Buying a car is a big budget for the majority of us, however, to this one you will have to add the maintenance of your motor vehicle, and for some maintenance acts the bill can be quite high. It is consequently logical to ask yourself when is the right time to accomplish these repairs and not do them “for nothing”. Today we are going to describe to you when to replace the timing belt on your Mini Cooper? For that, to begin with, we are going to discover why it is necessary to achieve this act of maintenance, then, when to do the timing belt of your Mini Cooper , then, we are going to fairly quickly explain to you how this change is done, and, at last, how much it costs to do the timing belt of a Mini Cooper.
Why do we need to replace the timing belt of an Mini Cooper?
As we told you in introduction, changing a timing belt on a Mini Cooper represents a significant budget, so we understand that you are cautious to do it and to allow you to understand the importance of this repair, so we will fairly quickly describe why it is so important to do it on time.
Your Mini Cooper’s timing belt objective
The timing of a Mini Cooper has a vital purpose in the smooth running of your engine. In truth, 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 vehicle 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 problem with the timing of a Mini Cooper is that it is internal to the engine. And as a result, unlike an accessory belt, it is difficult to visually check its condition. So you might believe that this belt is just an insignificant component, but the risks you take if you don’t replace it in time are enormous. If the timing of your Mini Cooper breaks, you will most certainly have to replace the engine of this one. In truth, the pistons will hit the valves and injure them, and the camshaft will as well break. The faster the engine is running at the moment of the breakage, the more severe the consequences are. It is consequently crucial to make your timing belt on time .
When to do the timing belt of its Mini Cooper?
We will now answer the question that you all have to ask yourselves, when to produce the timing belt of a Mini Cooper? It is required to know that each engine is different and as we mentioned 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 Mini Cooper will be the less you will have to get worried about your belt. However, check out your Mini Cooper’s service book to get the exact life and maximum mileage you can accomplish before you do the timing . Generally, 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 Mini Cooper?
As the timing belt of a Mini Cooper represents a high budget, one can logically question 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 procedure, we will however fairly quickly describe the different steps to be performed to replace this timing belt:
- Place the Mini Cooper on stands, and depending on your engine you may have to remove a wheel. Take out the timing gearboxes
- To do this, you must buy the timing kit so that all the engine components remain in the right position, in any other case your engine will break. Take out the other elements that bother you (damper pulley for example).
- Take out the old distribution after loosening the tension rollers. Before positioning the new one, you must take out all the tensioning rollers and the water pump.
- Mount the new water pump.
- Install the new tension rollers, pay attention to the location of each one.
- Install the new distribution of your Mini Cooper by respecting the markers.
- Tension the belt as outlined by the manufacturer’s data.
- Put the rest of it back together.
- Check that the engine is running effectively.
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Replacing 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 Mini Cooper . Be aware that if you do it at the garage of the brand or at a motor vehicle center like Feu Vert the price can vary a lot, but in general 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. Take note that the kits include the belt, idlers and water pump.
If you have any additional questions about the Mini Cooper, do not hesitate to consult our Mini Cooper category.
