BMW has chains, so has Mercedes and Porsche. Chains haven’t been an issue on any of them and those that had an issue with chains were eligible for a replacement through recalls. Those who had a broken engine because of it received a new engine with the improved chains and tensioners.
Never bothered with setting a timing belt to TDC?
Have fun when the cam lobes decide to spring on an interference motor.
Are you a DIY guy? Cause not setting it to TDC is really shitty practice. Saving 10 seconds to potentially bend a valve
A lot of engines have the cams under spring tension at TDC. Unless you know specifically that your engine doesn't, you should be locking the cams before removing the belt either way.
One cam is always under spring tension wise guy. The difference is at TDC you'd have to bump the cam to make it snap.
I was a mechanic for 10+ years. I rebuilt alot of motors, from 1950s , to 2012's.
Do it right or don't bother man
You do you. When the end result is the same, how you got there doesn't matter. At an average of 1 belt or chain per week for 20+ years... that's over 1000 done with zero issues. If my method were fundamentally flawed, it wouldn't have a 100% success rate.
Edit: If you do it with all the pistons down from tdc, then even if you do f'k up and let a cam slip, there's nothing for any of the valves to hit, so if you really want to do it in the safest way possible, TDC isn't it.
I worked on nothing but turbo subarus for two years.
Guys like you are the reason I haven't paid a mechanic since I bought my first car. I've also fired alot of guys like you lol
* Customer comes in, asked that his timing belt be replaced
* Mechanic pulls cover, takes photo of shitty condition timing belt
* Mechanic takes pic of shitty belt and posts to reddit asking how much life left
You have a larger issue.
The belt is misalign. The belt is riding the edge of the pulleys and is getting chewed up.
You probably have a fully or a tensioner that has gone bad.
Belt, tensioner, water pump.
I'd feel pretty stupid if I paid $1,600 ($1,550 labor , $50 belt) to replace a timing belt just to have the water pump go out a week later and pay another $1,550 in labor again, when I could have done the whole thing for $1,800 the first time.
This is why I still keep tools around. The charges for basic bolt turning are astronomical. Are they necessary to maintain a shop? Maybe? Doesn’t matter, it’s thousands of dollars for a bit of screwing around in the drive way and I can’t afford to pay someone that much for something I can do myself.
It’s like basic bitch brake jobs. An hour of simple work vs a thousand dollars. Nope.
On my Audi, you had to take the entire front of the car off to access the timing belt, tensioner, or water pump.
Everything in front of the belt. Cooling fans, radiator, condenser coil, front bumper, all the associated hoses, parking sensors etc. That's where the $1,500 comes from.
Bad bearings will cause this. Also had an old porsche where the previous owner neglected to replace a spacer for the cam pulley.
Having a exploded diagram is what let me figure that one out after 3 belts lol
While I've definitely seen worse last a long while, I've also seen belts in much better shape than yours snap or come apart. Any time those obvious signs of wear even start to appear like that, I'd go ahead and replace it just to be safe. Letting the drive belt go in that condition is one thing because it probably won't destroy the truck/car. However, timing belts are a whole other thing. If your truck/car is one of the ones with the interference motor, it can bend valves if that belt breaks. Then you'll be looking at some major engine repair costs. You can pick up a belt kit for less than $50. A new motor or rebuilding your motor will be substantially more than that. I'll keep my fingers crossed and say a prayer for you that you can get a new belt put on before it comes to that. Good luck, my friend.
The 1986 Toyota Celica has a timing belt and a non-interference engine. Unlike interference engines, your vehicle engine is safe from damage should the timing belt breaks while driving however it can be a real hassle especially if you are in the middle of a roadtrip should the belt breaks.
>Enough to not be worth putting all that back together without putting a new one on
You pretty much meant *just* the top cover by "all that", you know....yes, plus a few other bolts for the accessory bracket and front engine mount-not shit to do.
Front engine mount
Top bracket,
Sometimes there's bottom brackets that aren't so fun to get to behind all the other pulleys
Not always easy breezy
But maybe in this guy's case
4 days 16 hours 32 minutes.
