Why Timing Belt Replacements Can Be Tricky

Most cars and light duty trucks have timing belts. The transverse mounted engines, or known as front wheel drive, can be tricky with removing and replacing a timing belt.

There are three types of timing belts

  • Single overhead cam timing belt
  • Dual overhead cam timing belt
  • Dual overhead cam twin head timing belt

Single overhead cam timing belt

Single overhead cam timing belts can be a little tricky to replace. Some vehicles have brackets, pulleys, or cooling hoses in front of the timing cover. Keeping the camshaft and crankshaft in alignment are pretty simple on single overhead design when replacing a timing belt.

Dual overhead cam timing belt

Dual overhead cam timing belts can be tricky as well. Most vehicles today on the market have a cylinder head design that has the valve train enter the combustion chamber at an angle of forty to eighty degrees. This is critical when removing the timing belt due to the alignment of the valve train. When removing a timing belt on a dual overhead camshaft, the two camshafts are preloaded with springs. One camshaft may have a load on shaft resulting the camshaft staying put during the belt removal. However, the other camshaft will not have a load on it and the shaft will turn under spring pressure. This can cause a valve to make contact with a piston allowing the valve to bend.

To prevent a camshaft from rotating when the timing belt is removed a cam lock tool is to be used. a cam lock tool locks between both camshafts and keeps them together from rotating.

Dual overhead cam twin head timing belt

The most complex type of timing belt replacement that can be very tricky to perform is a dual overhead cam twin head timing belt. This type of belt is a single belt that is used on a v configured engine with dual overhead camshaft heads. Most v-6 engines with overhead timing may have this type of belt. When replacing this type of belt it is important to have two cam lock tools for there are two sets of cylinder heads on the engine.

On transverse engines, the timing belt can be tricky to remove for there is limited space to access the belt. Some vehicles it is easier to remove the belt from the top of the engine, but on most vehicles, the wheel and tire assembly must come off along with the inner fender, if it is a bolt on design, to access the lower bolts to the timing cover. Most timing covers are now one piece resulting in removing the harmonic balancer located on the crankshaft.

Some engines will have engine mounts in the way of removing the timing belt and making it difficult to extract the belt. In this case, supporting the engine and keeping it from moving will help aid in removal and installation of the engine mounts, commonly known as dog bones.

Timing belts are to be changed based on the manufacturer's recommendation time frame. It is ok to change a timing belt earlier than normal but not recommended.

  • Note: If a timing belt has broken off, be sure to check the engine to see if it is an interference or non interference engine. Plus, realign the timing, install a new belt, and perform a leak down test to ensure that the engine is indeed ok for normal operations. YourMechanic has services available to replace your timing belt.

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Recent Timing Belt Replacement reviews

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Greg

23 years of experience
624 reviews
Greg
23 years of experience
Subaru Legacy H4-2.5L - Timing Belt Replacement - Mesa, Arizona
Greg is AMAZING!!! I had a concern unrelated to my scheduled appointment. Another mechanic told me I needed a service done. Greg not only checked it himself, he called another master mechanic to properly diagnose next steps and saved me $3500 of unneeded work! He was incredibly thorough, patient, communicative and was a pleasure to work with. Highly recommend him for work on your car! Thank you for everything, Greg!
Honda Accord - Timing Belt - Mesa, Arizona
Greg was prompt and kept me updated on his arrival time. He communicated the various checks he completed on the vehicle and what needed repair. The repairs were completed on time and with no problems.

James

31 years of experience
1039 reviews
James
31 years of experience
Lexus GS300 L6-3.0L - Timing Belt - Altamonte Springs, Florida
One of the best most professional mechanics I have worked with so far. Very honest and was able to clear up any issues that previous mechanics weren't able to fix. Thanks James will be requesting your services from now on.
Chrysler PT Cruiser - Timing Belt - Orlando, Florida
James is THE MAN. Thoughtful, funny, and a great mechanic. Will be using him going forward for anything I need!

Luke

18 years of experience
322 reviews
Luke
18 years of experience
Ford Fiesta L4-1.6L - Timing Belt - Austin, Texas
On time and ready to get to work. Explained everything that was going on and best way to resolve the issue. Luke is a perfect example of why I use YourMechanic.com.
Hyundai Accent - Timing Belt Replacement - Austin, Texas
Luke was very friendly, informative, & fast! He took care of my timing belt & oil change, completing the job quicker than expected. After the service he went over all findings with me & explained some maintenance I may need in the near future. Will definitely use him again when I need service.

Michael

28 years of experience
672 reviews
Michael
28 years of experience
Toyota 4Runner V8-4.7L - Timing Belt - Queen Creek, Arizona
Michael was on time. He left my driveway clean after the repairs. He took pride in his work. The 4Runner drove better and the motor sounded better after the repairs.

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