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Any good that article could have done is immediately reversed by the incorrect notion that dry timing belts are checked at a regular service. I can only assume the author is confusing it with the fan / accessory belt? Likewise, it's odd that he seems happy enough that a chain will simply die, but not that a belt might.
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A chain is much less likely to snap so long as the oil is changed regularly, and will usually give more warning before it does. Like everything some makes are worse than others of course.
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I've come to prefer dry only cambelts over the years, particularly if the run of the belt is relatively unstressed, ie driving the camshaft(s) only, and provided it is simple to inspect having an accessible easy to remove at least part of the cover and an easy change when required.
Those belts with an easy life tend to have long change intervals anyway, our Toyota has the easiest belt run i've ever seen and is a breeze for the home mechanic to swap in one hour every 90k miles, our Subaru belt has a horrible tortured run, its only saving grace is the top parts of the multi piece cover are easy to remove to allow thorough inspection of the belt periodically, its one i won't risk DIY....interestingly i spoke with the Subaru indy who changed ours why its such a long single belt and not two separate belts which would make more sense for the Boxer engine, he said race/rally Subarus do have two separate belts.
Compared to replacing a timing chain or wet belt the vast majority of properly designed dry cambelts are a breeze, every 4 or 5 years regardless of mileage is ludicrous if its a £500 and upwards cost.
Timing chains are not always the answer either, there have been numerous examples of engine designs where the chain suffered issues in makes one would have hoped for better and one or two examples where replacement was a sensible precaution after as little as 80k miles, might as well have been an easy to swap cambelt design.
I hope this fad for wet belts goes the way of the Dodo, finding articles about such things in places other than motoring forums can only be a good thing.
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"I've come to prefer dry only cambelts over the years, particularly if the run of the belt is relatively unstressed, ie driving the camshaft(s) only, and provided it is simple to inspect having an accessible easy to remove at least part of the cover and an easy change when required."
My opinion exactly. I fondly remember my old MK2 Polo, simple 8V engine and the belt also driving (and tensioned by) the waterpump. The passing years may be playing tricks with my memory but I'm sure I used to change the belt in about 90 mins including a coolant flush while the pump was off having a new washer put on. Every second change I would put a new pump on - only about £30 back then (mid 90s)
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The author is clearly not a mechanic and has little knowledge of car engines. It is an unhelpful article seemingly intended to cause undue anxiety among its already more anxiety prone readership. I suppose the SMMT would approve.
Modern well made cambelts, dry or wet, should last the life of a car doing an average annual mileage (e.g.Ford Zetec engine) as long as the belt has a reliable tensioner arrangement and only drives the cam shaft(s) which is(are) unlikely to seize.
Peugeot/Stellantis have remained strangely silent about who was responsible for making a crummy batch of belts-in-oil which were unfit for purpose and caused so much grief for some EB engine owners a few years ago. An unmonitored Chinese belt factory cutting corners? But over the past few years millions of these cracking little engines have been made in several factories in Europe and Asia and by now there must be a fair few high milers around. The important thing for BIOs is using the right type of oil and not doing too many miles between oil and filter changes.
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Modern well made cambelts, dry or wet, should last the life of a car doing an average annual mileage .
Any essential part of a car 'should' last out its life, but (by definition) one part will fail first, and hopefully not be too expensive to replace. My gut feeling (it is no more than that) is that keeping a synthetic-rubber cambelt soaked in oil may cause more problems that it solves. Long-term immersion in warm or hot oil is not usually good for rubber, though I suppose it may retard natural hardening when kept warm and dry.
Presumably before going into production, engines with wet belts were run for thousands of hours, but no maker will perform tests to destruction over a period long enough to imitate the true 'life' of a car.
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Modern well made cambelts, dry or wet, should last the life of a car doing an average annual mileage .
Any essential part of a car 'should' last out its life, but (by definition) one part will fail first, and hopefully not be too expensive to replace. My gut feeling (it is no more than that) is that keeping a synthetic-rubber cambelt soaked in oil may cause more problems that it solves. Long-term immersion in warm or hot oil is not usually good for rubber, though I suppose it may retard natural hardening when kept warm and dry.
Presumably before going into production, engines with wet belts were run for thousands of hours, but no maker will perform tests to destruction over a period long enough to imitate the true 'life' of a car.
Trouble is: when a car is past the first two owners, it tends to be driven by people who skimp servicing or delay it or use cheap materials not to specification.. That ruins timing chains.. and also oil immersed belts as the acids in oil used for prolonged periods ( often stop start motoring or short journeys) will attack rubber ,
The article is clearly written by someone who is is not qualified to write about things she only has a nodding acquaintance with..(like me on music, philosophy, art, and mediciines - to name but a few)
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The article is clearly written by someone who is is not qualified to write about things she only has a nodding acquaintance with..(like me on music, philosophy, art, and mediciines - to name but a few)
Matt Terry seems unlikely to be a woman, though they may be conservative.
I thought the article was pretty much on the money, though a bit optimistic about cam belt inspection practicality, reality and efficacy.
My dilemma is, if "Conservative Woman" disapproves of BsIO, do I have to start approving of them?.
That'd be a stretch.
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Its common knowledge that the original Purecrap timing belts where supplied by Dayco.
I know of one local garage that offers Purecrap & Ecoboom wet belt replacements as they have an experienced mechanic & have also invested in the correct tools.
The Ecoboom ones are much more involved to do - Purecrap ones are easy.
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Its common knowledge that the original Purecrap timing belts where supplied by Dayco.
Aha. Would that be the Wujiang Dayco factory?
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=110762
A conspiracy theorist might contend that a competing car manufacturer, envious of the award winning EB engine, came to, ahem, an arrangement with the factory manager regarding the mixture for the Pug belts ......?
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"A conspiracy theorist might contend that a competing car manufacturer, envious of the award winning EB engine, came to, ahem, an arrangement with the factory manager regarding the mixture for the Pug belts ......? "
If you have to choose between malice and incompetence it is usually incompetence. Mind you, incompetent cost cutting is also a possibility.
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"A conspiracy theorist might contend that a competing car manufacturer, envious of the award winning EB engine, came to, ahem, an arrangement with the factory manager ......?
" If you have to choose between malice and incompetence it is usually incompetence. Mind you, incompetent cost cutting is also a possibility.
I agree - Occam's razor. But it was just a thought.
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