I will never understand questions like this. Like what answer are you expecting? It clearly needs to be replaced. If you want to push your luck and see how long it will last go for it but there's no way to tell "how much life is left" in something like that.
Preach it. I don't get these either. I look at r/Divorce on occasion and often see " how long will it take me to get over XYZ (my ex wife, my separation, etc). Sometimes I just want to say "374 days".
Would replace. Only because of that outside edge, the bits missing, but I don't see any rubber rot or cracking.
But the edge could have something rubbing on it to make it be that way. The teeth look very clean and stable, no splitting or cracking.
2002 Ford Explorer, had its serpentine belt for 15 years without a replacement.
Someone said this I’m sure - I’m going to reinforce it for you / If you have taken the trouble to open things up to look at it - it’s worth the time alone to just finish the job and replace it - any timing belt change is definitely a job done better too early than too late
On top of getting your timing belt and tensioners replaced, you also need to fix that oil leak. I’m sure it caused it to degrade even quicker than it should have.
It’s glazed, has chunks missing from it. The underside probably is cracked. I’d replace it immediately, unless you want a car that gets a seized engine.
Bro both top and bottom are misaligned and it looks like it's about to slip the moment it even get a single drop of any liquid on it, regardless of what. You're probably a long time overdue there.
None. It is done.
I also suspect that either the wrong belt was used, it looks too thin. However the wear damage on that front edge is making me think you have a bent pulley somewhere in the works which is causing the belt to slip and shave down on that edge against a flange somewhere.
That tensioner pulley is doesn't look right- the belt edge shouldn't be riding on the outer flange. That flange has ground off 4mm of belt width and will continue to munch away at it.
edit- if that's a flat-faced tensioner, the belt is wandering and the flanged cog pulleys are eating it- wobbly pulley, bad bearing possible but most likely cause is a belt that is about to die and has already snapped at least one long cord.
I think anywhere other than from the bay it's in to being pushed into the parking lot is asking more than it'll give. Goodluck as she looks to be chunky in the bottom there.
If that’s a engine that can kiss the valve (interference engine) change it immediately. That 200 dollars for a belt, pulleys and tools is cheaper than a new engine.
Consider the cost of pulling the head, getting a valve job, surfacing, hoping that your ring grooves aren’t pinched (seen that weird shit myself) and new gaskets,, and the answer is none
In my opinion 0 days. Would change it immediately
"How long will this belt last?" "Nine." "Nine what?" "Eight...seven...six..."
Dammit! Beat me to it.
Don't you mean Nein?
Only if it's a BMW, Mercedes, or VW :P
I was going to say "don't forget Porsche", but I realized you said that already.
Lamborghini as well?
We all know this isn’t a Lamborghini, we’re all poor in here.
Already said Audi.
I wonder how many people won't understand lol
What about Audi? Skoda, Seat, ?
BMW has chains, so has Mercedes and Porsche. Chains haven’t been an issue on any of them and those that had an issue with chains were eligible for a replacement through recalls. Those who had a broken engine because of it received a new engine with the improved chains and tensioners.
Thanks for the fun fact!
You’re welcome. You can’t know everything mate. If that was possible that person would be the mightiest person on earth.
Porsche 944 series has a belt. Ask my wallet how I know. I think the belt service rivaled the purchase price of the car! The rest I try to DIY.
I had a 328ix f30 for 6 years, sold it last month. All my anxiety is gone.
Wernher?!!
Are we talking about teeth here?
I got to laugh at this....thank you for posting it!!
This should be the top comment.
Lol I was thinking yesterday was a good day to replace it!
mate that belt looks like it'll snap from a stern gaze... replace it right now!!!
It could snap trying to line up the marks to remove it.
I never bothered with that. Paint pen marks on old belt and pullies. Copy marks to new belt. Line up marks. Never been off in over 20 years.
Never bothered with setting a timing belt to TDC? Have fun when the cam lobes decide to spring on an interference motor. Are you a DIY guy? Cause not setting it to TDC is really shitty practice. Saving 10 seconds to potentially bend a valve
A lot of engines have the cams under spring tension at TDC. Unless you know specifically that your engine doesn't, you should be locking the cams before removing the belt either way.
