Timing Belts in
Types of timing belt
Timing belts can be obtained in a range of types and the type that you will need will be dependant on the type of car it is that you own.
There are two sorts of car engines that require a cam belt.
Interference engine cam belts need to be regularly maintained as a result of the close proximity between the pistons and valves in your engine.
Non-interference engine cam belts need much less maintenance as the valves and pistons in the engine do not sit so closely together.
The teeth of your cam belt may be of a number of shapes.
Cam belts that are less modern will usually have trapezoid shaped teeth, when contrasted with the rounded teeth of recent cam belts.
Cam belts will usually be made from rubber which has been treated with materials like fibreglass to ensure that it is stronger, although more and more timing belts are made from modern materials such as HSN.
mechanic firms can carry out work on cam belts
If you need to have work done on your timing belt you will need to find a mechanic firm in . You can do this by using RepairACar to find a mechanic in to undertake work on your vehicle's cam belt. Any number of cam belt jobs can be carried out by our approved mechanics.
Should you have noticed your cam belt may be damaged they can be used to inspect your timing belt. When they have worked out what is wrong with your vehicle's timing belt our timing belt mechanics in can carry out repairs, or if this is not a possibility, they can run through a replacement of your cam belt. A cam belt tightening may need to be carried out, or it may even need to be loosened as it is too tight.
It could be that you need to have your cam belt realigned. Perhaps you need to have your cam belt and crankshaft synchronised, or it could be that you wish to have your cam belt and water pump replaced together, you can locate timing belt specialists when you visit RepairACar.
What happens when timing belt problems are not addressed
A failure to spot that your cam belt is damaged, or even worse; failure to address the problem can have disastrous consequences for your engine. If you have an interference engine in your vehicle can result in notable damage to your auto mobile.
If the cam belt snaps then your car will simply stop, but if your cam belt is running whilst damaged the engine of your vehicle could be taking on damage without you even realising it. Should your cam belt become damaged the valves and pistons in your car's engine will hit into one another which can result in cracks appearing in your valve guides.
The valve guides in the engine of your vehicle may also bend which is also a costly procedure to fix. In extreme circumstances your cam shaft may even break.
Should you be having any difficulties with your cam belt RepairACar can be utilised to source you a cam belt specialist in .
What does a cam belt do?
Cam belts are rubber belts that are able to control the timing of valves in engines. The engine valves need to open and close a set number of times and a cam belt is responsible for this happening. A cam belt's teeth are carefully designed so that they can deliver maximum efficiency for their engine.
These teeth are used to turn the vehicle's cam shaft and make sure that it stays synchronised with the crankshaft. The camshaft will need to be turned half as fast as the engine's crankshaft, and the cam belt ensures this happens. Should something stop this from happening then the engine will be prevented from efficiently working which will result in your engine being damaged.
Causes of such damage to engines can be engine valves not opening and closing correctly leading to them sticking to the pistons.
Problems you may have with your cam belt
Problems with a car's timing belt are one of the main causes of car's breaking down. There can be a number of different problems with timing belts and if you know how to spot them you can avoid suffering a break down.
Having your cam belt snap is the worst possible problem, but there are a number of things that can cause this to happen. Timing belts can get over tight leading to them becoming noisy, and making creaking sounds.
If your timing belt looses its teeth this also spells disaster as the camshaft will not be turned. Should the cam belt be misaligned the cam shaft will not be able to turn.
Timing belts can also become damaged by oil being compressed into the belt changing the size of the belt, meaning that it will not work correctly. A vehicles timing belt will sometimes get loose resulting in them slipping out of their desired position.
Cam belts can sometimes break after becoming corroded.
