Tweet
Re: 1.8T timing belt
no worries dude. it's tough to explain. i wouldn't go as far as to say that your timing belt life span will be cut in half if you double the power. they are pretty robust. it's just another factor to consider when it comes to maintenance. doubling the power on an already worn belt (even 50-60000kms) probably wont help the situation. after all, who wants to dump a pile of money into more power, only to leave a weak point for catastrophic damage.
i think most people think that when a timing belt starts to crack, that you see the obvious signs of cracking on the smooth side of the belt. sure the belt might look good on the surface, but... although that is true, the toothed side has to be inspected also, since that's what is actually contacting the sprocket. it's when cracks appear on that side, that teeth can be sheared off. and it's always at the crank when that happens. which is why regardless of what the manual/interval says, taking it off to inspect the teeth, replacement is done. like i said, if you are going to the extent to do that, might as well put a new one on. which is why i call them at 100000kms. and you are right about the age of the belt being a factor also.
they don't always break in half. lot's of times you crank it over and notice the cam sprocket isn't turning. well the belt is still in place but because there are no teeth left around the crank sprocket, the parts collide. usually there's only about a dozen teeth ripped off around the crank, making it smooth on both sides.
i hope this clears things up and answers everyone's questions about timing belts.
no worries dude. it's tough to explain. i wouldn't go as far as to say that your timing belt life span will be cut in half if you double the power. they are pretty robust. it's just another factor to consider when it comes to maintenance. doubling the power on an already worn belt (even 50-60000kms) probably wont help the situation. after all, who wants to dump a pile of money into more power, only to leave a weak point for catastrophic damage.
i think most people think that when a timing belt starts to crack, that you see the obvious signs of cracking on the smooth side of the belt. sure the belt might look good on the surface, but... although that is true, the toothed side has to be inspected also, since that's what is actually contacting the sprocket. it's when cracks appear on that side, that teeth can be sheared off. and it's always at the crank when that happens. which is why regardless of what the manual/interval says, taking it off to inspect the teeth, replacement is done. like i said, if you are going to the extent to do that, might as well put a new one on. which is why i call them at 100000kms. and you are right about the age of the belt being a factor also.
they don't always break in half. lot's of times you crank it over and notice the cam sprocket isn't turning. well the belt is still in place but because there are no teeth left around the crank sprocket, the parts collide. usually there's only about a dozen teeth ripped off around the crank, making it smooth on both sides.
i hope this clears things up and answers everyone's questions about timing belts.
Comment