ben2go
Guru
I have run a Pathfinder 1.6 IDI 45hp in a planing skiff for like 1200hrs, in previous sailboat it logged about 4k hours. Before that a Rabbit, same engine, for 340k miles. I now have a 1.9 TDI 90hp, yr 2001, with 270k miles. All run timing belts. On the marine I changed at like 1000hrs, in the cars I change them at about 100k miles.
Never had a failure. On the marine engine, changing the TB is a piece of cake, no motor mount in the way, belt is right there. Change it, time the cam and the inj pump, maybe an hour or two.
Some larger TDI's use chains. I am not a fan of chains. The do wear, tensioners and guides wear, and that causes timing to change. And a complete MF'r to change as all the sprockets, guides and chain are in the oil bath and it takes a lot of disassembly to get to them. Your're not going to get 340k miles or 5000hr on a chain. Not going to happen. Belt sprockets don't really wear, just do the belt, do it right, and off your go. My TDI car is a bit of a PITA as it is tight in there. But I got it down to like 3hrs, no big deal.
And if the belt does break, (rare, but does happen), 90% of the time it bends valves and breaks cam followers, but does not damage pistons. Pull head, re-work it, install it, and off you go.
Of course "real" diesels use no belts, no chains, but GEARS. Gears don't fail (super duper rare), but are heavy and noisy. I know my Cummins 450 at least half the noise at low rpm is gear rattle. But who cares, they don't break.
That's good info.
There's still the serpentine belt for the alternator, and it's idler pulley, along with the water pump setup. But at least it doesn't have the automotive engine mount typically in the way.
True. That's almost the identical engine I looked at back in 2013. That timing belt shouldn't be to bad if access is good. Yeah the motor mount deal on the cars. Since I'm no longer an auto tech, I'm trying to forget all the pains in the rear some cars had or caused. :lol: