Date: 13 May 2004 15:10:21 GMT From: Dave Hinz <DaveMay2004nospam-creek.net> Subject: Re: Timing Belts (was Re: Cost of repair Audi BMW Saab...(crossposting))
On Thu, 13 May 2004 14:22:37 GMT, eBob.com <eBob.comnospamllybogus.com> wrote: > > Anyway, how 'bout educating me on two things. Just exactly what do timing > belts do? (Yes, I am pretty dumb in this area.) And what do the BMWs w/o > timing belts have which perform that function? Timing belts go from the crankshaft to the camshaft(s), turning the cams to open and close the valves at the appropriate times. Some cars use timing belts, and are subject to frequent replacements, expensive probelms if the belts break, and so on. They are quieter, though. Other cars, such as most (all non-V6) Saab engines and apparently some BMW engines, use a timing chain rather than a belt. It will wear and stretch over a few hundred thousand miles, but catastrophic failures of timing chains are very rare...they usually get very rattly for a very long time before anything goes wrong, giving the driver plenty of time (months) to do something about it. Earlier, Saab used timing gears in the V4 engines, which were again noisier than a rubber band (oops, "belt") but give more positive and reliable timing. I don't know which Audi uses, but I personally will avoid any engine with timing belts. Internal engine components, which you can't visually inspect, aren't something I'm willing to put up with. Dave Hinz
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