Buying a car is a big budget for most people, however, to this one you will have to add the maintenance of your car, and for some maintenance works the bill can be quite high. It is consequently logical to ask yourself when is the best time to carry out these repairs and not do them “for nothing”. In this article we are going to describe to you when to replace the timing belt on your Cadillac ATS? For that, to begin with, we are going to find out why it is necessary to achieve this act of maintenance, then, when to do the timing belt of your Cadillac ATS , then, we are going to fairly quickly demonstrate to you how this change is done, and, finally, how much it costs to do the timing belt of a Cadillac ATS.
Why do we need to replace the timing belt of an Cadillac ATS?
As we informed you in introduction, changing a timing belt on a Cadillac ATS represents an enormous budget, so we understand that you are hesitant to do it and to allow you to understand the value of this fix, so we will fairly quickly describe why it is so important to do it on time.
Your Cadillac ATS’s timing belt objective
The timing of a Cadillac ATS has an essential purpose in the smooth running of your engine. In fact, it will have the mission to synchronize the valves and pistons, and to make the link between the camshaft, the water pump, the crankshaft and the injection pump . It will allow the engine to work effectively, and avoid any risk of engine breakage. The shorter the distance your car travels, the more your belt will be solicited when starting the engine.
What are the risks if the timing belt is not changed in time?
The issue with the timing of a Cadillac ATS is that it is internal to the engine. And so, in contrast to an accessory belt, it is impossible to visually verify its condition. So you might presume that this belt is just an insignificant component, but the risks you take if you don’t replace it in time are substantial. If the timing of your Cadillac ATS breaks, you will definitely have to replace the engine of this one. In fact, the pistons will hit the valves and damage them, and the camshaft will also break. The faster the engine is running at the moment of the breakage, the more serious the results are. It is consequently crucial to make your timing belt on time .
When to do the timing belt of its Cadillac ATS?
We will now answer the question that you all have to ask yourselves, when to produce the timing belt of a Cadillac ATS? It is required to know that each engine is different and as we described above, we must not miss on the replacement of this component. The more we advance in time the more the manufacturers improve the timing belt and normally the more recent your Cadillac ATS will be the less you will have to worry about your belt. However, check out your Cadillac ATS’s service book to get the exact life and maximum mileage you can achieve before you do the timing . On average, timing belts have a life of 5 to 10 years and a maximum mileage between 80, 000 and 200, 000km .
How to replace the timing belt of an Cadillac ATS?
As the timing belt of a Cadillac ATS represents a high budget, one can logically wonder if it is not possible to replace it oneself. Unfortunately it is very hard to access and just the most experienced amateur mechanics and the most equipped with tools will be able to consider this operation, we will however fairly quickly illustrate the different steps to be executed to replace this timing belt:
- Place the Cadillac ATS on stands, and depending on your engine you might have to remove a wheel. Take out the timing gearboxes
- To do this, you must buy the timing kit so that all the engine elements remain in the right position, otherwise your engine will break. Take out the other components that bother you (damper pulley for example).
- Take out the old distribution after loosening the tension rollers. Before positioning the new one, you must remove all the tensioning rollers and the water pump.
- Place the new water pump.
- Install the new tension rollers, pay attention to the location of each one.
- Install the new distribution of your Cadillac ATS by respecting the markers.
- Tension the belt as indicated by the manufacturer’s data.
- Put the rest of it back together.
- Verify that the engine is running effectively.
.
Changing the timing belt how much does it cost?
And finally, we’ll try to give you an idea of the price if you want to replace the timing belt of your Cadillac ATS . Be aware that if you do it at the mechanic of the brand or at a car center like Feu Vert the price can vary a lot, but generally speaking we estimate that the price of the distribution varies between 400 and 900 euros , depending on the place where you do it and your engine. Please note that the kits include the belt, idlers and water pump.
If you need more tutorials on the Cadillac ATS, go to our Cadillac ATS category.
