Will86 Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 I can guess the problems if they break or jump a step BUT ... Why do they have a limited life ... do they break or jump notch ... how long will they last over their recommended life if the mileage is minimal. Any more info appreciated. Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 As I undersand it, drive belts which are left in the same position for a long time (for example because the vehicle is little used) can deteriorate where the belt is deformed as it passes over a roller or tensioner, which is why the safe life of a belt is usually quoted in years since installation rather than miles or engine hours. Products containing rubber also suffer hardening with time, because the process of vulcanising used in the shaping the product continues, so tyres have a useful lifetime expressed in years as well as tread depth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 They are 'rubber' and this degrades over time, I think the age limits are probably a bit conservative as I've had one enigine which lasted for decades on the same belt, but for the van I had it changed at 5 y.o. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 There is plenty of information on-line about this - GOOGLE on “timing belt replacement”. I’ve seen it suggested that timing belts will eventually be developed to have the same potential lifespan as the engine they are fitted to, but that has yet to happen. Fiat’s Owner Handbook for Euro 6 Ducatos - for vehicles having 130, 150 or 180 Multijet 2 motors - advises about the timing-belt replacement interval as follows: "Advised maximum mileage 192,000 km (119,000 miles). Irrespective of the mileage, the timing drive belt must be changed every 4 years for heavy-duty use (cold climates, town use, long periods of idling) or at least every 5 years.” When the timing-belt is replaced, ancilliaries like idler pulleys/tensioners and the water-pump are likely to be (or should be) replaced at the same time. If the powerplant is an “interference” engine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interference_engine (and many will be) timing-belt breakage, or the belt ‘jumping’ on the pulleys, will almost certainly result in the valves in the cylinder head being damaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 One of my brothers had a belt break and it does a lot of damage :'( . Based on my experience of VW quality, when in the 6 months after year 5.5 I had seven separate parts fail at a cost of £3500, I wouldn't risk going over the recommendation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted October 25, 2017 Author Share Posted October 25, 2017 Thanks for the replies. My mileage is under 30,000 but I will organise replacements in early 2018. Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Wise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Derek Uzzell - 2017-10-25 1:40 PM I’ve seen it suggested that timing belts will eventually be developed to have the same potential lifespan as the engine they are fitted to, but that has yet to happen. Except that someone has invented a chain ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Tony Jones - 2017-10-25 7:26 PM Derek Uzzell - 2017-10-25 1:40 PM I’ve seen it suggested that timing belts will eventually be developed to have the same potential lifespan as the engine they are fitted to, but that has yet to happen. Except that someone has invented a chain ... But even they break!!! Neighbour had the chain break on his Merc Estate at 80,000 miles, did quite a bit of damage! Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCC Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Will Had my cam belt replaced after 15 (low mileage) years and it still looked in excellent condition. I don't know if the stresses and tolerances on the cam belt of an old 2 litre petrol engine are lower than a modern diesel - I suspect they might be. Also, I think that the T4 was designed to be a lot more rugged, if less sophisticated, than later models. Certainly worth shopping around for a competitive price. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Will86 - 2017-10-25 4:05 PM Thanks for the replies. My mileage is under 30,000 but I will organise replacements in early 2018. Will Presumably your vehicle does have a timing-belt? Most motor manufacturers have had no consistency where the camshaft drive is concerned and VW has used timing-belts or timing-chains indiscriminately. The VW motor in our Skoda car has a timing-chain, but all our previous VW cars (6 of them) had timing-belts. VW has had major problems with timing-chains in recent years http://tinyurl.com/ya7d24te so although a timing-chain might be expected to last the lifetime of a motor, there’s certainly no guarantee that will happen in practice. It's been known for garages to advise motorists wrongly regarding whether their vehicle has a timing-chain or belt, but it’s often visually straightforward to identify which it has as a chain has to have an oil-tight cover over it, while - although a belt will (normally) be covered - the cover does not need to be oil-tight. There seems to be a general move towards timing-belts, with current-model Fiat Ducatos, Peugeot Boxers/Citroen Relays and Ford Transits all having them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 PCC - 2017-10-26 9:06 AM Will Had my cam belt replaced after 15 (low mileage) years and it still looked in excellent condition. I don't know if the stresses and tolerances on the cam belt of an old 2 litre petrol engine are lower than a modern diesel - I suspect they might be. Also, I think that the T4 was designed to be a lot more rugged, if less sophisticated, than later models. Certainly worth shopping around for a competitive price. Peter Well if the T4 was more rugged than later models that doesn't bode well. My T4 troubles began after 500 miles from new when the auto box had to be changed. I should have learned from that and not bought the Golf I wrote about above. The two VWs have caused a lot more problems than all my other vehicles put together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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