Toothed belt = timing belt?
Discussion
Hi,
My car (98 Polo) is doing funny things that my mechanic says could indicate problems with timing, and the timing belt needing to be replaced. I'm taking it in in a couple of days but have been trying to establish whether the timing belt has been changed recently/ever - I bought the car in November. Looking in the Service History, there is a box labelled 'toothed belt changed' for each service. Is this the same as the timing belt that the mechanic was talking about?
As I am sure is already clear, I know absolutely nothing about engines...
Cheers!
My car (98 Polo) is doing funny things that my mechanic says could indicate problems with timing, and the timing belt needing to be replaced. I'm taking it in in a couple of days but have been trying to establish whether the timing belt has been changed recently/ever - I bought the car in November. Looking in the Service History, there is a box labelled 'toothed belt changed' for each service. Is this the same as the timing belt that the mechanic was talking about?
As I am sure is already clear, I know absolutely nothing about engines...
Cheers!
I can't think of any other toothed belts that would normally be changed at a service. But I also can't think how a cam belt could cause timing problems. I'd expect it to appear perfectly OK right up to the point it fails and you need a new engine. Perhaps he thinks it's jumped a tooth or something.
which engine is in it. if it is a 8v unit ie 1.0-1.4 or a 16v unit as they should all be cambelts. In less you are running a G40 with toothed pulley conversion.....
It is possible for a cam belt to slip a tooth or two and as a result the static timing will be put out and you will definately notice a change in the engines performance. If you remove the cam belt cover you can inspect the condition of the belt, rotate it 90* to see what the underside looks like, any cracks in the rubber mean its likely to be past its best and need replacing. You can do a quick check of the static timing by using a large socket to turn the cam pulley around until the dot on the cam pulley lines up with the notch on the block. With these two markers alligned so ought to be able to shine a torch down toward the lower cam belt cover and see 2 more markers on the lower pulley which should also line up. If one set of markers line up an one doesnt then the timing is out.
if the engine is obviously not running as well as it should i would avoid driving it until you can get it to a garage.
dave
It is possible for a cam belt to slip a tooth or two and as a result the static timing will be put out and you will definately notice a change in the engines performance. If you remove the cam belt cover you can inspect the condition of the belt, rotate it 90* to see what the underside looks like, any cracks in the rubber mean its likely to be past its best and need replacing. You can do a quick check of the static timing by using a large socket to turn the cam pulley around until the dot on the cam pulley lines up with the notch on the block. With these two markers alligned so ought to be able to shine a torch down toward the lower cam belt cover and see 2 more markers on the lower pulley which should also line up. If one set of markers line up an one doesnt then the timing is out.
if the engine is obviously not running as well as it should i would avoid driving it until you can get it to a garage.
dave
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