I will take a belt any day one modern engines, back in the day when chains were short crank to cam and easy to change is a different story.
Does timing belt vs chain influence your used car decisions?
- Thread starter Elkins45
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Changing timing belts isn't a difficult job at all.
And no it wouldn't influence my buying decision.
As a matter of fact, a belt seems superior to a chain.
Changing a belt is simple, guessing when that chain may snap isn't.
Belts are actually tough, and they don't need replacement very often.
The last one I did was for a friend, on her 2007 Focus, couldn't be more simple.
But I have yet to do a difficult one, on any brand.
And no it wouldn't influence my buying decision.
As a matter of fact, a belt seems superior to a chain.
Changing a belt is simple, guessing when that chain may snap isn't.
Belts are actually tough, and they don't need replacement very often.
The last one I did was for a friend, on her 2007 Focus, couldn't be more simple.
But I have yet to do a difficult one, on any brand.
That's true. Changing the timing chain on a buick 3800 was a piece of cake.
The best timing system is timing gears (but not nylon timing gears)
I've owned two vehicles with gear-driven camshafts, two with chain-driven, and zero belt-driven. No maintenance needed on any of those cam drives, ever, in roughly one million total miles.
In about the same span, my brother & wife have had about six cars with belt-driven camshafts (2 VWs, 1 Honda, 4 Toyota). Most of them had the belt replaced at least once. No belt failures.
In about the same span, my brother & wife have had about six cars with belt-driven camshafts (2 VWs, 1 Honda, 4 Toyota). Most of them had the belt replaced at least once. No belt failures.
JHZR2
Staff member
Not at all. Chains wear. They slap, they break. Some are very complex.
I have plenty of vehicles with chains. I don’t really care. I need to check them for wear and timing. It’s actually more to think about than doing a belt at 105k.
I have plenty of vehicles with chains. I don’t really care. I need to check them for wear and timing. It’s actually more to think about than doing a belt at 105k.
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I think the only new car that still uses belts is honda. Which I assume is going away with vtec.
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A belt is just a maintenance item - so you just need to factor it into the cost of the vehicle. Even if you can DIY, still it means that if they can't prove its been replaced, you just need to deduct shop rate to do it from what you would pay for that vehicle. We are talking about a 21 year old car. There are a lot more important things in that case as to whether it has a belt or a chain. Either way, at 21 years it should be pretty cheap.
Entirely depends on the vehicle. Something like this crazy Audi timing system? No thanks.
I draw the line at valve adjustments.
I draw the line at valve adjustments.
Love timing belts - belts are generally easy to replace. At least for me.
Would take one over any chain motor.
Would take one over any chain motor.
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The 1MZ-FE is one of the best engine Toyota has ever made and that RX platform is pretty comfortable, quiet and practical, so, given a good maintenance record, it may be worth investing in a timing belt job.
It is also very much possible to tackle it yourself - not a complicated job at all, just need to take your time and be methodical and careful.
Timing chains and guides do have their issues, even on some Toyota engines, and do wear down when a car is not perfectly maintained (late oil changes, cheap oil, etc.) due to the fact they are lubricated/cooled/cleaned by the engine oil.
A timing belt is not dependant on the oil and can be checked relatively easily on that 1MZ-FE by removing one of its plastic covers.
I, personally, for those reasons, would get a used car with a timing belt, rather than one with a timing chain.
It is also very much possible to tackle it yourself - not a complicated job at all, just need to take your time and be methodical and careful.
Timing chains and guides do have their issues, even on some Toyota engines, and do wear down when a car is not perfectly maintained (late oil changes, cheap oil, etc.) due to the fact they are lubricated/cooled/cleaned by the engine oil.
A timing belt is not dependant on the oil and can be checked relatively easily on that 1MZ-FE by removing one of its plastic covers.
I, personally, for those reasons, would get a used car with a timing belt, rather than one with a timing chain.
Greddy - Heavy Duty Timing belt
The Greddy Extreme Timing belts have been engineered to increase heat-resistance, flexibility and durability.
www.nengun.com
might as well for a bit more. I like chains but if a catastrophic incident occurred, belts are less of an issue.
Belt or chain is not a factor in my decision-making. A belt is relatively easily replaced and the engine doesn't need to be cracked open. Replacing a timing chain/s is more involved. The long-term reliability of the chain may be higher than that of the belt but this potential advantage is offset by timely belt replacement and lower cost of a belt system. Besides, chains may last the life of the car but the chain guides may not last as long as timing belts do. UI can change a timing belt at the side of the road but a timing chain and chain guides not so much.
The belt on my Subaru EJs runs about $260 including tensioner and idler pulleys, and can literally be done in the driveway in an afternoon without ever “opening” the engine.
The chains, tensioners, phasers and assorted parts and gaskets on my Ecoboost would run nearly $1000 in parts (@bdcardinal help me out here) and really requires pulling the cab off the frame to do the job properly. All in, it’s probably in the $5-7k range, and as others mentioned, chains give some people a false sense of security.
They make chains for silence these days rather than brute strength, and that can significantly compromise their lifespan compared to the old days of double-roller timing sets riding on fixed cast iron or billet steel timing sets. Plus, any time you let the dealer open up the engine to do chains & guides, you’re giving the techs ample opportunity to introduce foreign materials into the crankcase (á la @Astro14 ’s Volvo tech that used Scotchbrite pads & left crud inside the oil pan!).
Give me a timing belt on a non-interference engine and I’m as happy as a clam.
The chains, tensioners, phasers and assorted parts and gaskets on my Ecoboost would run nearly $1000 in parts (@bdcardinal help me out here) and really requires pulling the cab off the frame to do the job properly. All in, it’s probably in the $5-7k range, and as others mentioned, chains give some people a false sense of security.
They make chains for silence these days rather than brute strength, and that can significantly compromise their lifespan compared to the old days of double-roller timing sets riding on fixed cast iron or billet steel timing sets. Plus, any time you let the dealer open up the engine to do chains & guides, you’re giving the techs ample opportunity to introduce foreign materials into the crankcase (á la @Astro14 ’s Volvo tech that used Scotchbrite pads & left crud inside the oil pan!).
Give me a timing belt on a non-interference engine and I’m as happy as a clam.
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I used to only look for cars with a timing chain, but with the increasing complexity (and fragility?) of timing chains in newer engines, I'm almost more eager to have a timing belt now.
I avoid timing belt driven vehicles because regardless of maintenance you will need expensive belt replacement.....sometimes more than once in the vehicle's life while proper oil change intervals should keep a chain drive engine running indefinitely (unless it's a poor design like GM's 3.6 and 2.4).
Which engines with timing chains have chain guides that neither crumble nor wear out and chain tensioners that fail so much less frequently compared to timing belts and associated components? I'm being serious. I've seen chain guides fail at just 70k miles and less than two years into ownership.
Small block chevy. They don't have guides or tensioners though
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I would agree. The LS430 is the first and last for me. Prior to getting it in 2016, never had a car with a timing belt nor 8 cyl.
It had 81k and proactively I had the belt (timing belt job) replaced my a Japanese specialist. $950 when dealers wanted $1800. This is early 2017 imagine today. I would not trust a dealership to do the job when it’s common knowledge they replace 7/8 plugs and avoid the one by the dipstick.
All parts were returned to me and the belt looked new. But why have that expense every 90k miles, right? And some surmise they’re good for double the interval—willing to chance it? Not sure I understand why they are still used today. I’ve heard Toyota > Honda on this topic. Heck my next new cars will have pushrods, and OHV
I'm completely unfamiliar with those. Aren't those ancient?
