# Timing belt **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [July 6, 2014, 5:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/timing-belt/85833 "2014-07-06T05:45:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![spider-man](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/spider-man/32/2451_2.png) [@spider-man](https://community.cartalk.com/u/spider-man)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 5:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/timing-belt/85833/1 "2014-07-06T05:45:27Z")
timing chains have guide.do timing belt have guides. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 5:54am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/timing-belt/85833/2 "2014-07-06T05:54:07Z")
A timing belt will use idler and tensioner pulleys instead of guides. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 6:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/timing-belt/85833/3 "2014-07-06T06:09:12Z")
The timing chain “guide” serves a purpose beyond simply keeping the chain in line. As a chain or belt spins through its path, it tends to want to form a circle, like the loop in a lariat. The greater the mass, the greater the forces. Chains have enough mass to create undesirable lateral forces on the camshafts and crank as the chain tries to form a circle. The “guides” keep the chain in its desired travel path and reduce/eliminate the tendency of it to try to form a circle and laterally load the cam and crank sprockets. With belts, the forces are far lower and the V-grooved pulleys and idler pulleys are sufficient to keep the belt in its desired path, and the forces aren’t great enough to cause excessive lateral forces on the crank and cams. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 7:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/timing-belt/85833/4 "2014-07-06T07:05:48Z")
mountainbike timing belts aren’t v-belts A timing belt doesn’t use v-grooved pulleys ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 7:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/timing-belt/85833/5 "2014-07-06T07:19:48Z")
Oops! Yup, thanks for the correction. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get my foot out of my mouth… }😛 ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 8:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/timing-belt/85833/6 "2014-07-06T08:14:44Z")
mountainbike just keeping us on our toes carry on! LOL ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/timing-belt/85833/7 "2014-07-06T22:06:43Z")
No problem. Sometimes my brain takes a path of its own. I’d rather be corrected than leave erroneous information out there. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 11:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/timing-belt/85833/8 "2014-07-06T23:56:29Z")
It’s like when you’re looking all over the house for something . . . and you’ve got it in your hand the whole time Or you’re looking for your glasses . . . and you’re wearing them ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/timing-belt/85833/9 "2014-07-07T00:23:12Z")
**“It’s like when you’re looking all over the house for something . . . and you’ve got it in your hand the whole time. Or you’re looking for your glasses . . . and you’re wearing them”** Neither of those has happened to me…yet. However, what does happen at least once a week is that I will go down to the basement to retrieve something, and by the time I get down the stairs, I have already forgotten what I went down there to get! Each time, I have to go back upstairs and retrace my earlier activity in order to figure out what it was that I wanted from the basement. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 8:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/timing-belt/85833/10 "2014-07-07T08:23:50Z")
VDC, that happens to me all the time. I simply go blank. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 8:35am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/timing-belt/85833/11 "2014-07-07T08:35:00Z")
I don’t think that it’s brain fade for the most part. Life can pile things up and it’s difficult to be a multi-tasker when you’re being tugged in 2 dozen directions at once… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 8:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/timing-belt/85833/12 "2014-07-07T08:44:08Z")
Naw. Thanks anyway, but it’s brain fade. {😛