TIMING BELTS - How long did you go before changing?

dpwestlake

Murphy was in on the design of timing belts. They always break at the worst possible time. like miles from home on the interstate in the middle of nowhere on the way to something important.

isellhondas

I'm surprised that your experience with the Prelude didn't cause you to replace the belt on your Accord earlier?

randyt2

The 105K mile change on my 90 Accord was also at 7 years. That was the first year of an n th generation Accord. Back then I didn't hear people qualifying the quality/reliability of a car as good "for the first year" of the new generation for that model, which seems more common nowdays.

jusdreamin

Hi. I've got an 1989 Chrysler LeBaron convertible with a V-4 Turbo. I've had the car about 5 years and I've probably put 20-30K on it since I got it used. I haven't changed the timing belt since I got it (it's my first car)and I can't recall whether or not the previous owner changed it. The car currently has roughly 82K on it.

Should I get the TB changed? If so, how soon? What else should get changed with it? More importantly, rougly how much is this going to cost? Please keep in mind, that I'm lucky I know where the dip sticks for the oil and transmission are. Thanks in advance!!

isellhondas

Well your engine isn't a V-4, it's an inline four.

That's a 60K belt that probably is due for a change.

andre1969

we had the timing belt done on our '88 LeBaron turbo around 90K. Isell's right though...the intervals on those cars is about 60K. We were really pushing our luck.

When we had the belt changed, they also replaced the oil seals up there, and something else (I forget what, though). I forget exactly how much it cost, but everything was under $300.00. This was about 5 years ago, though.

One good thing about the Chrysler 2.2, though, is that it's a non-interference engine. This means that if the belt breaks, you're still stranded, but it won't do any damage to the engine. On some cars, when the belt breaks, the pistons will smash the valves and do other fun things, which can result in the need for a new engine!

Mr_Shiftright

Timing belt wear is related to age as well as miles, so don't try to outsmart yourself by presuming that a car with low miles is safe.

I wouldn't push more than a few thousand miles beyond a manufacturer's suggested replacement date. Sure, the automaker probably has some slack built into his figures, but given the consequences and how infrequently you have to have it done, I don't much see any sense in procrastinating.

natman00

What is difference between a non-interferance belt and a interference belt?Which one does a 1999 toyota v6 have?Thank you.

alcan

It isn't the belt that's interference, it's whether the pistons will interfere with (as in bend) all the valves if the belt breaks and the camshaft stops turning. Toyota 3.0L and 3.4L V6 engines to '98 are non-interference. Not sure about '99..

poisondartfrog

GM designers blessed the 3.4 DOHC V6 in my GP with a timing chain AND timing belt, where the crank drives a jackshaft with a chain, and then a belt drives the four cam sprockets. The recommended interval for the belt is 60K, and I replaced it at 64K. A peek under the cam covers looked like a black rats nest (belt wear) before I took it in. The belt and the plastic idler pulleys were replaced. Service manager commented it was one of the first he'd seen where the belt was NOT snapped. Total cost: $586. Otherwise it's about $1,500 if it breaks.

mrdetailer

Ask about the following to see if they would likely need repair before the next timing belt change.

1. Camshaft Seals

2. Crankshaft Seals

3. Water pump.

4. Idler Arm

5. Tensioner arm

Most of the labor involved in these repairs involves removing, replacing and adjusting the timing belt. Here's my story with 2 cars.

1991 Mazda Replaced timing belt at 90,000. Cam and crankshaft seals leak at 115,000. As soon as I can save enough money, I will have all of the repairs listed above done.

Dodge, replaced timing belt at 135,000. 145,000 water pump died. Idler Arm died at 150,000. Ate timing belt. 160,000 crank case seals leaked (a fair amount) replaced belt as well, 165,000 another tensioner arm had to be replaced.

I think in this case being agressive actually saves money in the long run. But what to I know, my humble opinion is based only on pocketbook experience.

jusdreamin

How can you tell if the camshaft or crankshaft seals are leaking?

mrdetailer

It's generally easy by the time I notice them it's because of Oil spots on the drive way, and a small oil trail on the engine from that area. But by the tmie you see it, it's too late.

What I do is go to a dealer for my type of car and ask about who they would recommend as an outside mechanic. They usually recommend frineds who have left recently. Twice I have gotten mechanics who are experienced on my car. They know whether the cam and crankshaft seals will last for the duration of the timing belt.

But it's a preventative issue. In my experience if you have a 60,000 mile belt that you put on at say 90,000, you will likely have a leak before 150,000, your next scheduled timing belt change.

My Mazda Estimate for my cam and crankshaft seals is a $236.00 job. Of that it is $35.00 for the seals, and $25.00 for labor. The rest is for the timing belt. Water pump labor is only $35.00 IF the timing belt is already off. That's why I'm saving up to do the whole shebang.