Originally Posted by gsbhatia

I'm pondering over a decision to change timing belt for my 10+ year young Wagon-R, done 66k KMs. I don't see any evident reason why I should bother, other than it being 10 year young, but my trusted mechanic says that I should.

Your mechanic is right. My Linea's owner's handbook recommends replacement of timing belt at 60 k km or in any case every 5 years.

[sgiitk]

Timing belt change (esp the rubber variety) is something I will follow the recommendations. In most modern engines if the belt breaks then the valves will hit the pistons leading to extensive damage. I remember a colleague who in the 70's had a FIAT 128. I warned him about this, and he brought the belt from Germany. However, he decided not to change it, till one day the inevitable happened. Cost him a lot the get valves, pistons, etc. from Delhi. He learnt his lesson, and so did I.

[gsbhatia]

Originally Posted by gsbhatia

I'm pondering over a decision to change timing belt for my 10+ year young Wagon-R, done 66k KMs. I don't see any evident reason why I should bother, other than it being 10 year young, but my trusted mechanic says that I should.

Soliciting expert advice on the following:
1. What is the approximate cost of Waggy T-Belt?
2. Which brand should I shop for (I trust Bosch, and I guess they do make timing belts, but is it easily available in Delhi?)
3. While I'm it, should I change other belts - Drive Belts et al. as well?
4. Is Waggy engine interference or non-interference?

I got the timing belt replaced.

Got me a ContiTech timing belt@Rs 320. There are 2 competing brands, Conti and Gates. Both have good reputation and are very strongly built. Gates is manufactured with American technology and Conti with German.


While I was at it, I grabbed the drive belt as well@Rs 150 (also Conti brand)


Replaced A/c belt as well (sorry, forgot to take pic).

M.A.S.S. was charging Rs. 3500 as labour for timing belt replacement, which I won't usually mind paying, but I was inclined to experience the replacement first hand, so went to my trusted mechanic stationed behind Batra Auto Spares who charged only Rs. 300! (and he did a real good job). He told me he had replaced more than 500 timing belts in his 20 year career as a mechanic! There were 2 guys and the elderly fellow who operated on my machine was an erstwhile mechanic at (now defunct) Sikand Motors M.A.S.S.

First, he took out the a/c compressor and engine mounts before reaching the cam plate. And boy, there is hardly any space to maneuver the tools! Maruti Alto and Wagon-R are notorious for this.He didn't have any power tool but he moved his mechanical tools with much dexterity.









The belt that came out (10+ years old and done 66,000 KM) was ABSOLUTELY FINE. No wear or slack AT ALL. I was thinking that the old timing that'll come out will be all beaten and haggard but it seems that the timing belts are built to last. Here is the state of the old timing belt:



Compare this with drive belt and a/c belt which were about 3-4 years old. They had already developed cracks! Good that I had brought them along as well.



Cam seal had also gone bad and was causing a frustrating, hard to reach, oil leak since last year. That is now history!

If you are going to get this done at an outside mechanic, take a bottle of adhesive paste and cam cover gasket along as well, you'll probably need them.

The whole job lasted about 3 hours.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by gsbhatia

The belt that came out (10+ years old and done 66,000 KM) was ABSOLUTELY FINE. No wear or slack AT ALL. I was thinking that the old timing that'll come out will be all beaten and haggard but it seems that the timing belts are built to last. Here is the state of the old timing belt:

Hi,
Turn the belt inside out (ie cogs on the outside) and then inspect it.

Regards
Sutripta

[gsbhatia]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Hi,
Turn the belt inside out (ie cogs on the outside) and then inspect it.

Sutripta,
I've already disposed off the belt, but yes, I had done what you have suggested. I had twisted the belt inside out, and it looked OK either ways. There seemed to be a steel layer on the inside of the belt giving it the sturdiness and strength. Rubber had no visible cracks or crevices.

[Jebs]

My Fiesta 1.4 TDCI started giving the hissing/air leakage kind of noise today while I was about to start office. As my car reached 90K last week, I was shocked and thought that timing belt gone kaput. But after some inspection concluded that all belts were fine and I took my car to the nearest Carz Multibrand repair shop in OMR.

