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Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
Have a 2000 Mazda Protege ES with 150k on it.
Have taken meticulous care of it and had the timing
belt changed at 100k by Mazda dealer I bought the
vehicle new from.
Friday night it stopped dead in its tracks and it
sounds like the current timing belt has broken!!
Is there any kind of warranty on timing belts? is it
50k failure out of ordinary?1
Have a 2000 Mazda Protege ES with 150k on it.
Have taken meticulous care of it and had the timing
belt changed at 100k by Mazda dealer I bought the
vehicle new from.
Friday night it stopped dead in its tracks and it
sounds like the current timing belt has broken!!
Is there any kind of warranty on timing belts? is it
50k failure out of ordinary?1
Re: Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
On May 5, 11:52 am, m...@privacy . net wrote:
> Have a 2000 Mazda Protege ES with 150k on it.
>
> Have taken meticulous care of it and had the timing
> belt changed at 100k by Mazda dealer I bought the
> vehicle new from.
>
> Friday night it stopped dead in its tracks and it
> sounds like the current timing belt has broken!!
>
> Is there any kind of warranty on timing belts?
> is it
> 50k failure out of ordinary?1
That's a question to take up with the dealer who did the work. The
first thing for the dealer to determine is whether the timing belt
broke.
On May 5, 11:52 am, m...@privacy . net wrote:
> Have a 2000 Mazda Protege ES with 150k on it.
>
> Have taken meticulous care of it and had the timing
> belt changed at 100k by Mazda dealer I bought the
> vehicle new from.
>
> Friday night it stopped dead in its tracks and it
> sounds like the current timing belt has broken!!
>
> Is there any kind of warranty on timing belts?
> is it
> 50k failure out of ordinary?1
That's a question to take up with the dealer who did the work. The
first thing for the dealer to determine is whether the timing belt
broke.
Re: Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
It seems inappropriate to bitch about a broken timing belt when you
haven't properly disgnosed the problem yet.
It seems inappropriate to bitch about a broken timing belt when you
haven't properly disgnosed the problem yet.
Re: Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
zzyzzx <scott21230@gmail . com > wrote:
>It seems inappropriate to bitch about a broken timing belt when you
>haven't properly disgnosed the problem yet.
It's being diagnosed as we speak....and who says I was
"bitching"?
Lets just assume it is the timing belt..... so is 50k a
bit short on its life?
zzyzzx <scott21230@gmail . com > wrote:
>It seems inappropriate to bitch about a broken timing belt when you
>haven't properly disgnosed the problem yet.
It's being diagnosed as we speak....and who says I was
"bitching"?
Lets just assume it is the timing belt..... so is 50k a
bit short on its life?
Re: Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
<me@privacy . net > wrote:
>zzyzzx <scott21230@gmail . com > wrote:
>
>>It seems inappropriate to bitch about a broken timing belt when you
>>haven't properly disgnosed the problem yet.
>
>It's being diagnosed as we speak....and who says I was
>"bitching"?
>
>Lets just assume it is the timing belt..... so is 50k a
>bit short on its life?
Depends on the car. On the '82 Ford Escort it would have been a miracle
if you could have got 50k on a timing belt.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
<me@privacy . net > wrote:
>zzyzzx <scott21230@gmail . com > wrote:
>
>>It seems inappropriate to bitch about a broken timing belt when you
>>haven't properly disgnosed the problem yet.
>
>It's being diagnosed as we speak....and who says I was
>"bitching"?
>
>Lets just assume it is the timing belt..... so is 50k a
>bit short on its life?
Depends on the car. On the '82 Ford Escort it would have been a miracle
if you could have got 50k on a timing belt.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
Re: Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
On May 5, 2:16 pm, m...@privacy . net wrote:
> zzyzzx <scott21...@gmail . com > wrote:
> >It seems inappropriate to bitch about a broken timing belt when you
> >haven't properly disgnosed the problem yet.
>
> It's being diagnosed as we speak....and who says I was
> "bitching"?
>
> Lets just assume it is the timing belt..... so is 50k a
> bit short on its life?
Whether someone considers it to be "a bit short on it's life" is
irrelevant.
Again, have you determined that this is a broken timing belt. And
have asked the dealer how long parts that they install are warranted
for. Those are questions that you will not get straight answers to on
an internet discussion forum.
