[Swapnil4585]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

I have a 2010 September Ford Fiesta Petrol which has done 52 K KMS. The manual says timing belt has to be replaced at 1 Lakh KMS or 5 Years. I called up metro ford and they said they will check and replace if necessary. Is it possible to check whether replacement is required? I will be doing a 6000 KM round trip in October and want the car to be in top shape. They are quoting 17 K for Timining belt, accessory belt and pulleys.

• The common way to find out whether a timing belt needs replacement or not, is to check for the unusual squealing or whirring noises. Start the car and let it idle. Open the bonnet and stand near the timing belt housing. If you hear some unusual noises, then the tensioner has gone bad and needs to be changed.
• Take the car to the service center and open the timing belt cover, and inspect it. If the belt has spots of oil on it, or if its teeth have come lose, or if there are too many cracks on the belt, then it is time to replace the belt.
• It is advisable to inspect the water pump when getting the entire timing belt kit replaced.
• 52,000 kilometers is a bit early to change the belt kit. You may inspect things however. I have had to replace my timing belt kit and water pump at 83,000 kilometers, on my Indigo.
• Labor costs seems to be high, check out for any competent independent garages in your city.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

I have a 2010 September Ford Fiesta Petrol which has done 52 K KMS. The manual says timing belt has to be replaced at 1 Lakh KMS or 5 Years. I called up metro ford and they said they will check and replace if necessary. Is it possible to check whether replacement is required? I will be doing a 6000 KM round trip in October and want the car to be in top shape. They are quoting 17 K for Timining belt, accessory belt and pulleys.

Pramod, there are no tell-tale signs of a worn timing belt or a belt requiring replacement in most of the cases. Only a physical inspection can ensure that. To be on the safer side, do consider changing the belt if the manual suggests an interval - in time or kms.

That aside, 17K is quite a sum for a Fiesta for changing the timing belt!

Regards,
Saket

[Swapnil4585]

Originally Posted by saket77

Pramod, there are no tell-tale signs of a worn timing belt or a belt requiring replacement in most of the cases.

Is it not correct, that when the tensioner has gone bad, the belt has gone bad too? In my case, the tensioner noise was a give away. The mechanic told me that when you hear squealing noise, belt has gone bad.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

Is it not correct, that when the tensioner has gone bad, the belt has gone bad too? In my case, the tensioner noise was a give away. The mechanic told me that when you hear squealing noise, belt has gone bad.

If the tensioner assembly goes bad, it may not maintain the correct tension of the timing belt. That may destroy the belt itself - so to answer your question, yes, a bad tensioner assembly can destroy even a new belt.

Also, if you are among one of those who can notice every change in the trait of your car, an incorrect tension of timing belt would alter the timing of the valves which will affect the behavior of the car negatively like power loss/ poor FE or even misfires. That is why, the tensioner assembly is a good candidate for replacement along with the timing belt - always.

Regards,
Saket.

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

..Is it possible to check whether replacement is required? I will be doing a 6000 KM round trip in October and want the car to be in top ..

Unfortunately, there are few early warning alerts for an impending timing belt failure. Its like an on-off switch that way: one might suddenly find that their engine imploded due to a perished timing belt.

The best way to address this is by preventive maintenance: get the timing belt changed if its beyond the recommended shelf life. Packed company authorized service centers (like Maruti) are typically hesitant to change a timing belt due to the extra efforts involved - since their operating model is towards a quick service turnaround to be able to keep the cars flowing in.

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

I have a 2010 September Ford Fiesta Petrol which has done 52 K KMS. The manual says timing belt has to be replaced at 1 Lakh KMS or 5 Years. I called up metro ford and they said they will check and replace if necessary. Is it possible to check whether replacement is required? I will be doing a 6000 KM round trip in October and want the car to be in top shape. They are quoting 17 K for Timining belt, accessory belt and pulleys.

I am a little surprised at the quotation of Rs 17k for timing belt, tensioner (pulley), and accessory belt(presumably the V belt).

IMHO, the belts themselves are quite cheap, and it may be worth your while to check authorised spares outlets for genuine spares.

The installation itself is not very complex and well within the capabilities of most FNGs

[pramodpk]

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

• [
• 52,000 kilometers is a bit early to change the belt kit. You may inspect things however. I have had to replace my timing belt kit and water pump at 83,000 kilometers, on my Indigo.
• Labor costs seems to be high, check out for any competent independent garages in your city.

