True true… But everyone who doesn’t understand T belts…will surely not understand that T chains arent the Holy Grail either. Chains wear out too…however…they usually dont wear out within the time of a warranty…nor within the time of the normal ownership window of buyers…so they may seem Holy Grail enough-ish for most. But chains die too…just way later usually
I wonder if 0 base weight oils will have an effect on chain lives.
If the OP is still reading - is your timing belt likely to break anytime soon? Not likely. What happens when it breaks is important. The motor will suddenly stop, and won’t restart meaning you are stuck and will need a tow.
Some motors are “interference” type motors which means when the belt breaks things inside the motor bang together - breaking critical stuff, the pistons and valves. The repair bill is $3000 or more as you will need to completely rebuild the motor or replace it.
A non-interference motor just stops running but does not have internal damage. The repair costs in this case is the same as getting a timing belt job plus the tow costs.
Honda’s are interference engines. Some Toyota’s are non-interference. I’m not sure but I think your motor is an interference type. So, how big a gambler are you? Every year you don’t do the job just increases the risk a bit more. Some belts lasts 20 years and some break at 5.
To Uncle Turbo’s good advice I want to add something relevant.
UT mentioned, “The motor will suddenly stop, and won’t restart meaning you are stuck and will need a tow.” The OP may be one of those people who envisions a sudden catastrophic mechanical breakdown taking place in her driveway or some other convenient and safe location.
However, she should ask herself the following questions:
How would my safety–and the safety of my passengers–be affected if my engine suddenly stopped and I lost the power assist for my steering while I was in the center lane of an expressway, in the midst of speeding 18-wheelers? How easy would it be for me to coast to the road shoulder–without being hit by another vehicle–if I had no engine power and no power assist for my steering?
Would having only a minimal amount of vacuum reserve for my power brakes allow me to stop the car safely in all situations?
What if my engine stopped while I was crossing RR tracks, or while in the merging lane of an expressway?
What if my engine stopped while driving through a dicey neighborhood, at night?
Having a timing belt replaced on schedule is like insurance. We pay for insurance coverage, even though we hope that we will never need it. If we don’t have an accident, we don’t usually think that we wasted our money, simply because the unknown is…unknown.
Yes, you could possibly drive for a few more years without the timing belt snapping and destroying part of your engine, but…why would you want to take that chance?
Thank you everyone for your replies - they are certainly helping me make a decision.
I have said it before, and I’ll say it again . . .
I don’t think manufacturers switched “back” to timing chains because of ticked off customers, “obsolence” or public perception
I’m of the FIRM opionion that the switch to timing chains has more to do with the fact that they are simply better suited to today’s advanced technology
I’m no engineer, and I may be dead wrong. But if I’m wrong, I suspect I’m not “dead” wrong
I believe engines with chains lend themselves better to high power, extremely advanced variable valve timing, cylinder shutoff, hybrid operation, etc.
Turbochargers and direct injection are more sophisticated than natural aspiration and “low pressure” EFI . . . and they are also higher maintenance, to a degree. Using the correct viscosity oil and changing it on time are far more important on such an engine. Carbon deposits on the valves are an even bigger problem on such engines. Yet I don’t hear about ticked off customers, or any “conspiracies” to bilk customers out of more money.
You could argue those technologies are a conspiracy, because a customer will pay more for synthetic, and he may change it more often. The direct injected engine will quite possibly . . . if the customer keeps the car for several years . . . have to have those deposits removed, at a shop, and will be charged for that service.
Yet I don’t hear anybody talking smack about those technologies. I think it’s become accepted that modern high tech engines require proper maintenance, which might be more frequent and more expensive, versus a 1992 Cavalier
I am neither a professional mechanic or an engine designer but I know many people who have had to pay for a timing belt replacement who now ask if a car has a chain or a belt before they buy it.
We have seen many posts here about engines that run badly or are noisy after a belt change, not everyplace that changes belts is competent.
If I has a car that had dropped in value to $2000, I would not pay to have it changed. If it was straightforward I would do it myself, but some cars I would never attempt it on. 2002 Saturn L300 for example.
I wouldn’t buy a new car with a timing bely and I think a lot of people feel the same way. Car dealers don’t have to lose many customers over an issue before it becomes known to the corporation.
I hear you @db4690 but if I am not mistaken…I believe we were told that the BELT was the one to turn to for high Rpm and high power applications due to the lower centrifugal forces at high rpms… Now this could have been total bunk… I dont know.
I believed what I heard about belts back in the late 80’s and early 90’s…and then I heard that it was simply a way to save money. Honestly…I believed each one when I heard them…and I dont know what to believe anymore. All I know is that putting a Timing belt on an otherwise rock solid reliable engine is not a good idea…especially with how little people know or even care to know about their engine. Let alone how people “care” for their engines/cars…
So …truthfully I dont have the answers on the Why’s of it all… I suppose it doesn’t really matter really… I will have to repair them whether its a chain or a belt…so I will be wrenching either way. Haha
Blackbird
@“Honda Blackbird”
What you were talking about . . . I never heard that propaganda myself, so I don’t have an opinion on it
It isn’t propaganda. It’s physics. Belts do have much lower centrifugal force due to much lower weight, which means they also place less lateral force on the crank bearings, can bearings, and tensioners. Both belts and chains try to force themselves into a circle when spinning, and the less mass that’s involved is the less force they create. But we all learned that belts have a serious weakness. They’re susceptible to oil contamination (from weeping mains or can seals), weak tensioners (from age), and coolant damage from leaking water pumps. And if they’re changed per the schedule, the maintenance is expensive and subject to errors too easily.