On May 5, 2:16 pm, m...@privacy . net wrote:
> zzyzzx <scott21...@gmail . com > wrote:
> >It seems inappropriate to bitch about a broken timing belt when you
> >haven't properly disgnosed the problem yet.
>
> It's being diagnosed as we speak....and who says I was
> "bitching"?
>
> Lets just assume it is the timing belt..... so is 50k a
> bit short on its life?
Whether someone considers it to be "a bit short on it's life" is
irrelevant.
Again, have you determined that this is a broken timing belt. And
have asked the dealer how long parts that they install are warranted
for. Those are questions that you will not get straight answers to on
an internet discussion forum.
Re: Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
"John S." <hjsjms@cs . com > wrote in message news:6010c494-0cdd-406e-a687-
Again, have you determined that this is a broken timing belt. And
have asked the dealer how long parts that they install are warranted
for. Those are questions that you will not get straight answers to on
an internet discussion forum.
You certainly wont, and you wont get them from some dealerships EITHER.
50 k (miles, I assume) is a bit less than one would expect. You are darn
lucky that, if this turns out to be a snapped belt, you dont have an
interference
engine.
"John S." <hjsjms@cs . com > wrote in message news:6010c494-0cdd-406e-a687-
Again, have you determined that this is a broken timing belt. And
have asked the dealer how long parts that they install are warranted
for. Those are questions that you will not get straight answers to on
an internet discussion forum.
You certainly wont, and you wont get them from some dealerships EITHER.
50 k (miles, I assume) is a bit less than one would expect. You are darn
lucky that, if this turns out to be a snapped belt, you dont have an
interference
engine.
Re: Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
On May 5, 5:47 pm, "HLS" <nos...@nospam.nix> wrote:
> "John S." <hjs...@cs . com > wrote in message news:6010c494-0cdd-406e-a687-
>
> Again, have you determined that this is a broken timing belt. And
> have asked the dealer how long parts that they install are warranted
> for. Those are questions that you will not get straight answers to on
> an internet discussion forum.
>
> You certainly wont, and you wont get them from some dealerships EITHER.
>
> 50 k (miles, I assume) is a bit less than one would expect. You are dar=
n
> lucky that, if this turns out to be a snapped belt, you dont have an
> interference
> engine.
You work with strange dealerships. The legitimate dealerships I deal
with provide a very legible disclosure of how long replacement parts
are warranted for. But the real point here is that the original
poster should first determine what the problem is. He hasn't
determined that the belt broke, but just seems to be fishing for
attention.
On May 5, 5:47 pm, "HLS" <nos...@nospam.nix> wrote:
> "John S." <hjs...@cs . com > wrote in message news:6010c494-0cdd-406e-a687-
>
> Again, have you determined that this is a broken timing belt. And
> have asked the dealer how long parts that they install are warranted
> for. Those are questions that you will not get straight answers to on
> an internet discussion forum.
>
> You certainly wont, and you wont get them from some dealerships EITHER.
>
> 50 k (miles, I assume) is a bit less than one would expect. You are dar=
n
> lucky that, if this turns out to be a snapped belt, you dont have an
> interference
> engine.
You work with strange dealerships. The legitimate dealerships I deal
with provide a very legible disclosure of how long replacement parts
are warranted for. But the real point here is that the original
poster should first determine what the problem is. He hasn't
determined that the belt broke, but just seems to be fishing for
attention.
Re: Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
"John S." <hjsjms@cs . com > wrote in message
news:77805c1f-1dfa-42f9-89b5-0247af126658@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups . com ...
On May 5, 5:47 pm, "HLS" <nos...@nospam.nix> wrote:
> "John S." <hjs...@cs . com > wrote in message news:6010c494-0cdd-406e-a687-
>
> Again, have you determined that this is a broken timing belt. And
> have asked the dealer how long parts that they install are warranted
> for. Those are questions that you will not get straight answers to on
> an internet discussion forum.
>
> You certainly wont, and you wont get them from some dealerships EITHER.
>
> 50 k (miles, I assume) is a bit less than one would expect. You are darn
> lucky that, if this turns out to be a snapped belt, you dont have an
> interference
> engine.
