Timing Belt

Let's address a maintenance item for most car and some SUV owners in Fairbanks, AK – your engine's timing belt. This engine part (and related components) should be inspected at 60,000 miles and replaced at 80,000 miles. The maintenance of this is important because letting this one slide can lead to engine damage or worse, engine failure.>

What a timing belt does:Your timing belt choreographs the timing of the combustion process in your engine. Your pistons travel up and down in the cylinder.

Intake valves open at the right time to let in air and fuel, they close at the right time to allow the fuel to burn and then the exhaust valves open at the right time to let out the exhaust.

All this happens thousands of times a minute and it's your timing belt that makes sure the valves are opening and closing at precisely the right time. If the timing is off, your vehicle's engine won't run. And that's the best case.

The worst case for Fairbank's drivers is that a valve is opening at the wrong time and collides with the piston. The result is bent valves and maybe even more damage to the cylinder head. Repairs can run several thousand dollars.

Now, timing belts just wear out naturally so you want to replace a worn belt before it slips or breaks. Check your owner's manual or with your friendly and knowledgeable pros at Peger Road Auto Repair to see when they recommend you replace the timing belt. If you've never replaced your timing belt and have had your vehicle for a while, talk with your service advisor at Peger Road Auto Repair right away to see if you're due.

On some engines, the water pump is driven by the timing belt as opposed to the serpentine belt. If that's the case, it's a good idea to replace the water pump when you're replacing the timing belt, and vice versa since much of the same work has to be done for either. The same is true for the timing belt tensioner – it should also be inspected (60,000 miles) and replaced (80,000 miles) at the same time as the timing belt.

Now, replacing a timing belt is one of the more expensive routine maintenance items on service schedules. But not replacing your timing belt can lead to some of the most costly repairs you're likely to ever have.