However, my personal opinion is that belts were all about cost. Once they began affecting image and sales, chains were brought back. Both decisions were about money.
For real speed or really heavy loads, gears are the way to go. But they too have a weakness… they’re very costly.
PostScript:
For you physicists out there, I realize that there’s technically no such thing as centrifugal force, but I maintain that it’s the absolute best description of inertial energy constrained to travel in a circle by centripetal force. In the real world outside of physics class, it really exists IMHO.
The aftermarket even produces gear drives for some valve train setups; predominantly the cam in block engines. The price on these units is not that bad. However, doing something like that on an overhead cam engine could get pretty complex and pricy.
For what it’s worth, most of the older SAABs used a gear drive from the clutch to the transmission. These were referred to as primary gears and they are expensive. They’re also pretty much trouble free.
The OEM’s chose belts over chains for specific reasons. Cheaper, quiter, smoother, less inertia at high rpm’s. Chains last longer, but are not perfect.
Neither is perfect
They each have their pros AND cons
As much as I hate noisy engines, I still prefer an engine with a chain. It just feels more solid knowing a rubber band is not going to snap and leave me stranded.
Speaking of noisy . . .
There will be UGLY noises coming from the owner’s mouth when he finds out how much it costs to replace 3 chains, guides and multiple tensioners on your typical modern DOHC V6 or V8 :naughty:
And those ugly noises will be several 4 letter words 
The original owner is likely to have sold the car by the time the chains need to be replaced. Then someone even less able to afford the fix will own the car.
The SAAB power train gearing described by @ok4450 is another of the many reasons SAABs cost too much to be competitive with similar cars. The extra cost made them better cars, but the improvements were lost on most prospective customers.
I think I was talking about the “word on the street” type of information about Timing Belts @db4690 …sort of what I just heard about belts and may have read about from time to time… I dunno was a long time ago really. It was a response to your comment about chains being used in high power applications etc… I saw that as higher rpm’s as well. Which today we definitely have seen.
@“the same mountainbike” is correct…if you really want to see a valvetrain driving longevity…look to gears. Big Diesels have relied on them for longer than I’ve been alive and have logged Trillions of miles. In fact you will find them in all large Diesels to this day…even on locomotive diesels.
One of the things I do recall is the use of the belt in high performance engines back in the 80’s when then belt became popular… If you think about it …it does make much more sense within the confines of a racing engine and a full mechanical pit crew. I mean you wont wear out one of those belts within the time frame of one race. It probably does produce less unwanted forces or deflection on the systems and is easy to access. When seen in the confines of racing, the ability to degree the cams, the belt lightness and strength and a full mechanical staff at the ready, it starts to make some sense.
When you try to put a belt into the drudgery of daily driver use…it makes less sense because of the length of time between mechanical interventions…if any occur at all in some cases its a miracle. People just drive an engine till it dies…that is their barometer of how reliable or good an engine is…and in that light…belts dont make sense.
From my understanding…the way valve actuation progressed was… Gears first…then Chain…then Belt.
How long does a belt actually last?
It like the old Tootsie Pop commercial…“How many licks can a Timing Belt take? …The world may never know”
Blackbird
You made some excellent points, Honda. On a racecar it only has to last one race, and it isn’t subject to the possible chemical attacks that an engine going 200,000 miles might subject it to. And, on a racecar the lower mass makes for greater acceleration… and in a race that could mean the difference between winning and not winning. And millions in revenue. Mass matters far more in a racecar than on a street car.
I saw an ad once for billet aluminum pulleys for the crank etc. for a car that touted the difference in acceleration. I later read an article about crankshaft mains failing because of kids putting these lightweight pulleys on. The loss of damping was killing the mains. Yeah, lower mass makes a difference… but there’s a cost to pay.
Edit: I should point out that those thinking that stuff that works great on a racecar will work great on a daily driver too should realize this assumption comes with real risk.
Speaking as an owner of a 2009 Accent who’s had the timing belt replaced:
Yes, you do need to replace the belt at this point. Hyundai recommends replacement every 4 years or 60,000 miles, which you’re way past. If you put off changing the belt and it snaps, you’ll probably end up destroying the engine since these cars have interference-type engines. On a seven-year-old car, you’re basically playing Russian roulette at this point.
As others have mentioned, the dealer can be very competitive on this service. I had mine done by the dealer two years ago for about $450. I strongly advise calling around to different dealerships, as their prices can vary by quite a bit. Make sure they replace the tensioner and pulley as well. You might as well do the water pump too, since it’s already seven years old and it’s fairly cheap to replace when they’ve already got all this stuff taken off. That will push the price up slightly, but it’s probably worth it.