You work with strange dealerships. The legitimate dealerships I deal
with provide a very legible disclosure of how long replacement parts
are warranted for. But the real point here is that the original
poster should first determine what the problem is. He hasn't
determined that the belt broke, but just seems to be fishing for
attention.
====
First of all, what's an "interference engine"? I've never heard that term
before.
Secondly, I'm puzzled by some people's reluctance to answer the OP's
question: "Is 50K a short lifetime for a timing belt?". It's immaterial
whether he's established whather this is the cause of his problem - and in
his followup he even said "Lets just assume it is the timing belt".
I'd say that if the replacement interval for routinely replacing the timing
belt is X thousand miles and the replacement belt fails within that time,
someone should be held liable - whether it's the manufacturer (defective
part), garage who fitted it (defective workmanship) or car maker (incorrect
service interval specified).
On a related note, I'd like to know how a garage can examine my fan-belt
(well, alternator and power-steering belt) amongst other things at a
service, and mark it as "visually checked - OK", and yet the belt breaks one
week later... Surely the reason for visually checking a belt is to detect
imminent failure *before* it happens, to avoid stranding me in the middle of
nowhere late at night, requiring me to be towed home. To add insult to
injury, the replaced belt broke one month later because there had been
undiagnosed damage to the crankshaft pulley that hadn't been picked up when
the belt and idler pulley were replaced :-( The garage reluctantly made a
goodwill payment of a mere £20 - less than a tenth of the cost of the belt
replacement.
"John S." <hjsjms@cs . com > wrote in message
news:77805c1f-1dfa-42f9-89b5-0247af126658@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups . com ...
On May 5, 5:47 pm, "HLS" <nos...@nospam.nix> wrote:
> "John S." <hjs...@cs . com > wrote in message news:6010c494-0cdd-406e-a687-
>
> Again, have you determined that this is a broken timing belt. And
> have asked the dealer how long parts that they install are warranted
> for. Those are questions that you will not get straight answers to on
> an internet discussion forum.
>
> You certainly wont, and you wont get them from some dealerships EITHER.
>
> 50 k (miles, I assume) is a bit less than one would expect. You are darn
> lucky that, if this turns out to be a snapped belt, you dont have an
> interference
> engine.
You work with strange dealerships. The legitimate dealerships I deal
with provide a very legible disclosure of how long replacement parts
are warranted for. But the real point here is that the original
poster should first determine what the problem is. He hasn't
determined that the belt broke, but just seems to be fishing for
attention.
====
First of all, what's an "interference engine"? I've never heard that term
before.
Secondly, I'm puzzled by some people's reluctance to answer the OP's
question: "Is 50K a short lifetime for a timing belt?". It's immaterial
whether he's established whather this is the cause of his problem - and in
his followup he even said "Lets just assume it is the timing belt".
I'd say that if the replacement interval for routinely replacing the timing
belt is X thousand miles and the replacement belt fails within that time,
someone should be held liable - whether it's the manufacturer (defective
part), garage who fitted it (defective workmanship) or car maker (incorrect
service interval specified).
On a related note, I'd like to know how a garage can examine my fan-belt
(well, alternator and power-steering belt) amongst other things at a
service, and mark it as "visually checked - OK", and yet the belt breaks one
week later... Surely the reason for visually checking a belt is to detect
imminent failure *before* it happens, to avoid stranding me in the middle of
nowhere late at night, requiring me to be towed home. To add insult to
injury, the replaced belt broke one month later because there had been
undiagnosed damage to the crankshaft pulley that hadn't been picked up when
the belt and idler pulley were replaced :-( The garage reluctantly made a
goodwill payment of a mere £20 - less than a tenth of the cost of the belt
replacement.
Re: Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
>
>First of all, what's an "interference engine"? I've never heard that term
>before.
w w w .google . com
>
>Secondly, I'm puzzled by some people's reluctance to answer the OP's
>question: "Is 50K a short lifetime for a timing belt?". It's immaterial
>whether he's established whather this is the cause of his problem - and in
>his followup he even said "Lets just assume it is the timing belt".
The manufacturer has a specified change interval. The belt itself
should last at least that long. The things the belt is turning can
fail and take out a perfectly good belt long before it is scheduled to
be replaced.
