Timing is everything. For regular maintenance and before a big trip, check the quality of your timing belt for any bending, stretching and cracking symptoms.

A timing belt - also called timing chain - basically keeps time to ensure regular intervals in your engine function. The important role the timing belt plays is responsible for opening and closing valves in time with the motion of the pistons. If you are having timing belt issues, book a service today!

Timing Belt Replacement on a Ford Territory crossover SUV in Salisbury Plain at The Engine Bay.

In addition to preventing parts from colliding with each other, the timing belt of your car ensures the proper air and fuel mixture induction, compression and combustion, as well as the exhausting of the burnt mix.

The majority of manufacturers recommend replacement of the timing belt between 60 000 km and 100 000 km or five years, whichever comes first. The complexity of modern vehicles means the engines relationship between the camshaft and crankshaft is critical to its performance.

A broken timing belt means the valves will open at the wrong time and hit the larger pistons causing major engine damage and an expensive operation to repair. A stretched timing belt, left unchecked could break and affect the engine and internals of your car causing a very costly repair!

You can see in the picture above that the timing belt has stretched and is slipping off!!! This is why you should have them replaced at the correct intervals otherwise there is a high risk of engine failure.

If you notice a drop of engine performance, hear your vehicle rattling on cold start up or see the check engine light come on - these are some of the signs that could mean you need to replace the timing belt on your vehicle. Your local Salisbury Plain mechanic The Engine Bay is a specialist in engine timing chain replacement. We perform a free 65 Point Vehicle Inspection Report with every service to identify the actual causes of noticed symptoms and can help you prevent malfunctions before they cause greater damage.

Timing belts are often made of rubber, allowing for more compact engine designs and quieter operation. Unfortunately, this also means that belts need to be replaced after certain intervals as rubber has a specific lifespan and can stretch, break or the drive teeth may strip. The camshaft ceases to rotate, leaving some valves open and protruding into the cylinders. Because the crankshaft continues to rotate there is a danger of it pushing the pistons into the valves, bending or even breaking them.

This means that even a car with relatively low kilometers on the clock may still need a timing belt replacement as the rubber can begin to crack and perish with age, even if it is not stretched over time by normal use. Regular maintenance of your vehicle is an important part of car maintenance to avoid potential costly repairs and ensure all vital components of vehicle driveability are inspected and looked after in a timely manner.

Our Salisbury Plain mechanics have the skill and experience to properly diagnose and carry out timing belt replacement to the highest degree of satisfaction. The Engine Bay are experts at diagnosing and fixing all kinds of timing belt issues, including timing belt replacement, pulley, toothed, chain, change, alignment, water pump and additional repairs. Our Salisbury Plain mechanics can have your car back to optimal performance in an efficient time frame.

Depending on the model of vehicle being serviced, the timing belt is often located in a hard to get at place and usually involves a certain amount of engine dismantling before it can be fully inspected or replaced. This means you really should get experts in timing belt replacement to do the job as their vast experience will allow them properly diagnose a problem and to do the job much faster if it needs replacing.

Because a certain amount of engine dismantling is required to change a timing belt, your The Engine Bay mechanic may advise to have a number of other items checked or otherwise taken care of while they are easily accessible.

Such items may include water pumps, crank and cam shaft seals, ancillary drive belts, idler pulleys, tensioners and related components, which are in the same general area and are exposed by the dismantling required to get at the timing belt. This is normal and is generally a good call as it will save you money if these items were to need attention down the road.

While it may not seem to be an attractive prospect to have a timing belt changed you should keep in mind that a timing belt failure could have catastrophic effects on the internal working of your engine and will likely end up costing you a lot more in the long run if you simply ignore the problem.

So if you hear an unusual rattling noise from under the bonnet it is a good idea to get your car into the workshop of timing belt experts at The Engine Bay in Salisbury Plain to get their advice on your best course of action.