most crucial thing since it can if you're unlucky leave you with a blown engine on the freeway. Luckily we heard the ruckus and noise it caused before it got to that, just hoping it lives to drive the 3km to the shop on wednesday!
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dude timing belt last 100 000 kilo... 
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On September 18 2012 01:01 Falcon_Power wrote:dude timing belt last 100 000 kilo...
Yeah shit typo lol meant metric miles thx
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Bummer. Quick tip too, most toyotas have a mechanism that saves the engine from being destroyed if the belt goes out. Your car isn't moving until you get a new belt, but your engine is a ok.
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What kind of car is it? If it's an interference engine, and you're having noticeable problems with the timing belt, I wouldn't even drive it to the shop. If my Passat's timing belt snapped, the engine would be toast. 75$ towing charge is a lot cheaper than a new engine.
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On September 18 2012 01:26 ghost_403 wrote:
What kind of car is it? If it's an interference engine, and you're having noticeable problems with the timing belt, I wouldn't even drive it to the shop. If my Passat's timing belt snapped, the engine would be toast. 75$ towing charge is a lot cheaper than a new engine.
Its a 2000 year Ford Focus, no idea what type of engine it has.
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According to this site (never actually used it before, but LOOKS LEGIT), it's probably an interference engine. Since it's only 3km, you probably would be fine just crossing your fingers.
What exactly was it doing to make you think that the timing belt was going out?
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On September 18 2012 02:12 ghost_403 wrote:According to this site (never actually used it before, but LOOKS LEGIT), it's probably an interference engine. Since it's only 3km, you probably would be fine just crossing your fingers. What exactly was it doing to make you think that the timing belt was going out?
I wasn't driving when it happened but the whole chain of events would be that while driving home from town my girlfriend turned the heating in the car on, very shortly it started to smell like something was burning and also some tiny amounts of smoke in the car(like a thin mist as if you had burned something in a kitchen). We stopped, popped the hood but couldn't smell anything in there or anywhere else on the car so, we just decided to continue on home. A few meters out she struggles a bit with gearing and i figured she'd just noobed it. But as we get home and i get out of the car, the engine is still running while standing still(dont know the word for it in english) while not in a gear and i hear an offbeat noise from the engine. Kinda like tapping/scraping. At this point i was just hoping it was the fan.
However my girlfriend then mentions that she also thought she botched the gear changes but then when she thought about it she said the car had some problem gaining momentum or however we are supposed to call it. The pull of the car was a tad off. This pretty much sealed it for me after a bit of googling.
The burning smell however i have no idea, we need to change the airfilter that i know but that can't cause that can it? And the smell didn't come back after we turned the heating on again after stopping so dunno what that was/is.
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If you have a Dual Overhead Cam engine, yes it's an interference engine. If it's a Single Overhead Cam engine, it's not. At least, that's what google tells me. Depends on which engine it is. Also, it's rumored that even the DOHC engine is somewhat more robust when it comes to timing belt failures despite being an interference engine.
Also, in that picture that you posted... where is your accessory/serpentine belt?
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On September 18 2012 02:24 felisconcolori wrote:
If you have a Dual Overhead Cam engine, yes it's an interference engine. If it's a Single Overhead Cam engine, it's not. At least, that's what google tells me. Depends on which engine it is. Also, it's rumored that even the DOHC engine is somewhat more robust when it comes to timing belt failures despite being an interference engine.
Also, in that picture that you posted... where is your accessory/serpentine belt?
That is not my car It's a googled pic to show what a timing belt is. Maybe i should've explained that. And Dual overhead or single overhead kinda tells me nothing, im not that great with cars. Any way i can check what you just mentioned?
