You need to list the engine size when asking an engine-related question, but in this case, there is just one. It is one of the few import engines not listed as an interference engine, so youa re lucky in that respect. Also, the water pump on this engine is not driven by the timing belt.
All reputable mechanics who have your best interest at heart will want you to replace the timing belt at the scheduled intervals, or rarely more than 100,000 miles. To insure the quality of the repair, they will also want to install new tensioning devices and pulleys, including the water pump when it is involved, so there is nothing left to worry about. The exception is when the belts have a history of failing sooner than the manufacturer expected. Honda's are a good example. They used to recommend every 75,000 miles, but their the belts commonly broke at 65,000 miles.
We do not like to hear, "if it is not broken, do not fix it". I just posted a reply to someone who did not have anything repaired for years, and now she is sitting mostly on the side of the road with a wheel and broken ball joint folded under the car. We would rather identify and repair potential problems when they are still relatively inexpensive, than wait for the needed repairs to get too costly. Given that a broken timing belt on your car will only result in him walking, it is less important to replace the belt. The timing belt on my old 1988 Grand Caravan lasted for well over 200,000 miles, but you would lose all respect for my wondrous wisdom if I suggested everyone ignored their vehicles like I did. I also did not change the engine oil in my van for over fourteen years because "it was not broken". There is a difference between repairing stuff for no good reason and repairing stuff for normal maintenance.
Since your step-kid is in college, suggest having him find out if they have an Automotive program where they can replace the belt. We were always looking for live work to give our kids real-world experience. We had a couple dozen people in the community who would sit on a broken car until it fit what we were teaching because they knew the value those projects had for us.
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Wednesday, February 28th, 2018 AT 8:32 PM
