Your timing belt should be replaced every 50,000 - 70,000. In an interference engine, the valves and piston share the same air space. They never touch, unless you’re belt breaks or skips, and this is a catastrophic failure that requires removing the head and replacing bent valves. Non-interference engines do not risk this contact if the belt goes bad. Nonetheless, either can leave you stranded, so regular replacement is very important. When automotive timing belts are replaced, care must be taken to ensure that the valve and piston movements are correctly synchronized. Failure to synchronize correctly in an can lead to problems with valve timing, and this in turn, in extremis, can cause collision between valves and pistons in Interference Engines. This is not a problem unique to timing belts since the same issue exists with all other cam/crank timing methods such as gears or chains. The usual failure modes are either stripped teeth (which leaves a smooth section of belt where the drive cog will slip) or delamination and unraveling of the fiber cores. Correct belt tension is critical too loose and the belt will whip, too tight and it will whine and put excess strain on the bearings of the cogs. In either case belt life will be drastically shortened. We may recommend that you replace the water pump during job even if there is nothing wrong with it. This is because 90% of the labor to change the water pump has already been done and some mechanics consider it good practice to replace water pumps at this time. Some water pumps can last the life of the car but many do fail and will cost big money to replace at a later date. So ask your technician what his experience is on your model car and look at how long you plan to keep the car. This way, at least you will be making an informed roll of the dice.
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