# Cruze Diesel timing belt



## [email protected] (Feb 19, 2021)

I own a 2014 Cruze Diesel. 
It just turned 100K. Dash reminder says time to change timing Belt. I love my Cruze and do NOT want to get rid of it. Is this truly necessary to do now? I know granaded timing belts can be a major issue. But looking at a $1000 bill is a bit ....
Any advice?


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Some people have run theirs longer, to about 125k or so, and some looked fine at that age, though some didn't look as great, even at 100k miles. It's really up to you how much you want to risk it.


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## TDCruze (Sep 26, 2014)

Definitely a gamble but the older the belt gets and the higher the miles the higher the risk of failure. Rubber dries out as it ages. Your belts is now 7-8 years old. Probably could last for another 10k or more miles, but it's also a gamble that you don't want to loose.


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## kelaog (Aug 1, 2019)

$1k repair bill vs what? $25-40k for a new car?

I wouldn't gamble with a timing belt mate. If you are up for DIY then you can save yourself about $800.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

in theory, if youre mostly hwy miles your total engine hours are lower than most, regardless of miles driven

that said, i 1000% recommend changing it now, not later.

its not worth the risk

its not just the belt breaking, its the water pump seizing, the idler, the tensioner seizing and doing damage above and beyond the timing belt cost


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

It’s a bad gamble. The winnings are putting off a 1k bill. The loss are at best wrecking the valves but more then likely way more damage.


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

[email protected] said:


> I own a 2014 Cruze Diesel.
> It just turned 100K. Dash reminder says time to change timing Belt. I love my Cruze and do NOT want to get rid of it. Is this truly necessary to do now? I know granaded timing belts can be a major issue. But looking at a $1000 bill is a bit ....
> Any advice?


In 2013, I got *lucky* when my timing chain tensioner failed on my Cobalt. I *ONLY* bent 12 of the 16 valves and thankfully there was no piston damage. I paid the dealer to put a new head on it. $2500 repair.


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## Diesel4Ever (May 30, 2018)

If you don’t have the cash, do it yourself. Everything you need is less than $300 in parts including the locking tool


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## mkohan (Dec 19, 2015)

Like others have said, it is not a good gamble. My DIY skills are regulated to filter changes. So I bit the bullet and paid. Hope to keep it for another 100K.


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

TDCruze said:


> Rubber dries out as it ages.


It's not rubber. At least I hope it isn't rubber. I would be genuinely surprised if it were rubber.


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

mkohan said:


> Like others have said, it is not a good gamble. My DIY skills are regulated to filter changes. So I bit the bullet and paid. Hope to keep it for another 100K.


My DIY skills were like that too, 20 years ago. But I kept at it, little by little. Now I'll be rebuilding my engine in a few months.


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## TDCruze (Sep 26, 2014)

Barry Allen said:


> It's not rubber. At least I hope it isn't rubber. I would be genuinely surprised if it were rubber.


I am not a material engineer, but it is some sort of hybrid rubber composition woven with high tinsile cords for strength. Probably much better than old fashioned rubber from a tree, but it still ages and wears out.

Time, heat cycles, number of engine start / stops and revolutions all take a toll. Mileage alone is a very basic estimate of all those things that cause wear. This is done because it is simple to do, to make it easy for the average consumer to know when to change the belt.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

TDCruze said:


> I am not a material engineer, but it is some sort of hybrid rubber composition woven with high tinsile cords for strength. Probably much better than old fashioned rubber from a tree, but it still ages and wears out.
> 
> Time, heat cycles, number of engine start / stops and revolutions all take a toll. Mileage alone is a very basic estimate of all those things that cause wear. This is done because it is simple to do, to make it easy for the average consumer to know when to change the belt.


Pretty much that - like any modern serpentine belt, on steroids.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

Diesel4Ever said:


> If you don’t have the cash, do it yourself. Everything you need is less than $300 in parts including the locking tool


To be fair it’s a very involved job for your typical DIY that does brakes and oil.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

pandrad61 said:


> To be fair it’s a very involved job for your typical DIY that does brakes and oil.


was my first timing belt ever


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

boraz said:


> was my first timing belt ever


Did it turn out to be as easy as doing rotors and pads or quite a bigger task? One of the reasons I hate transverse engines is timing belts usually sucks to get too.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

pandrad61 said:


> Did it turn out to be as easy as doing rotors and pads or quite a bigger task? One of the reasons I hate transverse engines is timing belts usually sucks to get too.


nothing difficult, just lots of steps, i took 3 days....like 4 hrs a day

i walk away alot and curse and think

had trouble getting the tensioner to the right spot, til i moved it a certain way, had trouble getting the belt on w/o things moving


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## Barry Allen (Apr 18, 2018)

I wondered about how difficult timing belts are on modern traverse engines. The only notable experience I've had with doing it myself is on a couple Volvo 240, and you can take the front right off those engines very easily and do the job with minor effort.

