Snapped a timing belt

[Caplax40]

Yesterday when I was driving home from class I made a right turn and all of a sudden there was a "bam!" sound and the car just stopped dead in it's tracks.

Long story short the timing belt snapped. And it was nearly brand new.

I had the head gasket replaced and during that process a new OEM timing belt was put on.

It snapped with less than 500 miles put on it and it was easy driving at that.

It doesn't really matter now, but do any of you have some ideas as to what could have happened? The belt didn't break apart but rather looked like it was sort of shredded half way in.

 

[cjsupra90]

can you post some pic's of the belt. It would help to see the belt.

 

[xarewhyayen]

may have started to slip forward from being installed wrong and got caught on something... but im with the above, post a pic of it

 

[Clip]

:ttiwwp:

id say xarewhyayen is right about it catching on something. or maybe it was just a bum belt straight from the factory.

 

[MDCmotorsports]

Belt tensioner / idler pulley.

The bearing is prolly seized and it burn the belt in half.

 

[koulee]

Just be thankful our engines are non-interference.

 

[supra90turbo]

HAHA I was gonna say that, koulee...
If this were a DSM, you'd be fux0red.

If the belt looks burned, something isn't spinning freely.
You should have replaced the tensioner pulley when you did the belt, but that's neither here nor there...

Hope you get it straightened out... show us the belt! If nothing else, it's random carnage.

 

[hottscennessey]

same thing happened to me.. luckily I was in my driveway starting her up when it snapped. Mine literally snapped, like something stopped moving and tore it apart (this was during cranking). It was about 500 miles afterwards for me too, I've been going strong for 6 or so months since tho.

 

[IJ.]

Are you guys resetting the tensioner after 2>300 miles?
(A new belt will stretch some and that's what the plug in the front cover is for so you can get a socket on the tensioner bolt)

 

[Doward]

Are you guys resetting the tensioner after 2>300 miles?
(A new belt will stretch some and that's what the plug in the front cover is for so you can get a socket on the tensioner bolt)

eh, you beat me to it

I agree, though - much easier to assess the situation, with pictures :1zhelp:

 

[frank]

Damaged sprockets will destroy belts as well.
"Oops, dropped that cam sprocket, nobody saw, I'll just throw it on there, quick like."
All it takes is one nice burr in the wrong place.