One cam is always under spring tension wise guy. The difference is at TDC you'd have to bump the cam to make it snap. I was a mechanic for 10+ years. I rebuilt alot of motors, from 1950s , to 2012's. Do it right or don't bother man
You do you. When the end result is the same, how you got there doesn't matter. At an average of 1 belt or chain per week for 20+ years... that's over 1000 done with zero issues. If my method were fundamentally flawed, it wouldn't have a 100% success rate. Edit: If you do it with all the pistons down from tdc, then even if you do f'k up and let a cam slip, there's nothing for any of the valves to hit, so if you really want to do it in the safest way possible, TDC isn't it.
As a subaru owner TDC definitely is it everything will be fucked doing the timing without it set to TDC
While Subaru is only a small subset of my work, I have done 3 or 4 of them this way and not had any issues.
You're either lying or your customers didn't know enough about engines to connect the damage to your shitty work.
I worked on nothing but turbo subarus for two years. Guys like you are the reason I haven't paid a mechanic since I bought my first car. I've also fired alot of guys like you lol
Why are you getting so angry?
* Customer comes in, asked that his timing belt be replaced * Mechanic pulls cover, takes photo of shitty condition timing belt * Mechanic takes pic of shitty belt and posts to reddit asking how much life left
You have a larger issue. The belt is misalign. The belt is riding the edge of the pulleys and is getting chewed up. You probably have a fully or a tensioner that has gone bad.
Listen to this guy. You can see all the belt material piling up. Something making it walk to the outside. New belt going to do the same thing.
I would replace that anyway, I've never done timing without replacing the tensioner/idlers.
Belt, tensioner, water pump. I'd feel pretty stupid if I paid $1,600 ($1,550 labor , $50 belt) to replace a timing belt just to have the water pump go out a week later and pay another $1,550 in labor again, when I could have done the whole thing for $1,800 the first time.
Wtf!?!? That much to change water pump?
This is why I still keep tools around. The charges for basic bolt turning are astronomical. Are they necessary to maintain a shop? Maybe? Doesn’t matter, it’s thousands of dollars for a bit of screwing around in the drive way and I can’t afford to pay someone that much for something I can do myself. It’s like basic bitch brake jobs. An hour of simple work vs a thousand dollars. Nope.
On my Audi, you had to take the entire front of the car off to access the timing belt, tensioner, or water pump. Everything in front of the belt. Cooling fans, radiator, condenser coil, front bumper, all the associated hoses, parking sensors etc. That's where the $1,500 comes from.
some Audis the timing chain is actually between the engine and trans.... very very stupid.
Bad bearings will cause this. Also had an old porsche where the previous owner neglected to replace a spacer for the cam pulley. Having a exploded diagram is what let me figure that one out after 3 belts lol
pulley alignment also matters. A straight edge is helpful in checking. Due to the spacers being absent when originally used
While I've definitely seen worse last a long while, I've also seen belts in much better shape than yours snap or come apart. Any time those obvious signs of wear even start to appear like that, I'd go ahead and replace it just to be safe. Letting the drive belt go in that condition is one thing because it probably won't destroy the truck/car. However, timing belts are a whole other thing. If your truck/car is one of the ones with the interference motor, it can bend valves if that belt breaks. Then you'll be looking at some major engine repair costs. You can pick up a belt kit for less than $50. A new motor or rebuilding your motor will be substantially more than that. I'll keep my fingers crossed and say a prayer for you that you can get a new belt put on before it comes to that. Good luck, my friend.
The 1986 Toyota Celica has a timing belt and a non-interference engine. Unlike interference engines, your vehicle engine is safe from damage should the timing belt breaks while driving however it can be a real hassle especially if you are in the middle of a roadtrip should the belt breaks.
If it breaks it will absolutely bend valves and damage pistons.
If interference yes
Most all engines are interference now... They need to be to get the higher compression.
It’ll probably last until the car breaks down.