>
>I'd say that if the replacement interval for routinely replacing the timing
>belt is X thousand miles and the replacement belt fails within that time,
>someone should be held liable - whether it's the manufacturer (defective
>part), garage who fitted it (defective workmanship) or car maker (incorrect
>service interval specified).
Again, it depends on why the belt failed. If the water pump is driven
off the timing belt and fails it will tear up the belt. Same with the
tensioner. The cam could even quit turning... Most of the belt
manufacturers limit their liability to the cost of the belt.
>
>On a related note, I'd like to know how a garage can examine my fan-belt
>(well, alternator and power-steering belt) amongst other things at a
>service, and mark it as "visually checked - OK", and yet the belt breaks one
>week later... Surely the reason for visually checking a belt is to detect
>imminent failure *before* it happens, to avoid stranding me in the middle of
>nowhere late at night, requiring me to be towed home. To add insult to
>injury, the replaced belt broke one month later because there had been
>undiagnosed damage to the crankshaft pulley that hadn't been picked up when
>the belt and idler pulley were replaced :-( The garage reluctantly made a
>goodwill payment of a mere £20 - less than a tenth of the cost of the belt
>replacement.
>
Belts often look "good" and fail. That is why belts have a prescribed
change interval. Yours is a perfect case of "something else failed".
In your case the belt probably did look fine, the crankshaft pulley
was damaged and chewed hell out of the old belt pretty quickly. The
new belt lasted a bit longer just because it was new before the same
damaged pulley got it. A damaged crank pulley is a pretty rare thing
so the shop didn't notice the damage (on some cars you can hardly even
see the crank pulley from above). Crappy situation but it happens.
Steve B.
>
>First of all, what's an "interference engine"? I've never heard that term
>before.
w w w .google . com
>
>Secondly, I'm puzzled by some people's reluctance to answer the OP's
>question: "Is 50K a short lifetime for a timing belt?". It's immaterial
>whether he's established whather this is the cause of his problem - and in
>his followup he even said "Lets just assume it is the timing belt".
The manufacturer has a specified change interval. The belt itself
should last at least that long. The things the belt is turning can
fail and take out a perfectly good belt long before it is scheduled to
be replaced.
>
>I'd say that if the replacement interval for routinely replacing the timing
>belt is X thousand miles and the replacement belt fails within that time,
>someone should be held liable - whether it's the manufacturer (defective
>part), garage who fitted it (defective workmanship) or car maker (incorrect
>service interval specified).
Again, it depends on why the belt failed. If the water pump is driven
off the timing belt and fails it will tear up the belt. Same with the
tensioner. The cam could even quit turning... Most of the belt
manufacturers limit their liability to the cost of the belt.
>
>On a related note, I'd like to know how a garage can examine my fan-belt
>(well, alternator and power-steering belt) amongst other things at a
>service, and mark it as "visually checked - OK", and yet the belt breaks one
>week later... Surely the reason for visually checking a belt is to detect
>imminent failure *before* it happens, to avoid stranding me in the middle of
>nowhere late at night, requiring me to be towed home. To add insult to
>injury, the replaced belt broke one month later because there had been
>undiagnosed damage to the crankshaft pulley that hadn't been picked up when
>the belt and idler pulley were replaced :-( The garage reluctantly made a
>goodwill payment of a mere £20 - less than a tenth of the cost of the belt
>replacement.
>
Belts often look "good" and fail. That is why belts have a prescribed
change interval. Yours is a perfect case of "something else failed".
In your case the belt probably did look fine, the crankshaft pulley
was damaged and chewed hell out of the old belt pretty quickly. The
new belt lasted a bit longer just because it was new before the same
damaged pulley got it. A damaged crank pulley is a pretty rare thing
so the shop didn't notice the damage (on some cars you can hardly even
see the crank pulley from above). Crappy situation but it happens.
Steve B.
Re: Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
"Steve B." <none@none . com > wrote in message
news:dfc024p5gir664igngbcmvk7kcdj90nuji@4ax . com ...
>
>>
>>First of all, what's an "interference engine"? I've never heard that term
>>before.
>
> w w w .google . com
Ah. I'd never heard that term before. I see the difference:
* w w w .gates . com /brochure.cfm?brochure=2256&location_id=3487&go=SearchGatesPopular
has diagrams which show how for a non-interference engine, the valves and
piston never occupy the same space whereas for an interference engine they
overlap though never at the same time! I'd thought that *all* engines were
interference type.
