Auto Repair|Timing Belt

The timing belt is a third type of belt used on most modern autos that I didn't mention earlier, mainly because checking this belt for wear will go past the scope of this blog. Not that it's impossible for the knowledgeable DIYer to inspect or even replace this belt , it's just that there are so many different types of cars and one would need a manual specific to the vehicle being worked on to have all the information needed to carry out this proceedure.

Timing belts differ from other belts used on cars as it has cogs (or teeth) on it and the pulleys (actually sprockets) have matching cogs. The cogs are used to keep the cam and crankshaft in time with each other to insure that the valves are opening and closing at the proper time in relation to the piston position.

Most manufacturers have a recommended replacement interval for this belt as on some engines failure of the timing belt can cause the piston to come in contact with the valves which in turn could do some very costly damage.
It is a good idea to always replace or have the timing belt replaced at the intervals recommended by the manufacturer