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Cam Belts

Cam belts are an essential part of your vehicle’s engine and should be replaced in line with manufacturer’s guidelines.

Failure to replace a cam belt can result in catastrophic engine failure, which would require an engine rebuild or a new engine.

There are no warning lights or symptoms of a worn cam belt, but at GT Autos we can do a visual check to assess its condition.

The importance of cam belts

Cam belts are made from specially treated materials including neoprene and rubber; they are toothed to grip the camshaft gears.

The camshaft controls the valves, ensuring they open and close at the right moment to let fuel and air into the cylinders so the mixture ignites.

Some engines have twin camshafts, with one controlling the inlet valves and one the exhaust valves, but both will be rotated by a cam belt.

When cam belts fail the engine can be seriously damaged and in worst case scenarios the engine will need replacing.

Some vehicles are fitted with cam chains, which do the same job as rubber cam belts, but the main difference is that the chain is metal.

They look very similar to standard bicycle chains, and operates in the same way; they are equally important to keep engines running smoothly.

They need to be kept well lubricated in order to work properly – and can be equally as expensive to replace if the worst should happen.

Not all metal cam belts need replacing, but this depends on the make and model; we can advise what type of cam chain is fitted.