What can cause a timing belt to break or fall of? ?

Well my 2005 Honda Cr-V had it's timing belt fall off or break.



It only has 51,000 miles on it.



So I was just wondering what could cause it? My friends said that it doesn't really happen on newish cars



Also, how much does it cause to change or fix it?



THANKS!What can cause a timing belt to break or fall of? ?most vehicles timing belts should be changed between 60 and 90 thousand miles, yours may have stretched,cracked,or if water pump is leaking deteriorated
What can cause a timing belt to break or fall of? ?
Due to the load and constant flexing of the belt, these belts usually have a maintenance change interval of 60,000 miles - yours didn't make it.

It's really as simple as that.

Other causes include ice built up around the drive pulley which breaks the belt when the engine is cranked over, oil leakage which deteriorates and softens the belt and, obviously, a seized camshaft or, if it's driven off the same belt, a seized water pump.
What can cause a timing belt to break or fall of? ?
Wow! you are getting great answers. A timing belt is just like an alternator, A/C, or other belt. they get old and crack. A hard driver(fast starts and stops) can shorten the life somewhat. Usually, as others posted, you should get over 60,000 miles on a belt. Heat is a big killer of timing belts. They are behind a cover and heat buildup is worse and the tines crack and usually break when accelerating or decelerating.



The expense is not that bad unless you have a zero tolerance engine. For performance enhancement some engines are designed with the valves as close to the pistons as possible. There is simply not enough clearance for the valves to open and close with the piston at the top. When a timing belt breaks a valve will hit the top of a piston. At the least any valves extended will be bent. On heads with 12 to 16 valves there will be more than one. A lot of engines have sodium filled valves. These are very expensive.



In some cases, usually depending on the speed at the time of the break, a valve can hit a piston hard enough to break the piston. This now has become a nightmare so you need to be prepared going in. Find out if your engine is a zero tolerance engine.



If all is good make sure to replace the water pump if the timing belt runs it. It is another part with a planned work life and will save you money in the long run. Also replace the thermostat now and check idler pulleys and possible oil leaks.
Life is tough for timing belts. Sometimes crap gets on it or chemicals brake it down. I do my own timing belts so it costs me 80$. Might as well get the water pump done too. to get someone to do it for you 500$ give or take.

Find out if its an inference engine things get more complicated if it is.

When you get the car back and it doesnt run properly take it back and tell them to line up the timing marks properly. Sometimes the belt slips a few teeth when its applied and it realy screws up the timing. But because the mechanic didnt want to do the whole job over again he told me that there where other problems with the car. Hope this helps.
You must be drivin the heck out of that honda, huh? Usually they make it to around 65k before they break. Hope you didn't bend and valves when it broke.
could have been a defective belt to begin with or could have been been installed wrong or with excessive tension etc. Cost to replace is about $300. Call around for free estimates. lucky engine was not damaged.
the tensoiner , ck to see if the motor is a interferance motor-meaning that the valves can hit the pistons, before putting a new belt on motor