The timing belt is one of the critical components of the health of your Volkswagen. The Volkswagen timing belt creates harmony between the crankshaft rotation and camshaft. When they are all in sync, everything runs properly. When they are not in sync, it can cause long-term issues for your car.
Signs You Need a New Volkswagen Timing Belt
Regardless of the type of timing belt, timing chain, or runner belt that your Volkswagen has, it is easy to tell there is a problem with it.
Ticking Noise
If you hear a ticking noise coming from the engine, it could mean there is something wrong with the timing belt. The timing belt is attached by pulleys going to the camshaft and crank. When the timing belt of your car begins to wear, it may create a ticking sound in the motor. This may also indicate there is low oil pressure.
Engine Will Not Turn Over
If your timing belt is broken or cannot be replaced, it prevents your engine from igniting or turning over. As you turn the key and hear the motor engage, the car normally turns on. When the timing belt is damaged, it will not ignite. If the timing belt is broken, it will not drive at all. Unfortunately, there are times when the timing belt breaks while driving. If this happens, it causes damage to the cylinder head hardware.
Oil Leak
Where there is a problem with the Volkswagen timing belt, you may have an oil leak. If you begin to see oil around the engine, it could mean the vehicle is leaking because of a problem with the timing belt cover. The cover is attached by nuts and bolts that may come loose with time and wear. This oil leak may happen when the gasket that sits between the timing cover and the engine block is cracked or wears out. This causes your engine to overheat and creates expensive repairs.
Issues with Exhaust
When the exhaust from your car is creating more smoke than what normally happens, it could be because there is a problem with the timing belt. This forces your engine to work harder than it should because it is running under stress which causes expensive repairs. The fact that your car is working harder is what causes more exhaust.
RPMs are Abnormal
If you begin to notice that the RPMs have started acting odd, this is an indicator of a problem with your timing belt. For example, if there are teeth missing on your timing belt, or it snaps, it has a large impact on your RPMs and the RPM meter.