Has anyone ever broken their timing belt?

[Gazoola]

My Forester is getting it's new timing belt today, at 186,000km, due to time not distance, as it's been 8yrs since the 100,000km service. How is that for low KM's.

At the first 100,000km I only had the belt changed and this time it'll get the whole kit, hydraulic tensioner, 3 x rollers, seals and water pump.

A cluey person I know said that if a timing belt breaks, it's usually at start up when the torque hits it. I know the USA Forester's belts go for 160,000km. But that is another story.

Another forum post said that the roller bearings or tensioner would fail before a belt.

Has anyone ever broken their timing belt and at how many years and km's/miles?

- Gaz

 

[Ratbag]

Well, Gaz

Taza bought an Impreza with a broken timing belt.

One or two others have broken their own.

It can happen ...

With interference engines (like ours ... :iconwink, it usually requires a complete engine rebuild to fix. That costs a poultice of moola ... .

Best to service it reasonably correctly. Having said that, at nearly 18 y.o. and 234,000 kms, my Impreza did about 7 years on the first belt, and around 9 on the second ... Done more or less at the correct time per the mileage though.

 

[Gazoola]

my Impreza did about 7 years on the first belt, and around 9 on the second ... Done more or less at the correct time per the mileage though.

Good to see I am not the only one ignoring the 4yr timing belt interval by a long way. I pushed it out to 8yrs, but didn't want to risk another year or so to reach the 100k interval.

 

[Davidov]

The Impreza Taza and I bought broke its timing belt while driving. The woman we got it from said it just lost power and cut out. It had luckily only slightly bent valves causing major low end dead spot and a lumpy idle.

It was hard to say what caused it however we determined the hydraulic tensioner was seized and that could have played a part. The belt was shredded. This was at ~270,000 kms on the motor I think it was.

 

[Gazoola]

The Impreza Taza and I bought broke its timing belt while driving. The woman we got it from said it just lost power and cut out. It had luckily only slightly bent valves causing major low end dead spot and a lumpy idle.

You could just impress everyone by saying the lumpy idle is the lumpy racing cam you put in. :lol:

It was hard to say what caused it however we determined the hydraulic tensioner was seized and that could have played a part. The belt was shredded. This was at ~270,000 kms on the motor I think it was.

Surely it couldn't have been the original belt. ?? I'd guess the belt must have done around 170,000km.
If that was the original hydraulic tensioner and other rollers, then I totally agree, one of them must have seized. Which means that the advice that many give about changing the tensioner and all rollers (plus water pump) every second 100,000 or so is a good rule of thumb.

Are you and Taza going to make that Impreza a rebuild project?

 

[taza]

Hey Gordon. Actually I have sold the car. Sold it with a lumpy idle and bent valves. Ran pretty good still and got $2500 for it!

 

[Ratbag]

Gidday Gaz

In the US, the recommended service interval for Forester timing belts is 8y.9m. or 168,000 kms ... Compared with here for the same part/s 5y. or 125,000 kms for MY06 onwards and 5y. or 100,000 kms for earlier models.

I am now at 7+ years and 110,000 kms in my MY06. The belt (and possibly tensioners, pulleys and water pump - depending on Ross's judgement) will be done at the next service in the next 1-2,000 kms. I might push things a bit that way, but I'm not too brave about it! Engines are expensive ... :iconwink:.

Previously, when I let my Impreza run for that long period, I didn't even know that there was such a thing as an interference engine. Ignorance my be bliss to some; to me, it is merely stupidity (on my part).