Cam Belt

[Matheous-2]

Can anyone tell me what actually happens to the car engine when the belt breaks- does it seize? So to help from the car grinding to sudden halt - do you have to dip the clutch to get some brake control?

Touch wood- it's never happened to me, but my current car is getting a bit long in the tooth so I'd like to know what to expect.....

[Answerprancer]

afaik, the pistons end up crunching into the valves and things get damaged beyond repair. Dipping the clutch would make no difference because the engine would still be running.

[Answerprancer]

You need to know what the service interval for a cambelt change is for your car and get it done before it's too late.

[sara3]

I was told that bits sheer off, and that's the end of your engine.

[tonyav]

When a cam belt snaps the valves in the cylinder head will smash into the tops of the pistons. Shouldn't come to an emergency stop ( as in braking) type of stop.

[Answerprancer]

eg. mine was five years or 80,000 miles - whichever comes first.
I checked with the garage used by a previous owner and to my relief it had been done at the correct time.

[mjwman]

The cam belt is driven by the crankshaft which is turned by the action of the pistons moving up and down.
As it turns, it turns the camshaft, which controls the inlet and exhaust valves movements, opening and closing them at exactly the right time.
The valves open down into the cylinder and do so when the piston is down.

If the belt should snap, there is a very good chance that the upwardly moblile pistons will meet the open valves resulting in metal carnage. Very expensive to repair.

[Gizmonster]

Is it only me that finds this slightly amusing ??

The OP has stated, "my current car is getting a bit long in the tooth so I'd like to know what to expect....." ???????

.... surely prevention is the best form of cure - so go and get your cam belt changed, before it's too late. I'm not exactly sure what the mechanics are when the belt snaps, but as already stated, it's very expensive to rectify !!!!

[Hopkirk]

If it happened to an old car it would be the death of the car - not worth repairing (unless you are driving a Rolls or similar)

[EDDIE51]

Putting a new cam belt on an older car should cost around £50 , if an old belt fails it is the end of the engine and the car as it will not be worth the cost of a new engine. Better safe than sorry get a reputable mechanic to put on a new cam belt , do not go to a main dealer , they will charge a lot more.

[Mass_Hysteria]

You would pay up to £200 to get it changed before it snaps, and it will, just when you least expect, and somewhere around £1000 after it goes. I waited and waited and...............££££

(I'll stand corrected on the price....just an example of the difference, before and after)

[Matheous-2]

Gizmonster- I have some 'political' issues behind this question- hence my reason for not changing the belt, eg., the car is in its tenth year, and I would rather have a new one! My other half is dragging her heels and would rather spend money on holidays. I would rather have a shiny new car!!

[EDDIE51]

My local garage which has a good reputation quoted £50 -60 to change the cam belt on my 1998 Subaru , I was going by that.

[Hopkirk]

A risky way of doing that Matheous!

If it snaps while you are in lane 3 of a busy motorway, fun will ensue.

[malagabob]

So we all assume you will scrap the car not sell it for what you can get?
If selling, any person with half a brain will want to see some S/H especially a cambelt change

[Khandro]

I've just had it done on my Honda CRV and along with associated items, it cost 661euros (£565) at a Honda main dealers.

[jake-the-peg]

Change intervals vary hugely

Check out this site

http://www.mytimingbelt.com/

[EDDIE51]

Just looked , My present car , Vauxhall Zafira diesel has a cambelt life of 100,000 miles or 10 years , so in most cases it will last the life of the car. is this normal now?

[ummmm]

Mine snapped when I was driving and caused 3.5k to fix.

Luckily as it only had 18,000 on the clock Vauxhall paid for it.

Anyway, the engine just cut out. Luckily I was on a side street with plenty of parking spaces.

[Matheous-2]

Thanks all- especially JTPeg.... It would appear my car is still safe as I'm more than 10k under!

[jake-the-peg]

Long cambelt intervals are not 'normal' but they are increasingly common - Fords I know tend to be 100K sounds as if Vauxhalls are the same.

I would be disappointed these days if 'life of the car' was 100K I know that used to be the case - I have a 9 year old focus with 110K on it which is perfectly good and a Landrover defender with 214K on it (less good:c) ) - still looking to get a quarter of a million on that