A timing belt is an integral part of your car’s engine. Also known as a cambelt, it can be easily overlooked or ignored but if it fails, your engine is going to fail too! It is important to get your car’s timing belt replaced at the manufacturers intervals, and while there are no warning signs, any strange noise coming from your engine should always be checked by a professional mechanic.
The timing belt is a rubber toothed belt. The belt controls the rotation of the camshaft which controls the opening and closing of the engine’s numerous valves. The valves operation is synchronised with the position of the pistons. When the timing belt snaps, the valves are no longer synchronised and damage can be caused to the pistons.
When replacing the timing belt, you may also wish to consider replacing the idler and tensioner as well. The timing belt idler is a small pulley that helps to keep the timing belt in the correct position. A tensioner ensures that the timing belt is kept at the optimum tension at all times, by holding pressure on the belt. They play an important role in keeping the timing belt running smoothly and need to be checked to ensure they will not seize and cause damage to the car’s engine. The general advice is to change the idler and tensioners at the same time as the timing belt.
