BY MIKE HAGERTY / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCTOBER 12, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / What happens when your timing belt breaks? I can answer that one&hellip;{"id":10788,"date":"2018-11-07T13:22:11","date_gmt":"2018-11-07T21:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=10788"},"modified":"2018-11-07T13:22:11","modified_gmt":"2018-11-07T21:22:11","slug":"timing-belt-breaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2018\/11\/07\/timing-belt-breaks\/","title":{"rendered":"What Happens When Your Timing Belt Breaks?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\">BY MIKE HAGERTY \/ ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCTOBER 12, 2018 \/\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.napaautocare.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">\/<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">What happens when your timing belt breaks? I can answer that one firsthand. I was taking one of those flyover connector ramps that goes from one freeway to another when all of a sudden, there\u2019s a lot of noise and no power. Twenty seconds later, I\u2019m at a dead stop, still on that ramp, blocking traffic and wondering what just happened. Here\u2019s what I learned.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>What IS a Timing Belt, Anyway?<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It\u2019s a continuous loop of rubber with ridges cut into it. It goes around the teeth of the camshaft, which controls the valves, and the crankshaft, which connects to the pistons, and keeps them in sync with each other. In other words, it regulates the timing of the opening and closing of valves with the up-and-down motion of the pistons.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why Does Timing Matter?<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Without a belt doing its job, the valves and pistons on most engines are on a literal\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/knowhow.napaonline.com\/interference-engine-vs-non-interference-engine-types\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>collision course<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">with each other. And with your engine turning at thousands of revolutions per minute, something can go wrong in the blink of an eye.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>What Happens When Valves and Pistons Collide?<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The valves take the worst of it, usually bending when the piston strikes. But the damage can also affect the piston and the cylinder walls. It means catastrophic engine damage and extensive repairs. Fortunately, it can also be avoided.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How Do I Know When to Replace the Timing Belt?<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Check your owner\u2019s manual for the manufacturer\u2019s recommendation about\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"SWhtmlLink\" href=\"http:\/\/knowhow.napaonline.com\/whats-in-a-timing-belt-and-water-pump-replacement-kit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>when to change your belt<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. Most auto mechanics suggest switching it between 60,000 and 100,000 miles (mine went at 66,000). Next, look at your odometer and see how close you are to this mark (or how much borrowed time you\u2019ve been driving on). Finally, check under the hood. See if there\u2019s drying, fraying or discoloration. Knowing your belt\u2019s condition and changing it before there\u2019s a problem can double the life of your engine.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>What\u2019s My Next Move?<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you do a lot of your own work on your car, changing a belt might be in your skill set. Look for a<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a class=\"SWhtmlLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/p\/ATMTB282K1?cid=social_blog_092018_timing_belt_kit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">timing belt kit<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">that has everything you need for the replacement. If you\u2019d rather leave it to a pro, turn to your local NAPA AutoCare who has the parts, tools and know-how to get the job done right.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Nobody wants a complete engine rebuild (or a replacement engine) at 100,000 miles or less. Replacing your timing belt is a great way to avoid the inconvenience of disastrous engine failure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Check out all the<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/c\/belts-hoses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">belts and hoses<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">available on<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NAPA Online<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">or trust one of their 16,000<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.napaautocare.com\/store-finder.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NAPA AutoCare locations<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on replacing your timing belt, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/store-locator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">local NAPA AUTO PARTS store<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Photo Credit:<\/em>\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/69663188@N00\/6821058083\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Timing Belt<\/strong><\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/grant_subaru\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Grant C<\/strong><\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/legalcode\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CC BY 2.0<\/strong><\/a>)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This article has been reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder, National Automotive Parts Association. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Click here for more<\/span>\u00a0<\/i><strong><i><a href=\"http:\/\/knowhow.napaonline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">automotive tips and stories<\/a><\/i><\/strong><i>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">from NAPA, or here for more information on<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/event-info\/car-show-hours-dates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the next Pomona Swap Meet &amp; Classic Car Show<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":10790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cos_headline_score":0,"cos_seo_score":0,"cos_headline_text":"","cos_headline_has_been_analyzed":false,"cos_last_analyzed_headline":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[805],"tags":[3603,6593,3604,6590,3491,6595,3026,3609,3615,3596,6594,6592,6591,3611],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/6821058083_fd271a6c1c_b.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9nnZN-2O0","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10788"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10788"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10791,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10788\/revisions\/10791"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}