What are the effects of aging car belts?
5 Answers
Belt aging can cause the valves and ignition system to stop functioning. Here are the relevant details: 1. Function stoppage: Once the belt is damaged, the operation of the valves and ignition system will cease or become erratic, causing the engine to stop working. Additionally, if the engine's valve movement is designed to overlap with the piston's top dead center. 2. Timing belt: If the timing belt breaks, due to inertia, the crankshaft will continue to drive the pistons up and down, while the valves remain stationary because the camshaft stops. The valves may stop at their lowest point; when the piston of this cylinder moves to the top dead center, it may collide with the valves. The top of the valve is a solid cam that cannot move, resulting in bent valve stems, dented piston tops, and in severe cases, damage to the cylinder head. If this occurs, the engine will require major repairs.
I just experienced a belt aging issue. While driving, I heard a squeaking noise, like mice scurrying under the hood. When a belt ages, its surface cracks and frays, causing a sharp drop in transmission efficiency. The steering wheel suddenly becomes heavier, and the air conditioning cooling performance deteriorates. The worst-case scenario is a snapped timing belt, which can cause the engine valves and pistons to collide directly—repair costs could be as high as half the price of a used car. I recommend regularly checking the belt's condition and replacing it every 60,000 kilometers or so. Don't try to save a few hundred bucks only to end up paying thousands in major repair costs.
As a regular customer at the repair shop, I know all too well about belt aging. Rubber components harden and crack over time, making belts extremely fragile and prone to sudden breakage while driving. Last time my car's belt aged, the alternator stopped working immediately, and I watched helplessly as the battery warning light on the dashboard lit up. Key accessories are all affected—things like heavier steering assist and non-functional AC are minor issues, but a broken engine timing belt is a disaster. I've seen plenty of cases where valves and pistons were completely destroyed. Now I follow the maintenance manual and inspect every 50,000 kilometers, replacing any issues immediately.
Belt aging can lead to serious consequences! My car once had a squeaky belt, and the mechanic said it was due to grooves worn into the pulley. An aged belt loses its friction coefficient, causing increasing slippage. Even worse, it might snap midway, immediately disabling the power steering pump and making the steering wheel too heavy to turn. A broken timing belt is even more disastrous—the camshaft stops rotating, leading to pistons hitting valves, a scenario that's painful to imagine. That repair cost me over 5,000 yuan, and the mechanic said it was a classic case of engine internal damage caused by belt aging. Now, I proactively replace the belt every four or five years.
Aging belts are like ticking time bombs for vehicles, and you only realize the danger after experiencing it firsthand. Once while driving on the highway, the belt suddenly snapped, making the steering wheel feel as heavy as lead. It was only by gripping it tightly with both hands that I avoided an accident. Later, when the car was towed to the repair shop, the mechanic opened the engine and found belt fragments jammed in the crankshaft pulley, which bent all the valve pushrods. What should have been a thousand-dollar belt replacement turned into a ten-thousand-dollar major repair. Now, I’ve developed the habit of regularly checking the belt and replacing it at the first sign of cracks—safety and savings go hand in hand, especially since the drivetrain is no joke.