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On September 18 2012 02:21 unkkz wrote:Show nested quote +On September 18 2012 02:12 ghost_403 wrote:According to this site (never actually used it before, but LOOKS LEGIT), it's probably an interference engine. Since it's only 3km, you probably would be fine just crossing your fingers. What exactly was it doing to make you think that the timing belt was going out? I wasn't driving when it happened but the whole chain of events would be that while driving home from town my girlfriend turned the heating in the car on, very shortly it started to smell like something was burning and also some tiny amounts of smoke in the car(like a thin mist as if you had burned something in a kitchen). We stopped, popped the hood but couldn't smell anything in there or anywhere else on the car so, we just decided to continue on home. A few meters out she struggles a bit with gearing and i figured she'd just noobed it. But as we get home and i get out of the car, the engine is still running while standing still(dont know the word for it in english) while not in a gear and i hear an offbeat noise from the engine. Kinda like tapping/scraping. At this point i was just hoping it was the fan. However my girlfriend then mentions that she also thought she botched the gear changes but then when she thought about it she said the car had some problem gaining momentum or however we are supposed to call it. The pull of the car was a tad off. This pretty much sealed it for me after a bit of googling. The burning smell however i have no idea, we need to change the airfilter that i know but that can't cause that can it? And the smell didn't come back after we turned the heating on again after stopping so dunno what that was/is.
I actually had the same problem with my car recently. Complete with burning smell and car losing power when the AC was on. Turned out that the compressor for the AC had stopped spinning, had to get a "new" one, changed the belt as well, since it had probably worn itself out on the stationary spool. Thankfully, stuff here is much cheaper ^^
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On September 18 2012 02:27 unkkz wrote:Show nested quote +On September 18 2012 02:24 felisconcolori wrote:
If you have a Dual Overhead Cam engine, yes it's an interference engine. If it's a Single Overhead Cam engine, it's not. At least, that's what google tells me. Depends on which engine it is. Also, it's rumored that even the DOHC engine is somewhat more robust when it comes to timing belt failures despite being an interference engine.
Also, in that picture that you posted... where is your accessory/serpentine belt? That is not my car It's a googled pic to show what a timing belt is. Maybe i should've explained that. And Dual overhead or single overhead kinda tells me nothing, im not that great with cars. Any way i can check what you just mentioned?
I think this site will probably do it. I would check it with my own VIN, but I'm at work at the moment. Otherwise, try googling "vin number lookup" and see if you can't find one that would give you that information.
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On September 18 2012 02:41 Nikon wrote:Show nested quote +On September 18 2012 02:21 unkkz wrote:On September 18 2012 02:12 ghost_403 wrote:According to this site (never actually used it before, but LOOKS LEGIT), it's probably an interference engine. Since it's only 3km, you probably would be fine just crossing your fingers. What exactly was it doing to make you think that the timing belt was going out? I wasn't driving when it happened but the whole chain of events would be that while driving home from town my girlfriend turned the heating in the car on, very shortly it started to smell like something was burning and also some tiny amounts of smoke in the car(like a thin mist as if you had burned something in a kitchen). We stopped, popped the hood but couldn't smell anything in there or anywhere else on the car so, we just decided to continue on home. A few meters out she struggles a bit with gearing and i figured she'd just noobed it. But as we get home and i get out of the car, the engine is still running while standing still(dont know the word for it in english) while not in a gear and i hear an offbeat noise from the engine. Kinda like tapping/scraping. At this point i was just hoping it was the fan. However my girlfriend then mentions that she also thought she botched the gear changes but then when she thought about it she said the car had some problem gaining momentum or however we are supposed to call it. The pull of the car was a tad off. This pretty much sealed it for me after a bit of googling. The burning smell however i have no idea, we need to change the airfilter that i know but that can't cause that can it? And the smell didn't come back after we turned the heating on again after stopping so dunno what that was/is. I actually had the same problem with my car recently. Complete with burning smell and car losing power when the AC was on. Turned out that the compressor for the AC had stopped spinning, had to get a "new" one, changed the belt as well, since it had probably worn itself out on the stationary spool. Thankfully, stuff here is much cheaper ^^
I dont really understand, your AC went out and you swapped the time belt aswell then just for the hell of it or?
