timing belt vs timing chain? which is better?

[pogs]

Does anyone know if the 2006 Honda CRV uses a timing belt or a timing chain?

Aparently, the belt has to be changed every certain amount of km's, while the chain has to be replaced. The difference being that when the belt goes (as was explained to me by a salesman), that the car will still run and potentially cause damage to the engine...while the timing chain, if it breaks will not allow the car to run at all.

What do you guyz think?

pogs

[jww]

Timing chains can go for 160,000km or more sometimes. Belts need replacement much more frequently, but I think it's a cheaper job. Chains don't stretch like belts do, which could be positive or negative depending on how you look at it.

It's still a crap shoot, I think right now, but more and more chains are replacing belt technology in newer engines.

jww

[apl16]

my '04 echo hb has a chain. i was told it should never need to be replaced during the life of the car/engine.

[jww]

my '04 echo hb has a chain. i was told it should never need to be replaced during the life of the car/engine.
Not true at all - all mechanical parts will eventually wear out - laws of physics, you know. Chains simply last alot longer than belts, that's all. They do reduce engine vibrations as well.

jww

[Pritch]

My 1993 Nissan 240sx has a chain. Its a noisy engine, mainly due to that chain. Modern engines (more modern anyhow) are usually a lot quieter. Chains should last the life of your engine if you maintain it properly ie. change the oil regularly

[kilby]

I have a 1981 BMW 320i and a 1993 BMW 325is, both have timing chains that I will never replace...barring catastrophic failure, the old one has been on the road for 26 years, I have all it's history, still on timing chain #1.

[Huggyd]

I would tend to think that timing chains would last LOT LONGER then bealts will. I would also think that most if not all new / newer cars would have chains. ( I could be wrong )

[Pritch]

thats impressive, a 26 year old bimmer??!?

Pics?!


i hear the new honda civic even has a chain now

[kilby]

I bought the 1981 320i 6 years ago for my daughter who was turning 16. The car was bought new in Vancouver and had a turbo installed in it's first few years of life, along with full suspension upgrades. The motor exploded before I bought the car and a 318i motor was installed, so for my daughter it was perfect combination, great handling with not too much power. She moved away to Victoria when she was 18 and having her away from Daddy and our local German car mechanic, I bought her a low mileage Jetta so when she had car problems she wouldn't be paying big bills because she had a BMW. I couldn't sell it because it's so much fun to drive and is such a simple car mechanically compared to our others, so I drive it in the winter and to the office, in the last year I have had several oil changes, one gas line filter and changed the antifreeze for a total of about $220 for the year. I would like to post a picture but am not computer literate enough to do it on this site, can't just grab one from "my pictures"??? I'll figure it out sometime.

[tache]

the timing chains are much noisier than the timing belt but last longer and save you money

:shock:

[Lesley]

Depends entirely on the vehicle - I had the timing chain replaced on my Dodge truck at 50,000 kms.
When planning a custom engine build later on, I did a lot of research on the parts and bought a Cloyes double-roller timing chain. They're a b__tch to change (behind the water pump) and I sure didn't want to do it again.

[jdgomez]

my '04 echo hb has a chain. i was told it should never need to be replaced during the life of the car/engine.
Not true at all - all mechanical car parts (http://www.autopartsdeal.com) will eventually wear out - laws of physics, you know. Chains simply last a lot longer than belts, that's all. They do reduce engine vibrations as well.

jww

Agreed. The only way around this is by regularly checking your car, including the parts that they say "never needs replacing".

[2wayne2]

1: :) G'day from Australia again. The timing belt replacement recommendation is every 100,000km as the rubber stretches from the heat & also from deteriation of the rubber or nylon, neoprene, depending on what the belt is made of. :( The timing chain on the other hand, is replaced when it becomes noisy. The chain is made of metal & definitely does not stretch or become fatigued anywhere near as often as the belt. Usually the chain is much more time consuming & expensive to replace as the tappet cover has to be removed to access it & sometimes the front of the motor has to be removed, then loss of coolant, more gaskets, more money. However, the belt is easier as there are no timing cover gaskets to be replaced, no water pump gaskets & usually no need to drain the coolant. Only thing is, like I said before, this is EVERY 100,000km whereas the timing chain lasts, with regular maintainance, usually the life of the motor.
2: :roll: The salesman that told you that you can break either a chain or belt (whichever one it was) & not damage the motor has his hand in his trousers. :roll: Think about it. The valves open into the cylinder chamber while the piston is down. If a chain or belt BREAKS whilst some valves are still open, held there by the cam lobe, & the motor continues to turn on the rundown, especially if it is a manual as it will be forced to turn while ever the vehicle is in gear & moving, the piston comes up, hits any open valves, either bends them or punches a hole in the piston & most likely bends or breaks the camshaft too.
There is the odd exception that has a recess in the pistons or a bigger valve chamber that the valves open into, hence they don't come below the face of the head when open.
:) Cheers from down under & hope this is useful to you :)

[khooper]

I agree that timing chains hardly ever snap but through use, they wear and the sprockets also wear, resulting in changes to the valve timing and loss of power. Also, chains are noisy and so require more maintenance than cogged belts. Cogged belts are quiet and hardly ever wear if properly adjusted. The only minus point about cogged belts is that they can snap, with disastrous consequences. Therefore if the cogged belt is replaced regularly as advised by the engine manufacturer, one can be sure of a quieter engine and consistent valve timing.
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