Yes, your car will start if the timing is off. However, it may run rough, and eventually something may break.
but it might be noisy and rattle badly.
There are a few easy ways to tell if the timing belt is broken. The first is sound; you’ll know that your timing belt has snapped when you hear a horrible ticking, metal-on-metal noise coming from under the hood of your car. Next, it might be noisy and rattle badly. A bit like how your car shudders and stalls out when it runs out of gas, it will start chugging and puttering once the timing belt snaps.
Even though the engine may still run for a little bit after this point, you need to turn off your vehicle as soon as possible so that you don’t do any more damage to your engine; without oil pressure from the pump, valves will bend from contact with pistons and cause catastrophic engine damage. If you notice any of these signs or suspect that your timing belt has snapped or is about to snap, don’t waste any time getting repairs!
If you push the starter button too long, it will over rev (and be noisy and rattle).
If you push the starter button too long, it will over rev (and be noisy and rattle).
Actually, there is no good reason at all to do this. It just makes the motor hot and it wears out the starter motor brushes faster than they normally would wear out. So please, stop pushing that button too long.
The only time when a longer crank is needed is when your battery has gone flat (ie: you have left a light on or something). This can happen in new cars. In this case, gently hold the key in start position until you hear the engine come to life, then let go quickly.
Eventually, something vital could break or be damaged (again, normally not the case).
If the timing is off, your engine won’t run as efficiently. It might still start, but it will sound rough and maybe even like it’s going to explode since the combustion cycle is out of sync. If you let the starter button go too long, it will over rev and you might end up having to replace the starter. So if your car starts but sounds terrible or revs high when starting, you should get a mechanic to check your timing right away.
Eventually, something vital could break or be damaged (again, normally not the case). For example, if your cam belt/chain has slipped on one tooth you might get away with running for a week without incident. But if this has happened then that means that every time that part of machinery moves it is rubbing against another part of machinery which can cause damage in the long term and can potentially be life threatening for that part of machinery so do try and get this looked at sooner rather than later in order to avoid any future incidents
You should fix it as soon as possible.
If you notice that your car is not running as well as it was before, then you should get it checked out and fixed by a professional as soon as possible. Your car might be fine, but if something is wrong with the timing, then you should fix it before it gets worse. If your car won’t run at all because of the timing, then you should get a tow truck to come and take your car to the mechanic so that they can fix it for you. If you are a DIYer, however, then you will need to get yourself a timing light or a timing gun to do the job yourself at home.
