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Timing Belt & Timing Chain

Your foreign vehicle's internal combustion engine has either a timing belt or timing chain(s). Both serve the same purpose which is to synchronize the camshaft(s) with the crankshaft. This is especially important on interference engines as if the timing is incorrect or the belt or chain fails the valves will come in contact with the pistons causing internal engine damage. A traditional timing belt is rubber and over time can become worn and deteriorate. Different manufacturers recommend the belt be replaced at different intervals but some can be as soon as 40k miles. Timing chains are often thought of and even advertised to be a "lifetime" part, however, our experience has shown this to be untruthful. Timing chains themselves don't often fail but when they do they either break or stretch. More commonly in a timing chain setup it's actually the chain tensioner and/or plastic guides that fail. If the tensioner fails to apply proper tension or a plastic guide breaks the chain can skip timing and the pistons may strike the valves (interference engine). In some cases timing may only jump a few teeth causing the engine to run poorly or not at all but the engine internally may still be fine and this is where proper diagnosis is vital. Don't let an unqualified shop tell you your engine is bad because there is no compression when in fact it could be a simple timing fix. Regular scheduled oil changes are also critical to maintaining timing chain components as the engine oil comes in direct contact with the plastic guides and in some applications engine oil flows through a hydraulic tensioner. Due to the fact most manufacturers do not recommend replacing the chains, determining the proper intervals to replace chains is something we have configured based on our experience. There are certain symptoms that will indicate failing timing components that we look for when checking your vehicle over during service. We plan to explain specific failures and proper replacement intervals for specific applications in future blog posts. All timing services include (where applicable) chain(s) or belt, tensioner(s), roller pulley(s) and guides; we may also recommend replacing additional components during service such as the water pump, thermostat, camshaft seal(s), crank shaft seal, drive belt, fluids etc.

[Audi C5 A6 allroad quattro 2.7T (APB) timing belt service.]

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