Timing Chain vs. Timing Belt

[WyrTwister]

Only timing chain I have ever done was in the 70's on a 66 Mercury Comet 289 , 2 barrel manual .

We purchased a new 2015 Chevy Sonic 1.8l automatic , June 2015 . It has a belt .

At first , I was miffed . The more I read , it seems replacing a timing belt is probably easier and possably cheaper than an equivelent timing chain ? What say yea ?

Thanks ,
Wyr
God bless

 

[PimTac]

It all depends of course. Yes the belt is cheaper but in the case of a old Mitsubishi I had, the engine had to come out. Find out if yours is in a similar predicament.

 

[joegreen]

I feel like people like chains because they can usually go a long way before being replaced. I actually really like belts. They are quiet, you don't have to worry about the timing gears also wearing out, the timing always stays perfect because they don't wear like chains. You don't have the timing chain contributing to oil shear. The only downside is belts are a maintenance item you now have to account for

 

[atikovi]

Belts generally much easier than chains. In the last 2 months I've done a Honda V6 belt, VW 1.4L belt, and GM 3.6L chains. The GM takes 3 chains, a bunch of guides and tensioners and a dealer would charge over $2,000 for the job. Belt change intervals are increasing as well. This VW as well as Fiat specifies 150,000 miles.

 

[Trav]

Personally I will take a belt, they are usually external (some new ones do run in oil) use a single tensioner and can be done usually with the engine in the car.
some of the newer engines with multiple long thin chains and multiple tensioners and guides made from plastic can be a real challenge to do some are more prone to failure than others but none are as durable as the old short but wide multi row chains.

 

[clinebarger]

Belt all the way with OHC engines!!

 

[benjy]

2001 jetta 1.8T belts + ALL related parts done at 75 thou intervals, now have a 2001 TT 1.8T almost the same with the engine in the wrong way!!! its important to replace all related parts as anything that fails has the same result $$$$. did early chevy chains doing cams EZE, early Vag belts not bad + about $300 for a good complete kit. surely installations vary for different manufacturers + newer anything is usually worse.

 

[2010Civic]

I'd rather have a chain. Don't have to change it or worry about it breaking. At least in my Honda's (R18A1 1.8L) they aren't any louder than the older Honda's with a belt.

 

[anndel]

Either, I think chains are more durable.

 

[clinebarger]

They're aren't many belt driven camshaft engines left......

The small GM 4 cylinders like the OP has & the Honda J35, Both are gravy train!! Don't work on VAG stuff.....But didn't they go to chains?

 

[benjamming]

Interference or non-interference is what you really need to know.

 

[blupupher]

I have changed 6 timing belts.
Never changed a timing chain.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted by clinebarger
They're aren't many belt driven camshaft engines left......

The small GM 4 cylinders like the OP has & the Honda J35, Both are gravy train!! Don't work on VAG stuff.....But didn't they go to chains?


Yes VAG did go to chains and some of the V engines are a real nightmare, tensioner failure is common and time consuming. I can do a belt on an old 2.0 slow in an hour not including refilling the cooling system after replacing the pump.

 

[csandste]

Like GDI and turbo, chains make me nostalgic for an earlier simpler time. Daughter had a chain break on a HHR 2.2 liter and a cherry car had to be scrapped.

 

[oldhp]

Originally Posted by benjamming
Interference or non-interference is what you really need to know.


^^^^^This^^^^^^

 

[RDY4WAR]

For a daily driven vehicle, I prefer chains. Tried and true to last. For racing engines, I prefer belt drive. (when rules allow it) Belts don't need oiling and they make cam swaps a breeze.

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by benjamming
Interference or non-interference is what you really need to know.


Yep.

I prefer chains. They will generally outlast belts by a significant margin. And all the timing chain equipped vehicles I've ever had sound just like a belt equipped vehicle... relatively quiet.

 

[RDY4WAR]

Originally Posted by benjamming
Interference or non-interference is what you really need to know.


A while back, one of my friend's neighbors had a late 90s Escort sitting in his yard with a Zetec engine. He said the timing belt broke and the engine wasn't any good. He said I could take it for $200.

The next day, I winched it on my trailer, and took it home. He didn't know those engines are non-interference. He just assumed it was toast since the belt broke. I put a new $60 timing belt on it, timed it, and it ran like a champ. I cleaned it up nice, and sold it for $2,300 at auction.

 

[Nick1994]

I much prefer a chain. Although having a timing belt isn't a game changer, it does add to the list of considerations.

My Jeep did need it's chain replaced a few years ago though...

 

[E365]

I have an oil-bathed timing belt on my Focus 1.0 EcoBoost.

Either way, I don't care either way what it has. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. I did the timing cover gasket and chain guides on my old E36 BMW. While the double-row timing chain is unlikely to ever fail, the plastic chain guides were literally falling apart upon disassembly. Brittle, like uncooked pasta. So you're pretty much gonna have to do a chain job anyway at some point if you're gonna keep something "forever" and put many hundreds of thousands of miles on it.