timing belt maybe?

[circmand]

With my vx running, I can hear what sounds like the fan rubbing against the plastic shroud. But I inspected it and moved it around and I don't think it's the fan. Sounds like the noise may be coming from inside the timing belt cover, like something (possibly the timing belt) is slapping against the inside of the plastic housing. ( anyone ever heard of this? I plan on having the belt changed soon. But if it breaks while driving, can any catastrophic damage occur to the engine? How hard is it to reset the timing if this happens?

I guess if the belt is tearing it could be causing the slap. We have a non interference engine so no major catastrophe. However an unexpected breakdown with a tow and delay getting parts and wait for repairs can get pretty pricey on its own