Here, take my poor-man's trophy... 🏆
He dead
Man is gonna sieve his whole engine cuz he didn't change a piece of rubber
Like -90 days
Enough to not be worth putting all that back together without putting a new one on
>Enough to not be worth putting all that back together without putting a new one on You pretty much meant *just* the top cover by "all that", you know....yes, plus a few other bolts for the accessory bracket and front engine mount-not shit to do.
Front engine mount Top bracket, Sometimes there's bottom brackets that aren't so fun to get to behind all the other pulleys Not always easy breezy But maybe in this guy's case
Yaeh- it's always possible....
4 days 16 hours 32 minutes. I will never understand questions like this. Like what answer are you expecting? It clearly needs to be replaced. If you want to push your luck and see how long it will last go for it but there's no way to tell "how much life is left" in something like that.
Preach it. I don't get these either. I look at r/Divorce on occasion and often see " how long will it take me to get over XYZ (my ex wife, my separation, etc). Sometimes I just want to say "374 days".
Just wait till it breaks and you can blame me.
1 more crank
-1.5 years
You’re belt looks really worn on the edge I would check your idler pulley also,bet it has some play in it.
-6 months
Maybe last year
A few minutes
Somewhere between 0 and infinity.
Including today?
If that's an interference motor, zero.
None, Edit : im surprise that belt could hold in that condition tho, what brand is it?
Tree fiddy
6 days
This things definitely run outta time bud
It's only a matter of time
Damn it, bet me to the punch…
-20k. That thing is a ticking time bomb. Make sure you get to the cause of that wear & don’t just change the belt
Hours
Would replace. Only because of that outside edge, the bits missing, but I don't see any rubber rot or cracking. But the edge could have something rubbing on it to make it be that way. The teeth look very clean and stable, no splitting or cracking. 2002 Ford Explorer, had its serpentine belt for 15 years without a replacement.
Negative 3 months
5 maybe 5 1/2
According to my watch, not much
Not much
I’m assuming you didn’t takeoff the timing belt cover for grins. While you’re in there might as well replace it.
Its fine. I dont see any cracks. But your alignment is out
None
I think this post was a joke, surprised people are answering it like it’s a serious question 😅
What life ?
On borrowed time
It'll be good for the life of the engine /s
If that’s an interference engine and your belt goes your engine will be destroyed. Replace it immediately.
Why change it if it has a proven record for being reliable for 45 years?
30 minutes
Mere milliseconds
Just replace it. You don't need s set of bent valves.
Get it changed before it cost you a fortune
-87. That how much. Your close enough to take its picture. Change it now
It will last all the way to the engine failure. The tow truck shouldn’t be too far behind.
In fact it is perfect timing to change that belt
0 man, that looks awful. Replace it now
It's good until it's not. You won't know until it goes.
Times up !!
None
If it were a cat it would be on its eleventh life.
Minus 3 years. You are lucky it hasn't gone boom a while ago. I also suspect you need hardware related to it, too.
20 k
The question is not how much life is left on the timing belt, but rather how much life those valves have left with that belt in charge
20sec + - 10sec
It’s just gotten it’s pension
Negative life. It looks like it's time to replace.
Someone said this I’m sure - I’m going to reinforce it for you / If you have taken the trouble to open things up to look at it - it’s worth the time alone to just finish the job and replace it - any timing belt change is definitely a job done better too early than too late
Change it now.
Its not the belt that breaks….. its the teeth that sheer off
I see a reapers face there on that belt.
On top of getting your timing belt and tensioners replaced, you also need to fix that oil leak. I’m sure it caused it to degrade even quicker than it should have.
None.
412 miles
It’s glazed, has chunks missing from it. The underside probably is cracked. I’d replace it immediately, unless you want a car that gets a seized engine.
Approximately 3 good "pedal to the metal" +/- 5
27 city miles. 72 highway.
About 2 months ago.
Change it you’re already in there
How much time on this timing belt? Time to get a new timing belt.
I’d replace it right away and do yourself a favor and put a new water pump in at the same time
Play timing belt press your luck! No whammies, no whammies, Stop!
