Buying a car is a big budget for many people, nevertheless, to this one you will have to add the maintenance of your car, and for some maintenance acts the bill can be quite high. It is so logical to ask yourself when is the most fortunate time to carry out these repairs and not do them “for nothing”. In this article we are going to explain to you when to change the timing belt on your smart forfour? For that, first of all, we are going to see why it is necessary to achieve this work of maintenance, then, when to do the timing belt of your smart forfour , then, we are going to fairly quickly demonstrate to you how this replace is done, and, at last, how much it costs to do the timing belt of a smart forfour.
Why do we need to change the timing belt of an smart forfour?
As we told you in introduction, changing a timing belt on a smart forfour represents a considerable 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 explain why it is so important to do it on time.
Your smart forfour’s timing belt action
The timing of a smart forfour has an essential purpose in the smooth running of your engine. In actual 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 enable 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 on time?
The issue with the timing of a smart forfour is that it is internal to the engine. And so, unlike an accessory belt, it is impossible to visually verify its condition. So you might presume that this belt is just an unimportant component, but the risks you take if you don’t change it in time are big. If the timing of your smart forfour breaks, you will undoubtedly have to change the engine of this one. In actual fact, the pistons will hit the valves and destroy them, and the camshaft will as well break. The faster the engine is running at the moment of the breakage, the more significant the consequences are. It is consequently primordial to make your timing belt on time .
When to do the timing belt of its smart forfour?
We will now answer the question that you all have to ask yourselves, when to make the timing belt of a smart forfour? It is required to know that each engine unit is different and as we explained earlier, 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 smart forfour will be the less you will have to worry about your belt. Nevertheless, check out your smart forfour’s service book to get the exact life and maximum mileage you can achieve 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 change the timing belt of an smart forfour?
As the timing belt of a smart forfour represents a high budget, one can rationally question if it is not possible to change it oneself. Regrettably it is very difficult to access and just the most skilled amateur mechanics and the most equipped with tools will be able to reflect on this process, we will however fairly quickly describe the different steps to be performed to change this timing belt:
- Place the smart forfour on stands, and depending on your engine you may possibly have to remove a wheel. Remove the timing gearboxes
- To achieve this, you must buy the timing kit so that all the engine elements remain in the right position, otherwise your engine will break. Remove the other elements that bother you (damper pulley for example).
- Remove the old distribution after loosening the tension rollers. Before positioning the new one, you must remove 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 smart forfour by respecting the markers.
- Tension the belt as indicated by the manufacturer’s data.
- Put the rest of it back together.
- Check that the engine unit 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 change the timing belt of your smart forfour . Take note that if you do it at the garage area of the brand or at a car 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. Please note that the kits include the belt, idlers and water pump.
If you wish more tutorials on the smart forfour, go to our smart forfour category.