>>On a related note, I'd like to know how a garage can examine my fan-belt
>>(well, alternator and power-steering belt) amongst other things at a
>>service, and mark it as "visually checked - OK", and yet the belt breaks
>>one
>>week later... Surely the reason for visually checking a belt is to detect
>>imminent failure *before* it happens, to avoid stranding me in the middle
>>of
>>nowhere late at night, requiring me to be towed home. To add insult to
>>injury, the replaced belt broke one month later because there had been
>>undiagnosed damage to the crankshaft pulley that hadn't been picked up
>>when
>>the belt and idler pulley were replaced :-( The garage reluctantly made a
>>goodwill payment of a mere £20 - less than a tenth of the cost of the belt
>>replacement.
>>
>
> Belts often look "good" and fail. That is why belts have a prescribed
> change interval. Yours is a perfect case of "something else failed".
> In your case the belt probably did look fine, the crankshaft pulley
> was damaged and chewed hell out of the old belt pretty quickly.
Interestingly the belt split lengthways, with only half the width breaking
in two. So the belt didn't just fall off into the road and was still there
to be examined when I stopped the car. The ridges that engage with the
crank, alternator and power steering pulleys had tiny cracks across them
every millimetre or so, as if the rubber had perished. It was the idler
pulley rather than the crank pulley which was damaged on the first occasion:
it looked as if it had shifted sideways on its shaft and scraped against the
engine housing.
Mind you, as far as I know, the belt had never previously been changed at a
service - and the car had done 120 K miles. I wonder if it should have been
replaced every so often.
> The
> new belt lasted a bit longer just because it was new before the same
> damaged pulley got it. A damaged crank pulley is a pretty rare thing
> so the shop didn't notice the damage (on some cars you can hardly even
> see the crank pulley from above). Crappy situation but it happens.
Yes. When it happened the second time, I'd driven a long way the day before
without any problem, then within a mileor so of setting off on a long
journey the next day there was a clattering chugging noise (I thought there
was a tractor behind me!). This seemed to get worse whenever I came off the
power. I limped back home again, with the ignition light occasionally
flashing on (a sure sign that the belt had problems) and as I turned into
the drive, the noise became much louder. The belt was intact but looked as
if it was covered in very viscous oil - my first thought was than the crank
pulley bearing had gone and engine oil was leaking out, which would have
been expensive! It seems that the viscous black goo was molten rubber from
the belt.
A nice little bill - an extra £250 that I hadn't bargained for, on top of
the previous bill for this amount when the belt failed the first time.
As a matter of interest, while the belt is off before it is replaced, how
easy is it to tell whether the crank pulley is damaged? Would it wobble from
side to side on its shaft? I'm assuming that the ridged surface of the
pulley was undamaged because surely a garage would spot that as they were
fitting the new belt, even if they didn't notice that the pulley was loose
on its shaft.
"Steve B." <none@none . com > wrote in message
news:dfc024p5gir664igngbcmvk7kcdj90nuji@4ax . com ...
>
>>
>>First of all, what's an "interference engine"? I've never heard that term
>>before.
>
> w w w .google . com
Ah. I'd never heard that term before. I see the difference:
* w w w .gates . com /brochure.cfm?brochure=2256&location_id=3487&go=SearchGatesPopular
has diagrams which show how for a non-interference engine, the valves and
piston never occupy the same space whereas for an interference engine they
overlap though never at the same time! I'd thought that *all* engines were
interference type.
>>On a related note, I'd like to know how a garage can examine my fan-belt
>>(well, alternator and power-steering belt) amongst other things at a
>>service, and mark it as "visually checked - OK", and yet the belt breaks
>>one
>>week later... Surely the reason for visually checking a belt is to detect
>>imminent failure *before* it happens, to avoid stranding me in the middle
>>of
>>nowhere late at night, requiring me to be towed home. To add insult to
>>injury, the replaced belt broke one month later because there had been
>>undiagnosed damage to the crankshaft pulley that hadn't been picked up
>>when
>>the belt and idler pulley were replaced :-( The garage reluctantly made a
>>goodwill payment of a mere £20 - less than a tenth of the cost of the belt
>>replacement.
