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Timing belt snapped (1HD FT 300.400km)

jef

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As I went shopping for new windscreenwipers for my newly accuired cruiser, my engine began to make a rattling noise, a few 100m later the engine turned off, all the warning lights went on and I rolled to a stop.
Peaked in the timing belt cover and saw that my timing belt is mangled.

Is my engine for the scrappers now? Quick search gives me that the 1HD FTE is an interferance engine. So new valves/head...?
 
Damn, first cruiser I know of that suffered a timing belt failure. Do you know when it was last changed? I think normal interval change is about 70k miles and having done over 4 now, they all come off looking in great shape still.

Yup, interference engine so likely that the pistons hit the valves which caused all that rattling before it then lost complete compression and came to a stop. You won't know the damage until you remove it, but the likely hood is that you're need either new valves in the head (if the head itself isn't too damaged) or a new head. Hopefully no damage to the pistons or chambers came by this and you can salvage the bottom end.
 
Of little use now i know but its usually the tensioner that siezes up on the 24v rather than the belt snapped. Hope it's salvageable.
 
Unfortunately it could be damage to the valve train as well, especially rockers. The camshaft stopped but the pistons kept moving and hit those valves that were opened by their cam lobes. This puts terrible force on the rockers and usually bends or snaps them. Best to check before rebuilding the engine and finding more problems. Not good.
 
Sorry to hear this mate, But expect the worse.. Hate hearing about snapped cam belts... All of us now will have that Niggling feeling in the back of our minds... "Mmm! is it now time to change my Cam Belt".:think:.. 'Nah! it will be fine'..... Doh!
 
P.S. Sometimes the camshaft caps are damaged through stress as well. If this is the case a new cylinder head is required as the caps are line bored with the cylinder head during manufacture. Now it is possible to re-line bore with new caps or indeed second hand caps but this is a very one off job and requires above specialist knowledge. I had a block with missing main bearing caps line bored with second hand caps off a scrap block. Enormous cost though. £850 in 1978.
 
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If you need an engine pm me as friend has 2004 crashed cruiser with perfect engine 180k miles
 
Absolutely correct it would likely be due a belt but it can be seen running and driving as still in car. Which reminds me my own T belt came on last month
 
So sorry to hear this Jef. You’re in the right place for good advice that’ll get you up and running again. It’ll be worth the pain in the end.
Good luck.
Rich
 
T-belt on my 1HD-T btoke once...ended up having to replace 9 out of 12 valves, so replaced them all, and a few valve guides, head was fine, just had it checked, of course you will have to replace the head gasket
 
Small update:
timing pulley broke off and destroyed the timing belt (was recently replaced with the belt and looked as new, not a oem part, probably installed incorrectly or bad casting)
1 rocker is completely broken and a few valves are bent.
Head is not damaged.
 
Interesting update Jeff. No pistons damaged? I guess the valves just overlap the combustion chambers in the pistons? I would check the valve guides as these take the stress when the valves bend. I guess it was low RPM as not much damage has been done? Do you mean the tensionner pulley broke off?
 
Small update:
timing pulley broke off and destroyed the timing belt (was recently replaced with the belt and looked as new, not a oem part, probably installed incorrectly or bad casting)
1 rocker is completely broken and a few valves are bent.
Head is not damaged.
Well worth a rebuild then.... Like Frank says, If the pistons are ok??? It shouldnt be too Drastic... Good luck,
 
Interesting update Jeff. No pistons damaged? I guess the valves just overlap the combustion chambers in the pistons? I would check the valve guides as these take the stress when the valves bend. I guess it was low RPM as not much damage has been done? Do you mean the tensionner pulley broke off?

There were slight markings from the valves on the pistons. Was driving around 40km/h and when the engine turned off I quickly smashed the clutch and rolled to the side of the road

Yes, tensionner pully broke off
qXSji84.jpg
 
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Just changed my timing belt on my Collie. The belt I took off looked pretty new and in good nick but I didn't know when it was last changed. Does anyone keep their old belts for emergencies. I've done that with the alternator and steering pump belts only to be used as a last resort if I was a bit stranded somewhere.
 
They're so cheap why take an old one. Take a new one. But if it snaps, you're going to be pretty lucky if that's the only part you need. As was said early in this thread, if these belts and other parts are changed as per schedule with quality parts, the chances of failure are incredibly low. It's not a part that I carry I have to say.
 
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