puter

When to replace timing belt?

98 Plymouth Breeze 2.0L 4 cyl OHC 60k miles
The folks at work say to replace timing belt now and save engine trouble. Shop manual says 105k miles. Which one would you go by?

By the way, replacing timing belt involves removing one engine mount, removing damper wheel, and removing the belt covers. I have never done timing belt job before.

Thanks.

Butchdodge

Hi, The guys are right. The belt dries and cracks,And if you do alot of high speed driving "Highway" if that belt brakes you are lookin at a very costly repair.Also the belt drives the waterpump for a minium cost I'd replace that to. Saves from redoing it. If your mechanically inclined ,get a chiltonbook at your local autoparts store for your vehicle.Read up it snot that bad.. I'm a dodgeman lol. Good Luck Jeff

New guy

I'd do it at around 100. I have not seen any that broke before a 100K yet, on the other hand, your head gasket may goes first at around that 100K miles time frame, then it's cheaper to do head gasket job and timing belt replacement at the same time.

the_tow_guy

According to Gates (http://www.gates.com/downloads/downl...older=brochure) it's 100k or 105k for CA for some reason. Also indicates it's an interference engine, aka a valve-bender. Personally I would err on the side of caution and do it at 75,000 unless you were doing something related, like if the water pump craps and you have to open it up. Might also want to weigh how long you're likely to own the car. If you think you'll go 100k or so and then trade it or sell it, makes sense to do it now. If keeping it to 150k sounds more likely (and I'm not sure a Breeze will last that long) probably makes sense to do it around 75k. Either way you end up only having to do it once during your ownership hopefully.

Kestas

For most cars the timing belt change interval is anywhere between 60K and 100K. I doubt that data is collected by the manufacturer by testing to arrive at the figure. My guess is that they look at underhood temperature data during testing, consider whether it is an interference engine, consider belt manufacturer's recommendations, and maybe some politics involved. (My 85 2.2L Omni never gave a replacement schedule!... probably so not to alarm the owners with the new timing belt designs at that time.)

Considering you're in a Florida climate, which is tough on rubber, and that you have an interference engine, you should take the tow guy's advice and err on the side of caution.

When changing the belt, change the water pump also, even if it's working fine. Water pump seals are consumable items that eventually need replacement anyhow. Considering the labor overlap to do each job (a 'while you're there' scenario), it's best to do it all at once.

car nut

My sons Passat called for changing the timing belt at 60,000 mikles. It broke at 60,012 miles. He had to spend $7,000.00 for a new engine.

puter

"You do it once during ownership" makes lot of sense. And I don't believe 98 Breeze, especially, 2.0L would last 150k. It already had headgasket repair. After that, engine got flooded (my daughter's fault). Installed a used 2000 engine - I hope it does have headgasket problem. Compressor was replaced already. Overall, it is a car that's too expensive to keep until 150k. I will replace the timing belt and water pump together sometime this summer. Thanks for the tips.

the_tow_guy

Did his Passat motor grenade, car nut??? Generally interference engines trash the head(s) when the bust a belt, but I don't recall ever hearing anyone haivng to replace the whole engine.

Kestas

If the belt snaps during high-speed driving (worst-case scenario), it can not only damage the valves, but the pistons can take a bad beating.

car nut

Posted By: the_tow_guy Did his Passat motor grenade, car nut??? Generally interference engines trash the head(s) when the bust a belt, but I don't recall ever hearing anyone haivng to replace the whole engine.

He was going about 65 or 70 mph. It bent several valves, ruined the head, broke some pistons & put a big score in one cylinder wall. It weren't pretty He had an appointment to get the belt changed 2 days after it happened.

Volkswagen had never heard of one breaking anywhere near 60,000 so out of the kindness of their generous corporate structure they told him to take a hike. They would not even give him a 10 cent discount on the motor.

If it were a Honda I would be willing to bet money they would have stepped up to the plate and helped. Their customer service is excellent by my experiences with them.