my timing belt on my vectra 1.8 has snapped i was doing 60 mph what damage does it cause ?

jonesy, January 2009

The 1.8 vectra is DOHC if I remember rightly, that's BAD news, at the very least you'll have bent valves. Which means head off, new gaskets, cam belt etc.
At the very worst the valves have smashed one or more of the pistons and bent a rod or two and your engine is a write off.
Most likely is bent valves, broken buckets, possible camshaft and probably holed pistons and bent rods.
If you love the car source a 2nd hand engine.

Doing 60 when it went? Even if you dumped the clutch at the second it went........

Dave the wrench., January 2009

Hi, I know very little about vectras, but in engines in general, the timing belt operates the camshaft which via rocker mechanisms, open and allows shut the inlet and exhaust valves in time with piston movement. If the cambelt breaks, the camshaft and hence the valves will stop moving, but the pistons will not for a few seconds. This means that there is a high likelyhood one or more pistons will have come up in the engine and made contact with open valves. Because of the speed at which they collide, the valves may have been bent, the rockers (which open them via the camshaft) may have broken or been bent. Also the camshaft itself may have suffered damage. And lastly the pistons themselves, their connecting rods and associated bearings may have suffered damage too, in the collision.Bad news all round generally, in a few cases, minor and easily rectifiable damage has been the case, but for most people who suffer this problem the damage is significant and expensive. The only way of telling what is damaged is a complete engine strip down, which in itself, is not cheap.

Hondacxrider, January 2009