non-interference engine

[Michael Rose]

I was looking at a 2006 Honda Civic and I asked the saleman if the engine was a Non-interference engine and I got a blank look So guys help me out here...is it or isn't it!....Thanks

 

[jim beam]

I was looking at a 2006 Honda Civic and I asked the saleman if the engine was a Non-interference engine and I got a blank look So guys help me out here...is it or isn't it!....Thanks

why does it bother you?

 

[Steve Mackie]

I was looking at a 2006 Honda Civic and I asked the saleman if the engine

was a Non-interference engine and I got a blank look
So guys help me out here...is it or isn't it!....Thanks

Why would it matter if it is or it isn't?

 

[High Tech Misfit]

I was looking at a 2006 Honda Civic and I asked the saleman if the engine was a Non-interference engine and I got a blank look So guys help me out here...is it or isn't it!....Thanks

I don't know, but it doesn't matter because the engine uses a timing chain instead of a belt.

 

[Matt Ion]

Michael Rose wrote:

I don't know, but it doesn't matter because the engine uses a timing chain instead of a belt.

Don't count on it "not mattering" for that... my old GLC died a messy death when an improperly-adjusted timing chain slipped a tooth.

 

[Michael Rose]

Very simple....if it is a non-interference engine and your timing belt or chain breaks it doesn't hurt the engine....

 

[Michael Pardee]

I don't know, but it doesn't matter because the engine uses a timing chain instead of a belt.

IMHO chains have not proven themselves much more reliable than belts. Maybe they have improved, but the last car I had with a chain (an 84 Dodge with a Mitsu engine) didn't make it 100K miles before the chain was worn enough to jump. The first step in replacement was: remove engine from car.

Mike

 

[Steve Mackie]

In all my years, I've spun more bearings (2) than I've ever broken a timing chain (0), or belt for that matter.

Again, why would it matter if it is or it isn't? Do you plan on not maintaining your vehicle after you purchase it?

Steve

 

[TeGGeR®]

IMHO chains have not proven themselves much more reliable than belts.

Depends on the engine design. Certain cars were notorious for eating timing chains. The Nissan Axxess had one such. On the the opposite side, the old Toyota timing chains were very well designed. They'd wear and get noisy, but never break or jump.

 

[Michael Pardee]

Again, why would it matter if it is or it isn't? Do you plan on not maintaining your vehicle after you purchase it?

Steve

Even an engine maintained on schedule is susceptible to sudden death by valve crash. Usually that comes from water pump failure if the water pump is driven by the timing belt. In that respect chain driven engines are "safer."

Mike

 

[High Tech Misfit]

IMHO chains have not proven themselves much more reliable than belts. Maybe they have improved, but the last car I had with a chain (an 84 Dodge with a Mitsu engine) didn't make it 100K miles before the chain was worn enough to jump. The first step in replacement was: remove engine from car.

Toyota 4-cylinders have been chain-driven since the late 90s (starting with the '98 Corolla I believe), and I am not aware of any chain-related failures in properly maintained cars. Nissan was using chains long before that, although I don't know how reliable they have been.

 

[Gordon McGrew]

Don't count on it "not mattering" for that... my old GLC died a messy death when an improperly-adjusted timing chain slipped a tooth.

I think it is more a question of good engineering vs. bad engineering. Saturn owners have a lot more problems with the chains than Honda owners have with the belts. Ironic, as the Saturn dealers pitched the chain as being superior to Honda's belts.

We will see if these new Honda chain engines can routinely go 200K on the original chains. I am assuming that a chain replacement will end up costing twice as much as a belt.

Also, how hard is it to change the water pump in these cars? Do you have to remove the chain?

 

[Michael Pardee]

Toyota 4-cylinders have been chain-driven since the late 90s (starting with the '98 Corolla I believe), and I am not aware of any chain-related failures in properly maintained cars. Nissan was using chains long before that, although I don't know how reliable they have been.

My #2 son had an '82 Toyota Corolla with a chain. We replaced it a few months before the engine threw a rod :-(

Researching the chain, we found that it was common for them to eat through the timing chain cover as a result of "stretching" (pivot wear) and that those covers were at a premium on the used market for that reason.

Mike

 

[jim beam]

Very simple....if it is a non-interference engine and your timing belt or chain breaks it doesn't hurt the engine....

if you maintain the engine as it's supposed to be, this will *never* be an issue. you run more danger of wheel bolts fatiguing than you do having a belt/chain break on a properly maintained engine. and get some perspective on cost/benefit of failure vs. performance/economy of interference engines.

come to think of it, this thread smells of fud.

 

[Joe LaVigne]

I think it is more a question of good engineering vs. bad engineering. Saturn owners have a lot more problems with the chains than Honda owners have with the belts. Ironic, as the Saturn dealers pitched the chain as being superior to Honda's belts.

We will see if these new Honda chain engines can routinely go 200K on the original chains. I am assuming that a chain replacement will end up costing twice as much as a belt.

Also, how hard is it to change the water pump in these cars? Do you have to remove the chain?

The salesman that sold me my 06 Si said that it was a timing belt, and the scheduled maintenance for it was 100K. Is that incorrect?

 

[Matt Ion]

My #2 son had an '82 Toyota Corolla with a chain. We replaced it a few months before the engine threw a rod :-(

Researching the chain, we found that it was common for them to eat through the timing chain cover as a result of "stretching" (pivot wear) and that those covers were at a premium on the used market for that reason.

Well the opposite end of that scale would be the trusty old Dodge "Slant-6" engines... my dad had one in his '81 pickup, never had it replaced that I know of... when he retired the truck in '87 with over 450,000km, the chain was streched enough to be constantly rubbing in its guideway... but it just kept on running (the engine was also drinking a liter of oil with every tank of gas after my sister ran it dry of oil once). Thin was damn near indestructable.

 

[High Tech Misfit]

The salesman that sold me my 06 Si said that it was a timing belt, and the scheduled maintenance for it was 100K. Is that incorrect?

It is incorrect. It uses a timing chain.

 

['Curly Q. Links']

The salesman that sold me my 06 Si said that it was a timing belt, and the scheduled maintenance for it was 100K. Is that incorrect?

The 06 Si comes with a FINE manual. Read The Fine Manual.

Read this too, regarding the 'art' of car salesmanship. It's LONG:
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/article.html

'Curly'

 

[loewent via CarKB.com]

I've heard theories that the slant six almost put dodge outta business due to lack of parts sales and longevity....

[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]

the timing chain cover as a result of "stretching" (pivot wear) and that those covers were at a premium on the used market for that reason.

Well the opposite end of that scale would be the trusty old Dodge "Slant-6" engines... my dad had one in his '81 pickup, never had it replaced that I know of... when he retired the truck in '87 with over 450,000km, the chain was streched enough to be constantly rubbing in its guideway... but it just kept on running (the engine was also drinking a liter of oil with every tank of gas after my sister ran it dry of oil once). Thin was damn near indestructable.

 

[High Tech Misfit]

I've heard theories that the slant six almost put dodge outta business due to lack of parts sales and longevity....

I wouldn't doubt it. When I was a kid, my father owned a '77 Dodge Aspen and our neighbour owned a '79 Plymouth Volare. Both had the slant-6, and both were major pieces of junk.