Need Timing Belt Help

JH180IQ · 03-08-2009, 11:07 AM

I know this may be an over-done topic but I need to know from people who have experience how much damage I'm looking at.

On Friday, my check engine light came on. I didn't think much of it, since I had just purchased gas and I don't think I put the gas cap on tight enough.
WE drove down to Atlanta on Saturday afternoon for my wife's birthday. On the drive down, the car rode beautifully and didn't give us any problems. On the way home however, about 45 miles into the trip, the alternator light turned on and the emergency brake light trurned on. I had never seen this before but I assumed it was just a short somewhere. Less than a mile later the car started surging and slowing down and I managed to coast into a Bp gas station as the car turned itself off.

When I opened the hood, I saw that the timing belt had pushed its way toards the front of the engine, metling its way through the timing gear cover. It also blew out some plastic casing down near the other belts and pulleys and knocked the alternator belt off of it's track.

Once I saw the damage I didn't try to restart the car.

What's wierd, is that there was no warning. The car was driving free and smooth and then she just quietly coasted to a stop.

What kind of other damage should I look for?
How much is this going to cost me?
I have no problem replacing accessory belts but I don't feel comfortable with doining the timing belt all on my lonesome.

Thanks for any help or insight you can give me.

Pacosworld · 03-08-2009, 11:19 AM

Well the timing belt has slipped off for some reason so if possible, I would get the top timing cover loose and take a look down at the pulleys and tensioner. Your timing belt tensioner spring may have broke, a camshaft sprocket came loose. Could be a number of things. At least you didn't attempt to drive it any farther. How many miles you got on the Sportage?

JH180IQ · 03-08-2009, 11:34 AM

The Kia has 127,000 miles on it. I last had the timing belt replaced somewhere around 90,000 miles.

kiaracer · 03-08-2009, 03:45 PM

if the tensioner spring broke, it wouldn't mess up the timing belt tension. the tensioner is locked down by a bolt and once the bolt is tightened, the tensioner won't move. either someone didn't tighten that bolt or someone got the belt too tight and it finally slipped it's way off. the timing belt covers are there to help keep the belt from slipping off and to protect it from something getting in there and causing it to slip off. i would take the covers off and inspect the idler, tensioner, crank sprocket, and both cam sprockets and see if there was a reason the belt slipped off. if you can't find anything, put the timing belt back on and make sure it's properly tightened to the right tension and make sure all the covers have all the bolts in them.

JH180IQ · 03-08-2009, 06:09 PM

What I thought was wierd was that the timing belt melted it's way through the cover. It didn't just come through on the top and not on the bottom. The complete shape of the bet came through the cover almost as if the whole timing mechanism just shifter forward. The belt can clearly be seen and traced all the way around.

I'll swing over to the shop this evening and take pictures of everything.

Thanks for the responses so far.

PS: There haven't been that many miles put on since the last timing belt was put on but it has been 4 years.

JH180IQ · 03-08-2009, 06:12 PM

I had another question. Where is the oil pump located on these things? Does the oil pump interact with the timing belt?

On my last oil change I ran a bottle of engine flush. I'm just throwing around ideas here but if the oil pump is powered by one of the main pulleys down there, and it somehow got clogged with engine gunk, could that have caused the problem?

I'm very regular with maintenance on this car and I keep oil and filters changed reguarly. I've all of the maintenance on this car for the last two years and I plan on keeping her. I would hate to think that something that I did could have caused this problem.

Pacosworld · 03-08-2009, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiaracer

if the tensioner spring broke, it wouldn't mess up the timing belt tension. the tensioner is locked down by a bolt and once the bolt is tightened, the tensioner won't move. either someone didn't tighten that bolt or someone got the belt too tight and it finally slipped it's way off. the timing belt covers are there to help keep the belt from slipping off and to protect it from something getting in there and causing it to slip off. i would take the covers off and inspect the idler, tensioner, crank sprocket, and both cam sprockets and see if there was a reason the belt slipped off. if you can't find anything, put the timing belt back on and make sure it's properly tightened to the right tension and make sure all the covers have all the bolts in them.

Makes sense, just wouldn't have thought it would make it 4 years. I haven't had the opportunity to replace a timing belt on one of these motors so I'm trying to imagine in mind why it would have started slipping.

kehler · 03-09-2009, 03:16 PM

[quote=JH180IQ;237339]I had another question. Where is the oil pump located on these things? Does the oil pump interact with the timing belt?

On my last oil change I ran a bottle of engine flush. I'm just throwing around ideas here but if the oil pump is powered by one of the main pulleys down there, and it somehow got clogged with engine gunk, could that have caused the problem?

Doubt it, the oil pump is on the crankshaft in back off timing belt pulley

dnb20653 · 03-10-2009, 04:52 PM

I had the exact thing happen to my 99 sportage two months ago. I had to order the top and bottom timing belt covers from Kia Parts .com. The problem was that the crankshaft pulley loosened and backed out dragging the time belt and all the other belts forward. After replacing the timing belt, tightening the crank pulley, replacing the two covers, and all the external belts I was back in business. You wont have any internal damage to the engine as long as the timing belt was still entact. Reference Kiatechinfo.com to find detailed instuctions on timing belt replacement. The water pump is driven the timing belt and is accessed by removing the plate behind the timing belt. Good Luck

JH180IQ · 03-10-2009, 11:14 PM

You're right on. The crank puley bolt backed itself out and the whole thing slid forward.

I'm having the timing belt, cover, pulleys, accessory belts, and waterpump replaced.