“OMG – The timing belt broke!”
DON’T BE THIS PERSON?
While driving to work – the timing belt broke… and because this vehicle has an interference engine, the engine is probably toast. The vehicle got towed to my shop – Auto Craftsmen.
Her auto technician told her 3xs that she should get the timing belt changed on her 2002 PT Cruiser.
But she kept putting it off – because she did not want to spend the money.
The only way to find out if the engine survived is to put a new timing belt on the engine (approx. a five hour job). It is will either be OK – or not Ok – It’s about a $500 gamble! So Sad!
It’s very important to know if your vehicle has an Interference Engine. If it does have an Interference Engine & the timing belt breaks, – the pistons and valves collide. This not only stops your car (dead on the side of the road), but damages the valves, pistons or head… and in most cases, completely ruins the engine.
If your car is not an Interference Engine and it has a timing belt – and the belt breaks… then your vehicle will stop running, and you will have to get towed to a repair shop to get a new timing belt installed in your vehicle.
Lots of vehicles now have Timing Chains. Much better design – in that you don’t have to worry about it breaking, nor having to replace it around somewhere between 60,000 to 105,000 miles, depending on the year, make & model.
The timing belt is located under the timing cover – which is not easily taken off & put back on, so you can’t see the timing belt to inspect the condition it is in.
This is too bad when you are looking to purchase a used car that has about 80,000 – 100,000 miles. So it is very important to do your homework ahead of time and know what type of engine & timing belt a used car has before you purchase it.
Getting a timing belt job is an investment in the vehicle. It can run anywhere from $500 to $1,500 depending on whether you have other components replaced while the technician has the cover off.
If you are looking to get 200,000 miles out of the vehicle, I recommend having the water pump, idler & tensioner pulleys replaced at the same time the timing belt is replaced. If the pump fails or and idler or pulley seizes -it will break the timing belt and you will be back at square one.
I hope you never have this experience. The owner of this vehicle still owes a couple of thousand on a loan… and it’s very likely that the engine is ruined. No matter what they decide to do now, they are going to loose money on this car. Very Sad Story!
July 30th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
That is sad! Its too bad she didn’t listen to her auto technician!
September 1st, 2010 at 10:41 am
ahh that sucks, I once had my timing belt explode in the middle of a 5 lane highway … imagine the scene!!
September 16th, 2010 at 1:54 am
ahh that sucks, I once had my timing belt explode in the middle of a 5 lane highway – imagine the scene!!