>>
>
> Belts often look "good" and fail. That is why belts have a prescribed
> change interval. Yours is a perfect case of "something else failed".
> In your case the belt probably did look fine, the crankshaft pulley
> was damaged and chewed hell out of the old belt pretty quickly.
Interestingly the belt split lengthways, with only half the width breaking
in two. So the belt didn't just fall off into the road and was still there
to be examined when I stopped the car. The ridges that engage with the
crank, alternator and power steering pulleys had tiny cracks across them
every millimetre or so, as if the rubber had perished. It was the idler
pulley rather than the crank pulley which was damaged on the first occasion:
it looked as if it had shifted sideways on its shaft and scraped against the
engine housing.
Mind you, as far as I know, the belt had never previously been changed at a
service - and the car had done 120 K miles. I wonder if it should have been
replaced every so often.
> The
> new belt lasted a bit longer just because it was new before the same
> damaged pulley got it. A damaged crank pulley is a pretty rare thing
> so the shop didn't notice the damage (on some cars you can hardly even
> see the crank pulley from above). Crappy situation but it happens.
Yes. When it happened the second time, I'd driven a long way the day before
without any problem, then within a mileor so of setting off on a long
journey the next day there was a clattering chugging noise (I thought there
was a tractor behind me!). This seemed to get worse whenever I came off the
power. I limped back home again, with the ignition light occasionally
flashing on (a sure sign that the belt had problems) and as I turned into
the drive, the noise became much louder. The belt was intact but looked as
if it was covered in very viscous oil - my first thought was than the crank
pulley bearing had gone and engine oil was leaking out, which would have
been expensive! It seems that the viscous black goo was molten rubber from
the belt.
A nice little bill - an extra £250 that I hadn't bargained for, on top of
the previous bill for this amount when the belt failed the first time.
As a matter of interest, while the belt is off before it is replaced, how
easy is it to tell whether the crank pulley is damaged? Would it wobble from
side to side on its shaft? I'm assuming that the ridged surface of the
pulley was undamaged because surely a garage would spot that as they were
fitting the new belt, even if they didn't notice that the pulley was loose
on its shaft.
Re: Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
On May 5, 10:41 pm, "Mortimer" <m...@privacy . net > wrote:
> "John S." <hjs...@cs . com > wrote in message
>
> news:77805c1f-1dfa-42f9-89b5-0247af126658@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups . com ...
> On May 5, 5:47 pm, "HLS" <nos...@nospam.nix> wrote:
>
> > "John S." <hjs...@cs . com > wrote in message news:6010c494-0cdd-406e-a687-=
>
> > Again, have you determined that this is a broken timing belt. And
> > have asked the dealer how long parts that they install are warranted
> > for. Those are questions that you will not get straight answers to on
> > an internet discussion forum.
>
> > You certainly wont, and you wont get them from some dealerships EITHER.
>
> > 50 k (miles, I assume) is a bit less than one would expect. You are darn=
> > lucky that, if this turns out to be a snapped belt, you dont have an
> > interference
> > engine.
>
> You work with strange dealerships. The legitimate dealerships I deal
> with provide a very legible disclosure of how long replacement parts
> are warranted for. But the real point here is that the original
> poster should first determine what the problem is. He hasn't
> determined that the belt broke, but just seems to be fishing for
> attention.
>
> ====
>
> First of all, what's an "interference engine"? I've never heard that term
> before.
>
> Secondly, I'm puzzled by some people's reluctance to answer the OP's
> question: "Is 50K a short lifetime for a timing belt?". It's immaterial
> whether he's established whather this is the cause of his problem - and in=
> his followup he even said "Lets just assume it is the timing belt".
>
> I'd say that if the replacement interval for routinely replacing the timin=
g
> belt is X thousand miles and the replacement belt fails within that time,
> someone should be held liable - whether it's the manufacturer (defective
> part), garage who fitted it (defective workmanship) or car maker (incorrec=
t
> service interval specified).
