A timing belt is a very important part to drive the camshafts with a crankshaft.
In old vehicles, a chain type has been used however, nowadays the belt type is becoming more popular.
But the belt type can easily become elastic and suddenly break on the street.
Recently the engines are becoming more and more powerful, so some are
adapted to the chain type for keeping the endurance.
When a belt breaks, camshafts stop rotating.
But the crankshaft
still rotates when the vehicle is moving.
Then the piston hits the valves and in the worst
case the engine becomes seriously damaged.
We would like you to understand that the timing belt is very important.
So important that it is placed into a timing case to be protected from
other parts. However, it spurs on high-temperature in the case,
and the quality of the belt's rubber changes.
In addition, there is an auto tensioner in Miata.
An auto tensioner has a mechanism where a roller always pushes the back of the belt with oil pressure or springs to keep a suitable belt tension.
This maintenance free system is easy for us (workshops and dealers) but it is
not so good for a high rpm engine,
because the belt starts vibrating at high rpm
and the auto tensioner can not stabilize the belt.
Belt vibration would cause engine trouble.
A timing belt is composed by mainly belt surface, rubber and core.
Belt surface
The belt surface protects from cam gears.
Generally Nylon material is used, but Maruha heavy duty belt is more strengthened
with Nylon plus Kevlar,
and able to improve the endurance and reduce the wear-off.
Rubber
The timing belt case that protects the timing belt sometimes causes heat damage to the
timing belt with increasing temperature inside the case.
And with tuning the engine becomes more powerful. The load and
heat harm the timing belt more.
On the rubber part of the recent timing belt, usually H-NBR as STD is used.
Maruha's timing belt is not H-NBR as the STD level, but high strengthened H-NBR for
racing engines.
Middle core
The core protects the belt from becoming elastic.
Glass fibers are used for STD belts, but more fine glass fibers are twisted to strengthen Maruha's belt.
The following is the data of the comparison of the STD belt with Maruha's heavy duty belt.
There are two patterns that cause the belt to become elastic.
It is the elasticity of the middle core and the another one is the belt cogs dropping into the tooth of the cam
gears.
Maruha's timing belt is able to keep the
correct valve timing with high performance.
When changing the timing belt, please check the water pump too.
Because the water-pump is behind the timing belt it has to be exchanged
simultaneously with the belt.
If you find water leaking from the water-pump after changing the timing belt,
you have to do the same work again, it is wasting of money and time.
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