Timing belt and fan belt gone at the same time?

Curse These Metal Hands

Broke down the other day, the engine stopped while driving and got roadside assistance. There were no unusual noises and the car was turning over, but not starting. Roadside mechanic said the fan belt had gone and a broken pulley had damaged a sensor. Hence the engine cutting out.

Got it towed and local mechanic is saying that the timing belt and fan belt went at the same time. Big job lots of money etc. How common is this?

Girl Geraldine

Fan belt going could get fouled up in the pullies which could damage the cam belt cover which could then get catch in the cam belt and knock it off its pullies. Very unlukcly for ti to happen. But it is possible.

Curse These Metal Hands

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119622459#Comment_119622459

Would there be any unusual noises when trying to start the car after this? The car was turning over as normal but just wouldn't fire. Roadside mechanic said the engine sounded healthy.

Girl Geraldine

There might be and there might not be. It is the luck of the draw.

I had a Volvo that snapped the timing belt and it spun over perfectly when trying to start, no clunking or crunching, but obviously no start.

I had a Ford that locked up solid and wouldn't turn over at all when the belt broke.

wotzgoingon

It's obviously a non interference engine otherwise your engine could be fecked when the timing belt broke. Depending on car it's not that big of a job to change a timing belt but as I said it depends on the car.

horse7

What makes is it.

Curse These Metal Hands

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119623251#Comment_119623251

Mondeo 2 litre Tdci titanium x

cnocbui

The couple times this has happened to me, there was an initial clatter before the car stopped, from the valves being bent and the piston heads being indented, and then just a deceptively innocent whirrring noise when trying to start the engine as the engine spun easily due to little or no compression.

I since vowed to never get a car with a timing belt again and bought one with a timing chain.

wotzgoingon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119623318#Comment_119623318

A timing belt broke on me many years ago but it was a non interference engine but I didn't know about interference or non interference back then. This is before internet. It was a cheap and old car at the time so I just picked up another cheap car again. If it happened now I would have been able to fix it myself.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058263515/timing-belt-and-fan-belt-gone-at-the-same-time

The roadside mechanic had no reason to BS you, the other mechanic on the other hand..

Tell him to just replace the fan belt, pulley, and sensor (crankshaft position sensor?) and see whether it will start then

bcklschaps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119622459#Comment_119622459

Exact same thing happened to me in a Rover 214 back in the day. Fan belt/alternator belt came off and caused the timing belt to come off too. Garage that replaced the timing belt fixed the car (under warranty) think it required some fairly serious work.

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119623338#Comment_119623338

The first time it happened to me, it was an interference engine and I fixed it myself. Quite a bit of work given it was a V6 and so two heads that were stuffed. Obviously I got someone else to do the valves and guides as I didn't have the tools for that.

Both times the car was well short of the milage the service schedule designated the belt to be changed.

route66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119623318#Comment_119623318

An engine with a timing chain is no guarantee that you won't have a problem. A lot of modern engines that use chains appear to have been designed by people who have no brains and/or no interest in life. Unlike chains in many older cars, a lot of modern ones are miserable looking things - more suited to be used in the drivetrain of a bicycle than to control engine timing in a car. After giving the engine a substandard chain cam drive, these designers are also prone to hiding the chain mechanism at the back of the engine, requiring engine removal to remedy. And some of these engineers with no brains work for companies with undeserved great reputations and tons of money.

Like BMW for example with their N47 engine

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119638380#Comment_119638380

In my instance, the no-brains engineers who don't have a clue - according to you - are Honda, the worlds largest manufactureer of petrol engines. The lifespan of the timing chain in my car is at least 120,000 miles, at which point you are supposed to 'inspect' it, not necessarily replace.

Oh I see where you are coming from now. Did you have BMW and the chain failed, by any chance?

I researched the longevity of the timing chain in my car before buying it. As I said, I have had two timing belts fail long before the manufacturers service replacement schedule, with costly and troubelsome consequences, so never again.

Timing belts are a cheap garbage technology that should never have been used.

jmreire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119638380#Comment_119638380

BMW and their N47 timing chain woes are not the only ones MB OM651 engines have the same timing chain set up IE; Between rear of engine and Transmission. But, normally they give a bit of warning, slight rattle on start up. Give me a front mounted timing belt any day, and change it regularly,

route66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119638475#Comment_119638475

I didn't say all. I had a cl7 Accord 2.0 petrol with a timing chain that would last forever. Not necessarily the same on the diesel version mind you.

But I was really referring to BMW's N47 and some other German rubbish.

Timing belts are not a cheap garbage technology - only if they're not implemented/designed correctly. And of course they need to be maintained properly as well.