Timing belt replacement

Before cranking the engine, you must manually turn the crankshaft at least 2 revolutions and recheck the belt timing. If they all line up, you are safe.

Since you have rotated the crankshaft and rechecked the timing marks, it should be good.

Have a nice day.

You're welcome and glad to be of help.

Thank you for using 2carpros.

Hi:
I believe there are 4 bolts holding it on. Have you checked for that?

Hi superbuyr1,

The timing belt is recommended to be replaced at 60 k miles and being an interference engine, it could damage the engine if it broke.

The mileages was not stated so I am not able to ascertain if the belt is due for replacement. Based on the year, it is due.

Its an interference engine 1.5L and T/Belt replacement due at 60,000 miles-do it now

If its starting up with no problem and no engine performance and no noises at the front cover-drive on.

Hi ravalenzuela,

Thank you for the donation.

If the noise is anything similar to the one from the video, it definitely is not from the timing belt. Neither would it be from the serpentine belt. It is a bearing noise and since the noise only occurs when the clutch is depressed, I would suspect the clutch throwout bearing to be the culprit.

When the bearing seizes, depressing the clutch would cause the engine to stall at low speeds. As the clutch is required to be depressed when cranking, the seized bearing is putting additional load on the crankshaft preventing the sterter from turning.

Unplug the clutch pedal switch and use a jumper across the connector. Without depressing the clutch and with gear in neutral, try starting.

To check if the engine is seized due to a faulty timing belt, manually turn the crankshaft pulley with the aid of a spanner.

Another way to test if the engine is seized is to jack one side of the front tire off the ground. Engage 3rd or 4th gear and turn the wheel that is off the ground by hand. If you are able to turn the wheel, with a little resistance, the engine is ok.

To check the condition of the serpentine belt, see if the belt is intact and all the pullies are lined up. Removing the belt to test all the components would anable yout to check if any comonent is seized.

To check the timing belt, you need to remove the upper cover and turn the engine to verify the camshaft is turning when the engine is being turned.

You're welcome but I am curious which part is the correct one? The seized clutch throwout bearing?

Thank you for the input.

Too bad it is going to cost a lot of money.

Hi Keggers76. Welcome to the forum. Many engines today are what is referred to as "interference engines" meaning the piston and the valves occupy the same space but not at the same time. When the timing belt breaks, the valve train stops almost instantly but the pistons take a while to coast to a stop. Some of the valves are open when they stop moving and the coasting pistons bang into them and bend them. It is very possible some of the valves will survive without being hit but some of the valves will definitely be bent.

Bent valves doesn't mean the engine is junk but it means "get out your wallet". You will need a valve job which is not such a terrible thing at 110,000 miles. This will typical run around $500.00 to, ... Oh, ... About $800.00 including the new timing belt.

I personally will never own any car with an interference engine. I drive only older Chrysler products but every manufacturer has at least a few engines of that design. My '88 Grand Caravan has 379,000 miles and the timing belt was only replaced once when the water pump went out but that is not an interference engine, so if it were to break, no serious damage would occur except to my shoes as I walk home! :) That is fairly uncommon though. To put things in perspective, Hondas from the 1980s recommended the timing belt be replaced every 75,000 miles, and it was common for them to break at 65,000 miles! Most engines will go longer than that but I suspect if you can find it in the owner's manual, it is probably recommended to replace your belt at or before 100,000 miles.

If your engine is not an interference design, all you will need is a new timing belt. Many engines, such as mine, run the water pump with the timing belt and most shops will want to replace it too for insurance and since they're already in there. Replacing each part by itself is a big job so might as well do both right away. Some manufacturers also recommend replacing the part that maintains the proper tension on the belt. It's smart to do that right away too to prevent future problems.

Even if you need a valve job, this is no reason to scrap the car. The cost of repair is equivalent to two or three monthly car payments if you buy something new, and a used car could develop the same problem. If you like your car, fix it. If you don't like it, you'll get almost the same value for a trade-in even if you don't have it repaired first.

One final thought: In rare instances one or more pistons could be cracked when the timing belt fails and they hit the open valves. There is no easy way to tell until the cylinder head is removed. At that point the repair estimate will go way up, but keep in mind a used engine from the salvage yard could develop the same problem. A total engine rebuild may be required at that point.

Caradiodoc