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Old April 12th 17, 02:11 PM posted to rec.autos.tech
AMuzi
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Posts: 488
Default ###TIMING BELT CONSPIRACY THEORY###

On 4/11/2017 8:45 PM, Andy wrote:
> On Wednesday, July 20, 1994 at 4:15:51 PM UTC-5, Owen Lee wrote:
>> I have a timing-belt-conspiracy-theory, please read and comment:
>> (I'd like to compile some data and will post the results later)
>>
>> I had a 1983 Honda Civic, with a 5 sp. It went ~170k miles without
>> ever breaking the timing belt. My Uncle's 1986 Buick Park Avenue has
>> over 100k miles (Automatic), without breaking the timing belt. None
>> of my friends (work and social) has every broken a timing belt. In
>> fact, the only sources of broken timing belt stories a auto-shops,
>> dealerships, and friend of a friend of a friend who has a broken one
>> once.
>>
>> Harley Davidson uses a similar belt to drive its 800 pound motorcycles
>> in place of a chain. Now if a rubber belt is stong enough to drive a
>> 800 pound bike for usually 10's of thousands of miles, wouldn't you think
>> it's strong enough to last for a life time when used to drive a couple
>> of cam shaft, which probably offer resistance equivalent to about 20 pounds?
>>
>> My theory is that timing belt breaking is a scare story cooked up by
>> people who want you to spend $2-300 every 60k miles, so that the auto-
>> service industry can have a few billion dollars more business. After all,
>> the timing and valves were supposed to be adjusted anyway, why not add one
>> more item while the valve cover is off.
>>
>> I want to know if you have had a timing belt broken before, if so,
>> which car was it (make, model, year, etc), transmission type (which
>> affects engine rpm), mileage (highway miles, local miles, average
>> speed), whether you are throttle happy, how high do you rev your
>> engine before shifting, climate (hot air presumably makes plastic
>> deteriorate faster), etc. All the variables that you think may
>> effect the life of a timing belt.
>>
>> It's important that that you respond even if you have not had a broken
>> timing belt, especially if your car has gone over the magical 60k mile
>> mark without replacing the timing belt. Also, please include all cars
>> in your family so that I can have a big database. Otherwise I will
>> get only broken timing belt stories.
>>
>>
>> And please be honest.

>
> Breaking timing belts are not a myth.
>
> I was driving to work when my timing belt broke.
>
> Car died and I had to go over a curb to get off the road.
>
> Timing chains may not break but rubber belts do !!


Direct gear cams:
http://www.n56ml.com/corvair/01010104.jpg
don't have belt failure.

(they fail in other ways, but no belt!)



--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971


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