The timing belt:
- Drives the camshafts of the engine to
- open and close the valves so that
- the fuel/air mixture gets into the cylinder head's combustion chambers so it can be
- ignited by the spark plugs and thus develop power.
The timing belt is a strong, wide, square-toothed type of belt which is driven off the engine's crankshaft. Once installed and properly tensioned, a timing belt usually will operate without any further service or maintenance need, although some car makers advise periodic timing-belt tension adjustment.
You see, when a timing belt breaks, it usually does so when the engine is running. This kind of operational breakage very often results in expensive engine damage, due to fast-moving pistons in the engine block being impacted by valves which may be open when contact is made.
| No Valve/Piston Interference |
Valve/Piston Interference |
Not all timing belt breakage will end up causing serious valve-to-piston -- and possibly worse -- damage, however. Some engines are of the freewheeling type, that is, due to their cylinder head design, valves and pistons are very unlikely to collide, therefore no damage will occur
Engine timing belt replacement is a required maintenance job on a growing number of engines today. So...do you know how your engine's valves are operated? If it's with a timing belt, get to know the car maker's recommended replacement interval -- and don't forget it!
Below is a diagram showing a timing belt setup.
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