Timing belt slipping

dletc · Post by **dletc** » 06 Sep 2006, 00:50

My daughter was about to leave for college in her '98 s70 when I heard noise coming from the timing belt. It turns out the timing belt's outer edge was rubbing throught the timing belt cover. I removed the cover and found the belt was slipping laterally off of the sprockets. With the engine stopped I was able to push the belt with relative ease back onto the camshaft sprockets. Is the problem with the tensioner?
Thanks in advance for any advise.
Neil

White850Turbo · Post by **White850Turbo** » 06 Sep 2006, 01:15

It certainly would seem to be the case. Has the timing belt been replaced before? Was the tensioner replaced also? Do you happen to know if it has the hydraulic (automatic) or mechanical (manual) tensioner?

MO-T5 · Post by **MO-T5** » 06 Sep 2006, 07:35

Tread very lightly here. Sounds to me if you can move your belt enough to slip it back over the gears, the tensioner system is faulty. Remember, valves + piston= $$$. This is an interference motor and if you monkey with it, it will bite you. Better to break down and buy the assembly, spend an afternoon and send your little girl off to school confident that she shouldn't have problems with her car. Good luck.

cn2000 · Post by **cn2000** » 06 Sep 2006, 08:00

Amen... I'd say tow it to a shop and get it fixed unless you have experience enough to handle it yourself. Not worth wrecking the engine to try to save a few bucks. Replace it all while you're in there.. water pump, belt, cam seals, crank seal and pulleys and tensioners. Money well spent.

dletc · Post by **dletc** » 06 Sep 2006, 08:16

Thank you all for your words of wisdom. The timing belt was changed at the recommended interval at the dealership (not sure about the tensioner) and the car has about 105k now. I changed a timing belt on my VW before and found it too difficult to get the sprockets aligned right. I think this will be a job for the professionals. Thanks again.

Post by **pfeener** » 06 Sep 2006, 08:38

If the timing belt is tracking off the pulleys it indicates that the idler, waterpump and/or tensioner is failing and causing the belt to track in that way. Get it to the shop immediately. Aside from the belt outright breaking, one of the other common failures of a timing belt is when it just slips off one of the cam pulleys. End result is the same as a broken belt....$3000 - $4000.

If you have a mechanical tensioner (manufactured in the 2nd half of the 98 model year) and it wasn't changed with the belt, it could very well be failing.