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Timing belt or chain in the Cruze 1.8?

75K views 27 replies 14 participants last post by  CRUZIFIED 
#1 ·
I know the 1.4 has a chain but now I am curious about my engine. Anyone know?
 
#8 ·
He's asking about the 1.8, not the 1.4t

edit:according to this post, its a belt
Timing belt or chain ? - Chevrolet Cruze Forum
Obviously you didn't read my whole post, I said I assumed it was a chain in because thats what GM used on the 1.4T & ALL other older ecotecs. I can't see them changing things for one motor.
Also your source is very suspect, some random guy on another forum says belt so it must be so. Until I see a different maintenance schedule for the 1.8 VS 1.4T(or pictures) I will use the reasonable assumption its a chain like every other ecotec.
 
#11 ·
Ecotec is just a name that covers many engine families in GM's product lineup.

The all aluminum Family II Ecotecs have chain driven camshafts (2.2l-2.4l engines used in various cars since MY 2000).

The 1.8 Ecotec in the Cruze is a Family 1 engine, has a iron block and DOHC motors have aluminum heads (some SOHC motors have iron heads), and belt driven cams. It is the same motor used in the Saturn/Opel Astra, and for a few years, under Daewoo's D-Tec name.

The 1.4t is a Family 0 engine, again another Opel design phased in during the 1990's in Europe for small displacement tax friendliness. All have a iron block with aluminum heads and chain driven cam shafts.
 
#13 ·
GM used the 1.8 because it would fit and they had the plant capacity to produce the engine. That and the fact it was one of the few small displacement GM engines that had current US emission certificates.

What is wrong with timing belts? Many auto makers still use them, and modern rubber technology is vastly superior to stuff of even a decade ago. Most new vehicle timing belt change intervals are 90-100k miles. Timing chains do not last forever, and are much more expensive to change out than a belt. The early GM 2.2l ecotecs (2000-2003) were pretty notorious for timing chain breakage. Heck on my old 1998 Nissan Altima the timing chain guide failed at 176k miles and made the chain jump a few teeth on the cams. I ended up with 12 bent valves. Just because it has a chain does not mean it will last forever and be maintenance free. Just ask any Toyota 22R owner, MB 380SL owner...
 
#14 ·
Thanks for that info Wolf. I have always assumed a chain was better because it is metal. And Shawn; "I am going to park in an intersection and put the car in neutral" was a tongue in cheek comment about my own personal emberassment about not knowing about the ecotec being such a generic engine term and you were the one who got a kick out of me not knowing about the tranny going to neutral when the brake was applied for a stoplight at an intersection. Remember? You were, quote; "lmao'ing." I thought it was pretty funny too. Just my self-deprecating humour kicking in, thats all.
 
#15 ·
I understand that timing chains break too, but I'd rather have metal than rubber in my engine. I guess I just remember my first cars with timing belts were junk. You had to replace them at 50-60K almost to the mile or they would break and cause havoc. Maybe the modern versions are better, maybe not. You said your Altima's chain broke at 176K. If I can get that kind of durability out of my Cruze, I'll be more than happy.
 
#16 ·
Yes, chains can be better, but they are very expensive to replace. Belts are designed to be changed, and on my 2003 Saturn L300, every 100,000 miles. Chains are usually not designed to be replaced, so there is much more labor involved. On my Altima, the engine had to come out of the car to get the lower timing cover off. My mechanic said there was going to be about 10-12 hours of labor to change the timing chain and guides. And actually my chain was fine, it was the adjusters guide that broke, causing the chain to flap around and break. Nissan uses a double row chain that resists stretching and should last a long time.

On my previous 2000 Saturn LS1, the timing chain was stretched and the adjuster was all the way out at 135,000 miles. Luckily the aluminum Ecotecs are easier to take the front covers off, but still it was $1600 to change the timing chains and all related equipment (chains, guides, water pump, etc).

Most of the vehicles I have had that had timing belts were usually between $300 and $500 depending on what is being changed out. The only exception to that was my GM 3400 TDC engine, which was expensive due to the amount of crap you have to remove to get to the belt and to pull the cam covers.

So either way can cost money, but chains will generally last longer and should be less maintenance intensive. But if you lease, neither option will be a concern.
 
#17 ·
...either way -- belt or chain -- it's a catastrophic problem when either one fails.

...chains seldom "jump" teeth, which can often happen with stretched belts.

...but, chains that use nylon "teeth" can also fail and likewise cause same problem of "jumped" timing.
 
#23 · (Edited)
What is this, a German engine thing?

That's the assembly that went bad the Saturn wagon's Opel-designed engine. The idler pulley was part of the tensioner assembly and had to be replaced as a single $400 part. :( And the mechanic had to disassemble a huge amount of the engine, remove a front wheel and wheel well to do the work. It was a heck of a lot of labor involved.

Must be that superior Teutonic engineering in full display! :rolleyes: It was curious that the model year after ours was built had a different part number and was 1/2 the price (couldn't be retrofitted in our car). Plus I found out later that the new part rarely if ever failed like ours did. Hmm.......
 
#21 ·
...the Ecotec 1.8L has a belt:

 
#22 ·
The timing belt in my wife's old Saturn LW2 (used the Opel 3.0L V6) cost me $1100 to replace due to a bum idler pulley. Normal belt replacement would run $700 (the idler pulley assembly was $400). Labor was the same in both cases and required a huge amount of labor.

I wouldn't call timing belts cheap to replace on many cars. I'll take a chain any day after my experiences with her old Saturn and the cost of replacing the belt in her old Toyota Celica. Timing chains are around the same amount to replace to I see little financial benefit in terms of repair costs to a timing belt. Plus a belt is a guaranteed maintenance item.
 
#26 ·
owners manual says to change the timing belt in the 1.8L only at 100000.

First Engine Oil Change After
Every 160 000 km/100,000 Mi
.
Automatic transmission fluid
change (normal service). See
Automatic Transmission Fluid on
page 10‑13.
.
Spark plug replacement and
spark plug wires inspection. An
Emission Control Service.
.
1.8L L4 engine only: Timing belt
replacement.
 
#27 ·
As reported before, the 1.8 has a timing belt. There are pro's and con's about a belt. First off, I operated a small auto repair shop for 30 years. IF given proper maintenance, timing belts are very good. The newer designs do not seem to stretch as much as a chain under the same driving conditions. Looking at the design of this engine, a timing belt replacement should be a snap compared to some of the Jap cars. (Read Honda) This is a German design and manufactured engine. A back yard mechanic, with a decent shop manual and proper set of tools should be able to replace it his/her self in an afternoon. All other maintenance is pretty much straight forward.
 
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