>
> On a related note, I'd like to know how a garage can examine my fan-belt
> (well, alternator and power-steering belt) amongst other things at a
> service, and mark it as "visually checked - OK", and yet the belt breaks o=
ne
> week later... Surely the reason for visually checking a belt is to dete=
ct
> imminent failure *before* it happens, to avoid stranding me in the middle =
of
> nowhere late at night, requiring me to be towed home. To add insult to
> injury, the replaced belt broke one month later because there had been
> undiagnosed damage to the crankshaft pulley that hadn't been picked up whe=
n
> the belt and idler pulley were replaced :-( The garage reluctantly made=
a
> goodwill payment of a mere £20 - less than a tenth of the cost of the be=
lt
> replacement.
Given the limited amount of information the original poster knows
about his car it is literally impossible for anyone to say whether 50k
miles or 50 miles is a reasonable life. We do not know what the
recommended change level is. Nor do we know whether another component
failed and took out the belt. And finally, and most importantly we do
not even know if the belt is broken. The OP doesn't know either.
On May 5, 10:41 pm, "Mortimer" <m...@privacy . net > wrote:
> "John S." <hjs...@cs . com > wrote in message
>
> news:77805c1f-1dfa-42f9-89b5-0247af126658@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups . com ...
> On May 5, 5:47 pm, "HLS" <nos...@nospam.nix> wrote:
>
> > "John S." <hjs...@cs . com > wrote in message news:6010c494-0cdd-406e-a687-=
>
> > Again, have you determined that this is a broken timing belt. And
> > have asked the dealer how long parts that they install are warranted
> > for. Those are questions that you will not get straight answers to on
> > an internet discussion forum.
>
> > You certainly wont, and you wont get them from some dealerships EITHER.
>
> > 50 k (miles, I assume) is a bit less than one would expect. You are darn=
> > lucky that, if this turns out to be a snapped belt, you dont have an
> > interference
> > engine.
>
> You work with strange dealerships. The legitimate dealerships I deal
> with provide a very legible disclosure of how long replacement parts
> are warranted for. But the real point here is that the original
> poster should first determine what the problem is. He hasn't
> determined that the belt broke, but just seems to be fishing for
> attention.
>
> ====
>
> First of all, what's an "interference engine"? I've never heard that term
> before.
>
> Secondly, I'm puzzled by some people's reluctance to answer the OP's
> question: "Is 50K a short lifetime for a timing belt?". It's immaterial
> whether he's established whather this is the cause of his problem - and in=
> his followup he even said "Lets just assume it is the timing belt".
>
> I'd say that if the replacement interval for routinely replacing the timin=
g
> belt is X thousand miles and the replacement belt fails within that time,
> someone should be held liable - whether it's the manufacturer (defective
> part), garage who fitted it (defective workmanship) or car maker (incorrec=
t
> service interval specified).
>
> On a related note, I'd like to know how a garage can examine my fan-belt
> (well, alternator and power-steering belt) amongst other things at a
> service, and mark it as "visually checked - OK", and yet the belt breaks o=
ne
> week later... Surely the reason for visually checking a belt is to dete=
ct
> imminent failure *before* it happens, to avoid stranding me in the middle =
of
> nowhere late at night, requiring me to be towed home. To add insult to
> injury, the replaced belt broke one month later because there had been
> undiagnosed damage to the crankshaft pulley that hadn't been picked up whe=
n
> the belt and idler pulley were replaced :-( The garage reluctantly made=
a
> goodwill payment of a mere £20 - less than a tenth of the cost of the be=
lt
> replacement.
Given the limited amount of information the original poster knows
about his car it is literally impossible for anyone to say whether 50k
miles or 50 miles is a reasonable life. We do not know what the
recommended change level is. Nor do we know whether another component
failed and took out the belt. And finally, and most importantly we do
not even know if the belt is broken. The OP doesn't know either.
Re: Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
not if the idles pulley or if it has one the water pump failed taking
out the belt
"John S." wrote:
> On May 5, 11:52 am, m...@privacy . net wrote:
> > Have a 2000 Mazda Protege ES with 150k on it.
> >
> > Have taken meticulous care of it and had the timing
> > belt changed at 100k by Mazda dealer I bought the
> > vehicle new from.
> >
> > Friday night it stopped dead in its tracks and it
> > sounds like the current timing belt has broken!!
> >
> > Is there any kind of warranty on timing belts?
