Timing Belt Interval

So we are saying every 4 years or 50K miles as interval for timing belt change? Just got thru spending time on a PT Cruiser forumn (wife's car) and you can't believe what you go thru to swap out a timing belt on one of those things. They are a non-interference (piston-valve) engine but since they are dual cam, under the right conditions, you can have a valve collision between intake and exhaust!!!!

I think I miss timing chains.

alan



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2011 03:58PM by alanrw.

There are different recommendations depending on who you read.

I remember Ove saying that BMW, over there, recommended changes at 60,000km or 3 years; which ever came first. Other sources recommend up to 100,000km or 4 years.

With a non interference engine, I prefer to leave it until it breaks; not much extra cost and definitely you get the full mileage out of it

Our old Honda Civic had the first belt changed at 191,000km and the second one hadn't been done when we traded it in. It had 400,000km on the odo

I believe the Zen of this situation is that if the engine is non-interference,the belt last forever, interference engines, not so much................

alan

When I bought my E30 about 7 years ago its belt had not been changed in about 80,000 miles. I changed it the first week I had the car and it was a good thing. The belt was loose and almost ready to skip a tooth. Ready for another belt soon. Probably this summer. I did not change it at the last water pump change so it will be right at 40,000 miles. It is not as much fun as it was the first couple of times...

About the only thing I do not mind doing over and over is changing my oil. I like that. Most everything else I wish would stay fixed after I work on it.


Had an odd one last week though. bought some used brake pads from a pile of spares a guy had and even though they had some use the media was so thick I could not get both the new pads into my rear calipers. Had to go with one old and one new on each side. There is probably enough stuff left on the old one to get through the summer but just thought it odd that the caliper would not accept new pads.

Bob in Lake Havasu

I had that same problem with a set of OEM ones.
To make them fit, I gentle reduced the size of both pads on my belt sander until they would fit; didn't take much but it was strange.

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Archeo-peteriX
I had that same problem with a set of OEM ones.
To make them fit, I gentle reduced the size of both pads on my belt sander until they would fit; didn't take much but it was strange.

That is real strange, having to shave the pads reducing the time they will serve...
I have a rear brake pad job waiting at the Citroen, just did the front ones last month.

On the other hand, I hate messing withy the engine oil, and have a shop do it for me. It's not expensive either, they charge about as much as a 5l can, plus they let me fill up three times, which would use another can...

Are you sure you pushed the piston back completely? I remember it sometimes took a little more effort to push the last millimeter in.

Sounds logical.. I always used a wood clamp or C-Clamp to push my pistons back in... Anybody else do that or do you just lay into it?

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sdp
Sounds logical.. I always used a wood clamp or C-Clamp to push my pistons back in... Anybody else do that or do you just lay into it?

I used the clamp and a piece of hardwood to push the piston all the way back so that it was not interfering. The pads were simply too thick.

Since the rear pads last about 5 times longer than the front ones, I doubt anyone is going to notice the small amoun we had to shave off

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Archeo-peteriX

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sdp
Sounds logical.. I always used a wood clamp or C-Clamp to push my pistons back in... Anybody else do that or do you just lay into it?

I used the clamp and a piece of hardwood to push the piston all the way back so that it was not interfering. The pads were simply too thick.

Since the rear pads last about 5 times longer than the front ones, I doubt anyone is going to notice the small amoun we had to shave off

I find I have to take a bit off the sides occasionally so the pads will ride free in the caliper, cars and bikes. That I do with a sanding block or a table top and move the pads across the sand paper.

Yes, I used the block of wood and c-clamp method. Same as I usually do. Was tempted to sand off some but did not have a belt sander. Decided to just put one new part on each side until I have to put the winter tires on again. Then I can probably put the other new pad in place of the old one.

Bob in Lake Havasu

I just put a screwdriver in my caliper before removing the old pads and force the piston back in.

Yes, I used the screw driver as a pry bar trick on the 740 on Saturday. There too the pads were pretty thick and had trouble getting them into the caliper. Once in there, not much trouble getting on the disk though. Should be done with the brakes for a few months.

Bob in Lake Havasu