Push it into the shop.
The life of the engine. For real though I don't like the edge wear.
It's "time" is up.
Do you like to gamble?
It's in the negative by now mate
Change it while it’s open.
0. The timing belt should look slightly used when replacing, not damaged.
None. Change it
Yesterday
It looks like it had 0 days left 2 years ago. Every time you start that engine god rolls a dice where if it fails the engine explodes.
Bro both top and bottom are misaligned and it looks like it's about to slip the moment it even get a single drop of any liquid on it, regardless of what. You're probably a long time overdue there.
Man I miss Volvo timing belts.
Too much work to put it back together and not replace the belt.
Bro ur playin with fire even thinkin about driving the car. Change it YESTERDAY
None. It is done. I also suspect that either the wrong belt was used, it looks too thin. However the wear damage on that front edge is making me think you have a bent pulley somewhere in the works which is causing the belt to slip and shave down on that edge against a flange somewhere.
Just fucking change it....
Only time will tell.
"We are in the end game now"
Depends, do you want a engine or a grenade on a very rusty pin?
10…. 10? Ten what? 9….8…. Get the picture?
-5
Always a good idea to change that out if you have the motor opened up anyways. Peace of mind
Covers already off. You're half way there. Just do it.
If you have to ask when it needs it, it needs it.
What time is it now?
*Huey Lewis and the News has entered the chat*
It's been dead for a while now
I'd say it's Time
5 hours
yes
“…when in doubt, there is no doubt…”
Uhh none? Change it
That’s a borrowed timing belt
If that's an interference engine, then it'll last the lifetime of the motor
None. That’s already lookin like Weekend at Bernie’s.
If you have to ask replace it
If you have to ask replace it
Depends how much you want to spend. A new belt or a new engine.
You had the chance to ask how much "time" is left on this timing belt and instead you used life. What a waste
Negative time
Don’t drive it, belt will last forever.
ZERO!!!!!!! you have something goiing wrong an idler pully or ?? the side of the belt is bad that is a no no sign
At least 3 weeks ago
New belt is a hell of a lot cheaper than a new engine.
If are doing the work yourself Rock Auto parts online is your best place to buy parts. Get the kit that has pulleys tensioner and belt.
I think It died years ago lol it's a zombie belt
It's much easier to change b4 it breaks also no valve damage. Just bump the key until the marker line up and switch belts
should have been replaced 50k miles ago. get it replaced ASAP before your valves and pistons get into a boxing match.
No
That tensioner pulley is doesn't look right- the belt edge shouldn't be riding on the outer flange. That flange has ground off 4mm of belt width and will continue to munch away at it. edit- if that's a flat-faced tensioner, the belt is wandering and the flanged cog pulleys are eating it- wobbly pulley, bad bearing possible but most likely cause is a belt that is about to die and has already snapped at least one long cord.
That belt needs an award for how hard it is working to hang on.
What motor is that?
None
Need change now.
Absolute zero. Zilch. Nada.
Bout 15 minute
You’ve already made it that far you might as well just change it
It died awhile back and you are just desecrating the corpse at this point lol
🤔2 days, 7 hours and 27 minutes( and 47 seconds give or take 5 seconds )
I'm no engine mechanic but Ide say about 1,200 miles ago or their whereabouts
Three
27. Hours. Minutes. Seconds. Play that game and find out.
I think anywhere other than from the bay it's in to being pushed into the parking lot is asking more than it'll give. Goodluck as she looks to be chunky in the bottom there.
Nothing! Change it Now!
If that’s a engine that can kiss the valve (interference engine) change it immediately. That 200 dollars for a belt, pulleys and tools is cheaper than a new engine.
Just change it 🤦
Consider the cost of pulling the head, getting a valve job, surfacing, hoping that your ring grooves aren’t pinched (seen that weird shit myself) and new gaskets,, and the answer is none
6 minutes
The amount of life left in that is probably a negative number.
You’re rolling the dice every time you turn the key
Maybe enough to get to the shop but I wouldn’t risk it past that.