What gets bent when the timing belt breaks?

If the timing belt snaps, they run into each other, causing bent valves (most common), cylinder head or camshaft damage, and possibly piston and cylinder wall damage.

What happens if your timing belt breaks while driving?

What happens if the timing belt breaks? If a timing belt breaks, the engine will no longer work. If a timing belt breaks while driving in an interference engine, the camshaft stops turning leaving some of the engine valves in the open position. This will cause the pistons to strike the valves that left open.

How do I know if I have a bent valve?

The symptoms of bent valves include an engine that won’t start, an erratic engine when idling, lack of engine power, a knocking noise from the engine and excessive exhaust fumes. Engine valves are responsible for controlling the fuel delivery and gas removal in your engine.

Will a car start with bent valves?

Yup, if you have bent valves, your engine will start but the it will idle real bad, not smooth. And symptom will also be power lost. Compression problems that may cause a misfire include a burned exhaust valve, bent intake or exhaust valve, or leaky head gasket.

Is it bad to drive with bent valves?

A bent valve could start a fatigue crack in the stem and if it breaks you drop the valve in the cylinder. if the valves are not bent that much, then it can still run with most likely not much problems. If it has bent significantly, it wont run right and can possible break off if it hits the piston and drop the valve.

Can you drive a car with bad valves?

Unfortunately, yes you can do more damage by continuing to drive with damaged valves. Damaging the catalyst can cause it to break apart internally, leading to plugging up the exhaust and causing an even more severe loss of power, which will make the car very difficult to drive.

How do you check if timing belt needs changing?

If it is becoming worn, the belt will appear to look glazed or glossy on the underside. This means the rubber is getting hard and will not provide the flexibility the belt needs. Some signs are much more obvious, such as cracking or fraying. Belts with that kind of damage should be replaced immediately.

Can a broken timing belt cause bent valves?

Interference vs. non-interference engines. The level of damage caused by a broken timing belt can depend on the type of engine you have in your car. A non-interference engine provides clearance between the valves and pistons, so if the timing belt breaks, you might end up with bent valves, and you might have to have your cylinder heads rebuilt,…

What happens if you neglect your timing belt?

Now you know the disastrous consequences of neglecting your timing belt – engine valve and piston damage, bent valves, cylinder heads that need to be rebuilt or replaced, and possibly even total engine destruction. If you don’t want to see those dollar signs adding up, check your timing belt regularly,…

When do I need to change my timing belt?

The timing belt is critical for all the internal parts to be in sync. If the timing is off, you will surely know it by how the engine runs. Most timing belts need to changed between 80-100K.

Why is my timing belt squeaking and cracking?

Timing belts don’t often give you a lot of warning when they’re about to give way – they might squeak or chirp, or they might just suddenly break. More often, though, damage is due to wear in the timing belt.

The timing belt is critical for all the internal parts to be in sync. If the timing is off, you will surely know it by how the engine runs. Most timing belts need to changed between 80-100K.