Low mileage timing belt- why we change them

[andydclements]

This belt has done very little mileage, but I wanted to be sure  and so changed it. Having only just started the job this little gen was visible once the cover was removed.

[Rambo]

An expensive accident waiting to happen 😲

[Drawfiler]

Interesting, what caused it, it looks like something dropped onto the inside of the belt and was pushed out from the tooth side, is there damage to the pulleys?

[Rambo]

Almost looks like a screw was wedged between the cam gear and the belt 😲

Edited May 22, 2022 by Rambo

[andydclements]

Th other side of the belt had a hole as well. The outer/flat side appears more of a flat cut, the inner/tooth side more oval. I cut the belt and removed the foreign bodies. There were two pieces of what appeared to be black shiny material (so I was thinking flint), but having taken it out of the belt it seemed the shiny property was only present where it had been rubbed on a pulley/tensioner. On attempting to cut with a sharp knife I failed to get much more insight, so I went to a crushing force of a flat bladed screwdriver and was presented with a whiteish powdery substance that I would say is aluminium oxidation/ water scale, the sort you get on an ali water housing.

When doing the belt I didn't see any particular cam damage but given that material was relatively soft (the crushing force to break it wasn't a lot), I'm comfortable it would have not put visible deformation on the pulley faces.

 

[Drawfiler]

So do you think it was in there for a while? I suspect that the belt would have lasted for some time without failure.

[andydclements]

Yes, I also think it wasn't an imminent failure within hundreds of mils, and could have been there 1000+miles, but think it goes to show that things happen which mean it's best to not go for replacement just based on mileage.