(Past info FYI, took off quickly from traffic lights 2 days ago, got up to about 4000rpm max, heard Loud muffled Bang! Then engine became very loud & Very rattly. Had to get it towed to the dealer)
.. I heard back from the dealer I found out why my Suzuki Grand Vitara when it went BANG & became very Rattley & sounded like catastrophic damage just from taking off at the traffic lights the other day.
& the answer is because there is a huge design flaw in the timing belt cover!
Suzuki won't admit to this yet & is asking me to pay for the damage. Warranty is not covering it yet.
The good news is there is no damage to the engine & timing gears, cams valves or piston.
The rattle was because the Cam gear jumped 2 teeth on the timing belt! & Was SO CLOSE to receiving catastrophic damage! So very very lucky!
So what exactly happened was, the muffled bang we heard taking off from the traffic lights was the main engine accessories drive (serpentine) belt letting go. Not completely snapped, half the thickness delaminated/snapped & got tangled around things, thrashing around the front of the engine pulleys.
This is not uncommon & should not cause any damage. All that's needed is a new belt. It's just the same as the fan belt coming off any car. Not the end of the world.
But what happened instantly when the belt snapped is why I'm going to sell my GV because it makes the engine hugely unreliable & susceptible to catastrophic damage just from the accessories drive belt breaking...
Now usually on other good engines the Cam timing gears & belt are sealed away safe behind an aluminum cover & no outside influences, dirt, dust or rocks can affect it. On my engine this is not the case.
The timing belt & cam timing gears are directly above the drive accessories belt.
There is a plastic cover over the timing belt, but it only covers it from the top. The cover is open to the elements at the bottom!
My drive accessories serpentine belt half let go, broken belt flung up & got caught up in the Cam timing belt & made the Cam jump 2 teeth!!
THATS What caused the engine to sound so Rattley & why my cam timing is out now!
HOW INSANE IS THAT!!
Not only does Suzuki say the timing belt has to be changed at 75K, but the belt is not sealed away & when ever the drive accessories belt snaps it tangled up in the timing belt & causes your engine to self destruct!!
This is not the fist time the mechanic has seen it either! The last one he saw do this it destroyed the engine, Suzuki would pay for it & they had to pay for a new engine!
The reason they won't cover it is because they think something has come up from underneath, hit the serpentine belt & caused it to snap. So they won't cover the damage!
But that's impossible for something to come up & hit the belt. I have underbody protection bash plates!
BUT JUST THE FACT THE TIMING BELT CAN BE AFFECTED BY THE SERPENTINE BELT SNAPPING IS ABSOLUTELY INSANE!!
I'm going to fight this & make them pay for it...
2013 Suzuki Grand Vitara Turbo Diesel.
Engine made by Renault.
.. I heard back from the dealer I found out why my Suzuki Grand Vitara when it went BANG & became very Rattley & sounded like catastrophic damage just from taking off at the traffic lights the other day.
& the answer is because there is a huge design flaw in the timing belt cover!
Suzuki won't admit to this yet & is asking me to pay for the damage. Warranty is not covering it yet.
The good news is there is no damage to the engine & timing gears, cams valves or piston.
The rattle was because the Cam gear jumped 2 teeth on the timing belt! & Was SO CLOSE to receiving catastrophic damage! So very very lucky!
So what exactly happened was, the muffled bang we heard taking off from the traffic lights was the main engine accessories drive (serpentine) belt letting go. Not completely snapped, half the thickness delaminated/snapped & got tangled around things, thrashing around the front of the engine pulleys.
This is not uncommon & should not cause any damage. All that's needed is a new belt. It's just the same as the fan belt coming off any car. Not the end of the world.
But what happened instantly when the belt snapped is why I'm going to sell my GV because it makes the engine hugely unreliable & susceptible to catastrophic damage just from the accessories drive belt breaking...
Now usually on other good engines the Cam timing gears & belt are sealed away safe behind an aluminum cover & no outside influences, dirt, dust or rocks can affect it. On my engine this is not the case.
The timing belt & cam timing gears are directly above the drive accessories belt.
There is a plastic cover over the timing belt, but it only covers it from the top. The cover is open to the elements at the bottom!
My drive accessories serpentine belt half let go, broken belt flung up & got caught up in the Cam timing belt & made the Cam jump 2 teeth!!
THATS What caused the engine to sound so Rattley & why my cam timing is out now!
HOW INSANE IS THAT!!
Not only does Suzuki say the timing belt has to be changed at 75K, but the belt is not sealed away & when ever the drive accessories belt snaps it tangled up in the timing belt & causes your engine to self destruct!!
This is not the fist time the mechanic has seen it either! The last one he saw do this it destroyed the engine, Suzuki would pay for it & they had to pay for a new engine!
The reason they won't cover it is because they think something has come up from underneath, hit the serpentine belt & caused it to snap. So they won't cover the damage!
But that's impossible for something to come up & hit the belt. I have underbody protection bash plates!
BUT JUST THE FACT THE TIMING BELT CAN BE AFFECTED BY THE SERPENTINE BELT SNAPPING IS ABSOLUTELY INSANE!!
I'm going to fight this & make them pay for it...
2013 Suzuki Grand Vitara Turbo Diesel.
Engine made by Renault.
