Is the drive belt the same as the timing belt?

How often do you need to change belts and hoses on a car?

Most hose manufacturers recommend replacing hoses every four years. V-belts should be replaced every three years or 36,000 miles. The incidence of failure rises sharply after the fourth year of service for hoses and third year for belts. The lifespan of a typical serpentine belt is about five years or 50,000 miles.

If the timing belt snaps, they run into each other, causing bent valves (most common), cylinder head or camshaft damage, and possibly piston and cylinder wall damage. While it is possible that no damage could occur from a snapped belt on an interference engine, such a case is unlikely.

Symptoms of a Faulty Timing Belt

1) Rough Idling of the Engine. There are teeth on the timing belts which grip gears as they’re rotating various engine parts and components.

2) Misfire of the Engine.

3) Smoke from the Engine.

4) Oil Pressure Decline.

5) Pistons or Valves That Are Broken.

Serpentine belts are built to last – much longer than before because of advancements in rubber technology. Under ideal conditions, a belt should stick with you for an average of 60,000 to 100,000 miles.

The average cost for a serpentine belt replacement is between $76 and $164. Labor costs are estimated between $35 and $100 while parts are priced between $41 and $64. Estimate does not include taxes and fees.

The majority of the cost is labor, because many parts need to be removed from the engine to gain access to the belt. A typical timing belt will only cost between $25 and $50, but the repair takes at least a few hours. The labor cost to replace a timing belt can range from $200 – $900.

Timing belt replacement cost. Replacing a timing belt for preventive reasons typically costs $500 to $900. However, replacing a broken timing belt may cost up to $2,000 or more if it caused damage to the valves, pistons or water pump.

Many car owners may wonder how often to replace a timing belt. The old rule was every 60,000 miles. As technology has improved, many manufacturers recommend intervals up to 100,000 miles. To be safe you should check what the vehicle’s manufacturer recommends and stay within that mileage.

Symptoms of a Bad or Failing Serpentine/Drive Belt

Squealing noise from the front of the vehicle. If you notice a squealing noise coming from the front of your vehicle, it could be from the serpentine belt.

Power steering and AC not working. If the serpentine belt completely fails and breaks, then your car will break down.

Engine overheating.

Cracks and wear on the belt.

Essentially, it coordinates the rotations of the camshaft and crankshaft so the engine’s valves and pistons move in sync. The expected lifespan of your timing belt is specific to your car and engine configuration, usually between 60,000 and 100,000 miles.

Does your car have a timing belt or a timing chain? So, if you have a car with a timing chain then you are off the hook for replacement because these chains last the life of the car IF you change your oil on time. On the bright side, timing belts are changed every 90,000 to 100,000 miles now.

A timing belt, timing chain or cambelt is a part of an internal combustion engine that synchronizes the rotation of the crankshaft and the camshaft(s) so that the engine’s valves open and close at the proper times during each cylinder’s intake and exhaust strokes.

V-Belts usually should be inspected for wear after 3 years or 30-40,000 miles of use. According to belt manufacturers, failure rates rise sharply after 3 years of service. Replacing V-belts every 3-4 years can minimize the risk of sudden belt failure. Most cars on the road today have only one belt, a serpentine belt.

Hiring a mechanic to replace a serpentine belt typically costs about $60-$200 or more. This includes $25-$75 for the belt plus half an hour to an hour of labor, at $75-$120 per hour. The job could even take longer on some vehicles, if the belt is difficult to access or install quickly.

Failing Water Pump Pulley: The most common cause of squealing or squeaking from the timing belt cover is the water pump pulley. If the bearings in the pulley are beginning to fail, they will make noise. Eventually, they’ll seize and the water pump will no longer operate, causing your engine to overheat.

A serpentine belt, also known as a multi-vee, poly-v, or multi-rib belt, is a single, continuous belt used to drive multiple peripheral devices in an automotive engine, such as an alternator, power steering pump, water pump, air conditioning compressor, air pump, etc.

Round belts are a circular cross section belt designed to run in a pulley with a 60 degree V-groove. Round grooves are only suitable for idler pulleys that guide the belt, or when (soft) O-ring type belts are used. The V-groove transmits torque through a wedging action, thus increasing friction.

Your engine has a number of mechanical accessories attached to it, such as an alternator, water pump, power steering pump and an air conditioner compressor. A drive belt is the part that drives all these accessories. When a car has only one drive belt, it might be called a serpentine belt.

Belts & Hoses

Timing Belt. The timing belt is a notched rubber belt that allows the crankshaft to turn the camshaft.

Serpentine Belt. Serpentine belts, also known as drive belts, provide power to the air conditioning compressor, power steering pump, cooling fan, air injection pump, and more.

Hoses.

The crankshaft converts linear energy from the pistons, which move up and down, into rotational energy that eventually turns the wheels. The camshaft opens and closes the engine’s valves to allow air and gas in and out of the engine. The timing belt links the two in harmony.