Every driver was faced with the unpleasant moment of a belt break in the engine. Consider the possible moments of replacement, what is needed for this and what are the consequences if you overlook the replacement of the belt in time.
The content of the article:
- Generator
- Hydraulic booster
- Timing
- Price
- Timing break
The transfer belt is not an unimportant part in a car engine, since it transfers revolutions from one working mechanism to another mechanism. An example of such a mechanism can be a generator, a power steering, most often they recall the belt that is located in the gas distribution mechanism, in another way it is called the timing.
The belt is often made from a special rubber-fabric compound. This is done so that it is elastic during work, and strong due to the fibers. But not everything is eternal in our life, therefore, such mechanisms also have the ability to break. If the belt breaks in any of the mechanisms, then it is noticeably very strong, the car either stalls immediately or traction disappears.
Alternator belt, how to change
Let's take a generator belt for a start, even a novice car enthusiast can replace it, and this is the best moment to study the motor device and try yourself as a mechanic. Before you start removing it, you need to make sure that it has definitely fallen into disrepair, the main signs are the characteristic whistle under load or when starting a cold engine. In some cars, an indicator may signal that the alternator belt is out of order, but this is often thought out in foreign cars.
If the alternator belt is loose and you tightened it, then this is not for long, after a while the situation will repeat itself, therefore it is recommended to replace it with a new one as soon as possible. And so, the replacement of the belt itself begins with the fact that the tension should be loosened. To do this, unscrew the tensioner bolt nut. It is often located near the generator and allows the generator to move freely in the direction of the belt. After the belt has loosened, we remove it and change it to a new belt, tighten it, but it is not necessary too much, as it will wear out much faster than it should be.
I recommend in advance to make a note near the alternator tensioner in which position it was originally, so it will be easier to identify and tighten the belt to the desired position. To understand what the wear was, you can compare the new and old belt from the inside. This completes the replacement of the alternator belt.
How to change the power steering belt
In some models, the power steering belt and the generator are joined on the same pulley, and it is inconvenient to change the first belt if it interferes with the generator. If you are not so lucky, if you still have such a situation, then first we will remove the alternator belt, the procedure is described a little higher in this article. Then, in the same way, release the tension bolt on the power steering pump, loosening the belt, remove it.
In such a situation, it is better to look at both belts, since both belts can lead you down on a long journey at the most inopportune moment. Now we put a new one for the power steering, pull it up to a pre-made mark, and carry it out with the generator belt in the same way. After such a replacement, it is worth starting the engine and giving it a little load in order to listen if the power steering and generator belts are whistling.
For safety reasons, as in any other case, it is advisable to carry out everything on a cold engine, since you will directly work with parts that quickly heat up from engine operation.
We change the timing belt (timing)
The timing belt, or more precisely the timing belt, is considered the most important connecting link of the engine and should be monitored most often, since the consequences of its breakage can be very, very sad. Why so, we will try to tell and show. Often in the manual of the car it is strictly recommended to change it after a certain mileage, however, not all motorists adhere to this rule, or even better, when they do not understand at all what is at stake. Finding it under the hood isn't difficult. Like other belts, it is made of a rubber material, toothed from nutria, but unlike others it has a great length, since it wraps around several pulleys.
It cannot be said that it only covers the camshaft and crankshaft, it also passes through auxiliary units, but this already depends on the make of the car. Alas, such a universal work does not lead to good, wear occurs much faster. Often there is a belt breakage simply due to the fact that the driver ignored it in time to replace it. Replacing the belt itself is not a difficult process, but you can't do it in 5 minutes either. Before proceeding with the replacement, preparatory work should be done.
Buy a belt in advance for your make and model of the car, often they also say for your size, each belt has dimensions, this is the width and length of a full turn. Then you need to put the crankshaft in the so-called top dead center position, when the first cylinder is at the very top. It can be set by turning the crankshaft with the starting handle, or by turning it over the old belt, in rare cases it is possible to turn it manually, without aids.
We expose the markings on the belt, the mark on the crankshaft and the pulley, as soon as they match, you can safely change the old timing belt to a new one. It will not be superfluous when replacing the timing belt, just look at the oil seals of the crankshaft, camshaft, tension roller and water pump. Since they can also affect belt wear.
The price of a new belt and work
The cost of the belt will depend primarily on the brand of your car, and the destination, so, for example, for a generator of a domestic car it can cost $ 3-4, for a hydraulic booster somewhere the same $ 3-4, but the timing belt will always be more expensive , since it is the main one in the engine, it will cost about $ 7.
Replacing the timing belt will cost from 3,500 rubles, a generator, air conditioner or power steering belt will cost from 350 rubles. The price does not include the price of the belt itself.
Consequences of a broken timing belt
Most modern cars have very high engine torque. This is especially evident in gasoline engines. Therefore, any breakage of such a belt will lead to engine failure in a split second.
Some car manufacturers provide for possible cases of a timing belt break at any time, therefore, special protective mechanisms are used in such engines, they protect the engine from mechanical damage when the belt breaks. In personal practice, I can say that in the engines of an Opel car with a volume of 1.8 liters, when the belt breaks, the valve bends immediately, therefore they are not in great demand among experienced drivers, but with a volume of 2.0 liters they already have protection against such a breakdown.
Thus, you yourself can draw conclusions without even knowing what works and how. It is better to change to replace the timing belt on time than to repair the engine floor later. As a result, I would like to say that everything must be done on time, otherwise the consequences will take both twice as long and two more funds for repairs.
