What happens if your timing belt breaks
As we mentioned before in several blogposts, timing belt connects the camshaft to the crankshaft and moves the inner engine components such as pistons and valves in synchronised timing rotation to ensure correct compression and combustion cycles that make an engine run. Yes, timing belt moves the valves and pistons in the right order so the engine can work and produce power.
If the timing belt is forgotten for too long or abandoned to be maintained, the vehicle will eventually come to a standstill and event heralded by noise that could be anything from backfires to fracturing metal sounds.
The technical name for an engine making fracturing metal sounds is an interference engine.
When a timing belt breaks, the split second synchronization of engine parts is lost. When this happens, the design of these engines (interference engine) would create catastrophic damage to the engine and surely it will be an expensive repair. Here what happen if your timing belt breaks for the engine (interference engine).
As the synchronization of engine parts is lost because the timing belt breaks, both valves (exhaust and intake valves) suddenly stop rotates. Valves position is depends on cam lobe, if the cam lobe pushed the valve, then it's in open position.
While in the other side, the piston are still rotates during vehicle movement (Car wheels rotating the engine because the transmission gears is still engage to the engine). This conditions pushed the piston to hit the valves many times. As a results, all the open valves are bent over.
Besides bent valves, another engine parts would be damage and need to replace is pistons. Commonly, all pistons are collide with valves and make the piston head breaks or holey.
In several case, debris from the pistons are left between the pistons and the combustion chamber. This material would be compressed by the piston and hit the combustion chamber surfaces. As a result, the combustion chamber surfaces would be damage.
On this case, changes to replace the cylinder head as an assembly is bigger, thus it could be more costly to repair.
Read more :
Another damages to interference engine when the timing belt breaks is bent or broken camshaft. Camshaft is connected to the crankshaft by timing belt or chain, in the other side, camshafts are controlling the valves movement directly.
When the pistons hit the valves, some valves transmitted the energy to the camshaft directly. This make the camshaft bent or broken. In several case we can found the camshaft cap are broken.
Timing belt breaks could damaging your engine cylinder block liner if debris form the piston are stuck on the piston side while the pistons still rotates. Scratches on the cylinder block liner wall of the engine cannot be tolerated for normal engines.
Therefore, deep scratches will cause damage to the cylinder liner, making it possible to replace the engine block or at least replace the liner only.
If the timing belt is forgotten for too long or abandoned to be maintained, the vehicle will eventually come to a standstill and event heralded by noise that could be anything from backfires to fracturing metal sounds.
The technical name for an engine making fracturing metal sounds is an interference engine.
When a timing belt breaks, the split second synchronization of engine parts is lost. When this happens, the design of these engines (interference engine) would create catastrophic damage to the engine and surely it will be an expensive repair. Here what happen if your timing belt breaks for the engine (interference engine).
1. Bent valves
As the synchronization of engine parts is lost because the timing belt breaks, both valves (exhaust and intake valves) suddenly stop rotates. Valves position is depends on cam lobe, if the cam lobe pushed the valve, then it's in open position.
While in the other side, the piston are still rotates during vehicle movement (Car wheels rotating the engine because the transmission gears is still engage to the engine). This conditions pushed the piston to hit the valves many times. As a results, all the open valves are bent over.
2. Pistons damage
Besides bent valves, another engine parts would be damage and need to replace is pistons. Commonly, all pistons are collide with valves and make the piston head breaks or holey.
3. Combustion chambers damage
In several case, debris from the pistons are left between the pistons and the combustion chamber. This material would be compressed by the piston and hit the combustion chamber surfaces. As a result, the combustion chamber surfaces would be damage.
On this case, changes to replace the cylinder head as an assembly is bigger, thus it could be more costly to repair.
Read more :
- Timing belt vs drive belt -What are the differences?
- When should timing belt be replaced?
- Bad Timing Belt Symptoms
4. Bent or broken camshafts
Another damages to interference engine when the timing belt breaks is bent or broken camshaft. Camshaft is connected to the crankshaft by timing belt or chain, in the other side, camshafts are controlling the valves movement directly.
When the pistons hit the valves, some valves transmitted the energy to the camshaft directly. This make the camshaft bent or broken. In several case we can found the camshaft cap are broken.
5. Cylinder block liner damage
Timing belt breaks could damaging your engine cylinder block liner if debris form the piston are stuck on the piston side while the pistons still rotates. Scratches on the cylinder block liner wall of the engine cannot be tolerated for normal engines.
Therefore, deep scratches will cause damage to the cylinder liner, making it possible to replace the engine block or at least replace the liner only.