My friend's car has recently started losing power upon accelerating. He took it to the garage to have it checked, but that got me wondering if the timing belt slippage could be a reason for that?
Cheers.
4
-
1Timing changes will cause a change in power, but if the change is too much then damage is often the result.– Solar MikeCommented Oct 6, 2021 at 10:06
-
One possibility is the exhaust gas regeneration valve, for example on the VW TDI engines when accelerating (or climbing a hill) a sensor can cause the turbo operation to be cancelled until the engine is restarted, with consequent loss of power.– Weather VaneCommented Oct 6, 2021 at 12:36
-
Is it lighting "Check Engine"? Do you have access to an engine scan tool? (Nowadays that looks like a little dongle that syncs with your phone, be wary that the cheapest of these require paying a monthly fee for an app).– Harper - Reinstate MonicaCommented Oct 6, 2021 at 18:47
-
Do you have a reason to suspect timing belt slippage, like having replaced the water pump or belt or done something else that involved loosening the tension idler? Slippage is not something that would "just happen" without such a change or catastrophic breakage, since it's a toothed belt.– R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICECommented Oct 6, 2021 at 19:05
Add a comment
|
2 Answers
It's possible but extremely unlikely that the timing belt is the culprit to a power loss. The timing belt (or chain in some cases) synchronizes the movement of the pistons and valves in the engine. Most modern internal combustion engines are interference engines, meaning the piston at top dead center will hit any open valves, so a failure of the timing chain will usually result in catastrophic engine failure.
A power loss is far more likely to be fuel or ignition system related, there's far too many possibilities to list.
Transmission fluid is probably low, too. My son's 2013 Nissan Altima had no power after replacing the radiator, this past weekend. Thermostats, air filter also replaced. Cleaned multiple sensors and the pcv valve. Even threw in a cat cleaner. All that and the car wouldn't move while stepping on the gas. Turns out it had no transmission oil. Topped it off. Now, "it drives better then ever".
