stretched timing belt?
 

A friend of mine has an Astra. It came up with error code P14 (exhaust cam
advanced). I replaced the camshaft control solenoid, and it was okay for
a short while.
But then started losing power, stalling and throwing more error codes.
So she took it to a dealer workshop. Their diagnosis was "stretched timing
belt". I haven't heard of this before. Usually just hear about them
snapping and wrecking the engine, or some teeth breaking off, and it
slipping out of phase.
I guess if the belt became longer, it would be benign at constant speed,
but then go out of phase when accelerating?

stretched timing belt?
 

> wrote:
>A friend of mine has an Astra. It came up with error code P14 (exhaust cam
>advanced). I replaced the camshaft control solenoid, and it was okay for
>a short while.

And when you did this, what did the timing look like with the light?

>But then started losing power, stalling and throwing more error codes.
>So she took it to a dealer workshop. Their diagnosis was "stretched timing
>belt". I haven't heard of this before. Usually just hear about them
>snapping and wrecking the engine, or some teeth breaking off, and it
>slipping out of phase.

Nope, they can stretch too. But in this case, it might have slipped out
of phase.

>I guess if the belt became longer, it would be benign at constant speed,
>but then go out of phase when accelerating?

Maybe, but depending on the tensioner design it might also be more likely
to skip. The timing light will tell you what is actually going on.

And don't forget to replace the tensioner, if it IS the belt. Which it
likely is.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

stretched timing belt?
 

On Monday, February 26, 2018 at 10:12:36 PM UTC+8, Scott Dorsey wrote:
>
> And when you did this, what did the timing look like with the light?
>
I don't have a timing light, or a workshop manual telling me what the
relationship between the shafts should be.

>
> Nope, they can stretch too. But in this case, it might have slipped out
> of phase.
>

I spoke to the service manager and he told me that the belt had jumped a
tooth, which is enough to make the engine rat****.

stretched timing belt?
 

> wrote:
>On Monday, February 26, 2018 at 10:12:36 PM UTC+8, Scott Dorsey wrote:
>>
>> And when you did this, what did the timing look like with the light?
>>
>I don't have a timing light, or a workshop manual telling me what the
>relationship between the shafts should be.

Pick up a light! They are amazingly useful diagnostic tools, and people
forget how useful they are. Every flea market has a bunch of them that
they can't give away!

>> Nope, they can stretch too. But in this case, it might have slipped out
>> of phase.
>>
>
>I spoke to the service manager and he told me that the belt had jumped a
>tooth, which is enough to make the engine rat****.

They do that, yeah.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

stretched timing belt?
 

On 02/27/2018 01:39 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:

>> On Monday, February 26, 2018 at 10:12:36 PM UTC+8, Scott Dorsey wrote:

>> I spoke to the service manager and he told me that the belt had jumped a
>> tooth, which is enough to make the engine rat****.
>
> They do that, yeah.
> --scott
>

Hello, and some years back I owned a 1991 Chevy Lumina Z-34. It had
both a timing belt and timing chain (but that's another story). At
about 82,000 mi the engine up and quit. In my case some of the toothed
projections on the belt had sheared off rather than the belt just
breaking in two. Cost me about $800 (the belt was about $70) to have
the belt replaced but the engine never quite ran the same and consumed
more gas (I don't think the tech got the four (2 intake, 2 exhaust)
overhead camshafts timed right). Otherwise I loved that car. Sincerely,

--
J. B. Wood e-mail:

stretched timing belt?
 

WHile we are on the subject of belts, my '94 Saturn SL 2 got a replacement belt a year or two ago, and on start up I still get a lot of squeeling. Somebody mentioned "belt ease" to stop it. Is that a thing? Should I care?

Nils K. Hammer

stretched timing belt?
 

On Friday, March 23, 2018 at 7:36:26 PM UTC-10, wrote:
> WHile we are on the subject of belts, my '94 Saturn SL 2 got a replacement belt a year or two ago, and on start up I still get a lot of squeeling. Somebody mentioned "belt ease" to stop it. Is that a thing? Should I care?
>
> Nils K. Hammer

Adjust your belt tensioner. If it's a spring loaded tensioner, replace it.

stretched timing belt?
 

dsi1 > wrote in
:

> On Friday, March 23, 2018 at 7:36:26 PM UTC-10,
> wrote:
>> WHile we are on the subject of belts, my '94 Saturn SL 2 got a
>> replacement belt a year or two ago, and on start up I still get a lot
>> of squeeling. Somebody mentioned "belt ease" to stop it. Is that a
>> thing? Should I care?
>>
>> Nils K. Hammer
>
> Adjust your belt tensioner. If it's a spring loaded tensioner, replace
> it.
>

yea, timing belt has nothing to do with squealing. KB