What happens if a timing belt breaks on a interference engine?
If a timing belt breaks while driving in an interference engine, the camshaft stops turning leaving some of the engine valves in the open position. This may result in a heavy damage to the engine with broken or bent valves, damaged pistons and, possibly, destroyed cylinder head and block.
Do interference engines always bend valves?
Interference engine animation. In an interference engine, this can cause pistons that are still moving due to inertia to hit some of the valves that are in a fully open position. If this happens, the pistons can bend or even break the valves. In some cases, an engine might be severely damaged as a result.
What cars have interference engines?
All Honda cars from 1984 through 1996 have interference engines. The engine codes include ES2, ES3, A18A1, A20A1 and A20A3 in the 1984 through 1989 Accord and Prelude.
What makes an engine an interference engine?
An interference engine is a type of 4-stroke internal combustion piston engine in which one or more valves in the fully open position extends into any area through which the piston may travel. By contrast, in a non-interference engine, the piston does not travel into any area into which the valves open.
Are all Honda engines true Interference engines?
All Honda engines are interference engines. This means that a timing belt, or timing chain failure could cause catastrophic damage to your engine. Timing belts are more likely to fail than timing chains, but both should be inspected on a regular basis and for those engines employing a timing belt, regular replacement is essential.
Does the timing belt ever break or fail?
In most cases, the timing belt breaks due to normal use , i.e., as a result of the natural wear that occurs during operation. If the manufacturer’s maintenance instructions are followed, we can make sure that it doesn’t snap prematurely and perhaps even extend its life, but there will always come a point where it breaks eventually.