Then, a family member of mine had an Olds Cutlass Supreme with the LQ1 engine (60º V-6 with DOHC), and funny enough for an Oldsmobile it was paired with the 5-speed manual. That engine was known among mechanics to be a horrible job, and I know shops that turn away a timing belt job on them.


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## TX CTD (Oct 24, 2014)

It was the first timing belt I ever did and although it was frustrating at times like Boraz said, its not hard. It was much easier than the next timing belt which was a Civic. I’m save the TDI Beetle for last because I expect that one to be the hardest.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

Wish someone here did a full write up


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

pandrad61 said:


> Wish someone here did a full write up


theres a full writeup, but i think the pics are fubared by now

plus theres two or 3 yt videos


its all there









Timing Belt replacement


I replaced the timing belt and water pump on my 14 Diesel this past weekend. I made a video of the process and I’m in the process of extracting screenshots to try and create a write-up of the steps. I was at 123K miles and the belt was beginning to have some significant cracks between the teeth...




www.cruzetalk.com





ask in this thread if you got questions^^^


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## BDCCruze (Jul 12, 2017)

You can extend it for sure. I went 125k on mine. But if you are thinking that you are just not going to do it at all, then you might as well get rid of the car now. The belt is a maintenance item and has to get done. Not changing it is like saying you're not going to change the oil.


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## mwswarrior (Jul 3, 2015)

Just did this on mine at about 105K. Most of my miles were hwy so I felt confident it could go a bit beyond 100K and was able to knock it out over the holidays when I had some time off. The old belt looks fine when I removed it. Here are the resources that helped:

Parts: I bought parts here and stuck with OEM or better items. I also replaced the water pump, idler pulleys, hardware, and serpentine belt since I was into it that far anyway. This site also has the tools if you need them (I didn't buy any specialty tools). Timing Belt Kits Timing Chain Kits | IDParts.com - Diesel Parts 

Video of the procedure: I used this before and during to idiot check what I was doing. It's pretty good. I gleaned some info from the service manual as well that isn't in the video. 




And, if you run into questions or problems, ask here. Many of us have done them in our garage or shop and can provide some guidance. 

WIth all that, my Cruze has been running great for the past 5,000 miles since the replacement and my daughter is driving it back and forth to school on weekends (450 miles round trip) with no issues.


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## BDCCruze (Jul 12, 2017)

One thing to note - I didn't buy new motor mount bolts (the three longer ones that connect to the body). After removing the old ones I found the threads heavily damaged. Since I couldn't buy new parts at that point, I had to spend and hour running a tap-and-die to clean it all up and was able to re-use them. No idea how they were chewed up so bad though. Point is, you may want to buy new bolts. I was not able to find new ones at any hardware store or Fastenal so I was stuck reusing them.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

BDCCruze said:


> One thing to note - I didn't buy new motor mount bolts (the three longer ones that connect to the body). After removing the old ones I found the threads heavily damaged. Since I couldn't buy new parts at that point, I had to spend and hour running a tap-and-die to clean it all up and was able to re-use them. No idea how they were chewed up so bad though. Point is, you may want to buy new bolts. I was not able to find new ones at any hardware store or Fastenal so I was stuck reusing them.


They are torqu to yield so new ones anytime you pull them. Maybe someone pulled yours previously


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## JFOXTON (Jul 31, 2016)

[email protected] said:


> I own a 2014 Cruze Diesel.
> It just turned 100K. Dash reminder says time to change timing Belt. I love my Cruze and do NOT want to get rid of it. Is this truly necessary to do now? I know granaded timing belts can be a major issue. But looking at a $1000 bill is a bit ....
> Any advice?


My mechanic said, after looking at it, that 150K should be fine. He was right. The manufacturer has to default to the worst case scenario to avoid lawsuites. However, he was dead wrong on the oil pump - you don't want that to fail. I suggest you replace at 200K unless you want to take out a turbo $$$$! Like the timing belt, catastrophic failure without warning is never welcome. I drive a lot of highway miles so the timing belt was predictable but a new oil pump is less than $200.00 on the internet.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

JFOXTON said:


> My mechanic said, after looking at it, that 150K should be fine. He was right. The manufacturer has to default to the worst case scenario to avoid lawsuites. However, he was dead wrong on the oil pump - you don't want that to fail. I suggest you replace at 200K unless you want to take out a turbo $$$$! Like the timing belt, catastrophic failure without warning is never welcome. I drive a lot of highway miles so the timing belt was predictable but a new oil pump is less than $200.00 on the internet.


Make him put his $$ where his mouth is. He thinks he knows more then the folks who made and designed the car, well if it goes early then he has to pay the labor out of pocket. Seems fair since he is telling you to go past the manufacturer interval


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