"Camshaft Drive Belt" = Timing Belt?

B

BRH

In the manual for my 2001 Forester, it recommends that the "Camshaft
Drive Belt" be inspected every 30K miles. Is this the same thing as the
timing belt? If so, how does it get inspected? (I've always been told
that replacing it is labor-intensive due to the need to take half the
engine apart to get to it, so I assume the same needs to be done to
inspect it.)

The manual recommends Camshaft Belt replacement at 105K miles. I'm
right at 62K right now and anticipate a number of long trips in the next
2 months. So, if this is the timing belt, Should I consider replacing
it now?

Thanks!
 
In the manual for my 2001 Forester, it recommends that the "Camshaft
Drive Belt" be inspected every 30K miles. Is this the same thing as the
timing belt? If so, how does it get inspected? (I've always been told
that replacing it is labor-intensive due to the need to take half the
engine apart to get to it, so I assume the same needs to be done to
inspect it.)

The manual recommends Camshaft Belt replacement at 105K miles. I'm
right at 62K right now and anticipate a number of long trips in the next
2 months. So, if this is the timing belt, Should I consider replacing
it now?

Thanks!

Yes this is the timing belt. It's not really necessary to take half
the engine apart to access the belt, just the stuff on the front-
crank pulley, accessory belts and timing covers. It's a few hours of
labor but not that terrible. To inspect the belt it's only necessary
to remove one of the covers, which can be done without any other
disassembly. As long as a small portion of the belt is visible it can
be checked for tightness, cracks, and damaged teeth.
You can certainly replace it now if you want, but unless you expect to
reach 100K in the near future this may be premature. Have it inspected
at least, this will give an idea of its condition.
It is also recommended to replace certain other parts at the same time
as the timing belt, due to their being located under the timing cover
and therefore exposed at the time the belt is being replaced. This
will avoid duplicating the same labor should those parts fail later
on. This includes the timing belt tensioner and pullies, water pump,
crankshaft seal and cam seals. How much of this additional work you
choose to perform at the same time depends on how long you plan to
keep the car and how much you are willing to spend on preventive
maintenance.
 
I'm going to change the timing belt on my 2000 Forester next month at
~100,000 miles. As suggested by others it's wise to change the water
pump at the same time and if there is any evidence of oil pump seal
leaking the pump should be resealed and the same for the crankshaft
seal. My dealer quoted me 5-$600 for the belt & water pump
replacement. I've decided to do it myself as the OEM belt is 87
dollars and a new Bosch water pump is 55 dollars9 $91 for a new Suby
pump). I will of course check the oil pump and crank seals as well as
the tensioner and idler pulleys. I do not like timing belts in general
because I consider them a maintance wear item that is costly. My old
Saab had a roller chain that ran in oil and had no replacement
schedule. O-well my Suby has had Zero problems in 99,000 miles so I'm
way ahead of most vehicles I've owned and I love my vehicle and will
buy another when I get to 150,000 or so. Cheers. Ed
 
In message <(e-mail address removed)> - (e-mail address removed)
writes:
:>
:>On Sat, 12 Nov 2005 19:30:05 -0500, BRH <BRH> wrote:
:>
:>>In the manual for my 2001 Forester, it recommends that the "Camshaft
:>>Drive Belt" be inspected every 30K miles. Is this the same thing as the
:>>timing belt? If so, how does it get inspected? (I've always been told
:>>that replacing it is labor-intensive due to the need to take half the
:>>engine apart to get to it, so I assume the same needs to be done to
:>>inspect it.)
:>>
:>>The manual recommends Camshaft Belt replacement at 105K miles. I'm
:>>right at 62K right now and anticipate a number of long trips in the next
:>>2 months. So, if this is the timing belt, Should I consider replacing
:>>it now?
:>>
:>>Thanks!
:>
:>Yes this is the timing belt. It's not really necessary to take half
:>the engine apart to access the belt, just the stuff on the front-
:>crank pulley, accessory belts and timing covers. It's a few hours of
:>labor but not that terrible. To inspect the belt it's only necessary
:>to remove one of the covers, which can be done without any other
:>disassembly. As long as a small portion of the belt is visible it can
:>be checked for tightness, cracks, and damaged teeth.
:>You can certainly replace it now if you want, but unless you expect to
:>reach 100K in the near future this may be premature. Have it inspected
:>at least, this will give an idea of its condition.
:>It is also recommended to replace certain other parts at the same time
:>as the timing belt, due to their being located under the timing cover
:>and therefore exposed at the time the belt is being replaced. This
:>will avoid duplicating the same labor should those parts fail later
:>on. This includes the timing belt tensioner and pullies, water pump,
:>crankshaft seal and cam seals. How much of this additional work you
:>choose to perform at the same time depends on how long you plan to
:>keep the car and how much you are willing to spend on preventive
:>maintenance.

Speaking from experience ($$) - Get the crankshaft seal replaced (even if the
mechanic says "it looks ok")!!

When the dealership replaced my timing belt (94 Legacy), they didn't mention
about replacing anything else. About 6 months later the front oil seal let go
and it was a very expensive repair.

Rob
www.rcp.ca
 
I don't understand the worth of inspecting the timing belt. My
mechanic showed me a few out of his garbage. Except for the break,
they looked perfect.
 
Yes a belt can look good but have broken cords inside so you'll never
know till it breaks or so I have read.
 
You do not need to replace the belt at 65,000 miles. The book says
105,000 and some run far more than that. I'm replacing mine at ~
100,000 as it is convent to do so.
 
Edward Hayes said:
Yes a belt can look good but have broken cords inside so you'll never know
till it breaks or so I have read.
I changed the timing belt on our '85 Volvo turbo when I found out I should
have done it years before 8^O Anyway, sometimes it is better to be lucky
than smart. My motorhead brother happened to visit in the middle of the job
and showed me how the teeth could be picked off the old one with his
thumbnail! The belt looked okay otherwise. (Good thing it was a
non-interference engine, though.)

Probably the only thing an inspection will do for you is reveal if oil is
leaking on it (bad news) or if it is being chewed up by a foreign object.

Mike
 
You do not need to replace the belt at 65,000 miles. The book says
105,000 and some run far more than that. I'm replacing mine at ~
100,000 as it is convent to do so.

I've owned a 1996 Legacy 2.2 since new, the car has only done 62 Kays
but as the car is nearing the ten year mark I decided to get the
cambelt changed. Mechanic charged me for three hours work which I was
happy with, and according to him the belt was still in as new
condition.

Point he did mention that eased my mind was that the engine was free
running, so even if the cambelt did snap there would be no damage to
the engine.

John.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
13,889
Messages
67,365
Members
7,365
Latest member
BespokePowerhouse

Latest Threads

Back
Top