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If I were to purchase a new car today (both my car and truck were purchased used) I would only get a car that the engine had a timing chain. Period.
Well, while I'd prefer the car to have a timing chain but it certainly wouldn't be my number one criteria (price, performance, reliability, utility, etc probably trumps the chain).
I'd just need to maintain a belt-driven engine appropriately, that's all.
Well, while I'd prefer the car to have a timing chain but it certainly wouldn't be my number one criteria (price, performance, reliability, utility, etc probably trumps the chain).
I'd just need to maintain a belt-driven engine appropriately, that's all.
When you buy a used car with a timing belt, all you have is the sellers word they changed the belt. They could say it was done at 90K and it was never done at all, unless you spend 3hrs + taking off the serpentine belt, and all the other covers just to get to the timing belt. Guess it always best to buy a used car with under 90K or over 120K when many of these things have been replaced.
Yeah, not a big fan of belts. Me and my wifes cars (Lexus IS250 and 2014 Forester) both have chains and I'm glad I don't have to worry about replacing them. Heck these newer cars don't need much servicing. 100K coolant intervals, same with tranny fluid. Just simple oil and filter changes.
When you buy a used car with a timing belt, all you have is the sellers word they changed the belt. They could say it was done at 90K and it was never done at all, unless you spend 3hrs + taking off the serpentine belt, and all the other covers just to get to the timing belt. Guess it always best to buy a used car with under 90K or over 120K when many of these things have been replaced.
A big part of the reason, other than ROI, why I am not replacing mine is I had it done at 60k when bought at 20k and there wasn't a crack, not even a hairline crack on the belt. So the one now was replaced at 120k with a Napa belt and tension er kit and it's going at almost 220k.
An interesting point the mechanic made in Denver when I left is he said because you aren't from here orig your belts should last longer, extremely dry in CO.
The belt that actually wore out and started to shred the serpentine had 150k miles on it and it was exposed, not covered by the part of engine case.
Nope. Every Honda and Toyota I've owned has had a timing chain. Given, that's only three cars but most Hondas and Toyotas these days don't use timing belts. For the Honda Accord, for example, the V6 is timing belt and the I4 timing chain. The V6 Accords aren't anywhere near as reliable as the I4 Accords though, not that that has anything to do with the timing belt. I don't think Toyota makes any cars with timing belts anymore.
I noticed Toyota and Honda uses mostly timing belts on their cars vs Nissan and many domestics (Big Three) which uses chains. Toyota and Honda motors are known to last a very long time, but is this due to overall engineering or are timing belt engines more reliable than timing chain engines, or does it even matter.
I personally avoid cars with a Timing Belt due to the $800-$1000 cost to replace it, the water pump and pulleys when that time comes or not knowing if the used car im looking at has had that service done. When it used to be $4-600 to do that I thought that was a bit much, but now with even less space in the engine bay, it looks like pain in the butt to get that done, especially on a FWD car. I know a chain replacment will probably cost much more than belt repalcment, but I have never really heard of many people having to get their timing chain replaced.
Nissan motors generally last as long as Toyota and Hondas... (Aside from a few gaffe years in the early 2000s.
Their reliability "issues" are not engine-related.
That said, I find no correlation between engine reliability and chain vs belt...
I prefer having a chain, but even chains have issues.
Anyone with a Nissan 3.5L knows about higher mileage engine startup rattle caused by tensioner issues
That's not a chain issue itself, though. If it's anything like what Ford has had with the SOHC 4.0 v6 or even the 24-valve Triton v8 engines, all it takes it some super flimsy timing chain tensioners/cassettes to end up on the oil pan and cause cascading issues.
Anyway, a quick read about those Nissan issues shows me that those tensioners just bleed off oil upon shutdown and they're dry upon startup (among other things). Fun.
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