Newly fitted cam belt failure
04-16-2014, 09:53 AM
#1
AudiWorld Newcomer
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Newly fitted cam belt failure
About two months ago I had a service done on my 98 A4 1.8 at which time the cam belt, cam belt tensioner and water pump was replaced as part of the service.
This newly fitted cam belt failed without any warning while I was busy driving yesterday. At the time of the failure the car was behaving perfectly normal, no misfires, noises or anything else strange that I could notice.
The car is now back at the mechanic who did the job which immediately tried to convince me that a stone could have impacted the timing belt which could have caused the failure. When dropping off the vehicle we loosened the clips at the top of the cover and pulled the cover back some, which allowed us to see that the belt was so loose around the top gear that I could move it with my finger and also saw what seem to be scratches and impact marks on the tensioner, at which time the mechanic was even more convinced that this could have been caused by a stone.
As far as I am aware the timing belt is for good reason completely encased in its cover and there would therefore be no way that a stone could have made it to where it could have impacted or interfered with the cam belt, so I am quite convinced that he is taking a long shot to try and save his own skin.
Has anybody else ever herd of a stone making its way into the cam belt cover causing the cam belt to fail? Is there any other possible plausible explanation that anybody knows of which would case a cam belt to fail 2 months after it was replaced? Something not fitted back properly, a bolt not tightened properly eventually rattling loose after 2 months?
I am not buying the stone impact theory, but I am unfortunately not around to have a look when the mechanic strips the car and removes the timing belt cover and the chances that he admits that the failure was due to bad workmanship I suppose is zero.
Any comments about the mechanics’ stone theory or other possible causes for such a failure will be appreciated
This newly fitted cam belt failed without any warning while I was busy driving yesterday. At the time of the failure the car was behaving perfectly normal, no misfires, noises or anything else strange that I could notice.
The car is now back at the mechanic who did the job which immediately tried to convince me that a stone could have impacted the timing belt which could have caused the failure. When dropping off the vehicle we loosened the clips at the top of the cover and pulled the cover back some, which allowed us to see that the belt was so loose around the top gear that I could move it with my finger and also saw what seem to be scratches and impact marks on the tensioner, at which time the mechanic was even more convinced that this could have been caused by a stone.
As far as I am aware the timing belt is for good reason completely encased in its cover and there would therefore be no way that a stone could have made it to where it could have impacted or interfered with the cam belt, so I am quite convinced that he is taking a long shot to try and save his own skin.
Has anybody else ever herd of a stone making its way into the cam belt cover causing the cam belt to fail? Is there any other possible plausible explanation that anybody knows of which would case a cam belt to fail 2 months after it was replaced? Something not fitted back properly, a bolt not tightened properly eventually rattling loose after 2 months?
I am not buying the stone impact theory, but I am unfortunately not around to have a look when the mechanic strips the car and removes the timing belt cover and the chances that he admits that the failure was due to bad workmanship I suppose is zero.
Any comments about the mechanics’ stone theory or other possible causes for such a failure will be appreciated
04-16-2014, 10:55 AM
#2
AudiWorld Super User
Uh no not a rock. Sound like he didnt replace all of the parts. Or used cheap junk. I see the hydraulic part reused and fails and causes the belt to shred teeth from lack of tension. Maybe he just replaced the tensioner roller. If the covers are intact no rock could possibly get in there. Unfortunately for him, he is to blame and needs to fix it.
04-16-2014, 01:20 PM
#3
AudiWorld Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,155
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
tensioner failed
About two months ago I had a service done on my 98 A4 1.8 at which time the cam belt, cam belt tensioner and water pump was replaced as part of the service.
This newly fitted cam belt failed without any warning while I was busy driving yesterday. At the time of the failure the car was behaving perfectly normal, no misfires, noises or anything else strange that I could notice.
The car is now back at the mechanic who did the job which immediately tried to convince me that a stone could have impacted the timing belt which could have caused the failure. When dropping off the vehicle we loosened the clips at the top of the cover and pulled the cover back some, which allowed us to see that the belt was so loose around the top gear that I could move it with my finger and also saw what seem to be scratches and impact marks on the tensioner, at which time the mechanic was even more convinced that this could have been caused by a stone.
As far as I am aware the timing belt is for good reason completely encased in its cover and there would therefore be no way that a stone could have made it to where it could have impacted or interfered with the cam belt, so I am quite convinced that he is taking a long shot to try and save his own skin.
Has anybody else ever herd of a stone making its way into the cam belt cover causing the cam belt to fail? Is there any other possible plausible explanation that anybody knows of which would case a cam belt to fail 2 months after it was replaced? Something not fitted back properly, a bolt not tightened properly eventually rattling loose after 2 months?
I am not buying the stone impact theory, but I am unfortunately not around to have a look when the mechanic strips the car and removes the timing belt cover and the chances that he admits that the failure was due to bad workmanship I suppose is zero.
Any comments about the mechanics’ stone theory or other possible causes for such a failure will be appreciated
This newly fitted cam belt failed without any warning while I was busy driving yesterday. At the time of the failure the car was behaving perfectly normal, no misfires, noises or anything else strange that I could notice.
The car is now back at the mechanic who did the job which immediately tried to convince me that a stone could have impacted the timing belt which could have caused the failure. When dropping off the vehicle we loosened the clips at the top of the cover and pulled the cover back some, which allowed us to see that the belt was so loose around the top gear that I could move it with my finger and also saw what seem to be scratches and impact marks on the tensioner, at which time the mechanic was even more convinced that this could have been caused by a stone.
As far as I am aware the timing belt is for good reason completely encased in its cover and there would therefore be no way that a stone could have made it to where it could have impacted or interfered with the cam belt, so I am quite convinced that he is taking a long shot to try and save his own skin.
Has anybody else ever herd of a stone making its way into the cam belt cover causing the cam belt to fail? Is there any other possible plausible explanation that anybody knows of which would case a cam belt to fail 2 months after it was replaced? Something not fitted back properly, a bolt not tightened properly eventually rattling loose after 2 months?
I am not buying the stone impact theory, but I am unfortunately not around to have a look when the mechanic strips the car and removes the timing belt cover and the chances that he admits that the failure was due to bad workmanship I suppose is zero.
Any comments about the mechanics’ stone theory or other possible causes for such a failure will be appreciated
04-16-2014, 01:21 PM
#4
AudiWorld Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,155
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Uh no not a rock. Sound like he didnt replace all of the parts. Or used cheap junk. I see the hydraulic part reused and fails and causes the belt to shred teeth from lack of tension. Maybe he just replaced the tensioner roller. If the covers are intact no rock could possibly get in there. Unfortunately for him, he is to blame and needs to fix it.
04-16-2014, 10:51 PM
#5
AudiWorld Newcomer
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for your responses. Went by the mechanic again this morning only to find out he had the car moved to the engineering shop for it to be stripped and diagnosed there. I suppose safer for him to move the car to the engineering shop than for me dropping in at his workshop unexpectedly and discovering something pointing to bad workmanship on his side. I'll have to make some time to drop by the engineering shop sometime today then.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
IB Adrian
A6 / S6 (C5 Platform) Discussion
21
11-25-2009 09:48 PM
furiousgeorge
TT (Mk1) Discussion
16
08-25-2008 04:38 PM
CK NYoC
12v V6 Discussion
1
10-24-2005 09:57 AM
hsjb
A4 (B5 Platform) Discussion
7
10-27-2003 04:15 PM
Xymox007
A4 (B5 Platform) Discussion
25
01-08-2003 08:35 AM