They inspected and suspected one of the injector started leaking. They sprayed diesel on the same and checked for any bubble formation. They replied back that O ring has to changed and it would be good if you do the timing belt also along with that. They provided their quotation as 18K for timing change and 1.5k for Inject issue.

I called up Ford Service Center and they claimed 20K for timing alone and 3k for the rest. Still confused which is the better place to do.

[Ray32825]

Hi guys, my dad has a 2003 Suzuki Baleno with a 1.6L engine and he is thinking of doing a timing belt change even though it is at 75K kms. I think the manual calls for a timing belt change at 100K kms and I was wondering what owners have experienced regarding this. From what I can see the engine is non interference so he should be safe till around 100K kms. He is however having the belt inspected a local garage in Pune before he makes up his mind. I believe they are also gonna adjust the valve lash - strange to see a mechanical adjustment on a 2003 when I have much older cars here in the US market with hydraulic lifters. Your experiences with the Baleno engine will be appreciated - thanks in advance.

[Vid6639]

Not just kms, age is an important factor. It is better to get the timing belt changed in 6-7 years max even if the kms are not much. Reason is because it's a rubber belt and will be prone to cracking, becoming hard and brittle which could lead to catastrophic engine failure. Better to be on safer side and get the belts changed before anything untowards happens.

[Ray32825]

Vid6639, Thanks for the prompt reply. I agree with you and that is why I asked him to have it checked out before he proceded with the change. I have worked as an automotive tech so I am quite familiar with procedures and most of the technical aspects, but as most things stuff is done differently in India (though things are improving). The service advisor at Maruti told him not to worry since he was nowhere near 100K kms. However, it is a 2003 model so that is already a decade now (assuming it was not changed since my dad is the second owner).
General procedure for checking a timing belt here in the US is a visual inspection and a twist method to check the tension. Also, when we change a timing belt here, we almost always change the idler, tensioner and waterpump if applicable. In fact, I usually get a kit by a reputable manufacturer (like Gates for ex) that contains all necessary hardware.
I was also wondering about the engine, is it an interference engine and what about the valve lash adjustment?

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by Ray32825

when we change a timing belt here, we almost always change the idler, tensioner and waterpump if applicable. In fact, I usually get a kit by a reputable manufacturer (like Gates for ex) that contains all necessary hardware.

Timing belt and tensioner I can understand being changed together (and they should).. Why the idler (pulley?) and water pump?
I checked the owners manual for both my cars - and that did not call for changing either.

[sushantr5]

I own Vista Quadrajet which has Timing chain. What care I should take for this timing chain? After how many kilometers does it need attention?

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by sushantr5

I own Vista Quadrajet which has Timing chain.

After how many kilometers does it need attention?

I guess it changed at the 100K service.

Just check your owners manual and that will specify when to change them.

Anurag.

[Ray32825]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

Timing belt and tensioner I can understand being changed together (and they should).. Why the idler (pulley?) and water pump?
I checked the owners manual for both my cars - and that did not call for changing either.

A lot of modern engines have the water pump and sometimes even the oil pump driven by the timing belt. Due to this arrangement, they usually have an idler pulley and a tensioner as well.

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by Ray32825

A lot of modern engines have the water pump and sometimes even the oil pump driven by the timing belt. Due to this arrangement, they usually have an idler pulley and a tensioner as well.

Thanks! ^^^
So ok, the timing belt drives the water pump in some cars, my question is why should the water pump be changed when the timing belt is changed?


I would have thought it more appropriate to inspect and replace the water pump components if any of the following symptoms appear : coolant spots on the floor, overheating, low coolant warning light, or noise (presumably from a failed bearing).

In India, this is possible - water pumps do indeed get taken off , opened up , and faulty bearings, leaky seals, cracked fans all replaced and the whole thing is put back together again..

Similarly for idler pulley. Unless this is warped due to improper belt installation, I don't see any reason to change it.

[tsk1979]

Timing belt driven water pumps are simple mechanical devices which do not cost more than 1200-1400 INR, so it makes sense to change rather than bother with repair.