>
> > is it
> > 50k failure out of ordinary?1
>
> That's a question to take up with the dealer who did the work. The
> first thing for the dealer to determine is whether the timing belt
> broke.
not if the idles pulley or if it has one the water pump failed taking
out the belt
"John S." wrote:
> On May 5, 11:52 am, m...@privacy . net wrote:
> > Have a 2000 Mazda Protege ES with 150k on it.
> >
> > Have taken meticulous care of it and had the timing
> > belt changed at 100k by Mazda dealer I bought the
> > vehicle new from.
> >
> > Friday night it stopped dead in its tracks and it
> > sounds like the current timing belt has broken!!
> >
> > Is there any kind of warranty on timing belts?
>
> > is it
> > 50k failure out of ordinary?1
>
> That's a question to take up with the dealer who did the work. The
> first thing for the dealer to determine is whether the timing belt
> broke.
Re: Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
On Mon, 05 May 2008 10:52:27 -0500, me@privacy . net wrote:
>Have a 2000 Mazda Protege ES with 150k on it.
>
>Have taken meticulous care of it and had the timing
>belt changed at 100k by Mazda dealer I bought the
>vehicle new from.
>
>Friday night it stopped dead in its tracks and it
>sounds like the current timing belt has broken!!
>
>Is there any kind of warranty on timing belts? is it
>50k failure out of ordinary?1
The belt is generally guaranteed for the change interval. All the
other stuff that broke when the belt broke is not. I don't know your
vehicle so I can't speak with authority but the Gates web site shows
the belt should be changed every 60k (non california) and the engine
is not an interference engine so you won't have bent valves to deal
with.
Some water pumps are driven off the timing belt and there is almost
always a tensioner or two in there that can fail so until you have
someone pull it apart there isn't any way to know what happened.
Steve B.
On Mon, 05 May 2008 10:52:27 -0500, me@privacy . net wrote:
>Have a 2000 Mazda Protege ES with 150k on it.
>
>Have taken meticulous care of it and had the timing
>belt changed at 100k by Mazda dealer I bought the
>vehicle new from.
>
>Friday night it stopped dead in its tracks and it
>sounds like the current timing belt has broken!!
>
>Is there any kind of warranty on timing belts? is it
>50k failure out of ordinary?1
The belt is generally guaranteed for the change interval. All the
other stuff that broke when the belt broke is not. I don't know your
vehicle so I can't speak with authority but the Gates web site shows
the belt should be changed every 60k (non california) and the engine
is not an interference engine so you won't have bent valves to deal
with.
Some water pumps are driven off the timing belt and there is almost
always a tensioner or two in there that can fail so until you have
someone pull it apart there isn't any way to know what happened.
Steve B.
Re: Timing belt broke after 50k miles?!
Steve B. <none@none . com > wrote:
>The belt is generally guaranteed for the change interval. All the
>other stuff that broke when the belt broke is not. I don't know your
>vehicle so I can't speak with authority but the Gates web site shows
>the belt should be changed every 60k (non california) and the engine
>is not an interference engine so you won't have bent valves to deal
>with.
Ok thanks for that info. I didn't "think" it was an
interference engine.... but wasn't 100 percent sure.
Phew glad it isn't!!
It is a 2000 Mazda Protege ES car
>Some water pumps are driven off the timing belt and there is almost
>always a tensioner or two in there that can fail so until you have
>someone pull it apart there isn't any way to know what happened.
True....should know more tomorrow after mechanic has
diagnoses it.... but even he thought it was the timing
belt
Steve B. <none@none . com > wrote:
>The belt is generally guaranteed for the change interval. All the
>other stuff that broke when the belt broke is not. I don't know your
>vehicle so I can't speak with authority but the Gates web site shows
>the belt should be changed every 60k (non california) and the engine
>is not an interference engine so you won't have bent valves to deal
>with.
Ok thanks for that info. I didn't "think" it was an
interference engine.... but wasn't 100 percent sure.
Phew glad it isn't!!
It is a 2000 Mazda Protege ES car
>Some water pumps are driven off the timing belt and there is almost
>always a tensioner or two in there that can fail so until you have
>someone pull it apart there isn't any way to know what happened.
True....should know more tomorrow after mechanic has
diagnoses it.... but even he thought it was the timing
belt