Originally Posted by saket77

Pramod, there are no tell-tale signs of a worn timing belt or a belt requiring replacement in most of the cases. Only a physical inspection can ensure that. To be on the safer side, do consider changing the belt if the manual suggests an interval - in time or kms.

t

Originally Posted by theMAG

Unfortunately, there are few early warning alerts for an impending timing belt failure. Its like an on-off switch that way: one might suddenly find that their engine imploded due to a perished timing belt.

The best way to address this is by preventive maintenance:

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

I am a little surprised at the quotation of Rs 17k for timing belt, tensioner (pulley), and accessory belt(presumably the V belt).

I spoke to the Spare part section of Metro Ford. Here are the approximate costs

Timing Belt - 1500/-
Tensioner Pulley - 4000/-
Drive Belt (AC, Water Pump) - 2000-

Have booked an appointment. Will get them replaced. Do not want to take any chances since I am planning a Rajasthan drive in October.

[rohan_iitr]

My i10 1.1L irde has run approximately 40k kms in about 8 years.

The car is used mostly in city conditions. I drive in a sedate manner.

The user manual mentions replacing the timing belt at 80k kms under normal usage and 60k kms / 48 months under severe usage conditions. As per the user manual, more than 50% driving in heavy city traffic during hot weather (above 32 degree C) qualifies as severe usage condition.

1. Considering the age of the car, should I get the timing belt replaced in the next service ?

2. What would be the approximate cost for this replacement at H.A.S.S. (parts + labour) ?

3. Will the service advisors be keen to do the job considering my car has run only 40k kms ? How to convince them ?

4. Is it a very time consuming procedure for i10 1.1L irde engine ?

Rohan

[nareshov]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

...
2. What would be the approximate cost for this replacement at H.A.S.S. (parts + labour) ?
...

The kit itself seems to be quite cheap (compared to say a european diesel): http://www.99rpm.com/hyundai/service...t-gen-i10.html

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by nareshov

The kit itself seems to be quite cheap (compared to say a european diesel): http://www.99rpm.com/hyundai/service...t-gen-i10.html

Thanks for the info. But I'm more worried about the labour cost, lets hope it doesn't exceed the cost of the components.

Rohan

[a*ed]

Have a query regarding whether the K10 engine uses a timing belt or timing chain.

Had given my 1,10,000 km run A-Star for service yesterday at Suraksha, E-City and had asked the SA to replace the timing belt. He checked with his manager and informed me that my car has a timing chain and need not be replaced. Whereas, the manual mentions that the timing belt needs to be replaced at 80,000 km or 8 years whichever is earlier.

This has me confused whether the A-Star has a timing belt or timing chain.

Just wanted to check with other T-BHPians who own an A-Star or a car with the K-10 engine (Alto K10/WagonR/Celerio) whether they have got the timing chain in their car replaced.

[pramodkumar]

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

Is it not correct, that when the tensioner has gone bad, the belt has gone bad too? In my case, the tensioner noise was a give away. The mechanic told me that when you hear squealing noise, belt has gone bad.

No one can hear the squeal from timing belt tensioner unless you have a scope, the timing belt is not exposed so the noise is deadened. The noise you are referring to is the drive belt. Only way to check the timing belt is to physically inspect it.

Pramod

[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by a*ed

This has me confused whether the A-Star has a timing belt or timing chain.

Just wanted to check with other T-BHPians who own an A-Star or a car with the K-10 engine (Alto K10/WagonR/Celerio) whether they have got the timing chain in their car replaced.

I know for a fact that its a rubber timing belt and not a chain on the K10 and it has to be the same on the A star as well. In fact, timing chains are found primarily on diesel engines AFAIK with rubber belts for a majority of petrol engines. The fiat MJD diesel engines have earned notoriety for their timing chain failing prematurely.

[a*ed]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

I know for a fact that its a rubber timing belt and not a chain on the K10 and it has to be the same on the A star as well. In fact, timing chains are found primarily on diesel engines AFAIK with rubber belts for a majority of petrol engines. The fiat MJD diesel engines have earned notoriety for their timing chain failing prematurely.

I went to collect my car in the evening today and the SA opened the engine cap (the cap that needs to be opened to fill engine oil) and showed me that it's in fact a timing chain and not a timing belt in the K10 engine. He was in fact surprised that I asked for a timing chain replacement since they are more durable compared to a timing belt and are supposed to last for the entire lifetime of the engine.

There's one more belt called the drive belt or the serpentine belt which provides power for the A/C, power steering etc.

The drive belt can be viewed when we pop the hood up, in the side of the engine, whereas the timing chain/belt is inside the engine casing.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by a*ed

and the SA opened the engine cap (the cap that needs to be opened to fill engine oil) and showed me that it's in fact a timing chain

Could you take a picture of what you saw, and post it?

Regards
Sutripta