I recently bought a used Nissan Versa from Hertz (THE way to buy a late model used car IMHO) and, perusing the maintenance schedule was nonplussed by the absence of any mention of a timing belt replacement. Come to find out it has a timing chain which is supposed to last as long as the car. Now, I t…

Hate to let you in on a little secret,hordes of people have already posted the exact same question,use search, unless you are just “venting” which is OK. CarTalk is a pretty loose Forum. On other more disciplined forums people get irritated when the same questions are posted over and over.

That Ship Just Sailed From Here A Few Weeks Ago. Click The Link And See Our Discussion. http://community.cartalk.com/posts/list/2126095.page CSA

Chains are better. Every timing belt change is another expensive opportunity for an even more expensive error. I’ve noticed that manufacturers seem to be returning to chains for 4-bangers. Hopefully they’ll return to all engines, although in DOHC V-style engines the chain has to travel a more conva…

Actually I did search before posting, found lots of posts about timing belts and timing chains but not WHY some use one and others the other.

I guess in truth it’s because the department heads of some design groups are more cost-oriented and the department heads of other groups are more robustness-oriented. Belts are cheaper. Chains are more robust.

My understanding is that chains are a bit more expensive than belts and a bit noisier. Personally, I’d prefer a chain because changing a belt on a transversely mounted motor (modern FWD cars) is a PITA if you do it yourself, and expensive if you have it done. For cars with interference engines, I …

You do know that chains are used on high rpm DOHC V-8’s and V-10’s? It sounds like you think belts are better

Generally, it’s purely a manufacturing cost issue. But manufacturers have learned that when a rubber belt breaks and destroys the engine in a customers car, that person is unlikely to buy that make of car again…Also, consumers are demanding maintenance-free cars and rubber timing belts do not fill t…

Timing chains vs belts

Maintenance/Repairs

Whitey August 13, 2009, 7:15pm 3

The short answer is that both timing belts and timing chains have advantages, which rely heavily on the overall design of the engine. Some benefit from the belt, and some benefit from the chain. Do a search using “timing chains” to find a long list of threads dedicated to this issue.

Topic		Replies	Views
2001 S-10 Chev. 4.3L V6 engine, Timing Chain and gear Maintenance/Repairs chevrolet	30	27653	January 31, 2014
Timing belts vs. timing chains Maintenance/Repairs timing-belts , belts	28	24966	January 1, 2017
Timing belt Maintenance/Repairs	40	3387	April 4, 2016
Timing chain Maintenance/Repairs	81	17225	May 7, 2015
"lifetime" chain instead of timing belt Maintenance/Repairs	24	13268	May 19, 2014

Timing chains vs belts

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