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On September 18 2012 03:01 unkkz wrote:Show nested quote +On September 18 2012 02:41 Nikon wrote:On September 18 2012 02:21 unkkz wrote:On September 18 2012 02:12 ghost_403 wrote:According to this site (never actually used it before, but LOOKS LEGIT), it's probably an interference engine. Since it's only 3km, you probably would be fine just crossing your fingers. What exactly was it doing to make you think that the timing belt was going out? I wasn't driving when it happened but the whole chain of events would be that while driving home from town my girlfriend turned the heating in the car on, very shortly it started to smell like something was burning and also some tiny amounts of smoke in the car(like a thin mist as if you had burned something in a kitchen). We stopped, popped the hood but couldn't smell anything in there or anywhere else on the car so, we just decided to continue on home. A few meters out she struggles a bit with gearing and i figured she'd just noobed it. But as we get home and i get out of the car, the engine is still running while standing still(dont know the word for it in english) while not in a gear and i hear an offbeat noise from the engine. Kinda like tapping/scraping. At this point i was just hoping it was the fan. However my girlfriend then mentions that she also thought she botched the gear changes but then when she thought about it she said the car had some problem gaining momentum or however we are supposed to call it. The pull of the car was a tad off. This pretty much sealed it for me after a bit of googling. The burning smell however i have no idea, we need to change the airfilter that i know but that can't cause that can it? And the smell didn't come back after we turned the heating on again after stopping so dunno what that was/is. I actually had the same problem with my car recently. Complete with burning smell and car losing power when the AC was on. Turned out that the compressor for the AC had stopped spinning, had to get a "new" one, changed the belt as well, since it had probably worn itself out on the stationary spool. Thankfully, stuff here is much cheaper ^^ I dont really understand, your AC went out and you swapped the time belt aswell then just for the hell of it or?
Nah, not the timing belt. The one that was attached to the AC compressor.
Actually, it might've been the timing belt, I don't really know the correct terms in English.
The thing is, that the belt had been spinning on a stationary spool that was supposed to be moving, even if the AC was off, so it'd prolly worn itself out.
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There are two different kind of belts:
One is the timing belt which connects the camshaft with the crankshaft.
The timing between crankshaft and camshaft is one of the most important things to keep your engine working.
Sometimes the water pump is also powered by the timing belt.
Most of the time the engine is dead when this belt rips. There are some exceptions where you just have to replace the timing belt.
The other one is the V-rib belt, which powers your alternator, AC (if existent), pump for power-steering and sometimes your water pump (as shown in the picture in the OP).Even when this belt rips, the repair is quite cheap compared to when your timing belt rips.
As a mechanic-master (not sure if its the proper word), working in this business for 15 years in a free garage, i can give you only one advice when you buy a used car:
Take your time when you buy a used car. Do some investigations on the internet about the weaknesses of a car
Do a test drive and if you got a garage you have faith in, go there an let them check your car.
This can save you a lot of money.
edit : typo
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if you're buying a used car... and you don't know shit, take your car to a mechanic. Don't know a mechanic? Have a friend or family member refer one to you. Don't have family or friends that drive? then just buy a cheap used car and learn from mistakes. There are so many things that can go wrong in a car (some big some small) that the average person won't be able to check them all. Taking it for a test run isn't enough to figure out that current condition of the car. It'll have to be inspected in and out.
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United States24682 Posts
Some cars having timing chains instead of timing belts... so if you ask a seller when the timing belt was last changed and they say the car doesn't need it, they may not be lying.
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On September 18 2012 03:46 aralkanaj wrote:
There are two different kind of belts:
One is the timing belt which connects the camshaft with the crankshaft.
The timing between crankshaft and camshaft is one of the most important things to keep your engine working.
Sometimes the water pump is also powered by the timing belt.
Most of the time the engine is dead when this belt rips. There are some exceptions where you just have to replace the timing belt.
The other one is the V-rib belt, which powers your alternator, AC (if existent), pump for power-steering and sometimes your water pump (as shown in the picture in the OP).Even when this belt rips, the repair is quite cheap compared to when your timing belt rips.
As a mechanic-master (not sure if its the proper word), working in this business for 15 years in a free garage, i can give you only one advice when you buy a used car:
Take your time when you buy a used car. Do some investigations on the internet about the weaknesses of a car
Do a test drive and if you got a garage you have faith in, go there an let them check your car.
This can save you a lot of money.
edit : typo
It might then be the V-rib belt? since the AC went bonkers aswell?
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You have no idea how many things can go wrong with a used car. Its fucking mind boggling.
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On September 18 2012 06:16 ecstatica wrote:
You have no idea how many things can go wrong with a used car. Its fucking mind boggling.
Yeah last time I checked for a used car... I spent all day looking at fucking duds. There's always a jewel amongst the trash though if you keep looking. I know a lot of military people in the US are selling their cars at really cheap prices because they are moving overseas (Germany, Japan, etc.) So those are some good options for looking for quality used cars if you're in the US.
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EPT
