Timing belt terror

[JKIDD]

I've been working on moving my 2 kids into better cars. My son hit a guardrail, in 2021, in an ice storm in his 2008 Elantra. We Band aided it back together but last fall the AC quit. At 211,000 miles & the damage, I decided to buy a 2009 Elantra to replace it in the same (purple) color with 180K on it (these things run forever. We had 1 that drove away with 293K on it). Paid $1100 for this & just sold his old 1 for $1300. I did do a complete brake & rotor job & replaced the A/C condenser myself. Also replaced 2 upper control arms in the rear & did a timing belt & pullies (Ultra Power brand). I have used other parts from Ultra Power & haven't had any issues. All in under $1800. I'm happy with that.

Today I decided to do the timing belt (Gates, which is the OEM brand) on the 2009 Elantra I have for my daughter (upgrading her 2008 as well). Picked this up for 500 bucks. 125K on it. Sunroof. Owner had the alternator replaced & it wouldn't start a week later. Had a brand new battery installed, wouldn't start a week later & it got parked for a year. A car rolled into it in their driveway & broke 1 headlight & the rad support (mostly plastic). Shifter was stuck in neutral. Started with a jump but stalled when disconnected. I was willing to take a chance on this as the cat is worth that much. Once I got it home I discovered the shift interlock actuator tab mount was broken & the tab had popped out of position. Moved it back & shifts normal. Will need to pick up a shifter assy from the junkyard (25 bucks) as 1 good bump could dislodge it again. Charged the battery & it held a charge. Moved to the alternator & discovered the belt was loose.... Tensioned it up & charging fixed! Relaced the A/C condenser on this 1 as well. Mega mouse nest in the cabin air filter. Almost got the smell out. Fixed the rad support & H/L with less than $200 in junkyard parts. Front brakes are due, but rears were done previously.

Anyways, had a question on the exact placement of the tensioner pully so I popped the cover off my sons to compare. Shocked to see fiberglass shreds everywhere. This car has been less than 1000 miles since the belt was done. There was grease coming out from the tensioner seal & I can wiggle the pully, even under the tension. The play on the pully is making the belt ride into the tensioner lip. I've done this job on seven different Hyundai/Kia cars with this same engine. I believe I used Gates or Continental for those. No issues to date. Parts are under warranty from Rock Auto, but I believe they will only replace it, not refund me. I certainly don't want to put another 1 in if this failed that quicky. This is an interference motor & consider myself lucky I discovered this before I handed it over to my son.

I know, I know, you get what you pay for... Not sure what my thought process was on buying this 1 instead of the ones I've purchased previously. I think it could ship from the same whse as the brake parts I was buying... Got another Gates kit in my Rock Auto cart. Going to contact them Monday to see if I can get credit. Just wanted to share this so someone else doesn't make this same mistake.

 

[Dr.Jeff]

did a timing belt & pullies (Ultra Power brand). I have used other parts from Ultra Power & haven't had any issues

As I understand it, the timing belt wasn't the cause of any issues, but the result of a faulty tensioner assembly. So we are really only talking about one failed part. Honestly that isn't extremely uncommon anymore in the automotive parts industry. Like everything else, the general quality of all parts - from all manufacturers - has gone down over the years. I suppose you can blame it on humanity's obsession for materialistic gain and the pursuit of profits.

Another factor to consider is most parts manufacturers offer multiple lines of components at various price points and quality levels. As you said, you never had an issue with that brand before. So possibly this specific item could have been a part from one of their lower lines? It is difficult to blame a brand name for one faulty item. However that's not necessarily to say it is a good brand. Perhaps all of their stuff is total garbage and you just got lucky in the past....who knows (I certainly don't).

Unfortunately brand recognition doesn't mean a thing anymore. Every company puts out some crap. And price is also not a accurate indicator of quality anymore either. Frankly automotive parts as a whole have become a bit of a gamble in today's global market.

I guess one of my main points is don't blame yourself for buying a bad part. Just be grateful you caught it in time.

 

[JKIDD]

Received my Gates timing belt kit (Rock Auto will only replace like for like so I bought this kit I've used before) I may still file the warranty claim for the replacement but I don't know if I'd trust it at this point. Out 40 bucks if I don't. Its worth my piece of mind. The Ultra Power bearings have no marks on them & the tensioner sounds worse than any of these pullies I've ever changed, at 1000 miles. The Gates bearings are GMB & have the Kia & Hyundai logos on the bracket. The Ultra Power idler pully seems fine. You can see the grease spraying out from the tensioner & how much the belt was chewed. Just thankful I stumbled across it.